by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 5, 2023
Show jumper Devin Ryan is, in a sense, back where his rise to the top of his sport began. The venue is different but the event is the same, the Longines FEI World Cup Finals.
In 2018, longshots Devin and the brilliant Eddie Blue were a surprise second place at the Cup finals in Paris. They went from there to a spot on the gold medal team at the FEI World Equestrian Games.
From the highest level on the podium, they were on track for their attempt to make the 2020 Olympics, until a bone bruise on Eddie’s hind leg derailed the effort.
Now Eddie is back in form, and the venue is Omaha for the 2023 Cup finals.
“I’ve been taking it a little easy with him,” Devin said after a training round in the massive arena at the CHI Health Center.
He had a good season in 2022, but the plan going forward involves “saving him and having short- and long-term goals and see what happens. I thought about this in the beginning of the year, the World Cup Finals. He’s really more of a championship type horse, we get outrun often in jump-offs, but he likes to jump clear rounds,” Devin pointed out.
“I thought we’d come here and see what we could get done.”
What has been different over the last few years?
“He’s a little older, things change with horses,” the Long Valley, N.J., rider said of the 14-year-old Dutch warmblood.
“Their programs change and you have to figure them out, so it keeps the sport interesting.”
“My goal with him is just to coast a little bit and do this. It’s a good venue for him. He’s always been really good indoors. The important thing is Paris (the 2024 Olympics). I think it’s in anybody’s sights who has a horse they feel can do it. The horse has to be strong and healthy. We have to also as a country not over-use our horses.”
“I’m so lucky to have Eddie in my life. These animals bless us in a way. Once you have one and you do it with them, you understand what a difference it is when you have a horse who is good at his job and likes doing it, goes out there and performs.”
The U.S. is still trying to qualify as a country for Paris, which puts importance on the Nations Cup finals in Barcelona and the Pan American Games this autumn.
Devin Ryan and Eddie Blue. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Would Devin be interested in those competitions?
“Wherever they need me, I’d sort of put myself out there,” he said
But first things first; we’re in Omaha.
“It’s one of the strongest fields in a World Cup final. There are some good ones who have been doing really well,” observed Devin.
That includes world champion Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden with King Edward and Cup defending champion Martin Fuchs of Switzerland on Leone Jei. And then there’s the USA’s McLain Ward, riding the Holsteiner mare,Callas, as he seeks to repeat his 2017 Cup victory when Omaha put on the finals for the first time.
McLain Ward and Callas. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
So it means even if Devin doesn’t make the podium, finishing well up in the standings would be impressive.
U.S. show jumping coach Robert Ridland made the same point as Devin in assessing the field for the Cup.
The group of exhibitors, he noted, “is as strong a list as it ever had been. Just go down the list from Europe. I was excited to see how strong the contingent is from the rest of the world.”
They do things differently from the U.S. in terms of getting to the finals.
“I don’t think our qualifying system works as well as it does in Europe. Our system stars too early, ends too late. Theirs is much more compact with their indoor circuit.
“Ours, of course, historically combines indoors and outdoors, which is a little bit of an issue. But there’s not much we can do about it because that’s where our top competitions are. I believe we definitely need a revamping of our qualifying system, so that it makes more sense for our top horse-rider combinations. I think if we did that, it would be better for us and better for the future World Cups.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 4, 2023
After Alice Tarjan won the FEI World Cup qualifier at Dressage at Devon last autumn, she wasn’t planning on being at the Cup finals this week in Omaha.
“I was joking to Lauren (Chumley), `Wouldn’t it be funny if we qualified for the World Cup?'” Alice asked her friend.
This morning, she said with a little smile, “The joke’s on me because we came, we actually qualified.”
The Oldwick, N.J., resident rode Serendipity MF today in the warmup at the Chi Health Center Arena, where the atmosphere is always a factor, even with few people on hand for ring familiarization.
Alice Tarjan and Serenade MF. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Although the two made a businesslike picture, Alice observed, “The horse is a little tight; it’s obviously the most environment she’s ever seen.”
But as she noted, “Once you get on the horse, you just kind of have a job to do. We’ll try to learn a lot.”
And there are plenty of people to learn from. They include Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl of Germany with TSF Dalera BB; the most decorated dressage rider in history, Isabell Werth, another German with Quantaz DSP (Isabell won at the 2017 final in Omaha with another horse) and the Netherlands’ highly touted Dinja van Liere with Hermes NOP.
“Who would have thought this little foal I picked up would bring us so far?” mused Alice, who usually buys horses very young and brings them up through the ranks.
“It’s cool the places horses bring us,” she observed.
“All that really matters is what you put down in the ring. The scores kind of dictate where you go. My goal is to train the horses. I love the journey and the training. Then you follow the scores and where they send you.”
Her trainer, Marcus Orlob, is coaching at the World Cup for the first time.
“I’m really excited for Alice to be here, and myself,” he said.
Marcus observed that while the facilities are great and horse-friendly, “the arena’s a little bit intimidating, all the lights, the people.” While Shrimp, as Serenade is known for her small size was “a little bit nervous inside, as Marcus put it, she overcame it to do her job.
“She’s a good girl,” he said.
Alice is one of three U.S. riders competing, the only one who has never done a World Cup finals before.
Steffen Peters is a six-time veteran, having won in 2009 with Ravel. He and Suppenkasper, better known as Mopsie, looked on their game today as they practiced various moves at the same time as Isabell was in the ring.
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Far from being jaded by so many World Cup outings, Steffen is energized. He didn’t go to Florida this winter, electing instead to stay home in California and support the circuit there. So he’s ready to face some different competition and relishes the opportunity.
“Any time you get a chance to ride among the top 16 in the world, it’s still considered a huge honor. Doing this for 50 years now, it’s just as exciting as the first time,” he stated.
Even so, when I asked if he ever thinks about retirement, he replied in the affirmative.
“You know, it has crossed my mind to do that after Paris (the 2024 Olympics). Mopsie will be 16, I’ll be 60. It could be a good time. It’s always a good time and place to make that decision afterwards; not before.”
In the meantime, Steffen is pleased with his mount.
“He’s been so much more mature lately with electric venues,” Steffen mentioned.
“As long as the crowd stays relatively calm when we enter, I think he might stay calm as well.”
I asked whether he thought a podium finish could be in the cards.
“Any time I make predictions, it usually backfires,” he responded.
“All I can tell you is to know I prepared my best, I prepared Mopsie the best, with the most respect and kindness, and since I’ve done that, I absolutely have to be and will be okay with the outcome, no matter what.”
Anna Buffini rode in the Leipzig, Germany, World Cup finals last year and is busy gathering more experience with FRH Davinia La Douce. She contrasted her feeling in Omaha with how she felt last year at this time.
Anna Buffini was quick to acknowledge applause as she left the arena on FRH Davinia la Douce. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Knowing what to expect is huge. You’re not just looking around, kind of starstruck by the venue, by the people watching, all the stuff I didn’t know last year.
“It’s so helpful to have gone to one already and to have one in America. I didn’t realize how much of a difference that would make. The food, I’m familiar with the language, the people, the surroundings. I can Uber and get everything I need. It’s totally different. Hopefully, we can go in and put two solid tests down.”
The first horse show she remembers attending was the 2009 World Cup Finals in Las Vegas.
“Ever since then, I’ve dreamed of being here, and it finally came true, which was amazing.”
Anna, a Californian trained by longtime U.S. team member Guenter Seidel, is believed to be the first black rider to compete in the World Cup finals.
“I’m really proud to represent,” she emphasized.
“It shows the melting pot that we are, and I love that.”
Debbie McDonald, a World Cup finals winner who is the U.S. dressage technical advisor, still remembers her first Cup final.
“I know the feeling, like a deer in the headlights,” she recalled.
Debbie McDonald and her former teammate, Guenter Seidel. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Alice probably feels a little bit like, `Oh my gosh, I’m actually here,” Debbie commented, and noted that although Anna has one Cup under her belt, “she’s still a youngster.” So with the two of them, the goal is to gain mileage.
“Any time you can ride in an environment like this, it’s special, so you have to think of it that way. It’s a special group of horses and riders.
At the other end of the experience scale, “You’ve got Steffen, who’s been there and done that. It’s still always great to see him in the ring.”
But she’s not guessing who’s going to be on the podium.
“There are so many players in the game today; it’s just going to be who’s good that day. You can’t really predict.” But as far as the U.S. group goes, she said, “I’m hoping for really good rides.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 2, 2023
The Adequan Global Dressage Festival, the nation’s premier circuit in the discipline, came to an end last week after a run that began in early January. Going forward, there’s always curiosity about what’s next for exciting up-and-coming riders who earned special notice during the shows in Wellington, Fla.
One who attracted attention is Christian Simonson, the 20-year-old busy making a name for himself not only in the Under 25 category, but in open classes as well. He’s got the ability, he’s got the horses and most important, he’s got the work ethic. His dedication is paying off in many ways. In January, the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation presented him with its Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy, given to a junior or young rider in an Olympic discipline who exemplifies the Team’s ideals of sportsmanship and horsemanship.
Christian Simonson and Zeaball Diawin. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Being in Wellington, he believes, has been important for his career.
“You feel a little bit in a bubble. Every time you go out to dinner, you see someone you know professionally. It’s kind of a privilege to be here, to be in an environment that coaxes you to perform better,” he pointed out, saying he likes “to be around good people who push you.”
Under the guidance of Olympic medalist Adrienne Lyle, Christian won the Intermediate 1 Freestyle at the end of February on the 12-year-old Danish warmblood Son of a Lady (Soreldo X Welt Hit II), with an impressive 78.445 percent. He led the U.S. team to silver behind Germany in the Nations Cup, where a combination of Big Tour and Small Tour riders were featured on the squads.
His other star, 11-year-old Danish warmblood Zeaball Diawind (Furstenball OLD X Zardin Firfod), topped the Prix St. Georges at the beginning of March with 72.500 percent. He finished the festival with starts in another PSG and two Intermediate I classes, earning scores ranging from 69.902 percent to 71.912. When he was 16, Christian began riding Zeaball, who was seven, and their partnership developed from there.
Christian said his horses are similar in several important aspects, noting “they have so much quality, elasticity and most of all, an incredible willingness to work.”
Christian Simonson warming up Zeaball Diawin. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
At the same time, they display their differences.
“Zeaball has a much more chilled-out demeanor,” Christian observed, while Son of a Lady has a “24/7 Energizer bunny demeanor about him.”
No matter which horse he’s riding, he has one principle in mind.
“Adrienne promotes harmonious riding. You do it because you’re trying to bring out the best in your horse and your horse is trying to bring out the best in you. That’s how it should be. It shouldn’t be this one-way street of `You have to do this.’ ”
Instead, the better approach is telling the horse, “This is what I’d like to do; let’s do this together,” while making sure “they’re as comfortable as possible.”
Describing Christian as “endlessly tactful and patient with the horses,” Adrienne called him “an information sponge,” always trying to soak up knowledge.
“I cannot say enough good things about him. He’s an incredible rider. It’s just a joy to get to work with him. His dedication to the sport is really admirable.”
Christian gets a pre-ride pep talk from Adrienne Lyle. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Christian began training with Gail Hoff-Carmona and then Jan Ebeling until he started riding with Adrienne four years ago. He calls her “the ultimate horsewoman. She has such an amazing ability to have a holistic environment that promotes horse performance from the hooves up. She puts so much time and effort into each one of her students.”
The rider, who is 50th in the world in the 1-star rankings, describes her training style as “intelligent,” noting “she’s such an in-tune horsewoman. It’s what really puts her above the rest.”
Each time his horses do well, he said, he gives credit to support from the team Adrienne has assembled, singling out groom Monica Stanke for her contributions to his endeavors.
Christian has always loved animals and used to volunteer at an animal shelter. That was where he met Cesar Milan of the “Dog Whisperer” TV show, who invited Christian to spend a weekend at his ranch to train with his dog.
Christian learned that “all animals have a big willingness to try to please. You have to learn to nurture that as much as you can in any animal, whether it’s a horse or a dog or anything, and you have to be really patient, trying to explain things in the kindest way possible.”
Although Christian is a professional horseman, he is multi-dimensional, having gotten a student pilot’s license and participating in other sports, including skiing and scuba diving. He is involved with Monaco Sport Horses with his mother, Christina Morgan; his father, Cliff Simonson, and Misha Knoll, who sources the horses.
Busy as he is, Christian manages to balance everything with his on-line studies as a business major at the University of Texas at Austin. This summer, he will go on a European tour; the highlight of his trip last year was a third place in the Young Riders Freestyle at Aachen on Son of a Lady, marked at 74.930 percent.
After the summer, Adrienne said, Christian is looking at the Oct. 20-Nov. 5 Pan American Games in Chile, if there is a mixed Big Tour/Small Tour team, as there usually is in the Pan Ams. But she won’t be going with him.
Adrienne, who is married to veterinarian Dr. David DaSilva, is 3 and 1/2 months pregnant and scheduled to give birth Oct. 3. As she noted, though, if Christian goes to the Pan Ams, he would be in good hands with her mentor, Debbie McDonald, the U.S. dressage team’s technical advisor, and U.S. Equestrian Federation Director of Sport Hallye Griffin, formerly the managing director of dressage.
Debbie called Christian and his horses in the ring “a beautiful picture.” But beyond that, she emphasized, “The thing about Christian is he’s very hands-on in the care of his horses.”
Meanwhile, Christian also has the ride on Adrienne’s former mount, Harmony’s Duval, and hopes to get Grand Prix experience with him. The plan is to ride him this summer in the Festival of Champions at Lamplight in Illinois.
“He’s learning a ton on him, which is the main point of him leasing him,” said Adrienne of Duval.
The highest-ranked U.S. rider at number 10 in the international dressage standings, she had hoped to be in the FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha this week, but her Olympic and world championships mount, Salvino, popped a splint and couldn’t compete in the final qualifier. Although Vinny is back in light work, he won’t be going to Europe this summer. The big goal for him is the 2024 Paris Olympics, but like all veteran riders, Adrienne knows plans don’t always work out. The 2023 World Cup is exhibit A in that regard for her.
Adrienne will keep pointing Vinny to Paris “providing he’s doing well and feeling well. I’ve always said he will dictate what he does. He’s given us so much. If he’s healthy and happy and wants to go, we’ll go, and if he shows signs of not wanting to, then he’s earned that right.” She doesn’t have a back-up mount at this point.
“If I don’t go, I don’t go. There will be more Olympics,” said Adrienne, who rode in the 2012 London Games as well as in Tokyo.
She had been training Nexolia Feodoro, with whom she made his Intermediate II debut in March. It looked as if he might be her back-up horse for Paris. But the owner moved him to Olympic veteran Lars Petersen, who runs the Helgstrand stable in Wellington.
Adrienne called the move “very much okay. I prioritize the camaraderie and team spirit in my barn. If you’re going to be in our barn, you’ve got be a team player. That’s my priority over any one horse.”
She is working with two young horses who could be championship mounts further down the road. They are Heidi Humphries’ Zen Elite’s Top Gun, a seven-year-old son of Totilas, and Furst Dream, who won the four-year-old championships last year. The five-year-old Hanoverian belongs to Betsy Juliano, the owner of Salvino and a great supporter of Adrienne.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 22, 2023
Graeme Thom, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s director of FEI/High Performance Sport, has stepped down after six months in the post to attend to “personal obligations” with the countdown to the Paris Olympics less than 17 months away, and the Pan American Games set for this autumn.
But don’t worry. Filling the role he held will be Hallye Griffin, who has served as USEF’s managing director for dressage since 2015. She has a long history with the federation. Hallye was the competition department’s assistant for the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games, which were staged at the Kentucky Horse Park, home of the USEF. The following year, she became USEF’s director of national dressage programs.
Hallye, who now also will serve as chef de mission at the Olympic, Paralympic, and Pan American Games as well as the FEI World Championships, cited how fortunate she has been “to work with a great team at US Equestrian over the last 10-plus years, and I am grateful for the knowledge and experience that has been shared with me.
“We have busy months ahead readying for the many events on the calendar for the FEI disciplines. We have a strong staff at the US Equestrian office, and we will be working closely on not only the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games but also focusing on the home Olympics and Paralympics –- Los Angeles 2028 –- which are on the quickly approaching horizon.”
Hallye Griffin.
Hallye managed U.S. dressage team efforts at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and the 2021 Games in Tokyo. which yielded team bronze and team silver medals respectively. She also served as team leader through two world championships, several Nations Cups and national championships, providing leadership, oversight and support for medal-winning teams. Beyond dressage, she was team leader for para dressage and vaulting teams at the 2014 WEG.
Laura Roberts, who worked with Hallye for five years as dressage performance and event support director, has been promoted to managing director of dressage.
It is great to see USEF promoting from within for important jobs. There are a number of people in key positions at the federation who have not only talent, but also great familiarity with the organization as well as the various disciplines, and can easily move up.
Lizzy Chesson, the USEF’s respected managing director of show jumping, said of Hallye’s promotion, “I’m super supportive and excited for her. I think we’ll be a great team. We’ve worked together as team leaders since 2016. We have a great relationship and we both are very focused on performance and growing the sport.”
Dressage technical advisor Debbie McDonald noted that over the years, she and Hallye “have shared many memories together” and in terms of their day-to-day dressage working relationship, “I am really going to miss her.”
At the same time, Debbie noted, “But she is still a part of the team. Laura is great, so I am sure we will be fine.”
Olympic medalist Adrienne Lyle posted about Hallye: “While all of us dressage folks would selfishly love to keep you to ourselves forever, I can’t think of a better person in the world to step up to this role than you. You have been the reason behind countless achievements for USA dressage and I feel fortunate to have had the privilege to work with you.”
Graeme, who competed in eventing, served as chair of the Canadian High-Performance Committee and as a chef d’equipe for Canada and New Zealand at major championships over the last 15 years.
He was appointed when Will Connell, USEF’s director of sport for eight years, resigned in 2022 to pursue other opportunities. At the same time, David O’Connor, a former USEF president and eventing individual Olympic gold medalist, was named the federation’s chief of sport
In explaining the decision to leave his position, Graeme said, “Over recent months, I have encountered some evolving personal obligations that are limiting my ability to commit the necessary time in my role as director of FEI and high-performance sport. It is out of great respect to the United States Equestrian Federation, the sport department, and most importantly, to the athletes, that I am stepping aside.”
He will, however, remain in a consulting role to ensure a smooth transition and continue as a resource for the federation.
“I welcome and look forward to staying on over the next few months to assist in special projects with a particular focus on Major Games preparedness,” said Graeme, adding, “I am confident that Hallye will do an excellent job and represent the federation and its athletes admirably.”
Hallye will report to David, who noted, “I am very enthusiastic about Hallye coming on as the Federation’s Director of FEI Sport. Hallye’s experience with the Olympic successes that dressage has achieved in these past eight years is a testament to her leadership qualities.
“Coming up the ladder from within the USEF family places Hallye in a position that will allow for a seamless transition and keep USEF athletes focused on the path toward the 2023 Pan American Games in October and the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer. We are fortunate to have someone with these qualities step into this important role.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 15, 2023
After months of competition, the entries for next month’s FEI World Cup Dressage Finals in Omaha are finally set, and we will be there to bring you all the news in that discipline and the show jumping.
The roster is led by Cup defending champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl of Germany, the 2021 Olympic gold medalist who scored 91.732 percent in the freestyle to earn that honor in Tokyo on TSF Dalera. Who will be able to approach that kind of score to take the title away from her?
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera.
Her compatriot, Isabell Werth, won the Cup three times in a row after earning the honor in Omaha in 2017, and will be aboard DSP Quantaz. Another German, Ingrid Klimke, who is better known as an Olympic eventer, has qualified with Franziskus FRH.
Jessica’s brother, Benjamin Werndl (part of the German team at the 2022 world championships when his sister was pregnant and out of action) had a good qualifying score but can’t compete. Only three riders from one country are allowed to participate.
There is, however, no rule that everyone on the podium can’t be from the same country. Yet it is likely that a place will be taken by another western European.
Perhaps it will be Dinja Van Liere of the Netherlands with Hermes. She is ranked fourth in the world, and her stallion is the number two horse in the world.
The number one rider in the rankings, World Champion Lottie Fry of Great Britain, qualified for the finals but is not coming because her mount, the stallion Glamourdale, will be breeding at that time.
The others from the Western European League who made the cut include Dinja’s countrywomen, Thamar Zweistra on Hexagon’s Ich Weiss and Marieke Van der Putten with Torveslettens Titanium RS2.
The Danes will be represented by Nana Skodborg Merrald on Blue Hors Zepter,. Morgan Barbancon, who in the past has ridden for Spain, will be aboard Sir Donnerhall II OLD competing for France.
The three U.S. riders are Steffen Peters, who won the Cup in 2009 on Ravel. He will be riding his Olympic and world championships veteran Suppenkasper. Anna Buffini (FRH Davinia La Douce) and Cup first-timer Alice Tarjan (Serenade MF) will be gaining good experience as they point for places on future international teams.
Anna Buffini and FRH Davinia La Douce. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Representing the Central European League are Justina Vanagaite of Lithuania on Nabab and Alisa Glinka of Moldova on Aachen.
The non-league representative is Caroline Chew of Singapore on Tribiani.
Australia’s Simone Pearce on Fiderdance got one of the extra starting places. The other extra places went to Western Europeans, Sweden’s Johanna Due Boje on Mazy Klovenhoj and Belgium’s Jorinde Verwimp with Charmer.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 20, 2023
The North American League of the Longines FEI World Cup will field a bunch of heavy hitters against the best Europe has to offer when they go to Omaha for the finals next month. The League wrapped up Sunday in Ocala, where the final points for the standings were distributed.
The European contenders are headed by world number one and world champion Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden with King Edward, while defending titleist Martin Fuchs of Switzerland on Leone Jei is another key challenger. Marcus Ehning, a former Cup winner from Germany, qualified with Stargold but after that horse was scratched, will be competing on Priam du Roset.
This continent will be seeking the title with the likes of headliners McLain Ward–who took it in 2017, the last time the final was in Omaha. Can he do it again? McLain is on a roll, having won two of the three legs of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping over the last four months, but this time, he won’t be aboard HH Azur. Callas is his ride.
And then there’s Aaron Vale (Prescott), who’s been on a winning streak of his own recently..
Others from the East Coast competing are Hunter Holloway (Pepita con Spita and Eastern Jam), Ailishe Cuniffe (Vivaldi du Theil), Devin Ryan (Eddie Blue) of Long Valley, N.J., and Nicholas Dello Joio (Cornet’s Cambridge). Nick is the son of 1983 Cup winner Norman Dello Joio.
Hunter Holloway earned more points than any other North American rider to qualify for the World Cup finals. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
From the West Coast, the contingent is Natalie Dean (Acota M), Elisa Broz (Kardenta Van ‘T Meerhof) and Simonne Berg (Cooper). The Canadians are represented by Erynn Ballard (Gakhir and Hero).
The “extra athletes,” who competed in North America to qualify but hail from other parts of the world are Daniel Coyle of Ireland and Israel’s Daniel Bluman. Conor Swail, another Irish rider who looked as if he had a good chance at making his mark in the final, qualified but is not competing as Count Me In was scratched.
Even so, there should be some pretty fancy jumping in Nebraska, where 19 nations will be represented. Click here for the complete list of entries.
Omaha also is hosting the Cup finals in vaulting and dressage (click here to read this story).
Don’t forget, there won’t be another Cup finals in the U.S. until 2026 in Fort Worth. Want to watch in person? Click here to buy tickets.
