He is, without a doubt, the best dressage horse in history—owning every world record and a slew of gold medals from the European Championships to the World Championships, the World Cup and the Olympics.
No matter where he competed, Valegro always was spectacular, as he was in winning the World Cup in Las Vegas last year. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
So it is fitting that Valegro entered his retirement from competition tonight in a moving performance at London’s Olympia Christmas show, watched by more than 7,500 fans with tears in their eyes as they stood to applaud and salute him.
“He is in every way a perfect horse…a joy to do everything with,” said his partner and rider, Charlotte Dujardin, after Valegro reprised his moving 2012 Olympic freestyle that incorporates the chimes of Big Ben. What a stage he had, surrounded by those who adored him, clapped in rhythm to his music and gave him a standing ovation.
“He’s the most incredible horse. He always gives me his very best,” commented Charlotte, who observed that this evening’s freestyle effort may have been his most impressive, possibly breaking his own record had it been judged.
But it wasn’t for the judges. It was for his team; Charlotte, trainer Carl Hester, groom Alan Davies, his proud owners, Roly Luard and Anne Barrott, but most of all, for his fans.
You’re doubtless one of them, whether you watched Valegro at the 2012 or 2016 Olympics, the World Cups he won in Lyon, France and Las Vegas or the World Equestrian Games in Normandy. Or were you lucky enough to touch him in Central Park during September, when Charlotte invited everyone to come into the ring and meet him? Did you ever wash that hand? Maybe you just saw him on TV or on the livestream, but there is no doubt that whether you were near or far, you felt a connection to this great equine personality.
Valegro welcomed his fans in Central Park. (Photo by Lawrence J. Nagy)
When I interviewed Carl at the 2015 Cup finals in Las Vegas, he told me Rio likely would be the final competitive performance for Blueberry, as the Dutchbred is known, and that the retirement would take place at Olympia. He predicted it would be a real “crybaby” moment, and of course it was, not only for the thousands in the arena, but those across the world who watched the livestream.
Happily, this won’t be the last we see of Valegro. He’s going to have another farewell as he is saluted in the Netherlands and after that he’ll be performing exhibitions here and there.
Former British chef d’equpe Richard Waygood observed about Valegro, “Not only does he have all the technical skills, but he also has the character to go with it.” Without one or the other, the horse—also called “The Professor” for his command of the discipline and the belief that he “read the book” on dressage, wouldn’t have become the sensation he is.
Even in pre-show ring familiarization, Valegro looked fabulous. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“He taught us,” said Carl. In so many ways, Valegro is practically a person, with a wise eye and a sure knowledge of what he is and what he can do.
Former British World Class Dressage Manager Richard Davison said of Valegro, “He is the greatest. He is Muhammed Ali, whoever your great hero is, it’s him.” Citing the links that join Charlotte, Carl and Valegro,, Richard observed, “ the alchemy between those three has given us the privilege of watching the greatest combination in the world.”
Valegro was part of an effort that took British Olympic dressage from nowhere to the top of the podium. He was the standardbearer of the country’s amazing ascent in the sport, with endless effort from Carl, Charlotte and so many others.
How wonderful that somewhere, at some time in the near future, we’ll be able to see Valegro in action again. They didn’t pull off his shoes or remove his saddle, the usual routine at a retirement, because this is only the start of another phase for the horse.
“Now we can take all the pressure off, and just go around and really enjoy ourselves,” said Charlotte. From here on in, it’s fun.
Charlotte and Valegro won team and individual gold at the London Olympics. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
It’s wonderful that this superstar was retired while he is still at his best. I mean, how many gold medals do you need? But the regard for Valegro and his reputation prompted the wise decision. I look forward to the next time I watch Valegro wow the crowds again, and I’m sure you do as well.
He was the superstar of American three-day eventing after making history by winning the individual gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. From there, he assured the end of a disruptive governance battle by breaking out of his comfort zone as the first president of the U.S. Equestrian Federation, serving for nearly a decade to get the new organization on firm footing.
No one who was at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia, in 2000 will ever forget David O’Connor’s triumphal pass around the arena with the American flag and his gold medal. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Then he took the job he had always wanted and became the technical advisor and chef d’equipe of the U.S. eventing team. But the golden glow that lighted David O’Connor’s way for so long dimmed when his squads failed to finish at the 2014 World Equestrian Games and the 2016 Olympics.
Even though Phillip Dutton earned individual bronze in Rio last summer and the U.S. qualified for those Olympics with a team gold at the 2015 Pan American Games, where cross-country was run at the 2-star level, there was a real question as to whether David would get a new contract to continue in the role he undertook four years ago.
Under USEF Director of Sport Will Connell, an exhaustive post-Rio review was launched with input from athletes and officials. But it finally worked out with the announcement this week that David would stay, though at this point only through the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C. He will however, be employed with a slightly different methodology that’s stronger on the management side.
As the USEF statement put it, he will be working with eventing managing director Joanie Morris “in the development and implementation of eventing plans, pathway, program and systems that will help grow programs for developing and elite athlete.” His role, it said, “has been adjusted to focus more on management of the programs and the athletes’ personal programs and goals, rather than hands-on coaching.”
As David explained, “The personal coaches (of individual riders) are a very strong side of the program that’s going to be pushed, and the assessment of markers of what you expect within three months, six months, a year, for progression of horses and riders.
“These will be agreed upon with the rider and myself and documented, so there is a very clear path that we and they can judge whether the system that they have is actually working,” continued David, explaining the new format during an interview at the U.S. Eventing Association annual meeting in Hollywood, Fla.
David O’Connor at the U.S. Eventing Association annual meeting. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
For example, he said, “If someone is on a 53 dressage (score) and they think that’s a weakness and they say `I’ve got someone who’s going to help me,’ everyone’s on the same plan. But if six months later they’re on a 57, you’re like, ‘`Now wait a minute…’”
The idea is to have all those involved in working with horses and riders for top competition on the same page.
“The process will be more objective and the communication is clear and everyone understands what the communication is,” said David.
He wants to get more people involved, in the way a head coach gets information from various sub coaches. David plans to add observers at different fences on the cross-country day of championships who can give him information to help make decisions, noting Germany and France, for instance, have multiple people helping during major events.
In terms of why the teams failed to finish at the WEG and in Rio, a lot of factors are involved, but David didn’t want to rehash the specifics.
“I will never say it’s not my fault. I’m the captain of the ship. I’ll never throw riders under the bus,” he emphasized.
But he stated “I also think the program is halfway through its growth. When we look at four years ago, compared to what I look at now, I think we’re in a different place. I think about the younger kids coming up and showing consistency. I see good things in the future.”
At the time David started his job, he said, U.S. riders had a 48 percent completion rate cross-country. In 2015, it was an 89 percent completion rate, and this year it was 72 percent. “The game has shifted,” he contended, yet on cross-country day at the Olympics “it didn’t work.”
Overall, however, he commented, “I believe we’re on the rise. I have two years to prove it. And if I don’t prove it? Next stage.”
David competing at Rolex Kentucky in 2004. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
He reminded me of a conversation we had at the 2010 WEG, when he was coaching the Canadian team that brought home the silver medal against the odds. After I congratulated him, he reminded me that the Canadians’ success hadn’t come overnight, but had been a four years in development.
David pointed out U.S. riders generally finish in the top five everywhere they go, with the exception of the Badminton and Burghley 4-stars; in the Olympic Games, he pointed out, both Phillip and Boyd Martin were in the top 10.
Incoming USEF President Murray Kessler, who gave a presentation about his organization’s new strategic plan at the USEA meeting, said when asked, “Of course I’m happy David is coming back. I feel great about it.
“We had a committee that went through the process with it. I think the team put together a beautiful plan for the next two years with him, and if that delivers, I think you’ll see a very different performance on the team level at WEG.”
The last 18 months or so have been full of good news for equestrian fans and participants in New Jersey’s Somerset Hills, an area that is revving up to once again be a center of multi-discipline horse sports—which also is a positive for those much further afield who are eager to be part of it.
Following the announcement that the Essex Horse Trials will be revived in 2017 after an absence of 19 years, an exhibition competition was staged in June at Moorland Farm in Far Hills as a preview of the event itself. The fact that it drew such stars as Jennie Brannigan (the winner), longtime Essex competitor Buck Davidson and local favorites Sinead Halpin and Holly Payne Caravella was an indicator of great interest in the project, which also has drawn a good response as it seeks volunteers to help stage the competition.
This shot of Holly Payne Caravella at the Essex Horse Trials Derby Cross in June shows off the beauty of Moorland Farm. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
In August, the debut of Monmouth at the Team–relocating New Jersey’s oldest show from Monmouth County to the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation’s Gladstone headquarters in Somerset County–drew a great entry for a triumphant debut.
Word last month that the Grand Prix, Intermediaire I and Brentina Cup U.S. Equestrian Federation dressage championships are returning to the foundation facility in May 2017 is another boost.
And now here’s one more: Moorland Farm could host a prestigious show jumping competition in 2018 if it is chosen as the site of a Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League qualifier. When the USEF asked who would be interested in bidding to hold such a competition, Guy Torsilieri raised his hand. Guy heads up the Far Hills Race Meeting at Moorland that draws more than 30,000 people to the venue in October.
“Moorland Farm threw our hat in the ring,” said Guy, who filed an expression of interest by the Nov. 16 deadline and is waiting for details in the formal Request for Proposal that is due to come out early next year. At that point, he noted, the requirements can be analyzed “and we can decide if we want to proceed, but I think we probably will.”
If Moorland gets the qualifier, Guy envisions a set-up something like the one for the highly successful show put on by Equestrian Sport Productions in Central Park, which is not involved with the World Cup series. Footing is trucked into Central Park for the competition, which includes show jumping, hunters and dressage, and then trucked out again. Guy pointed out that footing has a limited lifespan, so it’s better to lease a state-of-the-art surface when it’s needed, rather than letting it sit and deteriorate when it is used only once or twice a year. An infrastructure involving a base and drainage at Moorland could be used for Essex as well, along with any other competitions staged subsequently, Guy said.
The Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping qualifiers, like the one where Kent Farrington was victorious in February at the Wellington Masters, have impressive signage as part of their program. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
The Longines NAL cut a large number of qualifiers to focus on 14 in North America, with seven in the East and seven in the West. Shows involved in that program were selected for a three-year run, beginning with the 2015-2016 season. The 2016-2017 season ends with the final in Omaha March 29-April 2, and the third season begins in June 2017. The USEF is looking for candidates to present NAL classes starting with the 2018-2019 season.
The qualifiers are always part of a show, such as the Wellington Masters and the Live Oak International, both in Florida, and the American Gold Cup in Westchester County, N.Y. Guy noted that more than the one class would be offered if Moorland won the bid. While most shows bidding likely will have held jumping competitions previously—something Moorland hasn’t done—it’s worth noting that the Wellington Masters is at a site which did not have a history of offering a major show, though jumping classes had been presented there before it staged its first qualifier last February.
Asked about how many entities came forward before last month’s deadline, Jennifer Haydon, the USEF’s director of jumping for national programs, replied, “We had a fair amount. We had a lot of interest in that. The FEI is going to work with us on getting more information so these guys know what it’s all about before they actually submit a bid.” She noted that all the U.S. venues that already are hosting qualifiers (which is all the USEF deals with, since others are in Canada and Mexico) want to continue. A decision on the 2018-19 qualifiers is not expected until April.
Even if Moorland does not get a Longines qualifier, it still is likely show jumping competition will be held there eventually.
“It’s something that interests us,” Guy said of the qualifier, while at the same time noting, “We may not do it, but it’s showing everybody we’re not just going to stop at the Far Hills Races, Essex Horse Trials, Monmouth at the Team. There are going to be other opportunities. There’s going to continue to be substantial equestrian growth in this area. We don’t have any specific plans yet, but show jumping at Moorland Farm is definitely on the radar.”
The VIP tent was full of spectators during Monmouth at the Team. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Guy added, “It’s a continuation of this plan that Jimmy (Brady) and I and a bunch of us have been working on.”
The two men understand that there has to be something besides the equestrian portion of a competition to bring folks in the door, which is why there are plans for the Essex Horse Trials to have a car show and a vendor village, along with plenty of hospitality (also a hallmark of the Monmouth show).
In June 2015, the Gladstone Gathering at the USET Foundation headquarters brought together people from the community with an interest in seeing more equestrian competitions in the area. The Essex revival grew out of that party, which was spearheaded by Jimmy, whose family owned Hamilton Farm when it was a vast estate. He led the way in rejuvenating the Gladstone Equestrian Association, which in its heyday presented the landmark 1993 World Pair Driving Championships. Its new iteration, with a board drawn from several disciplines, is geared to “attract, promote and retain” equestrian activities.
So stay tuned. They say about stock funds that past performance is no guarantee of future results, but that type of warning doesn’t seem applicable to this initiative, which is in the right place at the right time and fueled by action as well as enthusiasm.
Those who dream about riding in the Olympics will need to temper their plans (real or fantasy) following the International Equestrian Federation’s (FEI) decision yesterday to cut teams from four to three in each of the Olympic disciplines and eliminate drop scores.
Olympic medal podiums will be less-crowded under the new format for three-member teams approved by the FEI. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
And you thought competition to get on a team was already tough enough?
Alternates, however, are envisioned as playing a bigger role, taking the place of a teammate who can’t continue after the competition has begun, but can you imagine, for instance, a jumper coming into the mix in the second round? The International Jumper Riders Club didn’t like it, saying it would be difficult for a horse to enter the competition cold without having become accustomed to the arena and fences in a first round that serves to acclimatize entries.
Cutting the number of competitors per country was only one of many measures taken during the FEI’s General Assembly in Tokyo Nov. 22. I watched the livestream from 7 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of the Eastern U.S.) so I’ll fill you in on the highlights, including several presentations.
These changes and numerous others are all part of an effort to keep equestrian sports in the Olympics, with the idea of having more countries represented to show universality of participation in horse sports. Space in the Games is always at a premium, as new sports jostle to become a part of them, often at the expense of the older sports on the roster.
Only 11 of 107 nations represented voted against format changes, but their number included the equestrian powerhouses of Germany, Netherlands, France, Switzerland and New Zealand. Neither Canada nor the U.S. were among the dissenters.
Canadian Olympic gold, silver and bronze medalist Eric Lamaze said that at a meeting of his country’s team in Rio last summer, members of the squad were all against the change from four to three.
“Given the outcome of our meeting, it comes as a complete shock that Canada voted in favor of the proposed change to three-man teams. What the Canadian federation went forward with was not the wish of the Canadian show jumping riders, as per our meeting in Rio,” commented Eric.
“I accept the fact that our vote would not have changed the outcome, but we made a decision and believe that our voices should have been heard,” he continued.
“The current format works, and I want to make it clear that we believe the new format is not good for our sport on many different levels,” stated Eric.
However, it appears the FEI is at least on the right track with the IOC by increasing “the flags” because a promotional video from the Japanese Olympic Committee that was screened at the assembly kept emphasizing “diversity” in connection with the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Happily, it was decided not to switch the format of eventing to CIC style with the cross-country last, which had been discussed and would have changed the sport.
But other big changes for the Olympics include having the Grand Prix Special (run to music!) determine the team medals in dressage, with the Grand Prix being used to winnow the number of teams that can go in the Special. In show jumping, the individual competition will be first. The eventing dressage and show jumping will be at 4-star level, but cross-country will be at the 3-star technical level, and eventing dressage can take only one day, not two, as usual.
The presentation about the 2020 Games revealed there are two Olympic venues in Tokyo. The inland Heritage Zone “evokes the spirit of the ’64 Games” and that is where most of the equestrian competition will be, just as it was 52 years ago, the last time the city hosted the Games. The Sea Forest cross-country (designed by Derek DiGrazia, who also designs the route for the Rolex Kentucky 4-star) will be at the waterfront Tokyo Bay Zone on reclaimed land.
The good news for those who dream of achieving team glory is that the squads for the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C., will have four members, not three.While the IOC runs the Olympics, the FEI runs the WEG , which offers more freedom.
World Equestrian Game medal ceremonies still will have places for teams of four, as they did during the 2014 WEG in Normandy. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Mark Bellissimo, the managing partner behind the Tryon International Equestrian Center, was in Tokyo to offer information on the WEG and his facility. He revealed that after Bromont, Quebec, withdrew as host of the 2018 WEG, he called his right-hand man, Michael Stone, and within five minutes it was decided Tryon—with its eight all-weather rings and six grass arenas–could do the Games.
The backing of the U.S. Equestrian Federation helped in submission of a bid, which was quickly accepted by the FEI.
After the 2014 Normandy, France, WEG, it was obvious changes needed to be made in the way the WEG was handled. Too often, the WEG has been a financial disaster. It was determined tighter parameters were needed for future World Games; that the time for the Games needed to be reduced to nine or 10 days, athlete numbers had to be cut and the FEI should reduce its host fee and sponsorship commissions.
Tryon has a huge advantage over Normandy and its multiple venues in that the 2018 WEG will be on one site. Although $125 million has been spent on TIEC, Mark said another $100 million will be going into the facility.
Plans for more hotels (among them a 200-room hotel is scheduled to open on site next year), amenities and recreational opportunities were outlined. Prospective spectators will be glad to hear that TIEC will have control over hotel rates in the region and nothing can be more than 10 percent over the usual cost of rooms, unlike the 2010 WEG in Kentucky, where price gouging was a big issue.
“We aspire to a venue of the stature of Aachen (Germany, home of the successful 2006 WEG),” Mark told his audience of 300. Hmmm, but did he go a bit far when he suggested in closing that after the 2018 WEG, people might refer to Aachen as “the Tryon of Germany?”
In other business, Lord Stevens gave a report in the integrity of equestrian sports (there were no equestrian drug/medication violations at the Rio Games) and noted that in other sports, including soccer, cycling and cricket, there was “an extraordinary series of scandals” recently.
He pointed out that scandal affects the reputation of a sport while also hurting its profitability, explaining that “trust is key” for sponsors. Along those lines, the FEI wants higher fines for those found to have violated rules involving banned substances and controlled medications.
When the 2016 World Endurance Championships in the United Arab Emirates “became a cause of concern,” the FEI “demonstrated strength” by relocating them to Slovakia, Lord Stevens noted.
Other items I picked up:
The Youth Olympic Games will be in Buenos Aires Oct. 1-7 2018, which could be an interesting experience for young people aspiring to the senior Olympics.
A new invitation system for jumping competitions at 2-star level and above will open more opportunities for athletes who too often found themselves closed out of big competitions . The new system will give them a chance to climb up the rankings ladder, which is often a key for team selection and also gives preference in entering shows with limits on the number of competitors.
Roly Owers, CEO of World Horse Welfare (worldhorsewelfare.org) talked about the “invisible” working horses around the world and their plight. Take a look at the website. The FEI Code of Conduct was drafted with World Horse Welfare, which promotes the need for responsible breeding and proper care of horses after their careers, among many other issues.
In closing, FEI President Ingmar de Vos noted, “This was a very important General Assembly. We took crucial decisions for the future of our sport and I understand that not everybody was happy, but we followed a very democratic process and in the end there was a clear majority. There are no winners or losers in this debate. These new formats give us a huge responsibility and failure is not an option, so we need to work together with all our stakeholders to prepare for Tokyo 2020.”
Persistence paid off last weekend for T.J. O’Mara of Rumson, who set a goal and returned year after year to the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone attempting to realize it.
On his fifth try, he finally won the Platinum Performance/U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East, topping a stellar group of riders with a performance that was long on consistency and style.
T.J. O’Mara and Kaskade. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
Trained by Stacia Madden of Beacon Hill Show Stables and Max Amaya of Stonehenge Stables, both in Colts Neck, T.J. said winning the Talent Search “has been one of my dreams for my junior career. I’m so proud of my horse.”
He has had a long relationship with Kaskade, his only equitation mount, who sadly will be for sale after indoors as T.J. ages out of the division.
“It’s going to be very emotional to see her go, but this was obviously on my checklist and I’m just happy to have won this on her, and not on another horse,” he said after the Talent Search award presentation.
He went from 11th after the initial flat phase to fifth after gymnastics on Saturday.
“Then I snuck into the top four,” said T.J., who won the Sunday morning jumping phase with a 92, though Daisy Farish still held the overall lead, as she had throughout the competition.
The Talent Search finalists enter the ring. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
So T.J. was happy to have a clean slate to start over for the last phase, the “final four,” when each exhibitor rides their own horse, and then that of their competitors, over a shortened course.
Daisy had a refusal with her own horse, Ganjana, in the first round of the final four, and then the low score in every round thereafter.
Sophie Simpson won the first three rounds of the final four competition until she got on Ganjana, then put in eight strides where everyone else did seven between fences two and three, cross-cantered at the end of the ring and met the in-and-out in less-than-optimal fashion.
Sophie Simpson and Breckenridge, with the USET Foundation stables in the background. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
She wound up second with a score of 350 to T.J.’s 355, while Vivian Yowan was third with 347 on McLain Ward’s Clearline, who won the Grappa trophy as best horse of the final. Daisy was fourth with a score of 246.
It was 2012 when T.J. first competed in the Talent Search, geared to spotting riders who could someday represent the U.S. in international competition. He was out of the ribbons, but his sister, Meg O’Mara, finished second that year. That was when he set his sights on winning someday.
His determination continues. T.J. is gearing up for his last shot at the Pessoa/USEF Medal Finals, which his sister won at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. While there originally may have been some sibling rivalry, he notes that now, “Meg has been a huge support for me. She texts me at every single final and I know she’ll be proud of me, and my other two sisters will be proud of me as well.”
Vivian Yowan and Clearline, Best Horse of the finals. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
Meg told him that depending on how he did at the Talent Search, she might show up to support him in person at the other finals. After the Medal, he has the Washington International’s equitation championship and then the ASPCA Maclay finals at the CP National Horse Show.
I met T.J. at the 2012 Hampton Classic when I was interviewing Meg about her blue-eyed horse, Sinatra, on whom she had won the junior jumper championship. She advised me that T.J. was going to be good, and I took it for what it was worth. She was, after all, his sister, which means she might have been prejudiced. He was just a kid, so I have to admit I didn’t pay a lot of attention. But Meg turned out to be right.
T.J. is an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Kentucky, where he is majoring in agricultural economics. His father, Tom, advised him that he needed something to fall back on if riding didn’t work out for a career, and he’s very interested in horse feed anyway.
This photo, T.J. on Daisy Farish’s mount, Ganjana, shows off his beautiful, balanced style. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
He is a serious young man, with an earnest demeanor and excellent manners. All in all, a pleasure to deal with, and gracious, too.
He gave credit to everyone who helped him get this far, from Don Stewart, who trained him initially, to Max and Stacia and their teams, and his family and friends. While in Kentucky, he also got some help from Federico Sztyrle, a friend of Max’s, and his partner, Chris Ewanouski.
T.J. is grateful for his experience, noting, “The equitation gives you a sense of who you are as a rider. It’s built a ton of confidence in me over the years.” Next for him is focusing on jumpers with his new horse, Queen Jane.
The victory meant a lot to T.J.’s trainers, not only because of what he did, but also because of who he is.
“I am so happy for T.J. because I look at him as not only an unbelievable developing young rider, but he’s been like an assistant to Stonehenge and Beacon Hill,” said Stacia.
T,J. with one of his trainers, Max Amaya, and his parents, Liz and Tom O’Mara. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He knows the horses. He can tell you what every horse in the barn eats, and probably what they wear for shoes. If I’m ever at the ring and one of my assistants isn’t there to answer a question about rules, he knows the rules because he reads the prizelists. He’s one of the few kids that actually gets a prizelist at the beginning of each horse show and reads it. He knows the rules of not only the competitions he rides in, but the rules of other competitions.
“He studies riding,” she continued.
“He watches videos, he reads books, he goes old school on you.” That makes winning the Talent Search “so well-deserved in that respect, because everything’s not coming from the trainer, even though we like to think we’re a very important part of it. He’s done a magnificent job of educating himself and I think that is what really pulled him through.”
Bridget Hay of East Amwell and Kim Herslow of Stockton were rooming together, stabled their horses side-by-side and shared a tack room during an often-rainy Dressage at Devon. Both competed in the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I, while Bridget also rode in the FEI 5-year-old finals.
Bridget Hay and Kim Herslow during Dressage at Devon. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Even though we compete against each other, it’s all fun,” said Kim, who couldn’t pinpoint whether their acquaintance was 15 years or 20, finally concluding, “it’s been a long time.”
Each was taking care of their own mounts (though Bridget also got help from her mother, Barbara), but were able to lend a hand to the other when needed.
“We haven’t done this in four years,” said Bridget, and things were different then. Riders regularly find themselves in the land of beginning again, and so it was with Bridget and Kim.
Four years ago, Bridget was showing her stallion Fitzhessen (like all her horses, a homebred). Kim was training Rosmarin, known as Reno, before he became a major star at last year’s Pan American Games as the team won gold and qualified the U.S. to compete in dressage at the Rio Olympics.
Sadly, Bridget’s stallion had to be put down after contracting a severe case of laminitis. This year, she showed his full brother, Faolan, a 7-year-old stallion by Freestyle, who finished 12th at Devon in a field of 40 in the PSG and 10th in the I-1.
Bridget Hay and Faolan. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
Reno, a German import, was diagnosed after the Pan Ams with a cyst on the cruiciate ligament on his right stifle, and had to undergo surgery. He’s still rehabbing, but has moved up to cantering and hacking in the fields at Kim’s Uppercreek Farm.
So last week, Kim was showing All or Nothing (Ollie), a son of the stallion VDL Prestige who had been ridden by Netherlands’ star Edward Gal. Ollie belongs to Kim’s client, Ellen Reeder, but she offered the horse so Kim would have a chance to get back in the ring while Reno is on the sidelines and waiting to start training again with Debbie McDonald in Florida before year’s end.
Before you can go in any ring, however, you have to go in the warm-up area, and at Devon last Thursday, it was a mess.
When Bridget showed Fauna (who wound up second and third in the 5-year-old classes with a 79 and a 77.8) the rain was coming down and “water was gushing into my boots,” said Bridget. At the time Faolan was in the warm-up, “it was slop,” she observed.
Kim joked that before the GPS, Ollie “won the warm-up, his hind legs were hitting his belly” in an area flooded with puddles.
After that, however, “he kind of flattened out in the main ring with perfect footing. He lost a little bit of his gas,” she said, though he finished 19th of 40 in the class. He was still tired for the I-1, winding up 26th in that test.
“He was great about the whole thing,” Kim said of his third CDI.
Kim Herslow with All or Nothing. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
While “he was not in the groove,” he still handled the unique atmosphere of D at D. His owner will make her debut on the horse this winter. She bought Ollie from a woman who got him for her 15-year-old son, before he decided he liked riding motorcycles more than riding horses.
Fauna is attached to Ollie, a good thing, because as Bridget pointed out, “I have to keep my mare and my stallion apart.”
Despite the weather, the two friends were having a good time.
“Devon’s my favorite show, even though it’s freezing cold and you get wet every year.” said Bridget.
“The random years that it’s sunny, you really appreciate those years.
“The atmosphere is awesome, but there are certain horses that I would think twice about taking here,” commented Bridget, who noted her horses were fine in the imposing Dixon Oval, and Kim said the same about the good-natured Ollie.
The duo tried to find fun where they could with a dinner out, but show life isn’t necessarily glamorous. For instance, Kim didn’t get to watch the Grands Prix for the Special and Freestyle on the Friday night because she had to be ready to show at 8 a.m. the next day.
Kim and Bridget went their separate ways after Devon, with Bridget heading to Kentucky next month for the national championships with both horses, while Kim went home before going to Florida. The two will reunite there, with Bridget basing herself in Kim’s barn for the winter circuit and continuing the thread of equestrian friendship that is so tightly woven through their lives.
