by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 24, 2024
The Longines League of Nations’ debut in the U.S. crackled with excitement from beginning to end, as teams from 10 countries that included 18 of the world’s 20 top-ranked show jumpers offered what might be a hint of the action in this summer’s Olympics.
While Ireland took center stage on the podium Saturday, there were other winners — the spectacular World Equestrian Center venue in Ocala, and the new system used by the League.
The Irish team of Cian O’Connor, Darragh Kenny, Daniel Coyle, Shane Sweetnam and chef d’equipe Michael Blake. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
“I like the format a lot,” said U.S. Coach Robert Ridland, who then added, “I love the new format. I think it’s great for spectators who don’t know our sport well.”
The U.S. was the leader halfway through the two-round competition, but dropped to third after the suspenseful second round.
Coach Robert Ridland leads the U.S. team into the arena before the Longines League of Nations. With him are Aaron Vale, Kent Farrington and McLain Ward (Laura Kraut was warming up her horse.) (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
While the format allows the traditional drop score for teams of four in the first round, only three riders from each squad compete in the second round, where every score counts.
That heightens the drama, and the standings changed radically during the class. At half-time (following the afternoon round) the U.S. led on zero penalties because its three fault-free riders, pathfinder Laura Kraut on Baloutinue, Kent Farrington (Landon) and anchor McLain Ward (Callas), had gone faster than those from Ireland and the Netherlands, who also had a clean slate. The USA’s hometown favorite, Aaron Vale, who toppled a rail at an airy vertical with Carissimo 25, had his score dropped and he did not ride in the second round.
McLain Ward met a fake flamingo after his first round in the League of Nations, to the dismay of his mount, Callas. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
By the end of the evening, the crowd packed into the stands around the Grand Arena saw a different order of merit, with Ireland taking the top prize on 5 penalties, followed by Switzerland—which rose from seventh in the first round—to finish on 8 penalties and the U.S. in bronze position with 12 penalties. The Dutch score was 12 as well, but the U.S. riders had a faster time to break the tie.
As Robert noted, almost every other sport doesn’t allow you to throw away one of your scores that you don’t like.
With no drop score, “Where the teams are at any given minute is very clear.”
At the Paris Olympics, teams will consist of only three riders, so that’s why this competition could be considered a preview of sorts. And as Robert pointed out, “being on the podium when it’s the top 10 (teams competing), there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Then he said with a grin, “We’re giving them a little bit of a head start and a false sense of security.”
Last month in Wellington, Fla., Ireland won the Winter Equestrian Festival’s traditional Nations Cup, with drop scores allowed in both rounds. That nation had no trouble, however, transitioning to the new system. The deciding round in Ocala was produced by Cian O’Connor on Maurice.
He had enough leeway to allow a single penalty for going over the 72-second time allowed set by course designer Alan Wade.
Cian O’Connor and Maurice were airborne over the fences. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Cian did not need to ride in the first round because of perfect trips from his teammates, Shane Sweetnam (Otis Blue), Daniel Coyle (Legacy) and Darragh Kenny (Amsterdam).
Cian O’Connor clinched victory for the Irish. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
“You can only deliver last to go if the team have done their job,” he explained.
“So my job is easy, right, with these three guys’ amazing clear rounds. They had set the whole thing up for me, really.”
Chef d’equipe Michael Blake told Cian he could afford a time fault, but Cian waited until finishing the triple combination three fences from the end of the course before exercising that option.
When Maurice jumped out of the combination, Cian said, “I just decided to take a breath. I just gave the horse a moment. I think that’s where he picked up a fraction of time, but I was happy. We had the job done, so it was fine.”
Will Ireland be the favorite to win in Paris?
Hard to say, since the other countries on the podium in Ocala will present a challenge, along with Germany and the Netherlands, if you’re looking for a short list of possibles.
But Michael Blake cited as an asset “the depth that we have – there’s 29 riders last year and 13 podium finishes and it’s pretty okay. I’m really, really lucky to have the bunch of people that we have.”
Daniel Coyle and Legacy were double-clear for Ireland. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Others may get a chance to prove themselves, “but you know, it’s looking not too bad,” Michael observed with a little smile. Bertram Allen was supposed to be on the team until he was injured in a fall; Shane replaced him with an inexperienced horse. And in Wellington Saturday night, Daniel Coyle’s brother, Jordan, won the $150,000 Hermès CSI4* 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Final with For Gold.
In the second Longines round for the U.S., Kent’s horse had a foot in the water jump and a rail, while McLain faulted at the middle element of the triple. Robert noted Kent’s horse is young and still relatively new to him, though he came off a double-medal winning effort in the Pan American Games last year. Aaron, who rode in the League’s debut in Abu Dhabi last month, is also dealing with a new mount.
“I’m very pleased with his progress,” Robert said.
Laura Kraut may have earned a permanent job as U.S. pathfinder, commenting, “I much preferred it to being the clean-up rider.” That was her job in the crucial Pan Am Games, where the U.S. qualified for Paris.
Pathfinder Laura Kraut had the best score of any rider in the competition. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Her double clear was not only sensational, but also faster than other riders who were double clear. They were Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs on Leone Jei and Steve Guerdat (Is-Minka), as well as Daniel Coyle, and the Dutch pair of Harrie Smolders (Uricas v/d Kettevennen) and Maikel van der Vleuten (Beauville Z NOP).
“I have so much confidence in my horse and I feel like we’ve got a good partnership now, versus the year of Tokyo (2021Olympics) when I didn’t really know what to do with him. Now I have a good idea,” said Laura.
She was also free of jumping penalties in Thursday’s $330,000 Lugano Grand Prix, but one time fault kept her from inclusion on the jump-off list. She said she wouldn’t have gone into a tiebreaker anyway, though, because her plan involved using the class as a warm-up for the Longines League of Nations.
“He had not jumped any class stronger than a 1.50 (meters) since July and knew this was going to be tough with Alan building and I wanted to make sure I had the best prep I could,” Laura explained about her choice to compete in the grand prix.
She felt the time allowed in the team competition for the “straight-forward course” was “very lenient,” on a route that “wasn’t so technical.”
Laura believes the League debut enabled people “to see this sport the way it is and not on television, but to actually see it live is not only exciting, but educational. I think it’s wonderful and WEC did an amazing job. I don’t think there could be one complaint.”
Cian praised the venue, which really shone during its time on the world stage this week. The riders were housed in the 5-star Equestrian Hotel, which served as the glamorous backdrop for the jumping.
“It’s one of the great wonders of the world. It’s the most amazing place,” said Cian of WEC.
“The facility is fantastic, and we’re delighted to be here. Sometimes the unsung heroes of our sport are the grooms, and for them, the way they’re looked after, plus the stables and the level of detail here, is second to none. We’re absolutely delighted to be here, and big thanks to the Roberts family for building this wonderful facility for us.”
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by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 22, 2024
When is a $330,000 grand prix not the featured attraction at a horse show?
Answer: When it’s held during a week that offers the only U.S. leg of the Longines League of Nations, a new version of the traditional Nations Cup series.
Teams from 10 countries will face off Saturday in that much-anticipated two-round contest at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, where all the seats were sold out days ago. But on Thursday evening, the Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix did shine in the spotlight, with 49 starters taking on the dare of an Alan Wade-designed course that yielded only one clear round—from Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam–among the first 37 starters.
Would this class be deprived of a jump-off? The very tight 80-second time allowed resulted in time penalties for five riders who otherwise were fault-free, including the USA’s Laura Kraut on Baloutinue, who finished sixth with a single time fault.
No, happily several of the field’s biggest names conquered the demanding route so spectators could anticipate the tiebreaker. First to join the clean round list was France’s former European Championship gold medalist, Kevin Staut on Beau de Laubry Z, followed by another former European champion, Martin Fuchs of Switzerland with Leone Jei. Then Steve Guerdat, yet another Swiss star, and the winner of individual Olympic gold, the European Championship and the FEI World Cup finals produced a clear with the untested Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte.
Martin Fuchs and Leone Jei. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
But the real surprise was the last to go, the USA’s relatively unheralded Callie Schott, who unlike her clear round predecessors in the class won’t be riding on a team for the League competition.
She was aboard Garant, Beezie Madden’s former mount, to complete a jump-off field of five accompanied by the heartfelt cheers of the crowd as she cleared the last fence. The list for the tie-breaker soon became four, however, as Kevin bowed out to keep his mount fresh for the French team’s efforts two days later in the League competition.
Callie was on the American squad for the League’s debut in Abu Dhabi last month, where she reported Garant had the first fence down in both rounds. There would be no such mishaps in this class.
Callie Schott and Garant. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Shane produced a respectable trip with RR Combella in 39.44 seconds. Martin went after that clocking with his magnificent grey son of Baltic VDL, finishing in 36.68 seconds after a mad dash to the final fence. No one would be able to beat that. Steve tried, but as he noted, “it’s the very first time that this horse has seen a ring like this, that he has seen jumps like tonight, the first time he jumps under the lights.”
He was clocked in 37.54 seconds, good enough, as it happened, to be runner-up. (Interestingly, the dam sire of Steve’s horse was Tinka’s Boy, ridden to great acclaim by Martin’s uncle, Markus Fuchs).
Steve noted, “I thought the time was just maybe one or two seconds too short, so I knew it was going to be a tough ask. He responded beautiful to everything I asked him. It couldn’t have been any better, and it made me very proud tonight.”
Steve Guerdat goes for it at the finish. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Callie gave it her all to finish in 37.88 seconds, strides ahead of Shane to make it onto the podium in third place.
Coached by Beezie’s husband, John Madden, Callie received this advice before the jump-off “Go enjoy yourself.” And she did, as evidenced by her wide smile on the podium while lifting a bouquet next to Steve and Martin.
I wondered whether as a relative newcomer to the top level of the sport she was intimidated by riding against such major stars. She is ranked 229th in the world, while Martin is sixth-ranked and Steve third-ranked.
“Actually,” she replied, “I think it was really exciting to be able to compete with them.”
Callie Schott raises her arm in triumph after her clean jump-off round. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Steve won’t be riding his grand prix horse on the Swiss team Saturday, but Martin will be aboard Leone Jei and doesn’t think the extra outing in the grand prix will affect his Dutch-bred mount.
Martin Fuchs understandably was all smiles on Leone Jei. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He jumped fantastic both rounds, he felt really good. He was really working with me, and I felt like he enjoyed both rounds a lot. When you’re in a grand prix like this, you really want to win, and you try your best in the jump-off. You don’t think too much about the Nations Cup yet. Leone Jei has so much experience already at this level, and I really trust him that he can go fast in a jump-off like today, and then still be focused and at his best on Saturday for Team Switzerland.”
The course laid out with the assistance of Colm Quinn and Bobby Murphy was showcased against the backdrop of the columned 5-star Equestrian Hotel, where lucky fans got to watch the action in the Grand Arena from the front porch.
Asked how she prepared to tackle the awesome route, Callie said she and John, “broke down the course and stuck to the plan, we did it piece by piece and put it all together.”
Callie Schott was thrilled to stand on the podium with Steve Guerdat and Martin Fuchs. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Garant, known as Junior around the barn, was withdrawn from consideration for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics when Beezie was riding him because she and his owner felt he wasn’t ready yet.
But he’s ready now and Callie noted, “If I make the short list for the Olympics, I think we are going to try to pursue that, and if not, we’re going to do the best for all of our horses and go from there.”
She has quite a relationship with Garant.
“He is a goofball who is playful in the barn. It’s taken a while for me to get to know him in the ring because he turns into a different horse and has so much energy. Day to day, he’s a very relaxed, very low-key animal then you go into that first jump and then you’re off.”
Nine competitors were eliminated or retired in the class. Aside from Laura, U.S. team riders didn’t fare well.
McLain Ward had the last fence down with Ilex to finish thirteenth, which was good enough to be in the prize money. Kent Farrington had two rails with Landon to wind up twenty-seventh. Aaron Vale, a local crowd favorite because he’s based in Ocala, was thirty ninth with 20 penalties, but Ovi Wan is not his team horse, so don’t read too much into that for the League contest.
Melissa Brandes of Lugano called the class, “an unbelievable night of sport. I have been looking forward to this week for a long time. As a founding sponsor of WEC, to see a competition like this take place here is unbelievable.” I’m awe-struck.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 21, 2024
The Longines League of Nations show jumping is the kind of competition for which Ocala’s lavish World Equestrian Center was created.
Teams from 10 countries from three continents are being showcased at a setting offering the ultimate comfort for horses, in luxurious stables, and for their riders in a 5-star hotel that serves as the scenic backdrop for their rivalry in the ring.
World number one Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden called WEC “very, very special; not only that it looks nice, but the most important thing, the footing is good, the stabling is super.” Then he smiled and said in a masterpiece of understatement, “Nothing to complain of.”
When I asked whether he’d been to another venue with such amenities, he replied, “No, to be honest. I don’t think there’s another place like this. It’s unique.”
He is among eight of the globe’s top 10 show jumpers competing in what can be considered a preview for a smart assessment of this summer’s Paris Olympics.
Competition started Wednesday, with many riders entering the arena just to give their horses a look-see, rather than trying to win. In the final class of the day, for instance, a 1.40-meter two-phase, France’s Oliver Perreau went for it to take first prize with Calypso des Joanins Z. But he told me that is not his horse for the League of Nations, so he was able to go for it.
Five riders in the class retired, after giving their horses a chance to scope out the Grand Arena, where the featured event will be held on Saturday. It’s a two-round affair, with four riders from each side competing in the afternoon, giving every nation a drop score. In the evening, the second round over the same course will only be contested by three riders from each nation, tightening the contest because no drop score is available.
The first leg of this new format for the Nations Cup debuted last month in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The next two will be held in the Netherlands and Switzerland, with the eight best teams total advancing to an October final in Barcelona.
WEC, which has a four-year contract to host the League, has impressed everyone who is seeing the facility for the first time. The vast acreage, with restaurants that run from gourmet and Mexican to a patisserie, is also a construction zone (situated away from the competition arenas) with an event center under construction that will be ready next year. It also has its own veterinary hospital.
It’s a lot to take in and Todd Hinde, an Australian who is director of show jumping for the FEI (international equestrian federation) is captivated.
“From the moment I walked in the gate, I loved it,” he said, taking a break from preparing banners for the parade of nations that will precede the League competition.
“Having the amazing hotel in the background gives it that unique feeling. But also on the horse front, it’s a very horse-friendly facility. The horses love it. From the size of the boxes (stalls) to the hand-grazing areas to all the paths they can walk on, it’s an amazing property.” And he mentioned there is a “natural feel” to the surroundings, another aspect that makes it comfortable for the horses.
U.S. Coach Robert Ridland has brought his A-team—McLain Ward, Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut and Aaron Vale–to what he called, “an absolute first-class venue and facility.” But it true status lies in the fact that “it’s our home Nations Cup, and the home Nations Cup is always important. The caliber of jumping is going to be tremendous.”
As he noted, the U.S. squad has “collectively won, how many? Ten thousand grands prix together.”
While there is the Lugano Diamonds grand prix Thursday night, it will include national riders as well as international stars who brought extra horses. But the grand prix is not the star of this week’s show.
“The focus is on the Nations Cup, for sure. I think it’s the foundation of the sport,” said Robert, who rode in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 15, 2024
As dusk fell on the evening before the first Essex Horse Trials in 1968, Sally Ike was helping organizer Roger Haller complete work on the final cross-country fence at his family’s Hoopstick Farm in Bedminster, N.J.
At the time, Sally was a candidate for the Olympic eventing team. It was an era when horse trials were scarce and eventing was just beginning to gather its strength in the U.S. Essex filled a need, and everyone pitched in to help make it happen.
While the event started as a one-day, homemade fixture, it wasn’t long before it became a staple of the country’s eventing calendar. Essex attracted the country’s best eventers, from Bruce Davidson to Mike Plumb, and many other famous names. Sally went on to win it aboard the ex-racehorse, Roxboro.
In 1979, Essex moved a few miles away to the U.S. Equestrian Team in Gladstone. There it stayed as a popular fixture through 1998, until part of the property was sold and there wasn’t enough room to stage the cross-country segment.
But in 2017, Essex made a big comeback at Moorland Farm, the home of the Far Hills Race Meeting, a short canter from the USET.
The 2023 Essex Horse Trials Intermediate winner, Hannah Sue Hollberg, with Hachi. (Photo © 2023 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
The lack of an all-weather arena at Moorland became a sticking point, however. It was solved in 2022 by holding the dressage and show jumping phases at the USET Foundation, then switching over to Moorland the next day for competition over its scenic cross-country course. Cross-country day at Moorland is highlighted by an extremely successful car show, which draws a big crowd.
That’s the format being followed again this year, when Essex runs June 1-2. Sally, who pitched in with the first Essex, is now the event’s president.
When Sally was asked why she took the position after Ralph Jones, the previous co-chairman retired along with his wife Lynn, who also was active with Essex, she replied, “How could you not?
“This is such an important community event and it must continue.”
Sally Ike has a thorough knowledge of eventing, and even has designed stadium jumping courses for the sport. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Sally found a place for it with her other activities, which include consulting for the U.S. Equestrian Federation, serving on the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s Emerging Athlete Program Committee and chairing the hunt committee for the Essex Fox Hounds.
Holding an event at two venues is not usual, except for the Olympic Games on occasion, “but this is not the Olympic Games,” she pointed out. So people have to get used to it.
While the USET Foundation venue is special—”it doesn’t get any better than that,” said Sally, having a two-day format is an exception for U.S. Eventing’s Area II, where most divisions are completed in one day. But there are fewer eventing opportunities than there used to be in Area II, which means Essex is important. And while some may find it less convenient than completing all three phases in the same venue, there is a definite allure to being at the USET Foundation.
The event offers divisions from Beginner Novice up through Intermediate. In the combined test (dressage and show jumping) at Essex in 2023, Caroline Pamucku won with HSH Blake, then went on to take double silver on the same horse at the Pan American Games in the autumn.
The 2023 Essex Combined Test winner Carolyn Pamucku on HSH Blake went on to medal at the Pan Am Games. (Photo © 2023 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
After her Essex victory, she said, “There aren’t a lot of places in this country to get this kind of atmosphere at a venue that’s so historic. You ride around here, and you almost pinch yourself, because you know all the greats of eventing culture have been here before you. It’s so cool.”
Joining Sally in putting Essex together are cross-country course designer Morgan Rowsell, former co-chairman; Gwen Packard, who is involved with sponsorship and veterinarian Greg Staller, taking on more responsibility after being a sponsor of the event.
“It’s been remarkable,” said Sally, who has administrative experience from her days at both the USEF and USET, as well as a history with not only Essex, but also the sport of eventing.
“We all bring something very different to the table. That’s what it takes to have a team.”
Greg got involved beyond being a sponsor because “I like eventing, I like the history of eventing. I think the horsemanship at this level is amazing and the horses are great to work on.
“I feel strongly I want to give back to the community. That’s what we do as horse vets. Without competition horses, there’s nothing really for us to do. We owe that to our clients,” he explained.
“I like the feel of Essex. It functions as a very nice community outing,” which extends to not only the competitors, but also the volunteers, spectators and vendors.
He sees it as having the potential to be a more prominent event regionally, “an Intermediate and Advanced destination where some of the more prominent trainers on the Eastern Seaboard and beyond might want to bring a top horse, or some of their young horses,” added Greg, who has also stayed on as a sponsor. One of the biggest contributions of his practice, Running S Equine Veterinary Services, involves providing the rider/groom/owner tent, a place to lounge complete with refreshments.
Gwen freely admits she isn’t a horse person (although she did ride a bit while growing up), but Essex appealed to her from the moment she learned about it. She worked for the AIG Private Client Group when they were an Essex sponsor and joined the organizing committee. After she left AIG, she stayed on at Essex. She has a subcommittee that has worked with Essex in the past, reaching out to former sponsors and new prospects.
“Because it is such a community event, we want to see all different kinds of companies and business in our community involved in this,” she said.
Essex benefits the Life Camp in Pottersville, which provides an enriching summer day camp experience for 300 youths daily for six weeks during July and August. Campers between the ages of 6 and 13 come from the greater Newark public school system, as well as from Newark Charter School Programs. A group of the children attend the horse trials and have a ball with a picnic by the water jump.
An Essex sponsorship has value, according to Gwen.
“For a lot of companies, the equine community, the local community, the volunteers—it’s a phenomenal demographic for a business to get involved in and get their name out there. People want to do business with companies they perceive as being involved in philanthropic and community events.”
Meanwhile, Gwen has become a fan of eventing. She notes at this point, she can even explain eventing to someone who doesn’t know what it is. Her 17-year-old son, Sebastian Eid, has volunteered for several years, with a skill set that runs from helping put together cross-country jumps to parking cars.
Asked what he sees in the future for Essex, Morgan cited, “Building more on what we’ve done. It’s getting better and refining what we’re already doing.”
Morgan Rowsell never stops working on the Essex cross-country course. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer
He noted that those who volunteer can sign up on the website, www.essexhorsetrials.org, and choose what job they want to do for the event.
At some point, Morgan would like to have a Modified (section) come into play, “because it’s a popular division and gives another reason for other riders to come.”
He added the event’s late spring dates should be optimum in terms of weather, and the footing issues were solved with the move to the USET Foundation.
“We’ve got to keep getting the word out,” he said, “and keep doing what we’re doing, and do it better every year.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 14, 2024
Britain’s splendid Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment is a hard act to follow in the pantheon of the Aachen horse show’s “partner country” collaborators. But the USA is ready to handle the position in Germany this summer, armed with such all-American traditions as cheerleaders, Quarter Horses, cowboys and football players.
Britain’s Household Cavalry mounted regiment lined up as competitors rode into the Aachen arena to say farewell at the 2023 show.
Aachen began the partner country initiative in 2001, when Spain was interested in promoting the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games in Jerez. Since then, nations including France, Denmark and Sweden have participated as partners in the entertainment that transformed the opening ceremony at the historic competition.
On July 2, it will be the U.S. that takes center stage for what is also a 90-minute TV show at a venue featuring the best in grand prix jumping, vaulting, eventing, dressage and driving competition. The ceremony production is an 800-person extravaganza, with 200 horses. And even after the ceremony, the partner country remains an important presence throughout the entire competition.
So it’s quite a big deal to be the partner country of Aachen. It’s particularly special this year because the Mercedes-Benz show jumping Nations Cup will be July 4, and a celebration highlighting that American holiday is going to be part of the proceedings.
“We want to portray the U.S. in Aachen, not just the equestrian side,” said Will Connell, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s former director of sport.
The U.S. military will have a presence as an honor guard, and it seems the vaulters will find an amusing way to interact with the cheerleaders. Although there are cheerleaders in Germany, their standard is less sophisticated than in America, where cheerleading is really professional.
Interestingly, a large western riding community exists in Germany. That means horses don’t have to be shipped in from the U.S., which would be cost-prohibitive. But professional specialist cowboys will be coming from the US. You can also expect western scenery, Beach Boys music (and maybe surfing!) to have a presence. But cattle won’t be a part of it, because their sharp hooves would cut up the arena turf, a special surface Aachen guards with great care.
Cheerleaders, cowboys and the American flag will star as the U.S. becomes Aachen’s partner country this summer.
“Having been a Chef de Mission for many years at the Aachen CHIO and at the 2006 World Equestrian Games (held there) it is an event that touches not just the athletes, but all involved with the teams and supporting the horses and athletes,” said Will, whose role is to assist Aachen in organizing the partner contribution. In that regard, he helps facilitate communication with the USEF and its involvement.
“Aachen chases perfection day-in and day-out and that, combined with the feeling that you are at the very heart of equestrian tradition and elite equestrian sport, creates a sensation of nervous excitement and tension that drives all to perform to their very best.”
Birgit Rosenberg, head of sport at CHIO Aachen, also is responsible for the show program, which covers a lot of ground, from culture to music and decorations in addition to the performances.
“We have to become creative,” she said.
She noted that 2024 is the opportune time to team up with the U.S., because it marks more than 340 years of cooperation between North Rhine-Westphalia and the U.S, since immigration began from that German state.
Birgit reported that the office of the state’s prime minister contacted Aachen and said, “Listen, wouldn’t this be a super opportunity to have the USA as partner country?” The Aachen people knew Will from his work there over the years, so it was natural to have him involved.
Outside support for the partner country effort is important, since USEF resources for the project are limited due to the amount of money needed for sending teams to the Olympics in Paris this summer. Individuals or companies that want to get involved with supporting the partner country enterprise can contact Layson Griffin, the USEF’s managing director sponsorship and advertising, at lgriffin@usef.org. or Will Connell at will@hillnbrook.com.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 6, 2024
It’s been a long slog to get to a new showgrounds for Wellington, Florida; nine-plus months and approximately 70 hours of hearings (I admit I’ve lost the exact count.)
But on Tuesday night, the Village Council signed off on the project with a unanimous vote (one council member was absent for personal reasons) on the compatibility determination that was the final step in approval of the showgrounds. Compatibility means how a project it will fit in with the surrounding properties, considering such aspects as design, intensity of use and structures.
The new showgrounds will be a venue for dressage (as well as hunters and jumpers) south of Wellington International, home of the Winter Equestrian Festival. The situation has been a contentious one, because its often-mentioned “quid pro quo” involved taking 96-plus acres that is the current site of dressage competition at Equestrian Village, out of the Equestrian Preserve so a high-end golf community can be built there. Developer Wellington Lifestyle Partners would not offer up the land for the showgrounds on Wellington South without approval of that Wellington North development a short distance away.
All the property had been accumulated by Mark Bellissimo through Wellington Equestrian Partners. Bellisimo, seen as a controversial figure by some in Wellington, is a partner in WLP but not the managing partner, as WLP CEO Doug McMahon emphasized on several occasions before the Council.
The “Horses Not Houses” and “Keep Wellington Green” movements protested removing land from the Preserve, and many people cited environmental and traffic concerns, but to no avail. The Preserve is not a reserve; the land involved is privately owned. So it could have been developed to some extent even while remaining in the Preserve, although not to the density planned for the golf community.
Wellington Mayor Ann Gerwig looked both relieved and resigned after the vote, as she acknowledged the outcome of the long and complicated process.
The work and negotiations involved have “refined the end product to the point that, people can disagree and only time will tell, looking at this plan and seeing the showgrounds expanded, at least on paper I think it does set Wellington for the future. It was difficult, it was painful, but I also want to make it clear that it would not have been the path I would have taken, but it’s the path that we had.”
Pam Wildman, a longtime Wellington resident who spoke at the meeting, told the Council earlier in the evening that she has photographic “proof of endangered species being harassed.”
She added, “You’ve been snookered. (Twenty five years from now) people are not going to think, Mayor Gerwig, that you made a good deal.”
Wildman, who said she wanted to live a peaceful life in her hometown, contended “You’re ruining it.”
She added, “I’ve been threatened with bodily harm and lawsuits. Everyone wants to shut me up.”
Officials had been told that new, fancier showgrounds in Ocala and near Sarasota threatened Wellington’s status as “The Winter Equestrian Capital of the World,” because the Wellington International facility had become tired, lacking the space it needed. A number of prominent equestrians and horse owners spoke during the hearings that began in June about the need for an expanded showgrounds if Wellington were to keep its status in the world of horse sports.
{For your convenience in reading this story, here is an acronym glossary: WEP (Wellington Equestrian Partners); GEG (Global Equestrian Group); WEF (Winter Equestrian Festival); WLP (Wellington Lifestyle Partners}
What the rings at the new showgrounds will look like.
The original plan was for WLP to sell land for the showgrounds at Wellington South to Global Equestrian Group, owner of Wellington International. But GEG had financial issues and its owner, investment firm Waterland Private Equity, put the showgrounds on the market. So WLP is building the showgrounds, and dressage will remain at Equestrian Village until it is finished—which could be in two years or five, both dates have been mentioned.
The ground clearing process was evident last year on Pod F, the home of Wellington South.
Meanwhile, entities are bidding for Wellington International. The question is, will the winner also buy the new showgrounds adjacent to that facility? Since WLP has said it doesn’t want to operate the showgrounds once it is finished, someone will have to buy it. Why have two separate showgrounds side by side?
Most of the matters mentioned during the compatibility determination, such as whether stall mats will be provided free of charge (only for the 220 permanent stalls) or the distance between rings (at least 25 feet) already had been discussed. But those still seeking resolution included security concerns by Equestrian Club Estates, which will border the new showgrounds.
Victoria McCullough, who owns Mida Farms, feels egress from her property on Gracida Street will be an issue because of showgrounds traffic. She pointed out she uses a massive 53-foot trailer for transporting her Clydesdale horses, and has 19 employees based on her acreage leaving the property as well. McCullough noted there will be a problem turning left on Gracida, as she always does, due to the volume of cars once the showgrounds is operating. She suggested to the Council, “You could be forcing me to move.”
One condition of approval requires continued monitoring the traffic on Gracida and “queueing time.” A traffic consultant for Wellington said a standard can be evaluated to determine if McCullough’s delay coming out of her facility is excessive, and it could be addressed by having sheriff’s officers help her leave the farm during show times.
John Fumero, the environmental attorney for WLP, answered questions about wetlands work on the showgrounds site. There had been concern by residents over disruption of the wildlife habitat, as Wildman mentioned.
Fumero cited a report from a consulting firm hired by WLP that concluded there were no threatened or endangered species on the property. Acreage choked by invasive plant species did not offer a place for wading birds to nest or eat because their wingspan precludes their entrance into such a tangled area, he said, explaining, “They can’t get in there and land.”
Now that property is being cleared, they can fly in and eat insects and worms turned over by earth moving, he commented.
WLP is required to have a 3.5 acre onsite preserve on Pod F, site of the showgrounds. On Tuesday, the South Florida Water Management District gave permission for WLP to move forward with restoration and enhancement work. When it is finished, “it will once again serve this habitat purpose,” said Fumero.
The situation became complicated because of a court ruling, which as of Feb. 15 reverted the state of Florida’s permission to issue dredge and fill permits under the federal Clean Water Act back to the Environmental Protection Agency, under the auspices of the Army Corps of Engineers. WLP was close to getting a permit from Florida on three acres of wetlands on the north and eastern edges of Peacock Pond.
“So now, we will start from scratch. It’s (the court decision) turned Florida’s development industry on its ear,” commented Fumero. Then he added, “The preserve on the eastern part of Pod F will be a preserve in perpetuity. Nothing, no court case, no change in regulations, will change that.”
