by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 10, 2024
The beginning of the winter dressage circuit every year is a time for change, but this season it seems an unusual number of high-level horses are switching owners.
The most recent on that list is Serenade MF (Sir Donnerhall/Duet MF X Don Principe). The mare, known fondly as “Shrimp” for her relatively diminutive size, was bought by Jessica Howington. The 11-year-old Hanoverian was ridden in the 2023 FEI World Cup Finals by Alice Tarjan, who raised her from a foal.
The timing was right, as Jessica just retired her Grand Prix horse, Cavalia, this month. She has ridden Shrimp only 10 times, but sees similarities between her and Cavalia, particularly the fact that both are by Sir Donnerhall.
“I’m really excited for them. I think it’s a great match,” Alice said about Shrimp going to Jessica.
“It will be fun to cheer them on.”
Alice Tarjan and Serenade MF. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Alice has plenty of other horses to keep her busy, including Jane, who had nine victories in a row in a variety of Intermediate competitions between October 2022 and October 2023. She will be looking to give Jane more ring time this season.
So what are Jessica’s plans with her new horse, bred in North Carolina by Maryanna Haymon?
“I have no idea,” admitted Jessica, who is based in Ocala but is spending the winter at Rowan O’Riley’s farm in White Fences, near Wellington, which means she is right down the road from Alice’s winter quarters. She is training with Charlotte Bredahl, who is serving as the U.S. developing rider coach until April 1.
Serenade MF enjoying a victory during Dressage at Devon with Alice Tarjan. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
“In a perfect world, of course, I’d like to say I’m going to do the grands prix and go for Paris,” noted Jessica, referring to this summer’s Olympics.
“But this is a brand new relationship and I don’t want to put too much pressure on her or myself,” she explained in discussing her future with Shrimp.
“I want to just be able to take my time with her and build a relationship on that, so when we do go out for the first time, it’s a really good, positive experience and build from there. I need a few more rides under my belt with her before I make any major decisions.”
“Ideally,” Jessica continued, “I would like to get her in the CDI arena this season, if the relationship is good.
Andrea Woodard, with whom Jessica has trained, had learned Shrimp was for sale and shared the news.
“That’s how I heard about her, so of course, I went to try her,” said Jessica,
It was love at first ride.
“I got on and the second I picked up the trot I was like, `Yup, this feels exactly how I want it to feel.’ It did give me a lot of the same feeling as when I sat on Cavalia.”
Jessica Howington and Shrimp. (Photo courtesy Jessica Howington)
That mare has two foals by embryo transplant, and Jessica would like a few more, but she won’t risk having 17-year-old Cavalia carry a foal herself.
Jessica is a professional horsewoman with several other mounts. One is Lordswood Bernstein (known as Bagel), a six-year-old KWPN breeding stallion she’s had since he was a three-year-old. Like Alice, she buys horses young and trains them herself. She is hoping Bagel will compete at Third Level in Wellington.
She also owns MW Marcario (nicknamed Miso), a seven-year-old Oldenburg who is competing at Prix St. Georges.
But there is more in Jessica’s life than horses. The 44-year-old Emory University graduate, a native of Georgia, is a nurse practitioner who is active in her profession. While in Wellington, she is able to use telehealth to serve patients, and is dealing with those on hospice and palliative care.
She balances it all gracefully, and with appreciation.
“I am very grateful to have this opportunity with Shrimp. I feel very fortunate, and a huge part of that I owe to my parents, Melanie and King Howington, for helping me follow my dreams with her.”
To read about other recent changes in dressage horse ownership, click on this link, and look at the second feature on this website. Also check out the article on Heidi Humphries in the On the Rail section of this site.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 8, 2024
Christmas was great for dressage rider/trainer/new mother Adrienne Lyle, but it’s the new year that brings the promise of even more excitement for the Olympic and world championships team silver medalist.
When Zen Elite Equestrian Center owner Heidi Humphries talked to Adrienne after the Tokyo Olympics, “I knew she wanted to support the U.S.,” Adrienne remembered, “and then a short while later, she approached me about helping her find a horse to buy that I would train for her.” (to find out more about Heidi, click here or look at the second feature on this page.)
After Heidi told Adrienne she was in the market for a new grand prix horse, the rider started shopping. With the Paris Olympics on the horizon for this summer, that sort of quest easily could have been fruitless.
“I’d been looking for quite a while, and had been over to Europe a few times,” Adrienne recalled.
Then, “In a funny way, we happened to find two in one trip.”
Helping her assess the prospects was Debbie McDonald, who had been her mentor since Adrienne’s working student days. Debbie, an Olympic medalist who is the former technical advisor and chef d’equipe for U.S. dressage, noted that to be eligible to represent a country in the Paris Games, a horse would have to be owned by a citizen of that nation by a Jan. 15 deadline.
So in mid-December, the clock was ticking. One horse was lined up for Adrienne to try; then, as she and Debbie were on their way to Europe, another came up for sale.
“It was a situation that happened to be, timing-wise, good,” said Debbie.
The first prospect, Lars van de Hoenderheide (Negro X Layout), a 13-year-old Belgian warmblood, turned out to be in Debbie’s view, “just a lovely solid citizen. He really is a good horse.”
In his last start, at Kronenberg in the Netherlands in December, he won the freestyle with 78.475 percent, although his best freestyle finish was seven months earlier in Compiegne, France, where he won with an 81.210. He was based at Van Olst Horses in the Netherlands and shown by world champion Lottie Fry of Great Britain, who is petite, while Adrienne is tall. But Debbie thought, “A little bit of change in rider size” could be handled fine by Lars.
Lottie Fry and Lars van de Hoenderheide
The second horse, Helix (Apache X Broere Jazz), was a year younger and had less ring experience than Lars, but has “a ton of potential,” in Debbie’s view. Marina Mattsson of Sweden showed the horse internationally in 2023, where he had good finishes but no victories. Two months ago, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, the Danish star who was fourth in the Tokyo Olympics, took over the ride.
“We went there with the idea of buying one horse,” said Debbie, but Heidi thought it was a good idea to have a veterinary check for both.
Although they each passed the vet, “It was never the idea to go and buy two horses,” Debbie emphasized.
Then on Christmas Day, Adrienne got a text from Heidi.
“She asked if, in a perfect world, what did I think about getting both? I said, `Oh my gosh; absolutely,” recalled Adrienne.
“Paris definitely is something I’d really love to do,” she said, but added, “I’m accepting with horses, sometimes things work out and sometimes they don’t. Now we definitely have a focus.”
She noted that since she has always developed her own Grand Prix horses, getting two who were so far along “already was a big leap for me.”
Adrienne enjoyed touching base about the horses with Lottie and Cathrine, who were helpful.
After her daughter, Bailey, was born last autumn, Adrienne, 39, started gearing up her fitness. She hadn’t ridden for the last four months of her pregnancy, the longest she’d been out of the saddle in her career, so she went into high gear.
“I knew if I wanted to be ready for show season, I had to hit the ground running. As soon as the baby was born, I was doing fitness training twice a day. I feel I’ve gotten back to where I was before, or pretty darn close,” she revealed.
With both horses scheduled to arrive this week at Adrienne’s winter base in Florida, it’s going to be an especially busy time. There are plenty of 3- and 4-star rated shows in Wellington this winter, and Adrienne will participate in them as she learns how best to showcase the horses’ talents.
But time is short before Paris, and she has a lot to do.
Adrienne Lyle and Lars van de Hoenderheide, who has just arrived in Wellington. (Photo © 2023 by Christian Simonson)
“I think they’re both lovely horses, both have charming personalities and have had really lovely homes with good care,” said Debbie.
“Adrienne being the rider that she is, I think she’s going to be able to do quite a decent job pretty quickly.”
While the circumstances aren’t ideal, the challenge is doable.
“Trying to get something for Paris this late is pretty slim pickings. I think the right horses just came up at the right time. It was just a very fortunate situation for Adrienne and Heidi,” said Debbie.
Adrienne, who is married to veterinarian David Da Silva, is balancing motherhood and her profession.
Her daughter is “a good little barn baby” who likes to stroke horses’ noses and sit on her mother’s lap when she teaches lessons. And there are a lot of those.
Adrienne’s students include Pan American Games team gold medalist Christian Simonson, for whom Heidi bought Fleu de Baian, a 3-star winner at Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special, who had been trained by the Netherlands’ Adelinde Cornelissen.
Quinn Iverson, who started as a working student for Adrienne and is “quite a little handy horsewoman” is riding Heidi’s King’s Pleasure, as well as Gremlin, a horse owned by her longtime supporter, Billie Davidson. Adrienne also works with her 2022 world championships teammate, Katie Duerrhammer and Kylee Lourie’s Paxton.
In addition, she has a five-year-old and a seven-year-old she is training for Heidi, as well as five-year-old Furst Dream, for Betsy Juliano. Betsy is also the owner of Salvino, Adrienne’s Olympic and world championships mount, who is being ridden, but whose plans for the season have yet to be decided.
Adrienne Lyle and her Olympic and world championships mount, Salvino. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Luckily, Adrienne can handle being busy.
“I’m very, very thankful and now it’s time to put our heads down and go to work and see what we can do,” said Adrienne.
“I’m one who always likes to stay quiet and let the results do the talking, so that’s going to be my plan.”
At the same time, she added, “Regardless of any goals we have, the horses will dictate their training and competition schedule. Keeping them happy and stress-free during this transition to their new home is the most important thing.”
The horses should “never feel any additional stress in their lives just because we have goals we want to accomplish. So we will make sure their health and happiness are our number one priority and we will work around what is best for them.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 8, 2024
Heidi Humphries has made a major splash in the world of dressage by buying several high-profile horses recently, including two top international mounts for Olympic and world championships team silver medalist Adrienne Lyle.
But this is a fairly new development, so understandably, there are those who are unfamiliar with her name. To answer part of the question, Heidi is a registered nurse and successful businesswoman. She serves as the CEO of Spectra Baby USA. It’s a company focused on supporting breastfeeding mothers with products designed for efficient technology, creating comfortable pumps and accessories.
On the equestrian side of the equation, horses have been a part of Heidi’s life since she went to a “horse” birthday party at age seven.
She “absolutely fell in love” with horses, and her parents, Sam and Linda Perlman, obliged that passion four years later by buying her an Appaloosa named Roxie.
That mare “was truly my rock during my childhood,” recalled Heidi.
“There is just something about horses. The way they know when you had a tough day and give an extra nicker to greet you, the way they sound when they are happy munching their hay, and the intoxicating way they smell when they nuzzle against you.”
She rode and showed hunt seat a bit, but was always fascinated by dressage. Heidi dreamed of having an Olympic dressage horse, and that may well come true later this year.
She took time off from riding after her children, Bryan and Nicole, were born, but she knew horses would come back to her life someday.
Heidi Humphries and her son, Bryan, with Quinn Iverson and King’s Pleasure.
That happened six years ago. She now owns Zen Elite Equestrian Center near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., south of Wellington.
“I owe so much of who I am and the amazing people who have come into my life, to the beautiful four-legged souls that I have had the honor of spending time with,” she noted, and is thankful for the support of her family and her partner, Danielle Linder, in the process.
Heidi enjoys watching Olympic dressage and admired Adrienne’s partnership with Salvino during the Tokyo Olympics. The two were introduced by a mutual friend soon after the Games.
“There is something about the way she is with horses,” Heidi mused in response to being asked why she decided to buy horses for Adrienne.
Adrienne Lyle on Top Gun with Heidi Humphries, Debbie McDonald and Christine Traurig, who sill be U.S. dressage chef d’equipe at the Paris Olympics.
“She is really a nice person, so helpful in every way, as I learned more about the dressage world,” Heidi explained.
“But it is the way she comes absolutely alive on a horse that captured me. She truly becomes one with the horse and you can see that the horses respond to her in such a beautiful way. There is an honest love for horses that goes way beyond a piaffe or passage, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it.”
And now she is part of it, in a big way. Heidi just purchased two Grand Prix horses rather than one for Adrienne because, “I want to see our U.S.. team do well, and two incredible talents are even better than one.” That’s especially true with the Olympics on the horizon this summer.
She’s not counting on owning an Olympic horse in 2024, however.
“There are no guarantees in life,” Heidi pointed out.
“I am fully aware of that. But I think we have an amazing team of riders and horses at Zen and I am excited to see what they can do, this season, and beyond.“
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 7, 2024
Sagacious HF, a genuine warrior of a dressage horse who won medals for the U.S., died this weekend. He was less than three months short of his 25th birthday.
The Dutch warmblood (Welt Hit II/Judith X Cocktail) competed until the age of 23. He began at First Level in 2004, and took his final step into the arena in 2022.
Although several riders did well with him, he enjoyed his greatest success with Lauren Sammis, who earned individual silver with the gelding at the 2007 Pan American Games, where the combination contributed to team gold.
Sammis, who thanked owner Al Guden and his late wife, Judith, for the opportunity to compete Sagacious, trained him from First Level to the Games in Rio de Janeiro at Small Tour and then to Grand Prix. He won six Grands Prix and Freestyles in a row in 2009.
Sagacious and Lauren Sammis at the 2009 national champoinships. (Photo © 2009 by Nancy Jaffer)
While his Pan Am results with Sammis were the most memorable of his career, Sagacious also went on to perform with a variety of women in the saddle. They included Caroline Roffman in 2013, when she rode him in the U-25 at Aachen; from 2014-2018 Chase Hickok, top U.S. U-25 rider in 2015 who also competed in 5-stars abroad. In 2018, Allessandra Ferrucci took up the ride, followed by Jordan Lockwood.
Judge Natalie Lamping said of Sagacious on Lauren Sammis’ social media page, “He was a heart horse for so many riders. He taught so many after your training, Lauren.”
When asked what made the horse special, Lauren believes, “The thing about Sagacious is he was so smart. When you didn’t use his intelligence, he found ways to use his intelligence to entertain himself. That horse was exceptional and he was ready to learn.”
She added, “He changed dressage. Through my career, I’ve had international judges come up to me and say at that time we were the best pair in the world. In my youth, I had no idea the journey that we were on. I’m grateful to him. I was just riding.”
She pointed out, “The way he moved in his prime was memorable. He had such carriage, such swing, such ease; it was a beautiful picture. Everything happened out of a balance and an ease, not pressure.”
The ground-breaking aspect, in Lauren’s view, was that “He had more scope than any of the horses at that time. He was the beginning of what the new face of dressage looked like. You could say that Totilas then became the face of dressage. Those horses changed the trajectory of the sport.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 30, 2023
The lull before the new year offers an opportunity to reflect on special memories of the people and horses we lost in 2023. Let’s recall their accomplishments and raise a toast to them as we head into 2024.
The first person who comes to my mind in that regard is Jimmy Wofford, the eventing Olympic medalist who eventually became more well-known for other achievements.
Jimmy Wofford loved his Labrador retrievers and the opportunity to go fishing. (Photo by Jim Wolf)
He took on an important role in governing horse sport (he was the president of the old American Horse Shows Association), coached a contingent of successful riders, was a brilliant speaker and went on to offer incisive views on things equestrian through his published work. An outdoorsman who became a celebrated author, he was intellectual without being pedantic, and had a wicked sense of humor.
Jimmy died in February after a long illness, something he fought with his trademark determination and bravery.
More medalists left us early in the year. They included Jimmy’s friend and 1972 Munich Olympics eventing silver medal teammate, Kevin Freeman; dressage rider Carol Lavell, most identified with the giant blaze-faced Gifted, the mount she rode to the team bronze at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, and Champ Hough, eventing team bronze medalist in the 1952 Helsinki Games, the first Olympics in which civilian equestrians represented the U.S.
From the hunter/jumper world, the losses included Marco Fuste, the FEI’s charismatic jumping director; enthusiastic jumper owner Mike Polaski; hunter trainer/rider Larry Glefke and Karen Golding, who was in a category of her own as an international jumper groom and eagle-eyed steward. Others we will miss include George Spellman, who did everything and was a friend and supporter of everyone at the Devon showgrounds in Pennsylvania, where the late trainer Susan Sisco so often excelled in side-saddle competition.
Karen Golding with Olympic gold medalist Joe Fargis on their induction into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. ((Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Also among those to whom we said goodbye were jumper owner Diana Firestone, mother of rider Allison Firestone; Ralph “Larry” Roberts, founder of the World Equestrian Centers; USEF judge Phil DeVita Sr. a pioneer of the sport and winner of the USHJA’s Lifetime Achievement Award; the outspoken Tiffany Teeter, an artist and knowledgeable horsewoman who was a supporter of the Amwell Valley Hounds.
This group also includes hunter legend Peggy Augustus, perhaps best known for her great champion Waiting Home; the 2005 Virginia Horseperson of the year, Meredith McLaughlin, who was involved in governance and had “a keen eye” for a nice equine prospect and Ellie Wood Keith Baxter, winner of the 1936 ASPCA Maclay Finals, who continued riding at age 100 and lived until she was 101. Kavar Kerr, “who lived a life of doing for others” came up with the idea of the American Hunter Jumper Foundation and was a noted horse owner as well as a rider, in addition to being a pillar of the Blowing Rock (N.C.) Horse Show.
Ellie Wood Baxter.
In dressage, those who departed included Elizabeth Madlener, a special trainer, judge and rider, who helped contribute to the popularity of the freestyle; Peggy Thomas, the owner of Debbie McDonald’s Olympic star, Brentina and Ellen DiBella, who focused on western dressage and Morgans. For information about dressage breeder Barbara Hay, see the current obituary in On the Rail section of this website.
Peggy Thomas, center, at the retirement of Brentina with Debbie and Bob McDonald; her daughter, Jane, and husbnd Parry Thomas. (Photo © 2009 by Nancy Jaffer)
In New Jersey, Buddy King, a friend to all and an all-around horseman and Ann David, owner of Hoopstick Farm (the first home of the Essex Horse Trials), have said farewell.
Others who are deserving of special mention include U.S Equestrian Team veterinarian Dr. Stephen Soule; Jeff Petska, chef d’equipe of the medal-winning U.S. reining team; Lars Sederholm, who played a key role in training U.S. eventing individual gold medalist David O’Connor; and JoAnne Postel, who founded the Foxfield program (known for its bareback and bridleless drill team) with her sister, Nancy.
Among those who sadly died in riding accidents, doing what they loved, were veterinarian Dr. Meg (Muggy) Mullin, jumper rider Hannah Serfass #rideforhannah, amateur show jumper Wayne Barr Jr. and eventer Jessie Aikman.
Wayne Barr Jr.
The horses we lost included Shutterfly, 30, ridden to three FEI World Cup show jumping finals titles by Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum; Primmore’s Pride, 30, who clinched first Rolex Grand Slam eventing title for Pippa Funnell; the Best Horse title winner at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Cortes C, 21, Beezie Madden’s Olympic and world championships show jumping medal ride, famous for jumping with his front legs crossed.
Beezie Madden and Cortes C at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in France, where won the title of Best Horse. (Photo © 2014 by Nancy Jaffer)
Others are eventing star Mr. Medicott, competed by five people, including Phillip Dutton and Karen O’Connor and Solaguayre California, the mount of eventer Tamie Smith, who had to be euthanized after fracturing a knee in an accident at the Luhmühlen, Germany 5-star event.
It’s a long list, the roster of those to whom we said adieu this year. If it’s missing someone who meant a lot to you, apologies; please take the time to remember them in your own way.
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 29, 2023
It’s time to recount the big stories from this website that made an impact in the year just past, in addition to some that weren’t earth-shaking, but are worth remembering nevertheless. If you want more details on any of these items, click the search box on this website’s masthead, or on the “previous columns” icon.
In New Jersey, the biggest story was the revival of the Essex Equestrian Center in West Orange. We ended 2022 with news that it was closing. But 10 months later, trainer Brianne Goutal-Marteau revealed she and her husband, Romain, had bought the venerable facility and would be refurbishing it.
The old Essex Equestrian Center.
The story got a huge reaction, with some people who hadn’t been there in decades rejoicing that an icon of their past wasn’t vanishing after all, while others were simply happy that the site would not be the scene of more housing in the suburban town.
There was no reprieve, however, for the iconic Tempel Lippizans. After 65 years, this wonderful stable and enterprise in Illinois announced it would shut down, as the family that owned it was going in a different direction.
Further afield, word that Aachen in 2026 would be hosting what in effect is a rebirth of the World Equestrian Games was welcome news; no one presents shows better than Aachen does.
We held our breath until the U.S. show jumpers finally qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, doing it in a last-ditch attempt at the Pan American Games in Chile. That was way too close for comfort.
It was announced that the new League of Nations (As I’ve often asked, why name something after an organization that couldn’t stop World War II?) will be making a stop at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, another boost for that amazing new facility.
Tamie Smith became the first American to win the Land Rover Kentucky 5-star event since 2008, taking the title with the intrepid Mai Baum.
Tamie Smith and Mai Baum scored a victory for the U.S. at Land Rover Kentucky. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
The European championships highlighted the nations to watch at the Paris Olympics. The British were awesome in eventing, with team gold and individual gold and silver to their credit, and they also won team gold in dressage, as well as individual silver and bronze.
No one, though, has bested Germany’s Olympic and World Cup champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB, who took the European freestyle title after finishing first in the Grand Prix and Special.
Sweden finished its triple crown of Olympic and world championships show jumping gold with a team victory in the Europeans, while Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat captured the individual title.
The FEI World Cup finals made its second appearance in Omaha, with vaulting included, along with show jumping and dressage. It was six years since the last U.S. Cup finals (also in Omaha) but it will only be three years until the next, in Fort Worth in 2026.
Lisa Roskens, the woman behind the Longines FEI World Cup finals in Omaha with winner Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden, runner-up Harrie Smolders of the Netherlands and Hunter Holloway of the U.S. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
The Washington D.C. International Horse Show said goodbye to the puissance, noting it was hard to get entries, but jumping a big wall was still popular on the other side of the Atlantic, most notably at the Dublin, Royal Windsor and London horse shows.
An ongoing saga is the battle over constructing housing on a parcel of Wellington, Florida’s Equestrian Preserve. More than 40 hours of hearings were held on the matter, which is connected to plans for an expanded Wellington International showgrounds on another parcel. This story is continuing into 2024, with thousands of people protesting losing any part of the preserve, as the Village council gets ready to vote on the matter.
Equestrians in trouble included Andreas Helgstrand, whose dressage training center was the subject of a Danish TV undercover documentary on methods that involved rollkur, as well as use of whips and spurs that left marks. Andreas said the facility was cleaning up its act, but he was barred from the Danish equestrian team until at least Jan. 1, 2025, though it could be longer.
Show jumping World Cup champion and 2012 Olympian Rich Fellers was sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for sexual abuse of an underage student.
Meanwhile, dressage trainer Michael Barisone was released in November from a psychiatric hospital, more than 18 months after a jury found him not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity in the shooting of a tenant at his New Jersey farm. He hopes to return to competing, but first has to deal with a SafeSport suspension.
Michael Barisone with partner Lara Osborne after his release. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
There was much more that happened in 2023, of course, and you undoubtedly have your own special equestrian memories of the year.
But for many people, one of the most special stories–a tearjerker that was amazing–involved Cody Dorman and Cody’s Wish. We’re talking horse racing here, not this website’s usual fare of non-racing equestrian sport, but it’s worth some reflection.
Cody, a Kentucky resident, had a rare genetic disorder that caused seizures and left him unable to walk or speak; he communicated by using a tablet. In October 2018 Cody went to Godolphin’s Gainsborough Farm to meet a foal, a session arranged by the Keeneland racetrack and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The weanling to whom he got introduced was a son of Curlin who wasn’t afraid of Cody’s wheelchair and laid his head in the boy’s lap. It was an instant connection.
The colt was named Cody’s Wish, and Cody Dorman lived for the young horse. Following the thoroughbred as he grew became Cody’s mission, and he often was at the track when the colt ran. The horse always was drawn to Cody; the two had an unbreakable bond.
Cody Dorman and Cody’s Wish.
At the Breeder’s Cup, where Cody’s Wish scored a narrow victory in the Dirt Mile and survived an inquiry in his last race, Cody Dorman was on hand to bring him luck. His mission accomplished, 17-year-old Cody died on the way home to Kentucky. The timing was such that many spoke of divine intervention. It certainly makes you think…
Cody Dorman is one of the many people in horse sport that we lost this year. We’ll be running a story about some of them on Sunday, so you can toast their memory while ringing in the new year.
