by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 21, 2017
By Nancy Jaffer
March 21, 2017
This month’s Live Oak International driving event, which hosted four national championships, brought back memories from the era when the sport of combined driving reached its peak in the U.S.
Chester Weber won the national four-in-hand driving championship for the 14th time at Live Oak International. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
It built to a crescendo in 1993, the year that the World Pair Driving Championships were held in Gladstone. Maybe you were there and recall the impressive array of international competitors who came to New Jersey for an event that drew amazing crowds; 40,000 spectators, including Great Britain’s Prince Philip.
Enthusiasm about combined driving built during the 1980s, when Finn Caspersen supported the sport and started the Gladstone Equestrian Association. Its annual Gladstone Driving Event was a very big deal. The 1993 championship was awarded to the U.S. after the American team won the title meet in Austria two years earlier. Plans to host the World Singles Championships in 2000 had to be cancelled due to the West Nile virus threat, and things began unraveling to some extent for the sport here after that.
There was a small revival leading up to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. Four months before the WEG, 11 four-in-hands–an unheard of number for the U.S. at the advanced level–competed for spots on the WEG team in the Garden State Driving Event at the Horse Park of New Jersey. Having the WEG in the U.S. for the first time was a magnet not only for team regulars, but also for anyone who could put together a group of horses and give it a go.
But since then, the driving ranks in the U.S. have dwindled.
“We are in serious decline,” observed Heather Walker, who ran the GEA and serves on the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Driving Sport Committee.
“There’s a lot of concern about our numbers shrinking,” agreed Lizzy Staller, the USEF’s managing director of driving.
That’s especially true in New Jersey, where the number of driving participants was reduced by competitors moving south, aging out or dying. The Gladstone event in May is a shadow of its former self, though there is determination to improve it. The Garden State Driving Event has been upgraded to a 1-star and is set for the weekend of Sept. 15. It should draw four-in-hands looking to compete at WEG next year, though the odds are against a number even approaching the 2010 turnout.
At the upper levels, U.S. driving ranks are thin for the most part, except in the single ponies and horses. The cost of the sport is a factor, as is the time and effort it takes. Competing in driving with a single animal generally requires help from another person, and more than one equine means more help, as well as extra animals that can fill in when necessary. Equipment also is bulky to transport and pricey; having both a carriage for dressage and cones and a marathon vehicle is a lot to buy and tote around.
Few have the wherewithal to compete in the four-in-hands, since the demands of that division increase exponentially from competing one or two horses. Tucker Johnson, a former national champion who was long a mainstay of the U.S. four-in-hand squad, retired after winning an individual bronze medal in Kentucky seven years ago. His perennial teammates, Chester Weber (individual silver medalist at the 2014 WEG) and Jimmy Fairclough of Newton, are still going, but there are less team candidates to choose from in the ranks of the fours, the glamour division.
Chester took his 14th national championship at Live Oak, held at his family’s farm in Ocala, Fla. While he’s one of the best in the world, having won individual silver at the 2014 WEG, there’s no one currently on the U.S. scene who can give him a real run for his money.
“The sport has been a little bit fragmented with some difficulties with the ADS (American Driving Society),” said Chester. He was referring to the fact that the USEF, of which he is the secretary/treasurer, and ADS parted ways over various issues earlier this year. This month, however, it was announced the two organizations had reached a preliminary agreement that could enable restoration of ADS as the federation’s driving discipline affiliate. Stay tuned for this one.
While USEF CEO Bill Moroney says he’s still learning more about driving, he commented, “We need to somehow to make driving more accessible, combined driving especially, and how to raise awareness of it. Instead of getting caught up in what exists now, look at it from the viewpoint of if you could create it however you wanted to, what would you do to attract people, encourage people, mentor people, make it more accessible, whether it’s financially or time-wise.”
He said what is required is having the interested parties “sit at a table and put in the hard work and figure out where this sport needs to go.”
“Hopefully, we can put the sport together with a cohesive line from the grassroots forward,” Chester commented. “We try to do our fair share at Live Oak and present the sport to a lot of people,” he continued, noting he also gives clinics and tries to help those who are interested in getting involved with driving.
Lizzy Staller called Live Oak–which hosted four national championships this year–the best driving show in the country, but noted other organizers shouldn’t be intimidated by it, thinking they have to meet the same expectations.
An elaborate circus party at Live Oak featured Chester Weber as a ringmaster and his sister, Juliet Reid, as another big top personality. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“What we really need are local shows, where you can spend the weekend and not take eight days off. We need to grow the sport at the local level,” Lizzy said.
“We’re trying to figure out how to come up with funds to help organizers,” she added. “People aren’t giving back to the sport. There’s no other way to support it. You have to give to the (U.S. Equestrian Team) Foundation, or volunteer. You can’t just stand there and say, ‘I made a team. How much money am I getting?’”
Lizzy added, “Our developing driver program is extremely popular. I think that’s because it caters to people at the lower levels who want to move up but just need some help. Hopefully, we’ll be able to expand that program. People need places to compete where they don’t have to travel across the country or down the entire East Coast.”
Heather also noted it’s time to put the fun back into driving. Not everyone who hitches up a horse wants to compete at a high level; recreational aspects have to get their due, because that can help attract new people to the sport.
At the same time, “When you build up that group of people who do it because it’s such fun, then that tends to feed up to the elite level. That’s where we’re not getting the job done. We’re not focusing enough on lower-level drivers and people coming into the sport.”
She also likes the idea of promoting “the joy of horse sports,” which was the motto of the USEF’s annual meeting in January.
But Heather pointed out time is a problem, which wasn’t the case in the 1990s.
“People had a 40-hour work week so they could come home and drive their horses. Now, everybody I know is working 60-, 70-hour weeks.” She added that young people are often playing games on their computers instead of getting involved in horse sports, so an effort needs to be made to change that.
Chester, who puts on the Live Oak show with his sister, Juliet Reid, doesn’t think he’s always a shoo-in for the national title on his home turf.
“I never take any U.S. championship for granted,” he commented.
“In the days when Tucker and I used to fight it out to the 100th of a point, I never took that for granted, and I don’t take these for granted either,” he said pointing out that Misdee Wrigley Miller, who was second at Live Oak, and Allison Stroud, third in the four-entry division and the winner of the cones phase, both have world championship experience and are “doing better every time.”
The national driving champions at Live Oak–Tracy Morgan, single pony; Chester Weber, four-in-hands; Steve Wilson, pair horses and Katie Whaley, pair ponies. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Chester uses the competitions in the U.S. a little like a “test lab” as he develops his horses, but noted that in order to make the top five or better in the world rankings, a driver has to compete in Europe, which involves more expense.
He sees the WEG in Tryon stimulating interest in combined driving, though there is a shorter run-up to it than the Kentucky WEG, because the venue was announced only last year. That doesn’t give people a lot of time to assemble a four-in-hand team if they are so inclined.
Jimmy Fairclough thinks part of the problem in stimulating interest in driving is that, “It’s become such a winter sport,” where everyone has to go to Florida to compete during that season. That’s difficult for people from other parts of the country who work for a living.
“Almost all the Northeast shows are gone or are at low levels,” he commented.
“The rhythm isn’t there.”
Once there were often 65 advanced entries at the big shows, he recalled.
“Now they get 25 or 30 across the board.” The problems are “financial support, number one, and number two, the economy has hurt it,” said Jimmy.
There were just three advanced pair horses at Ocala, where Steve Wilson won with his Lippizans, the perfect candidates for 2017 World Pairs Championship in Lipica, Slovenia, where the state Lippizan stud farm is located.
The pair ponies, where Katie Whaley took the national title, had only three entries as well, though the single pony section, topped by national champion Tracy Morgan, attracted nine starters. That is reflective of the fact it takes much less money and help to drive a single. The single horses had six entries, but their national championship will be contested this fall in Kentucky, so there was no U.S. title for them at Live Oak.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 21, 2017
By Nancy Jaffer
March 8, 2017
The scenic Somerset Hills, once one of the horsiest areas in New Jersey, is making a big comeback in terms of equestrian activities.
The Mars Essex Horse Trials returns to the Somerset Hills this June after an absence of 18 years. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
They had gradually tapered off over the years, until the Gladstone Gathering in 2015 generated new energy. That party at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation’s Gladstone headquarters brought together more than 200 of the equestrian-involved and members of the community in the area around Peapack-Gladstone, which also includes Bedminster, Far Hills and Tewksbury in neighboring Hunterdon County.
The Gathering led directly to the renewal of the Mars Essex Horse Trials, which will be held in June for the first time since 1998. It also generated rejuvenation of the Gladstone Equestrian Association, whose high point was the 1993 World Pair Driving Championships.
And now there’s something else as the effort continues to pick up speed. Making its debut is www.somersethillsevents.org, which is offering a listing of major happenings in the region that will appeal not only to horse people, but also to others interested in sporting activities.
Clicking on the link brings readers to the GEA website platform, where the calendar is presented, along with links to the websites of the organizations listed. In addition, it includes relevant news stories, such as a piece about the highly successful Monmouth at the Team horse show, held in August at the USET Foundation.
Monmouth at the Team had a successful 2016 debut at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation’s Gladstone headquarters. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“Our goal and intent is to promote the area, not exclusively equestrian activities. Any activity that draws spectators to the area could fall under that umbrella. We’re taking control of our own destiny,” said Guy Torsilieri, one of the key players behind the Essex Horse Trials.
As it continues to develop, the website will offer a guide that could lead to cross-pollination among different groups, which should pay off in attracting a broader audience and support for the activities.
For instance, in addition to such equestrian standouts as the Far Hills Race Meeting and Essex at Moorland Farms in Far Hills, as well as May’s U.S. Equestrian Federation National Dressage Championships at the U.S. Equestrian Team facility, it also lists the U.S. Women’s Open Golf Tournament in July at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.
Talking about the development process of the effort sparked by the Gathering, Jim Brady commented, “2015 was crawl, 2016 was walk, this is the year to run.”
Jim, one of the Gathering’s organizers, is the great-grandson of James Cox Brady, who built the historic USET Foundation stables a century ago, and is the grandson of the next James Cox Brady, who brought the USET to the property in 1960.
As Jim observed, other non-equestrian activities can be included going forward.
Guy pointed out, for instance, that “the U.S. Golf Association (located in Far Hills) is right in our backyard. It’s spent a tremendous amount of money on refurbishing and enlarging its campus.”
Meanwhile, equestrian activities continue to expand in the area.
“We’re looking at all the options for show jumping at Moorland Farms,” said Guy, who also is chairman of the Far Hills Race Meeting there.
Guy Torsilieri and Ralph Jones, chairman of the Mars Essex Horse Trials. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
A bid has been submitted for Moorland to host one of the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping qualifying classes, beginning in the 2018-2019 season.Show jumping has never been held at the site, but as Guy put it, “Even though we’re a longshot, I think we’ve got a lot of very, very positive things going in our direction.”
One is location.
“Part of our presentation is the fact that we’re 42 miles from Manhattan,” said Guy, noting Moorland is also very flexible in terms of its date.
If Moorland isn’t awarded get the qualifier, “that isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning. We’re still in the game, we’re still going to pursue activities at Moorland Farms and we’re going to continue to pursue events with Longines and other major players in the jumping world,” Guy commented.
He suggested the possibility for Moorland of something modeled after the three-year-old Central Park Horse Show in New York City.
“We’ve just got to figure out the right formula,” said Guy, noting it is possible to build a base and drainage on the Moorland property for an all-weather arena, with an option of holding classes on the grass as well. The Palm Beach Masters, a World Cup qualifier held last month in Wellington, Fla., utilized both an all-weather ring and a show jumping field at its facility.
Grass was the jumping surface for the Palm Beach Masters. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
The bid “was just to begin the process, to let everybody know we are going to be building more equestrian activity in this area, whether it’s at the team, Pine Meadow (on the USET Foundation property) , at Natirar (a Somerset County park in Peapack, where the Essex Fox Hounds held low-key amateur races) or Moorland,” Guy pointed out.
“We’re all working together as a group to bring equestrian activity back here. We’re not excluding anybody. This is a broad net we’re throwing over the area. It gets more exciting as you go along.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 28, 2017
By Nancy Jaffer
Feb. 14, 2017
It wasn’t just an ordinary announcement. Word that former U.S. eventing coach and Olympic medalist Mark Phillips will be the new cross-country course designer for the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event looks like it could be a game-changer in several ways for the 15-year-old competition.
Mark Phillips and Boyd Martin at Jersey Fresh International. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
That’s how Dr. Brendan Furlong sees it. He believes in the event, and has been putting his money where his mouth is, so to speak. The veterinarian’s Oldwick-based practice, B.W. Furlong & Associates, is investing $30,000 in the May 11-14 competition at the Horse Park of New Jersey.
“I think it’s great to have Mark on board. He’s a world-renowned course designer. I can’t wait to see what Mark will do with it,” said Brendan.
He won’t have to wait long. The designer said he already has devised his plan for the property in Allentown. Mark laid out the route this month for the highly successful Land Rover Eventing Showcase in Wellington, Fla., and handles a number of other events, including Britain’s Burghley 4-star (considered by many the toughest three-day event in the world). He also has developed the cross-country facilities for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C.
Having Mark involved “will be a very positive step in helping Jersey Fresh stay on the map, and I think the riders will welcome it,” Brendan commented.
Several riders last year mentioned that the tracks for the featured CCIs (the longer routes) were too twisty, blaming the need to compress them on a lack of sufficient land. Additional property has been made available for the course this year, so Mark will have more acreage with which to work.
Dr. Brendan Furlong. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
While as Mark pointed out, there are turns in every course, his will be “completely different” from what has been done in the past.
“I promise you, it has mix and flow,” he said.
Holly Payne Caravella, a Jersey Fresh regular who has competed over Mark’s courses at Burghley and the Eventing Showcase, said riders wanted a change at Jersey Fresh, where John Williams has been the only designer for the last 14 years.
“I think people were definitely behind Mark designing it. His courses are not easy, but he makes them fair and definitely is good at using different terrain,” said the Gladstone resident. “I think everybody just wanted some new development there.”
She added, “The organizers are trying really hard to make it work. Over the years, they’ve done such a good job getting more sponsors behind it and drawing more people in. I think getting the land for the cross-country is a really big game-changer, too. That, combined with Mark, can bring a different feel to the event.”
The presence of such a high-profile designer also puts a bit of shine on the reputation of the event and the Horse Park, as Jersey Fresh organizer Jane Cory noted, while adding she hopes members of the park board who “are not so pro-Jersey Fresh, might help them see this is a really, really good thing.”
She added, “Anything Jersey Fresh does, if it turns out well, is a plus for the Horse Park. The member of the Horse Park board and chair of the Jersey Fresh committee, Dan Wunderlich, has been very helpful to us and is very onboard with the whole thing. Knowing he’s extremely positive about the progression, it has to help.”
Philliip Dutton competing at Jersey Fresh. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
John Williams had an extremely long run, but as Brendan pointed out, “It seems to be a trend that all the great events rotate course designers after several years. It brings a different flavor and perspective to it.”
An example is Rolex Kentucky, America’s only 4-star, where Roger Haller was succeeded by Great Britain’s Michael Etherington-Smith, who in turn moved on as Derek DiGrazia took over.
“To be able to get Mark is a great coup,” commented Brendan, formerly the veterinarian for the U.S. eventing team.
“Our hope is that potential sponsors see it’s a world class course designer coming on board with us, so I think it’s a very positive thing for the event and hopefully to increase awareness among potential sponsors,” Brendan observed.
“I think we’ve got an opportunity to up the ante,” added Brendan, whose son, Adam, serves on the Horse Park’s board. It may also help the park, which has not had much luck with fundraising, to buy new footing for the grand prix ring. More money needs to be invested in upkeep of the park in general as well.
“State land is the future of equestrian endeavors, particularly ones that require space, like driving and eventing,” Brendan commented.
Indeed, Mark is working with Richard Nicoll, who designed the driving marathon route at the park. The two, both natives of Great Britain, also are in touch through their work for the WEG, where Richard is laying out the marathon for the four-in-hand driving that is one of eight disciplines comprising that competition.
Richard told Mark he hated the Jersey Shore water complex on the marathon/cross-country route, because the island was too high.
Four-in-hand driving at the Horse Park of New Jersey. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“I said, `If you hate it and I hate it, why don’t we get together and do something about it?’’’ Mark asked him.
The resulting proposal calls for taking “the revetting off the island and lowering its height by about a foot,” so it in effect becomes a mound and the slope into the water is 30 degrees, not the much steeper 60 degrees that it has been.
“It will become a lot more user-friendly, both for the drivers and for us,” Mark maintained.
Fixing it involves a procedure “we think we can do relatively cheaply and the plan is to get the driving community to contribute in a small or major way,” noted Mark.
The water complex is a popular area for tailgating, which has increased at the event over the years. For the CCIs, the competitors will have three fences there, but “it’s very un-intense,” said Mark, because it comes relatively early in the course. The CCI 3-star is the only division that will meet the water both coming and going. There also will be another combination in the area, which tailgaters will be able to see.
Riders won’t have to wonder what Mark has up his sleeve for a twist in the course, the way he did a jump in the VIP tent at the Eventing Showcase.
“I have tried to be totally unclever,” Mark commented.
“I see my role this year as producing an enjoyable, educational fun course for horses and riders, to start to get the thing back on track. Depending on what budget we have in the future, that will determine what else we can do,” he said.
“This was a late decision obviously, so therefore the time and scope and budget for this year was limited. The mission was to make it user-friendly as possible for the horses and riders. It’s still got some 3-star questions—don’t get me wrong. Don’t go to the Jersey Fresh CCI 3-star and think it’s going to be a 2-star plan. It’s not. That wouldn’t be Mark Phillips if I did that.”
What is a Mark Phillips trademark? Every course designer has them. In Mark’s case, one is making sure fences are “up to height,” with an optic that means the fences appear big because of the way they are placed in the terrain.
“I think I have a reputation for making the distances and the questions work for the horses,” he added. Mark will be working with course builder Morgan Rowsell of Long Valley, who is also a course designer certified at the 2-star level. As Mark noted, this can be a learning experience for Morgan, and who knows? Eventually, he might wind up doing the Jersey Fresh courses himself someday. Morgan also is involved with the revival of the Mars Inc.Essex Horse Trials in Far Hills this June.
Already, Mark is getting feedback on his appointment to Jersey Fresh, reporting that riders have come to him and said, “ I wasn’t going to go this year and now I’m going to go.”
He remarked that, “the more that message goes out there, the more people are going to go, the more entries there are going to be; the more entries, the more sponsorship there will be. And if just as a start, (with) the driving and eventing working together, like on the island, we’re all standing together in a good and positive direction.” If between us, we can bring the eventing and driving back to life, God willing, that’s going to have a knock-on effect on the Horse Park.”
Another draw could be riders’ interest in competing over a course designed by Mark with an eye on Tryon 2018.
For someone who is “thinking of going to the WEG, it’s not going to do you any harm to jump a Mark Phillips course somewhere in your preparation,” Mark observed. Although the FEI hasn’t published its list of what needs to be done for riders to qualify for the WEG with a certificate of capability, for previous championships it has been either a CCI4* or a CCI3* and a CIC3*, according to the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s managing director of eventing, Joanie Morris. Jersey Fresh has both the CCI and CIC 3-stars.
“I’m hoping that having some new things happen this year will help to bring in some more bigger sponsors,” said Jane. One change will be to have all the show jumping phases, for both the CCIs and CICs, running on the final day of the competition. Previously, when show jumping was the second phase of the CIC, “it didn’t suit our property,” she noted.
Another attraction will be a 5K run and a 1K pleasure walk for people with or without their dogs on the Sunday, under the auspices of FlyPups. The organization transports dogs from desperate situations to foster homes, no-kill shelters, and forever homes. It also delivers trained dogs to veterans for service and companionship. Additionally, it brings aid to areas of natural disaster.
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 8, 2017
By Nancy Jaffer
January 28, 2017
It comes across as the type of meet-cute, made-for-TV movie that you’d see on the Lifetime channel.
Jolene Alala, a “Jersey girl” working at her family’s small Passaic County stable, traveled to Ireland to help a client buy a horse. There the 18-year-old, who had never been across the Atlantic, met Brian Cash, a seventh generation horse dealer.
“I love that last name,” she told him when he introduced himself. Brian quickly responded, “Well, if you play your cards right…” As Jolene put it, “I guess I played my cards right, ‘cause I got him.”
“We got on great and never looked back,” Brian stated
Brian and Jolene Cash with student Sarah Levi. (Noah Dachis Photography)
This is no fantasy rom-com for daytime viewing.
“It’s the truth and it’s our story,” said Jolene Cash, now the mother of four children between the ages of eight and two, all of whom ride. She just won the N.J. Horse Shows Association’s Trainer of the Year trophy, based on the total of high score points earned by her students at Hidden Acres Farm in West Milford. But she emphasized the honor belongs to her husband as well, her partner in the stable that specialize in teaching young people up through college age.
“It was not just solely me,” she said. “We really are a team and it’s a family affair.”
Brian put it this way, “it’s amazing what a team we’ve built.”
NJHSA’s Junior Equestrian of the Year award went to the couple’s student, 14-year-old Amanda Leone of West Milford, an eighth-grader at St. Catherine of Bologna School in Ringwood (and in case you’re wondering, no relation to the show jumping Leone brothers of Franklin Lakes). Amanda also was NJHSA high score champion in the pre-children’s hunter division with Master of Moments. (Read about another of the Cashs’ students, Mackenzie Suffy, in the On the Rail column at the left of this page.)
“Amanda never gives up. She’s a hard worker. She’s always last to leave the barn and she’s always there for her friends,” said Brian.
Hidden Acres’ success extends beyond the efforts of Jolene and Brian. Jolene’s , mother, Helen, and brother, George, also play key roles .
The 10-acre farm originally belonged Jolene’s late father, George, and her mother, both of whom were involved in rodeoing. Helen was a barrel racer, the 1982 rookie of the year for the American Rodeo Association. She finished in the top 10 for the following six years for the barrel racing finals in Harrisburg, Pa.
The Alalas team-roped together, with George as the heeler and his wife as the header. He was the New Jersey Roping Association champion in 1977, and the Aleppo Shrine Rodeo Calf Roping Champion two years later.
Not surprisingly, Jolene rode western and enjoyed gymkhanas as a child, but when trainer Tiffany Headley came to the farm and started teaching English-style riding, things changed. Jolene was fascinated by the jumps that appeared in the ring.
“The thrill was more in the hunter/jumpers for me,” Jolene said.
She made the switch with her western pony, She’s My Blue Angel, and was high score in the chicken little jumpers at Snowbird before moving on to her pre-children’s horse, Mini-Me.
But she needed a mount who could do more, so eventually, her father sold his prized 1961 Corvette to buy her a Holsteiner, Just George (named after her dad), enabling her to compete in the Ariat and Charles Owen classes. She was coached by Robert Beck, himself a former NJHSA trainer of the year.
Jolene was going to college with an eye toward teaching kindergarten or first grade when her father became ill and she had to drop out to run the farm. Another trainer took over when she wound up staying in Ireland for five years, until she and her husband came back to New Jersey and injected life into the business, as she put it.
Buying horses wherever he can is really a genetic inheritance for Brian, who comes from what he called, “the oldest horse family in Ireland.”
“I don’t mind traveling for a good horse; I’ll try a horse anywhere,” he said, explaining he emphasizes “honest and safe” when making an equine purchase.
Brian has an eclectic riding background that includes fox hunting, showing and eventing. As he explained, “In Ireland, everybody does a little of everything.”
He’s serious about horse sport, but has his own approach. When Brian first came to New Jersey, he said, “What I noticed was there was so much pressure put on the kids that the fun was kind of gone out of it. Our style of teaching is for the kids to relax and have fun. We teach all the kids to be soft and gentle with the horse, because you’re not going to win a battle.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 20, 2017
By Nancy Jaffer
January 14, 2017
The U.S. Equestrian Federation has been relaunched enthusiastically at its annual convention, with a “major makeover” geared to bringing “the joy of horse sports” to more people at all levels.
“I cannot and will not accept that this is a sport only for the rich and famous,” said Murray Kessler, who became the 100-year-old federation’s president today, though he’s been busy working hard behind the scenes for months.
New USEF President Murray Kessler presents his predecessor, Chrystine Tauber, with the Sallie Busch Wheeler Trophy for distinguished service to equestrian sport. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
A new $25 “fan membership” for those who don’t want to compete affords access to intriguing educational videos on the website, competitions on the USEF network, discounts on items from tractors to fencing, and $1 million in liability insurance for an extra charge.
Emphasizing “transparency, fairness and integrity,” Murray stated, “cheating and cheaters must be eliminated from the sport.”
That was underlined during the USEF’s annual meeting in Lexington, Ky., over the last five days, when it was announced that a prominent trainer and rider got hefty fines and long suspensions from the hearing committee for violating the organization’s drug rules.
Trainer Larry Glefke and owner/rider Kelley Farmer, implicated in showing a horse that tested positive for GABA, a calming supplement that is against USEF rules, were penalized under strict new guidelines that went into effect Jan. 1. Both had prior violations, a history that led to a two-year suspension and a $24,000 fine for the trainer and a one-year suspension and $12,000 fine for the rider of the horse, which was tested at last July’s Kentucky Summer Show.
A lawyer for the two said they had not been notified that a hearing was scheduled on their case and thus didn’t appear to defend themselves, but the USEF’s legal counsel said the federation had proof they were notified.
As was mentioned more than once during the convention, “horse welfare is job one.” The organization is casting a wider net for the guilty. Anyone who allows a suspended member to profit (perhaps by working with another trainer who gives a portion of the payment to the miscreant) also will be in trouble.
USEF CEO Bill Moroney is hoping everyone will help “police the environment” by keeping their eyes open and reporting violations.
“We have listened to our members. People have wanted our sport to be cleaned up,” he said.
The hunter division has the majority of drug violations. Of the 71 found at federation shows in 2016, 59 percent involved hunters.
The most drug testing is done in Zone 2; New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, “the home of the one-day horse show,” as Steve Schumacher, director of the Drugs & Medications department, put it.
Although the federation must continue to enforce rules–and there’s a lot of work to do there–it has a new brand, U.S. Equestrian, and another mission: “To provide access to and increase participation in equestrian sports at all levels by ensuring fairness, safety and enjoyment.”
That was reflected in the awards, the flip side of the convention where serious business gives way in the evenings to all kinds of honors and a little bit of partying; more champagne, of course, for those who have won something.
Not surprisingly, Olympic individual eventing bronze medalist Phillip Dutton took international honors, earning Equestrian of the Year, while his Rio Games horse, Mighty Nice, won the International Horse of the Year title over Laura Graves’ Olympic team dressage mount, Verdades.
Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice swept major awards at the USEF annual meeting in Kentucky this weekend. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer
Phillip was unable to come and accept his awards because he and his wife, Evie, were at the bedside of his stepdaughter, Lee Lee Jones, who suffered head trauma in a pre-Christmas horse fall. She is in a Delaware hospital, so Phillip sent his horses south without him and is staying home in Pennsylvania to be near Lee Lee.
Annie Jones, one of the owners of Mighty Nice, accepted the trophy with a touching little story. When the horse had just arrived from Ireland, Phillip told her, “This is my horse of a lifetime.”
With the perspective of time, she added, “It’s absolutely true.”
She dedicated the trophy to the late Bruce Duchossois, who originally bought Mighty Nice (known as Happy) for Phillip, and also to Lee Lee who is her granddaughter.
Check back at www.nancyjaffer.com next week to find out which Jerseyans won USEF Horse of the Year awards. It’s a pretty special night in a packed ballroom, with a magnificent array of sparkling trophies as a backdrop. After all, an organization can collect a lot of sterling silver over the course of a century.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 10, 2017
By Nancy Jaffer
December 31, 2016
What will you remember about the equestrian year gone by, and what do you hope for in the equestrian year to come?
As 2016 takes its place in history and 2017 gets a turn on the calendar, let’s enjoy a break in the headlong rush of our lives and look at them both: what was accomplished over the last 12 months, as well as what’s coming our way in the upcoming year.
We’ll start with New Jersey. Those who appreciate seeing special equestrian competitions close to home have a lot to look forward to in 2017. Part of 2016’s good news was word that the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Grand Prix and Intermediaire I dressage championships, as well as the Brentina Cup, will be returning to the Gladstone facilities of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation May 18-21. It’s likely they also will be staged there in 2018 and 2019, offering continuing opportunities for volunteering, if sitting and watching isn’t sufficient involvement.
Laura Graves and Verdades made an impact on fans at Gladstone the last time the USEF dressage championships were held there. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
A redo of the interior of the foundation’s historic stable, which will mark its 100th anniversary in 2017, got under way in 2016 and will be finished in time for the dressage championships.
Monmouth at the Team moved the state’s oldest horse show to a new venue in August, and the turnout was amazing, both competitively and socially. Everyone wanted to be part of the action at the USET Foundation headquarters. Expect another great show there in 2017.
The Mars Essex Horse Trials will be held at Moorland Farm in Far Hills June 24-25, in the wake of a successful 2016 derby cross exhibition that gave the enthusiastic crowd attending a glimpse of eventing’s attractions, while demonstrating how eager people in the area are for more top-flight equestrian competition. That was the goal of the Gladstone Gathering, held at the USET Foundation in 2015. The re-emergence of Essex, last held in 1998, was a direct result of that initiative.
Holly Payne Caravella of Gladstone rode in the preview of the Mars Essex Horse Trials at Moorland Farm. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
There also was word that at some point, grand prix show jumping will be part of the scene at Moorland. The location has been best known for steeplechasing at October’s Far Hills Race Meeting, for which pari-mutuel betting in 2017 has been approved.
We learned that May’s Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event found some extra land at the Horse Park of New Jersey to use for its CCIs. That will answer the concerns of riders who felt insufficient acreage led to the necessity of laying out cross-country courses that doubled back on themselves too much.
Speaking of Jersey Fresh, the 3-star CCI in 2016 was won by a Jerseybred, Powell, ridden by Ryan Wood. Powell’s breeder, Ilona English of Ringoes, earned the USEF’s Leading Eventing Breeder title for the third consecutive year in 2016. Her Summit Sporthorses also produced Ruby, a half-sister to Powell who has distinguished herself.
Iona English and Powell. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
In the world beyond New Jersey, the Tryon, N.C., International Equestrian Center won its bid for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games after Bromont, Canada, dropped out due to financial reasons. The U.S. is the home of major championships for two years running, as the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup and the FEI Dressage World Cup are set for March 29-April 2 in Omaha. Why not take the opportunity to see international competition without the cost of an overseas flight?
The CenturyLink arena in Omaha will be the host of the 2017 World Cup finals in dressage and show jumping. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
The USEF will be starting 2017 proactively, as new president Murray Kessler, an amateur show jumper, unveils the strategic plan on which he and others have been working for months. While much of it is still to be revealed Jan. 11 at the annual meeting in Kentucky, Murray made appearances at various USEF affiliates in December.
There, he stated the intention of having the organization become more active with the base of the sport and adding members who don’t compete but are interested in horses to varying degrees. Education on line will be a big component of the USEF’s role. Compliance to show standards also will click into place, making it possible for the USEF to penalize competitions that don’t live up to requirements designed to make life better for competitors and, most important, their mounts.
Horse welfare continues to be a matter of concern and action on the competitive scene, from the USEF, the FEI (international equestrian federation) and other organizations.
If only there were as much interest in doing something about abuse and cruelty outside of the competitive ranks. Happily, horse rescues have proliferated and are doing their best, but they need help. So consider a contribution or volunteering to lend a hand. There are a number of such organizations in New Jersey that would welcome assistance.
The great equestrian moments of 2016 include the retirement of Valegro, the best dressage horse in history, as he performed once more before a packed house at Olympia in London. Will we see his like again? Maybe, but not soon.
Valegro up close and personal with his admirers in Central Park. (Photo by Lawrence J. Nagy)
My favorite equestrian moment of the year doesn’t involve Olympic medals or farewells, but it does involve Valegro. I will never forget how he stood so quietly when the crowd was invited for a hands-on visit in the arena at September’s Central Park Horse Show. His star quality involves more than strutting!
A moving moment at the Rio Olympics came when Great Britain’s 58-year-old Nick Skelton, a survivor of a broken neck, hip replacement and other medical issues, came through on Big Star (who also had recovered from injury) to realize his dream of winning individual gold.
Nick Skelton and Big Star. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
And don’t forget the amazing comeback of William Fox-Pitt, the British eventing star who was in a coma after a fall in the autumn of 2015. Against the odds, he worked to rehab from traumatic brain injury and rode up to his usual standard with the British team at the Rio Olympics.
There you are—special 2016 moments in all three Olympic disciplines. I hope you had some of your own. But while we’re on the subject of the Olympics, the decision to limit teams in all three disciplines to three members was very disappointing. Since there are limits on the number of athletes who can compete in the Games, a way had to be found to cut back so “more flags,” (ie representatives of more nations) can compete. That may not be a good thing in eventing, or even show jumping, if teams from countries new to the sport in the Games are not really qualified for the challenge. Three-member teams in dressage have been done quite a bit, but the likelihood of injury to either horse or rider there is miniscule compared to any sport involving jumping.
The International Olympic Committee wants sports to be easier to understand, but the idea of substituting an alternate when a competition already is under way will only complicate things. I fear the day is coming down the road when eventing will be out of the Games anyway, even though cross-country tends to draw great crowds. It’s expensive to put on, though. Let’s hope if the sport eventually is dropped, it hasn’t been so badly compromised in an effort to remain in the Games that it bears no resemblance to its former self.
I traditionally end my year in review stories by remembering those we lost during the preceding 12 months. There are always too many distinguished horsemen and women who depart, but here are a few we should take special time to remember:
Those with New Jersey connections include former USET Captain Frank Chapot of Neshanic Station, who rode in six Olympics and was the breeder of the great Gem Twist. Frank was saluted in a September memorial at the USET Foundation where the greats of several decades gathered to pay tribute.
Frank Chapot (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Roger Haller, who founded the Essex Horse Trials with his parents at their Bedminser farm, left us in March. But he will be remembered with the U.S. Eventing Association’s educational fund named in his memory.
Roger Haller (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Others we lost included trainer Sandy Sternberg, formerly of Colts Neck and volunteer Tricia Haertlein of Lebanon. The eventing community was shaken when rider Philippa Humphreys had a fatal fall at Jersey Fresh.
Elsewhere, Parry Thomas, the owner of dressage superstar Brentina and sponsor of her rider, Debbie McDonald, also left us, as did VIP tent hostess extraordinaire Kiki Umla, and Ron Southern, the founder of the famed Spruce Meadows showgrounds in Canada.
Nancy Jaffer Equestrian Sports marked its first anniversary this month. I appreciate the support and encouragement everyone has given my weekly efforts on the website. Please keep reading, and always feel free to contact me if you think you have a story. Even if it doesn’t work out, I enjoy hearing from you. Follow me on facebook at www.facebook.com/nancyjafferhorses or on twitter at Nancy Jaffer@NancyJaffer. And be sure to say hello when you see me at the shows and events.
Happy new year!
