by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 16, 2024
Mary Knowlton, president of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association since 2016, resigned after an investigation and has been succeeded by Britt McCormick, who was president-elect.
The issue involved building a new, independent information technology system for the Lexington, Ky.-based organization and the matter of oversight on the project.
Knowlton explained, “I was the subject of a whistleblower complaint, which is fine, and I was investigated. After the report came out, I was not afforded the chance to answer questions or speak in my own defense,” she continued, adding, “I find that to be dreadful, cruel and unAmerican.”
She noted that perhaps the USHJA board would have felt the same about her and others mentioned by the whistleblower if they were able to speak to the panel “but we weren’t offered that chance.”
McCormick, who was elected last December but wasn’t scheduled to take office until this December, said the “extensive” examination was undertaken by independent investigators.
The Texan, who took over after Knowlton’s Friday resignation, addressed her contention that she wasn’t given the opportunity to speak to the board in her defense. He explained, “She was interviewed by the independent investigators and made many statements and the board received those statements. I’ll just leave it at that.”
Mary Knowlton and Britt McCormick in 2023.
Noting the project will continue, he commented, “We’re spending members’ money, so we have to be very diligent in how we do that. I’ll be involved in informing the board of every step along the way, every expenditure that we make, any changes to the project. All of that will be brought to the board’s attention in a timely manner.”
In an email she sent to fellow volunteers on Tuesday, Knowlton said the board had given her only two choices; to resign or face “forcible removal.”
She said she chose resignation because she wanted to leave with dignity and that route aligned with the core values she strives to uphold in her personal and professional life. In the email, she emphasized to its recipients, “I remain open to being a resource if you need me.”
Kevin Price, who served as executive director under Knowlton, will continue in that role, McCormick said.
“Kevin has been instrumental in this transition. I will say kudos to the entire USHJA staff because they have been amazing.”
While it’s a time of change in the organization marking its twentieth anniversary, USHJA Vice President David Distler said, “I have faith in Britt. I think Britt’s going to do a great job.”
Asked about goals he wants to pursue immediately, the new president said, “The number one thing is repairing our relationship with the membership and repairing the relationship with the Federation (U.S. Equestrian Federation) and working to become the absolute best affiliate we can be.”
He believes “we lost the faith of some of the membership and we for sure needed a better relationship with the Federation.” USHJA is the largest USEF affiliate organization.
He also mentioned working on sport growth “not only at the introductory levels, but really looking to grow the sport at the elite and upper levels as well. We’re growing by leaps and bounds since Covid and we just need to take a fresh look at what our products are and who our customers are and get feedback from our stakeholders and make sure we’re on the right path.”
McCormick encourages people to get involved, “and make their voice heard, whatever that looks like for them. We would like new, fresh faces and people from all over the country at every level and every interest level. Everybody that jumps a horse, we welcome you in.
The president noted he is an active trainer and competitor “so I’m actually in the field. I think that sets me apart from a lot of people.”
McCormick commented, “I wish Mary nothing but the best and hope she stays a part of our community,” saying, “It’s up to her, her level of involvement.”
He mentioned she’s currently a member of the nominating committee and serves on a couple of other committees.
One thing he would like to change is the yearlong lag between election of a new president and the time that person assumes office. He wants to go back to the old system of a September election and having the winner take over in December.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 8, 2024
There have been a number of last-minute horse/rider pairings at Grand Prix this season, the latest being Marcus Orlob and Jane, together only for eight weeks.
Last weekend, they won the 3-star Grand Prix Special with 71.894 percent at TerraNova Equestrian Center outside of Sarasota, Fla. Marcus, based in Annandale, N.J., and Jane are fourteenth in the standings for the three-member U.S. Olympic team that will go to Paris this summer. But first things first, and they will have to hustle even to make the top eight who fly to Europe for competition before final selection is made.
“We’re running out of time,” said Marcus, who is showing at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala this week. He finished second Thursday in the Grand Prix for Freestyle with a mark of 69.913. He was behind Olympic medalist Adrienne Lyle and Lars van de Hoenderheide, who won with 72 percent. Third, one point back of Marcus, was Ecuador’s Julio Mendoza Loor and Jewel’s Goldstrike with 68.913. They have already qualified for Paris by virtue of taking individual gold last fall in the Pan American Games.
On Friday night in the cavernous WEC stadium, the tables were turned, with Goldstrike topping an 11-horse field for the Freestyle on 77.55 percent. Experience counts for a lot when riding to music; Julio’s had a techno flair that his performance matched perfectly. He was particularly pleased with the way his horse handled the transition from the canter pirouette to the piaffe.
“I wanted him to stay with me and be with me during the entire test. He did it, and I am very pleased with that,” Julio said, while thanking his wife, Jessica, for her encouragement and support.
Adrienne was second on Lars, less than a point behind Julio, on 76.145 percent. She rode to music previously used by Wizard, her 2012 Olympic mount. It’s a bright medley that runs from “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” to the bouncy “Dancing on the Ceiling” and Lars handled it well despite their lack of time together.
Spain’s Pablo Gomes Molina with Ulises de Ymas finished third on 74.315, while Marcus and Jane’s first freestyle performance had some lovely moments to lush music that offered a serenade of strings. They wound up fourth on a respectable 73.890 percent. (For results of the freestyle, click here)
Marcus and Jane doing their freestyle in the stadium.
Marcus and Jane go to TerraNova again for the last qualifying competition at the beginning of May. They made their Grand Prix debut only at the final Wellington, Fla., show last month, but went from fourteenth in the Grand Prix to fourth in the Special over a two-day period there.
Jane had been shown successfully at Intermediate level by her owner, Alice Tarjan, who has been training the Dutchbred daughter of Desperado since she was three.
Together, they won 11 competitions since 2022, but Jane’s Special score with Marcus at TerraNova was the mare’s best percentage ever.
Jane’s personality changes when she gets in the arena. She becomes much stronger, and Alice was still searching for the way to handle that.
“She knows she has a fantastic horse, but she couldn’t connect with her in the show ring,” said Marcus, who is Alice’s trainer.
After a Grand Prix at White Fences near Wellington, Alice told Marcus, “I think at the moment, it’s too much horse for me.”
So Alice suggested that Marcus “put some mileage on her and get her to settle in the ring.”
He replied, “It’s a fantastic opportunity. I don’t say no to it. But I feel like there’s a lot of pressure on me now. It is a super horse. The quality is not even half there yet; there’s so much more in this horse.”
Marcus and Jane at TerraNova. (Photo © by Susan Stickle Photography)
He noted with a chuckle, “Basically, I got pushed right into the water. I wish in general I would have more time. We all know it’s a little bit short notice.”
And now the tables are turned. The student is assisting her trainer.
“I have Alice help me, because she knows the horse inside-out,” said Marcus, explaining she can aid with finding the right tempo and frame for Jane.
In the beginning, he tried to ride more forward to get greater expression in the movements.
“But then, she gets a little too strong and spooky,” Marcus observed.
The next tactic was doing the opposite, trying to “work on relaxation and a little bit more harmony. It seems for now to work better that way.”
He consulted with Christine Traurig, who will be the U.S. chef d’equipe in Paris, and she agreed the way to proceed was, as Marcus recalled her advice, to “go maybe more for a clean test and focus a little bit on the softness and the harmony.”
Once Jane gets in the ring, the power is evident.
“She’s almost like a self-starter,” Marcus observed.
But it “was too much power for Alice. She was basically waterskiing.”
Other new pairings this year, all courtesy of purchases by Zen Elite Equestrian, include Endel Ots with Bohemian and Adrienne not only with Lars, but also Helix. (Read about them at this link.)
But as Marcus pointed out, those horses had loads of international show ring experience and were kept in training by professionals before changing hands. Jane has more of a transition to make. The only Grands Prix she did before Marcus took over were at the National level.
Alice Tarjan and Jane at Dressage at Devon 2022. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“That’s the dream, to make the cut (for Europe),” mused Marcus, 42.
Then he wants to “train at home and get to know each other better and focus a little more on expression and each individual movement. But I think at the moment, it’s a little too early. I’m just trying to figure out the changes, pirouettes, the piaffe/passage. She’s a very sensitive mare, which is good, but also very `looky.’ One noise — one person moving from the stands — she looks. So far, it’s quite the journey.”
An advantage he has over the petite Alice is that he is bigger in stature, with longer legs. That means he can use his seat more to get a response from the mare, rather than having to use his hands the way Alice did.
While time is not on his side, progress is being made.
“Each show, I learn something new about her,” he said.
A native of Germany, Marcus came to public attention in 2013 when he rode in the Global Dressage Forum in West Palm Beach, where perennial U.S. team member Steffen Peters (who also grew up in Germany) was working with him.
Steffen Peters and Marcus Orlob at the 2013 clinic in West Palm Beach. (Photo © 2013 by Nancy Jaffer)
“When do you get your U.S. citizenship,” Steffen asked him at the time.
“We really need you.”
Steffen, number two in the 2024 U.S. Olympic rankings, noted back in 2013, “It wouldn’t surprise me if I get to compete with him internationally.”
He may finally have his chance to do that, should Marcus manage to work things out with Jane and achieve his “lofty goal” of finding himself with a ticket to Europe.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 4, 2024
The speculation about Salvino’s future is over.
The 17-year-old Hanoverian stallion who was a lynchpin of so many U.S. dressage teams will compete no more. He’s headed for a breeding career in Florida and Colorado.
Owned by Betsy Juliano and ridden by Adrienne Lyle, he had been a part of many successful international efforts, including the 2018 world championships silver medal squad in Tryon, N.C., then the Tokyo Olympics silver medal effort in 2021. In 2022, he was part of the sixth-place world championship team that qualified the U.S. for this summer’s Paris Olympics. He also placed sixth individually in the 2022 world championships and was named the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s International Horse of the Year as Adrienne was voted in as the International Rider of the Year.
Adrienne and Salvino competing in Wellington. (Photo © 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
The last time he competed was in January 2023, when he won the FEI World Cup qualifier in Wellington, his fourth victory in a little over a month. Prior to that, he was absent from the arena for four months. Salvino was set to take part in the 2023 FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha until he popped a splint and was withdrawn.
Salvino’s long absence from competition made it seem unlikely he’d be a candidate for Paris, so Thursday’s announcement of his retirement was not unexpected.
Meanwhile, Adrienne is still pointing toward Paris, but with two new horses. She is showing Lars van de Hoenderheide and Helix, owned by Zen Elite Equestrian, with the idea of qualifying for the Games–even though she only got the ride on them earlier this year.
At the TerraNova equestrian center in Florida this weekend, she won both the 4-star Grand Prix for the Special and the Special with Helix. He was marked at 72.021 percent and 73.979 percent respectively in those classes.
Explaining the decision to retire Salvino, Betsy said he is “still quite fit and energetic, but Adrienne and I feel the rigors of the qualifying process, in addition to the leadup to the Olympics would not be in his best long-term interests.”
Adrienne pointed out, “There has always been a great deal of interest in Salvino as a breeding stallion. We feel it’s time to explore this as the next phase of his career. Salvino has far surpassed any expectations we ever had for him.
“This has been a very difficult decision to make, but more than anything we feel it is the right decision for him,” she added.
“He continues to be ridden at home; he loves to work and show the other horses how it should be done. He has given us so much, and Betsy and I are committed to making sure he keeps on living his best life.”
Adrienne Lyle at the 2022 Smartpak USEF Horse of the Year awards with Betsy Juliano, USEF President Tom O’Mara and Adrienne’s mentor, Debbie McDonald. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Writing on social media, Adrienne gave her thanks to Betsy and offered this tribute to Salvino: “You are the best friend, teammate and partner anyone could ever have, and you were an absolute warrior in the ring. You had my back every time we went down center line… if I was nervous you took the lead and showed me there was nothing to be afraid of… if I messed up, you picked up the slack and did it right anyway… if I doubted myself, you reminded me that we could make it happen, and when we turned up the final center line and I would whisper under my breath, “Take it home, buddy”… I could always feel you rise another foot off the ground and give it your absolute everything.
She added, “You taught me that if you really believe in something, keep your head down and work until the rest of the world believes in it too. I am so glad I get to still greet your beautiful face every morning and saddle up for fun rides together, for years to come.”
Adrienne began competing Salvino internationally in March 2017. Previously he had been ridden in Young Horse classes by Spanish riders. Originally named Sandronnerhall, the son of Sandro Hit and a Donnerhall mare was rechristened when he came to the U.S. He was purchased in 2015 by a syndicate, of which Betsy was one of the original members. She became the sole owner in 2017.
In her social media post, Adrienne emphasized, “Betsy Juliano, none of this would have been possible without your vision, dream, dedication, and unwavering commitment to Salvino. I am so thankful for your amazing support! And to Debbie McDonald for the years of expert guidance and help. None of this would have been possible without such an amazing team.”
Adrienne Lyle and Salvino in the Grand Prix Special.
Salvino and Adrienne were always crowd favorites. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 30, 2024
The 5-star finale of the Winter Equestrian Festival was worth every penny of its $500,000 purse in excitement, as a nine-horse jump-off ended with Germany’s Christian Kukuk wresting victory in the Rolex Grand Prix from U.S. favorite McLain Ward by less than a half-second.
The Saturday night feature, playing to a packed house at Wellington International, featured a field of 39 riders who had earned their way into the competition as 13 weeks of showing came to an end. Guilherme Jorge designed a course where every fence tested, though an oxer/oxer/vertical triple combination, uncharacteristically early in the course at number four, took the biggest toll.
Christian Kukuk and Checker 47.
The jump-off course also presented a unique test, as the triple was cut to its B and C elements, after which riders had to make a rollback turn to a new fence, an oxer decorated with horseheads.
McLain, who has only been riding Ilex for seven weeks, made an incredibly neat approach to that obstacle, and went on to finish in 36.24 seconds on a partner who may well be carrying him at the Paris Olympics. But two riders later, Christian and the lovely gray Checker 47 somehow managed to squeeze through the finish line in 35.82 seconds.
Christian, who is part of the Ludger Beerbaum team, Christian said he believed in the jump-off, “If there is any chance for me, I have to have a really tight rollback to that oxer. That went really, really well and Checker tried unreal. Then I jumped out; okay, stay on the distance now you get. I did it. I was flying home. Incredible.”
This was Christian’s first time competing in Wellington, and he had been told how exciting the Saturday night grands prix are, especially the Rolex class.
Christian Kukuk blazing his way through the jump-off with Checker 47. (Photo © Sportfot)
“Checker was in unbelievable shape and he did his job today,” said Christian of the 14-year-old Westfalen gelding by Comme Il Faut 5, who earned $165,000.
“I am so proud of him and it really means a lot to win here the first time in Wellington and beating McLain in front of his home crowd.”
McLain Ward and Ilex.
Then Christian grabbed his blue ribbon in his teeth, raised his helmet over his head and enjoyed his victory gallop.
The third place on the podium went to Karl Cook of the U.S. who went a bit wide on the rollback with Kalinka van’T Zorgvliet and wound up with a time of 36.62 seconds.
Karl said his mare has “been energetic since day one and I think there’s something about her where she knows what the event is.”
McLain reported about his trip, explaining, “I didn’t leave much on the table,” with a blazing jump-off round, but he thought he may have lost a “a touch of time” when his horse bucked after the double. It was the first time he competed in a tiebreaker with the 11-year-old Dutchbred by Baltic VDL, previously shown by a Brazilian rider.
Click here for results.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 26, 2024
The loss of boutique shows, the “crazy expensive” cost of showing, reporting horse abuse, and of course, social license to operate were among the topics at the most recent Town Hall in a series offered by the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association. The Zoom format enables members to air their concerns—and in some cases, suggest possible solutions.
Held monthly, the Town Halls don’t necessarily generate answers, but they can be a first step toward getting them.
Audrey Petschek, a realtor who lives in New England, stated during the Monday forum that the big box shows have bought out many dates. The one- and two-week shows that remain in her area “are really suffering,” she contended.
“People set up shop at HITS (Saugerties, N.Y.), for example, and just stay.”
HITS in Saugerties, N.Y., has undergone massive renovations that make it even more of a destination for competitors. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
On the other hand, moving from show to show is expensive, she pointed out, noting “even setting up a tack room display takes time and money. It all adds up fast and trainers are looking for the easiest way and the most cost-efficient way to show and do business.”
Creative thinking can help devise solutions to issues like these and other perennial problems.
In an interview on Tuesday about the Town Halls and their mission, USHJA President Mary Knowlton noted, “From USHJA’s perspective, we are always trying to foster interest in and breathe some life into some of these smaller shows.”
An example she gave involved the North Carolina Hunter Jumper Association, which runs one show a year and found itself facing two U.S. Equestrian Federation mileage exemptions that enabled shows to run against NCHJA in 2023.
“They were terrified because this is their one show. They use it to fund their scholarship program for their riders and their big banquet. Some of the bigger shows sort of horned in.”
Mary got a panic call from NCHJA, asking “What do we do?”
She replied, “You get really busy talking to your people who have shown with you for years and make it really clear to them that supporting you is necessary if they want to see you continue.”
It worked.
“They did that and actually had a good, strong year,” she reported.
The rise of the fancier shows tends to leave people with high – if unrealistic—expectations for their own competition experiences.
As Mary noted, “People have to be willing to have a more generous standard toward these one-time shows.”
The World Equestrian Center in Ocala, which hosted the FEI Longines League of Champions last weekend, brought in riders from Europe and South America for a stellar competition with a 5-star hotel as a backdrop. The venue has set a remarkable standard, and the question is, how do other shows keep up with something on the order of a WEC?
“The answer is, they can’t, really,” said Mary.
The atmosphere of the World Equestrian Center Ocala isn’t replicated elsewhere. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
(Riders at the elite Winter Equestrian Festival have even complained about conditions at Wellington International three hours south of Ocala, as they compared the facility where they are riding with WEC.)
Mary acknowledged that while rising costs are an industry-wide concern, questions about such matters are the province of management rather than USHJA itself. But she advised that Glenn Petty, who heads USHJA’s Competition Management Committee, could handle queries about management practices. He can be reached at glenn@trianglefarms.com.
The Town Hall format allows people to get their voices and issues heard.
“Most people feel unheard,” said Mary. She permits participants to write in questions during the Town Hall as “anonymous attendee,” which enables “real feedback” from those who are hesitant to put themselves out there by name.
“We get a chance to hear a lot of ideas and then test those ideas a little bit and then come back and refine them through that lens, which is super helpful.”
At the same time, she mentioned, “It’s a way for us to disseminate information. One of the comments that comes back is, `I feel better-educated after being on the Town Hall.’ That’s huge.”
She added, “I very much appreciate hearing people’s point of view.”
USHJA President Mary Knowlton
This month’s Town Hall had 124 participants at one point.
“So many people’s opinions are pouring into this hopper. People like DiAnn Langer, who heads the Commission on Equine Welfare, are listening. (The commission will make a report to the USHJA board in May.)
“They’re getting to understand how people think, and how could we mold a solution?”
On the subject of horse abuse, amateur rider Tamara Doloff of Maryland, who has experience as a horse show mother, expressed concern about a proposed U.S. Equestrian Federation horse welfare rule, “brought on by the social license to operate issue.”
The rule would enable the organization to discipline those involved in horse abuse incidents, even if they happened elsewhere than at a sanctioned show. The USEF board will vote on the rule in June.
“I’m concerned about USEF’s ability to take action against someone outside their purview,” she said. Issues Tamara mentioned are how to define abuse, if parents or trainers could be held liable for actions of their children and whether an animal rights organization could overwhelm USEF with complaints.
She also asked, “If someone is caught on camera in the presence of another person abusing a horse and they don’t report it, is the observer now subject to sanctioning?”
Steward Cricket Stone noted there are many things going on at shows that are “not doing the sport any good.” They include the presence of boxes for sharps that are overflowing with needles by the end of the week, longeing done so improperly that horses are injured and cantering horses in the warm-up rings until they are huffing and puffing.
Debbie Bass, a member of the USEF hearing committee, said she thinks expanding the jurisdiction of USEF involving horse abuse is “the most empowering rule change” for owners and riders, enabling them “to have a further say about what they see in the care of their horses.”
She added, “It not only empowers, but also obligates them to speak up if they see horse abuse.”
Being obliged to report takes the onus off an owner who sees something that’s unusual or abusive and maybe historically they would not have responded because “it’s just too hard’ and “it’s my trainer.
“But if you’re in fact obligated to report…it puts it in a whole other power dynamic. It gives cover to the witness of `an injustice to the horse,’ ” Debbie mentioned.
“It gives them more eyes on the problem, it gives them more advocates. It does include things like over-showing a horse, which we’ve all witnessed. With this rule change. I would be empowered to say something because, oh my gosh, I have to say something. It is cover to come out from behind the curtain and adjust the power struggle in favor of the horse.”
She noted that USEF does due diligence and “the hearing committee doesn’t see anything unless it’s been pre-vetted.”
As well as dealing with big-picture items, people have a chance to bring localized concerns to the Town Hall. That’s what Betsy Checchia from Zone 8 did, with an issue about the contiguous zone rule enabling riders to show outside their home zone to accumulate points for a zone award. She noted that in her zone of Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona, the first two states no longer have rated shows, and attendance at shows elsewhere in the zone is dwindling, as people show in the contiguous zone states of California and Texas. She mentioned as a possible solution the idea of only counting points earned at shows in a zone, as opposed to those awarded in contiguous states.
What side of the issue people are on, however, depends on where in the country they’re located. For instance, Allison Fisher of Maryland in Zone 3 likes showing in Pennsylvania, which is Zone 2, because it is closer to her home than some other locations in her zone.
Zone 6 also has a wrinkle because Wisconsin does not have rated shows, so people go to Illinois in Zone 5 to compete.
In 2025, USHJA will be responsible for handling zone points, and one suggestion was to award double points for ribbons earned in a rider’s home zone to encourage showing there, rather than in a contiguous state. Zones can come up with their own criteria for how points will work.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 25, 2024
A little more than two years ago, professional rider Cassandra Kahle of Redfield Farm suffered a TBI (traumatic brain injury) when her horse fell during a jumper class at HITS Ocala’s Post Time Farm.
On Sunday, the last day of the 2024 winter series there, she returned to the ring where she had her accident and rode around a small course built so she could chase her demons by clearing those fences.
After her fall, she was in a coma for 18 days and had lost her ability to walk and talk. She recovered only after endless physical therapy and extreme determination, with her mother, Natasha Brash, always at her side to help.
Handling that special course at HITS was an incredibly emotional moment, not only for her, but also for her family, friends and fans at ringside who knew what she had been through, and what it took to bring her back to her life’s work.
Cassie at Devon several years before the accident. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Her employer, Emil Spadone of Redfield, was among those who had helped the 31-year-old native of British Columbia along the way.
On her Facebook page, she recounted what it was like to return to the scene of such a life-changing event and conquer her demons.
Cassie explained, “I have been struggling and find myself at a loss for words to warrant the gravity that this post deserves.”
She thanked announcer and judge Matt Brayman for his support, and the team at HITS “for organizing this incredible momentous moment for me. I have dreamt of the day I could return to the show ring since my fall two years, one month and 25 days ago.
“But I have had the goal of this particular class and this particular moment for the past five months. Since I set this goal, I have had this burning desire inside me that I knew I had to complete it.”
Cassie and her supporters. (ESI Photography)
She continued, “I can talk about the struggle and work I have done every day to achieve this moment, but that is another story. What feels important in the moment now is to simply say thank you. First of all, to the team at HITS and what you did for me was so much more than what I had hoped this moment would be. At the end of the last day of the 10-week circuit, a .65-meter course was built in the stadium where I had my fall. It has been my personal goal to overcome such a traumatic event but also to change the way I look back at the ring that has symbolized my home base for the past 10 years. I did not want my last ride in that ring to be a tragedy.”
“When I stepped through the ingate and saw the crowd that had gathered to support me and heard Matt’s voice announce my name and my longtime partner’s name, Pyrenes De Louzes, like so many times before, a realization came over me that was singular to that moment. I couldn’t be nervous because I had already won.
“I was riding the most important horse of my career through the gate where my life had so changed, with a crowd of the most amazing supporters backing me. To the team at HITS, I thank you.
“To everyone who was there and to everyone who has offered their support one way or another over this long journey, my gratitude is forever yours. To my family for flying out to be here with your unwavering support so you could be there to experience this with me, I am filled with so much love for you. To Emil, Darby and Maari, thank you for caring for my Pie so he was ready to carry me to another major victory. To my boyfriend Willem, thank you for being my lighthouse and lighting my way on this journey. And to the Pie. I have wondered what I would do when we landed off the last jump and crossed the finish line, would I pump my fist in the air? Would I cheer?”
Actually, she simply hugged her horse’s neck.
“The only feeling I had was a heartfelt gratitude and a knowing that it was all for you. You have seen me through thick and thin, taught me the ups and downs of the game and what it takes to be a true horsewoman and a good sport. We experienced my lowest lows in competition but you also carried me to my most precious victories. Thank you, Pyro. for being my horse. I can’t imagine a more beautiful moment to wish you a happy retirement.
And so, one book of my life is closed and it is time for another to open.”
Cassie Kahle has a special smile. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Cassie had cited what Matt Brayman wrote, so here it is: “Sometimes we get to remember why we do what we do. I remember judging a class a couple years ago when Cass had her accident. I remember thinking nothing but `get up, Cassie. Get up.’
“That moment will never leave me. I quit judging for a month or two after that, but never stopped following her story. Every day. `Get up, Cassie, get up.’
“I don’t mean to compare my struggle with hers. I’m a millionth, at best, of the struggle and the fight she’s endured. I’m not sure there’s anyone I admire more following the road back. And the courage this lady showed coming back in the ring where it all happened. And here I was judging it again.
“Cassie, I can’t comprehend the work, the courage, the persistence it took for you to do what you did today. I’m not going to lie. Going across the ring in that area (fence 3) stopped my breathing, stopped my heart. I didn’t think it would be as emotional as it was. I had a great speech planned but couldn’t speak after word three or so. But in the end, it was all worth it.
“Understand in the end you not only chased your demons, you chased all our demons. Thanks for your will, thanks for your work, thanks for being you.”
