by Nancy Jaffer | May 12, 2019
By Nancy Jaffer
May 12, 2019
Could there have been a more appropriate winner than Doug Payne for a division of the 2019 Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event?
Even though Doug lives in North Carolina now, he’s still considered a hometown hero in the Garden State, so it was nice to have him finish at the top of the standings today in the CCI 3-star Long, presented by Zoetis.
Doug Payne and Starr Witness. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Doug’s roots are in New Jersey; he grew up in Tewksbury Township at Applewood Farm, a facility run by his mother, Marilyn Payne, an Olympic judge, trainer and all-around expert in the sport of eventing. Starr Witness, the mare he rode to the title today came from Emil Spadone’s Redfields Farm in Tewksbury. And he has ridden at Jersey Fresh for many of its 17 years, although he didn’t come last year.
Jersey Fresh sometimes has struggled in the past, but many of the riders who competed in the event at the Horse Park of New Jersey commented how much they appreciate the efforts to improve conditions by event organizers and the park’s board. The weather cooperated Saturday for cross-country, with gorgeous sunshine and moderate temperatures that drew hundreds of tailgaters, although today was a complete opposite, drenched in cold rain. Even so, the footing installed a year ago in the grand prix ring held up well enough. Unfortunately, however, it was decided to cancel the park’s first Preliminary Eventing Derby as the rain continued to pour down after the regular divisions wrapped up.
Wendy Furlong of sponsor B.W. Furlong and Associates at the victory ceremony for Starr Witness and Doug Payne, who also brought fourth-place Cascor into the arena. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
I asked Doug what he thought about the event, and he replied, “There are pretty dramatic improvements. The arena footing is good, the cross-country, you couldn’t have asked for a whole lot better as far as footing goes. The courses were good, they were challenging,” he said of the routes designed by Mark Phillips.
“I was glad to see that in the end it wasn’t a dressage show. In years past, they’ve gone a little bit softer and now it got a little harder, and I think appropriately so,” said Doug.
To find out what happened on cross-country, click here to read yesterday’s story.
Going into the show jumping phase, where the course was designed by Chris Barnard, Doug stood second to overnight leader Lynn Symansky on RF Cool Play. With 27.3 penalties to his 30.1, she did not have a rail to play with. When Doug turned in a clean round, the pressure was on Lynn, who dropped a pole and finished second. Doug was also fourth with another double clear on Cascor, who came up from seventh after dressage. Doug characterizes that gelding as the mare’s “boyfriend.”
A victory gallop in the rain for Doug Payne and Starr Witness. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Starr Witness is a former hunter, but she was too hot for that division despite her classic jumping style, so Emil thought it would be worth it for Doug to give her a shot in his discipline.
“She goes in a rubber snaffle and you hardly have to touch her reins,” he said. “She’s just learning now to relax and open up her step and become more efficient on cross-country.”
Doug was standing third on Quantum Leap in the CCI 4-star Long after cross-country, but he wasn’t presented at today’s final horse inspection because he had a “pretty wicked” heel grab incurred yesterday.
“This sport’s not easy at all, and it can be very frustrating,” said Doug, who really came into his own in a big way this year, finishing fifth at the Land Rover Kentucky 5-star last month on Vandiver. It was a long journey.
“At this point, over time, we have a great group of horses. It’s been incredibly rewarding. It’s an exciting time, because we’ve had the majority of these horses forever,” said Doug, thanking his wife, Jessica; Starr’s owners Catherine Winter and Laurie McRee, and the others on his support team, as well as Emil, who kept a 5 percent interest in the Dutchbred mare so he could be in the winner’s circle photos.
Starr Witness, Cascor and Vandiver are all under consideration for the Pan American Games squad that will go to Lima, Peru, this summer in an effort to get the U.S. eventing team qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The squad will be named next month, after U.S. horses compete at the Bromont, Quebec, event, and longtime selector Bobby Costello promised, “We’ll have a winning team.”
Jersey Fresh’s featured CCI 4-star Long, presented by B.W. Furlong Associates, went to Fylicia Barr, who moved up from fourth in dressage to first yesterday with a fault-free cross-country trip on Galloway Sunrise, the mare she bought for $500. (For the back story in yesterday’s article, click on this link.)
Fylicia Barr and Galloway Sunrise on their way to the 4-star title. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Fylicia had a rail in hand going into today’s competition. Sunny toppled a pole during her round but she still had extra margin after Arden Wildasin, standing second with Il Vici, also had 4 penalties. Fylicia’s final score was 38.4 penalties to 43.2 for Arden. It was the inaugural 4-star win for Fylicia, who was the first person ever to sit on Sunny and has brought her up through the levels. Her goal is to qualify for the 2020 Kentucky 5-star.
A Pennsylvania professional, Fylicia didn’t take Sunny to Florida this winter, so she wasn’t sure about her degree of fitness for cross-country going into Jersey Fresh.
“I knew after the first jump, she was game-on the whole time, hunting the flags. It’s just a really cool experience to have a horse who knows her job so clearly,” said Fylicia.
“And then today, we’ve always struggled with the show jumping but my eye was in and she was just jumping out of her skin for me.
Fylicia Barr was thrilled with her first 4-star victory on Sunny. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Despite the weather, she came in and put in almost a foot-perfect show jumping round. It’s been a long time coming, and I feel like all the pieces finally came together this weekend, and it’s really exciting.”
Fylicia is thinking about breeding the mare with an embryo transplant into a surrogate, so Sunny can still compete.
Arden thanked her parents for supporting her “through all of my journeys, because they’re who allow me to do what I love to do. If I want to go out and do something, they’ll say, `Go for it.'”
She added, “I’ve learned to enjoy every moment. And that’s the biggest thing. No matter what happens, you enjoy it, because you never know when it’s going to end.”
Arden Wildasin and Il Vici. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Arden, an amateur, has competed in dressage and show jumping as she seeks to expand her skill. She did both on Mystery Whisper, Phillip Dutton’s 2012 Olympic ride.
But her thirst for expanding her horizons isn’t just limited to riding.
“I went to leather-making class; when I have spare time, I can make a bridle,” said Arden.
“I’d rather learn everything in all disciplines…but also, all the horse care. You might not understand it at that point, but you always have it in your tool bank.
She keeps her horses at her house.
“I wake up, I feed them, I do night check. Everyone asks, when do I take a vacation? This is a vacation.This is my best time I can spend. Me being the happiest is always around horses.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 28, 2019
Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)Boyd Martin didn’t see Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event defending champ Oliver Townend’s ride in the final round of today’s stadium jumping finale.
After all, Boyd already had done everything he could following a fault-free trip aboard Tsetserleg at the Kentucky Horse Park.
He knew he had at least clinched second place on 27.9 penalties total for the three phases of the event. Going into the segment, he had been 2.6 penalties behind Oli, but a rail from the leader would have given Boyd the win.
Even so, he rode Tsetserleg away from the stadium after his round because he didn’t need to see what Oli would do on Cooley Master Class; he thought he already knew.
“I had a feeling he’d jump clear,” Boyd said.
“That horse is such a good jumper. In the warm-up, he was jumping unreal, so I sort of figured… Anyone can have an unlucky rail, but he looked pretty confident to me.”
And he was right. The British rider retained his crown. Oli showed the skill that has made him the world’s number one eventer as he cruised around the Richard Jeffery-designed course before a crowd of 21,047 on a frigid afternoon in Lexington.
But once he went through the finish line, Oli lay on his horse’s neck, putting his head down in relief while he let the tension drain out.
As he noted, “The horse has had a checkered career and we’ve finally got him on top form. We’ve always believed in the horse, and it’s thanks to everybody at home putting in a huge team effort. It was just my job to push the buttons at the right point in time. I couldn’t be more proud of the horse and the whole team.”
The victory came with a $130,000 check and a brand new Land Rover. Last year, Oli had torn around the ring when he got in the driver’s seat, so this time, the organizers took the precaution of providing a driver. But you can’t keep a good man down, so Oli stood on the seat and stuck his upper body out the sun roof so he could wave to the crowd.
Oliver Townend on his way to winning the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event with Cooley Master Class. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Boyd could take consolation in the fact that as the highest-placed U.S. rider, he was the national 5-star champion, winning the Haller Trophy from the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the Pinnacle trophy from the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation.
“This year he has come out blazing,” Boyd said of Tsetserleg, noting their partnership is working now, although it’s taken a while, as it usually does with horses. Actually, the way “Thomas” warmed up didn’t give him the utmost confidence. But the black Trakehner was at his best once he entered the stadium.
“I do have to say, I thin
k he loves a bit of atmosphere and the crowd,” Boyd noted.
“He tapped the first fence a bit and I thought, ‘Oh crap, this is going to be a long round,’ but at the second fence, he really tried, and then I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve got a shot here.’ ’’ Once he got through the first double on course, 4A and B, he thought he was going to be fine. And he was.
If Boyd, a two-time Olympian for America, had won, he would have been the first U.S. rider to take the Kentucky competition since his friend, Phillip Dutton, did it in 2008.
Oli enjoys his new ride. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Never one to dwell on what might have been, Boyd already is looking ahead. “Next time,” he told me, with his characteristic big smile. And likely there will be a next time, as Oli said he wants to come back in 2020 and try for a three-peat in the Western Hemisphere’s only 5-star event.
Perhaps the one who lost the most was New Zealand’s Tim Price, who had been third after cross-country. He kept his placing following a fault-free trip on Xavier Faer (30.9 penalties), but lost a chance to pursue the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam. Having won Britain’s Burghley 5-star last year, if he had been first at Kentucky and then first again next week at Britain’s other 5-star, Badminton, he would have collected the elusive prize that only two other riders in its history have been able to capture.
At this point, though, Tim is just happy his horse has overcome health problems and is back in form. In 2017, while at his breeder’s farm on R&R, Xavier Faer’s pony pal kicked him in the forearm. There was a wound that caregivers tended, and the horse was kept quiet to see what would develop. Sure enough, two days later, X-rays showed a hairline fracture. The horse had to be kept in a stall on crossties for several months so he wouldn’t lie down and stress the bone.
New Zealand’s Tim Price and Xavier Faer. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“But he came through,” said Tim, and you could say the same about the way he jumped today, despite being a rather spooky fellow.
“Liverpools? He takes a real special liking to, or disliking to, whatever you want to call it and the whole middle of the arena was like that, an ocean of water trays and liverpools today so that was something he needed to overcome,” Tim observed.
“He jumped beautiful. He’s just a lovely big, scopey honest horse and I really enjoy riding a horse like him.”.
A total of 73,049 attended the event, presented by Mars Equestrian, which is billed as “the best weekend all year.” Fans ignore harsh weather like what we experienced today, and love getting up early to attend the horse inspection, which was quite uneventful this morning, with all 31 starters passing. They just want to be part of it.
The ones who stay through the long awards ceremony really get into it when the winner does his two-round victory gallop. Some riders just go through the motions on their honor round, but you can see Oli enjoys it.
Oli salutes the fans during his victory gallop. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Looking at the scoreboard, the top five all were fault-free in the jumping. Fourth place went to another Brit, Piggy French on Quarrycrest Echo (33.5 penalties) while the USA’s Doug Payne was fifth with Vandiver (35.9). Doug is a hard worker who is finally getting the results he deserves. Also fault-free was Erin Sylvester on Paddy the Caddy, who had an unfortunate refusal at the final brush at the Head of the Lake yesterday. Without those 20 penalties, she would have been sixth.
Leslie Law, the 2004 individual Olympic gold medalist for Britain who is now a U.S. coach, left the rails in place with the promising Voltaire de Tre, who was 10th, while Hannah Sue Burnett finished 11th with a perfect trip on the veteran Harbour Pilot.
Will Coleman on the often-tense Tight Lines was clear as well, winding up 13th on the French-bred thoroughbred he rode in the FEI World Equestrian Games last year.
Coverage of Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event on NancyJaffer.com:
Wednesday, April 24: And they’re off — at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event
Thursday, April 25: Dressage paves the way at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event
Friday, April 26: The Once and Future King of Kentucky?
Saturday, April 27: Is it time for an American to win the Kentucky Three-Day Event?
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 26, 2019
Oliver Townend started out today where he left off last year–at the top of the leaderboard for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. The British rider and Cooley Master Class, the 14-year-old Irish sport horse he has been riding for the last decade, put in a stellar dressage test that drew cheers from the crowd of 11,676 in the Rolex Stadium.
The 2018 Kentucky winner, Oliver Townend, waves to his enthusiastic fans after a dressage test that put him at the top of the leaderboard. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Kentucky, said Oli, “is one of my favorite events.The people here are very, very friendly, the atmosphere second to none the stadium is out of this world. If I had the last event of my career, this is the one I’d want to be at because it’s such a special place to me.”
Oli was marked at 24.1 penalties, giving him a 3-point edge over his countrywoman, Piggy French on Quarrycrest Echo.
Coolio, as his mount is known around the barn, didn’t turn a hair in the atmosphere, where Oli got more applause than any other competitor.
“He was very laid back, almost bone-idle in there,” Oli commented. If it had been warm instead of frigid with wind and occasional rainshowers, Oli observed, his horse might have fallen asleep.”
He knows the horse so well that basically, all it takes for dressage is to “Go in there and do a clear round and press buttons.”
After his ride, Oli stopped and chatted with one of the little Pony Clubbers who remove and replace the board at the entrance to the dressage ring. Yesterday, Chris Talley did the same after his ride, when he invited the girls to pat his horse, Unmarked Bills. So it’s getting to be a “thing.”
But in this case, it turned out the little girl’s mother had bought a horse from Oli, and the child took care to say her mom was very pleased with the animal.
Never one to miss an opportunity, Oli said, “I asked if her mum was ready to buy a new one yet.”
Oliver Townend made a friend as he was leaving the dressage arena. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Piggy was a little nervous warming up this morning in what she called “a monsoon” during a rainstorm. But she said she was proud of the way her 12-year-old Irish sport horse conducted himself in the arena, calling it “very professional.”
Piggy French and Quarrycrest Echo. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
He was Piggy’s mount for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, where she finished 10th. Her last visit to the horse park was for the 2010 WEG, and she noted it’s quite different for the 5-star but “really exciting.”
The only American in the top three is Boyd Martin with Tsetserleg, the compact Trakehner who was marked at 27.9 penalties, just ahead of overnight leader Felix Vogg on Switzerland on Colero (28).
Amazingly, it has been 11 years since a U.S. rider last won at Kentucky. That was Boyd’s close friend, Phillip Dutton on Connaught. He is seventh on Z (31.7).
Could Boyd be the hero for the Stars and Stripes this time around? He had a disappointing WEG last year with the horse he calls Thomas, but the two have come together since then.
The highest-placed American after dressage, Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“This year, he’s a bit more seasoned and confirmed at this level,” said Boyd.
It’s the third year he has been with the horse, who is by Windfall, a stallion that was part of the 2004 Olympic team.
“It takes about two years to form a partnership. Last year was probably a little bit of a rush. It sort of felt like we were doing everything on a wing and a prayer. He’s a little bit of a quirky horse.”
Now, however, “We’ve had a bit of time to figure each other out. He’s one hell of a trier and at this level, it’s wonderful having a horse who tries his guts out for you.”
Saturday’s cross-country will tell the tale, not only for Tsetserleg, but also for the 40 other horses that will attempt Derek di Grazia’s challenging cross-country route.
“It always amazes me how much the course changes from year to year,” Oli observed. “I’m a huge fan of Derek’s courses; he’s absolutely exceptional for what he does.”
Find out how it goes for Oli and the others by coming back here Saturday night to catch up on my coverage.
Coverage of Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event on NancyJaffer.com:
Wednesday, April 24: And they’re off — at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event
Thursday, April 25: Dressage paves the way at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event
Saturday, April 27: Is it time for an American to win the Kentucky Three-Day Event?
Sunday, April 28: The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event has a repeat winner
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 25, 2019
The real excitement will have to wait for Saturday’s cross-country test, but the action got under way today at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day event with the first half of the dressage. For many riders (although less than in the past) this is a segment to be gotten through, the vegetables before the sweet intensity of Derek di Grazia’s 28-obstacle course at the Kentucky Horse Park.
That is really why they come to the Western Hemisphere’s only 5-star event. The dressage today and tomorrow and Sunday’s stadium jumping finale are the bookends of this competition’s highlight, horse and rider going at speed over such spectacular challenges as the Frog Pond, the Bourbon Houses, the Cedar Lodge and of course, the Rolex Head of the Lake.
The standings after dressage usually undergo massive alteration following cross-country, but the first phase does give an inkling of who might be in contention.
Today, it was Felix Vogg of Switzerland, who topped the standings with a 28-penalty test, executed with a silken smooth sophistication on Colero. Although the atmosphere in the arena was more subdued than it will be Friday, a crowd of 5,466 was still good for a Thursday. And Colero, an 11-year-old Westphalian, wasn’t the least bit intimidated.
The leader after day one of dressage, Felix Vogg on Colero. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“We tried something new,” said Felix.
“I didn’t warm him up too long, and it worked out quite well. He’s the kind of horse that just doesn’t take his atmosphere too seriously. He always puts in a good test and if I ride well, he does what I want.”
Felix came as a spectator last year and always heard nice things about the event from his friend, three-time Kentucky winner Michael Jung of Germany.
This is the last hurrah in the U.S. for Felix, who heads back to Europe next month to try for the European championships and wants to work closely with the Swiss team.
Liz Halliday-Sharp, the hot rider of the 2019 season so far, was second for the USA with 30.9 penalties on DeNiro Z, whose dressage is a work in progress that is shaping up nicely.
“It’s his second five star and his first time at Kentucky,” said Liz, noting her 11-year-old Dutchbred did Luhmuhlen in Germany, where the course is wooded and twisty, unlike the route in Kentucky.
“It’s never easy being third to go, and I really felt he gave me everything he had. I was a little disappointed with the score–I’m not going to lie,” she said.
“He does struggle with his (flying) changes and he did today, but I’m thrilled with the horse. He gave me everything and pushed hard and did phenomenal trot work.”
Liz Halliday-Sharp noted DeNiro Z stil struggles with his flying changes, but she’s confident she’ll get them under control as the test becomes more refined. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Buck Davidson, a Kentucky regular, stands third on the 17-year-old Park Trader, owned by Cassie and Carl Segal of Pottersvile, N.J. His score of 32.1 penalties has him nicely situated at the moment, though defending champion Oliver Townend of Great Britain will go tomorrow with Cooley Master Class, and such top contenders as Philip Dutton and Boyd Martin are set to compete in the afternoon.
“Park Trader isn’t fantastic at this phase, but he is maturing and getting better, finally, at the age of 17,” Buck observed.
The judges liked what they saw from Buck Davidson and Park Trader. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He did as well as he could possibly do, he did all the flying changes as well as he could do them. He did everything as well as he knows how.”
After the competition, we got a tour of the course from Derek, who is also designing the route for the Tokyo Olympics next year. It’s a thinking rider’s course, with lots of quick decision to be made about possible alternatives when things go awry.
The Rolex Head of the Lake, the Horse Park’s iconic water complex, has been completely redesigned, with a bunch of new fences, a nice drop into the drink and a bounce over a handsome brush jump after a bank on the way out.
“You’ll see a lot of horses go through here and make it look easy,” said Derek.
“There will also be some others that, if they’re not quite as organized, it won’t be so pretty. The good thing is there’s brush here, and brush is pretty safe.”
Derek di Grazia talks about the new look at the Rolex Head of the Lake. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“There are choices you have to make as to the striding you want to do. Depending on how you jump in over the first will determine what happens over the second or the third . That’s where the riders, especially at this level, will react and know what to do when that happens.
“They have plan A if the horse jumps in like they want, then they just keep going and do what they want. If something else happens, they know what the options are as well. The riders that really walk their courses and feel their horses, what’s going on on the day, they’re going to know how to adjust.”
We can’t wait to see what they do, but as I’ve said, there’s more dressage first. Check back tomorrow night for a report on Friday’s happenings.
Coverage of Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event on NancyJaffer.com:
Wednesday, April 24: And they’re off — at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event
Friday, April 26: The Once and Future King of Kentucky?
Saturday, April 27: Is it time for an American to win the Kentucky Three-Day Event?
Sunday, April 28: The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event has a repeat winner
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 21, 2019
There were two winners of the $100,000 USHJA/WCHR $100,000 Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla.
One was Brad Wolf’s Private Practice, ridden by Tori Colvin, who took home the $30,000 first prize last weekend.
Tori Colvin and Private Practice. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
The other winner was the EQUUS Foundation, which received the $22,000 second-place check that went to Cheryl Olsten’s Lafitte De Muze, ridden by Amanda Steege. But that money didn’t go home with the horse.
Amanda Steege and Lafitte de Muze with USHJA President Mary Babick and USHJA CEO Kevin Price. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Cheryl donates all of Lafitte’s winnings to EQUUS. Explaining why, Cheryl said, “He really is a special horse, a humble fellow who gives his all and loves people. I was taken with him and his eager spirit, and feel very lucky to be his owner.
“The thought came to me that I wanted to celebrate that spirit, and what better way than to donate his prize money to a cause? A horse helping other horses seemed appropriate. After much research, I came upon the EQUUS foundation.”
Lafitte did the 2018 Spectacular as a first-year horse, when it was only his third show in America.
“It was amazing to feel how much more mature he is a year later,” said Amanda, who divides her time between Ocala, Fla., and Califon, N.J., where she has stalls at Pinnacle Farm.
The top 12 in the first round of the Spectacular came back for a handy round, where speed and maneuverability counted. Lafitte was in the lead going into the handy, but he wound up second to Private Practice by just half a percentage point when Amanda played it a bit conservative.
Amanda Steege and Lafitte de Muze in the $100,000 Hunter Spectacular. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Even so, Amanda said, “I was really happy with my handy round. I thought he jumped amazing. I made the conscious choice to go around the red vertical on the way to jump (number) one.
Tori’s horse has won derby finals and is a bit more experienced than my horse. My horse is working his way up to being able to do those types of things and I wanted to just make the very best decision that I could for him for this to be the most positive experience possible. Other than that, I thought he was quite handy, very adjustable, very smooth. His jumping style felt amazing.”
The class was held in WEF’s International arena, usually the venue of the jumper grands prix, and it can be quite intimidating under the lights with a big crowd on the sidelines.
Amanda’s horses shipped in to WEF just six days before the Spectacular, “which I think actually is difficult to do, for my horses to come here and get used to the chaos and surroundings of Wellington in addition to having to go in the International Ring,” she said. “I was extra proud of Lafitte for being able to handle that.”
Lafitte has done some impressive winning, including the $500,000 HITS Hunter Prix and the $50,000 WCHR Pro Challenge at the Capital Challenge Horse Show last year.
All that prize money meant Lafitte could be a real asset to whatever charity Cheryl chose for donation of his winnings.
Cheryl liked the concept of the EQUUS mission, so she called its president, Lynn Coakley, for details. Lynn told her EQUUS is an “umbrella” foundation, supporting scores of organizations that need funding to maintain their own missions of helping to rescue, re-home and retrain horses bound for slaughter. The list runs from mini horses to race horses, quarter horses, wild mustangs that have been rounded up, carriage horses and show horses.
“They are all perfectly fine animals that, for whatever reason, have been cast aside,” Cheryl noted.
“EQUUS `vets’ these organizations to make sure they all legit and comply with the necessary standards.” For more about the foundation and its mission, click on this link .
It gives Cheryl comfort to know “that in a small way, the prize money that Lafitte wins is going to help rescue horses from the horror that awaits them and the painful trip across the border” to slaughter. She appreciates that this will give them a second chance. Cheryl wants Lafitte to stand for “being an ambassador and star for the EQUUS foundation, spreading the word. What better gift can one give if not to help another?” she asked.
“We hope his message inspires others to do the same.”
Private Practice was victorious in the USHJA International Hunter Derby in Kentucky last summer, and Amanda will be pointing Lafitte toward that class this summer. Tori has won the Spectacular five times, so she’s used to the challenge.
But junior rider Jordan Allan aboard Dana Schwarz’s Kind of Blue found herself in an unfamiliar position next to two stars of the sport in the victory ceremonies.
Jordan Allen and Kind of Blue (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“It’s beyond exciting,” she said.
“It’s my last (junior) year and everything is sort of shaping out. I’m just so lucky to have incredible horses to show, Kind of Blue especially. I’ve been showing him for about two months now. I know him like the back of my hand.
“I’m so excited. I thought he was amazing in both rounds, obviously, but in the second round, I think he really stepped it up with the brilliance. I thought he was just amazing. I knew I didn’t have to go crazy, but he just always steps to the plate.”
Jordan, who is a working student for Florida professionals Ken and Emily Smith, says they are like a second family to her. She doesn’t own any horses, but each week, they get mounts for her to show and she is grateful. Others she thanked included Brady Mitchell, Adam Graham and Alvin Menendez.
Jordan Allen, Amanda Steege and Tori Colvin. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
This fall, Jordan will be going to the University of South Carolina, where she will ride on the equestrian team. When she mentioned she would be studying on a pre-med track, I suggested that if she is going to be a doctor, she should have Private Practice, because of his name.
“I’ll take him!,” she replied.
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 16, 2019
Call it the daily double. Only in Wellington, Fla., could you have a 5-star-rated $210,000 grand prix with 44 entries in the afternoon and a 3-star $134,000 grand prix with the same number (but different horses, or course) a couple of miles away in the evening.
That’s what happened yesterday in the municipality that bills itself as “the winter horse capital of the world,” though the classes ran with two different scenarios.
The afternoon competition, the Longines Grand Prix of the Palm Beach Masters at Deeridge Farm, drew the biggest names, among them U.S. stars Beezie Madden, McLain Ward and Margie Engle. The foreign riders included FEI World Equestrian Games silver medalist Martin Fuchs (who sadly fell off Silver Shine when the horse refused the second jump), Lorenzo de Luca in his snappy Italian Air Force uniform and Great Britain’s 2012 Olympic team bold medalist Ben Maher.
The jump-off was a cavalry charge of 15 horses, bringing to mind last Saturday’s 18-horse jump-off at the Winter Equestrian Festival’s 5-star $391,000 Fidelity Grand Prix, won by Martin on his WEG horse, Clooney 51.
Despite losing a rein before one fence and adding an unplanned stride, Paul O’Shea emerged the winner on Imerald van’t Voorhof while managing to get a time of 36.03 seconds, 0.75 faster than Margie on her intrepid stallion, Royce. The difference is the way Royce clears the fences, leaping high in a fashion that keeps the rails up, but which means some lost time.
Palm Beach Masters grand prix winner Paul O’Shea of Ireland on Imerald van’t Voorhof. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“My horse is not the quickest in the air,” said Margie, who had the advantage of going last over the course designed by Alan Wade, who did the routes for the WEG.
Paul rides Imerald, a potential sale horse, for the Tisbo family’s Tequestrian Farms. Interestingly, one of the award presenters was Lauren Tisbo on behalf of her family’s Suncast enterprise, a sponsor of the class.
Margie Engle and Royce. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Third place went to Juan Manuel Gallego of Colombia, the rider of Coulash van de Broy Z, who called it an honor to be on the dais at the press conference with Paul and Margie. Beaming, he said, said it was “one of the happiest days of my life.”
There was quite a contrast to the afternoon class and last night’s Winter Equestrian Festival’s Cabana Coast Grand Prix, run under the lights at the Equestrian Village, down the street from WEF and best known as the home of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival.
It looked as if there might not be a jump off. After the first half of the class, the only clear round among 22 starters belonged to Nicki Shahinian-Simpson on Akuna Mattata.
Nicki Shahinian-Simpson and Akuna Mattata. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Four retirements and two eliminations in that group had course designer Catsy Cruz of Mexico asking for an Advil. But a jump-off emerged with the lone fault-free trip in the second half, Spencer Smith on Quality FZ.
Nicki and her mare, known as Nahla, ripped through the tiebreaker in 37.08 seconds. Spencer, who rides with Canadian Olympic gold medalist Eric Lamaze (but was on his own last night) clocked in at 38.71 seconds.
Spencer Smith and Quality FZ. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Third place went to the fastest 4-faulter, Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, N.J., who had the last rail with Chandon Blue. Laura is always a speedster, and it paid off as she got the Martha Wachtel Leading Lady Rider honors for the week.
Why was the course so tough?
“The grand prix here it always much more difficult than it walks,” said Laura.
“The lights, the difficulty of the smaller ring, the new venue. It always seems like you walk it and it doesn’t seem too bad and then the rails down come from everywhere. She’s very clever in the way she sets the course that way. It wasn’t one specific problem.”
Laura Chapot and Chandon Blue. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Laura prefers a small jump-off to a larger one, explaining, “I don’t like it when there’s 15 clear before you go. As long as you’re confident in your plan and trust your horse, then it’s a matter of riding the course. If you ride it well, you can do it. When there’s a lot clear, you can get unlucky.”
Nahla is an interesting horse, because she is a triplet out of SRF Dragonfly, one of Nicki’s longtime mounts. Luckily, Dragonfly didn’t have to give birth to all three—they were carried by different surrogate mares. Each is in a different stage of development, but all are looking like they will make it in the jumper ranks.
Nicki has tried a few World Cup qualifiers with her, and believes that if she makes the cut and gets to the finals in Gothenburg, Sweden, this April, Nahla will be up to the challenge.
