by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 7, 2022
It was quite a different Michael Barisone who came back to the Morristown, N.J., courtroom where he was tried for attempted murder last spring.
Michael Barisone in court Wednesday with attorney Chris Deininger. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
The dressage trainer appeared today for a hearing that would determine whether he could be freed after serving nearly four months in a psychiatric hospital. He was neatly dressed, a contrast to his disheveled look during the trial.
He has been in a psychiatric facility since shortly after a jury returned a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity in connection with the shooting of his student, Lauren Kanarek.
It was up to the same judge who presided at his trial to decide the next step for the 2008 U.S. Olympic dressage team alternate. Want to know how he ruled?
To read the story, click here.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 4, 2022
There were so many remarkable stories out of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in England, which ended today. It has certainly lived up to its reputation as the toughest of all the 5-stars (including Kentucky and Maryland in the U.S.) under its new cross-country course designer, Derek di Grazia, who also laid out the route for the Olympics last year. (He designs Kentucky as well).
Of the 51 entries who started cross-country, 31 completed that phase. Three of those, however, did not go on to show jumping.
Britain’s Piggy March, rated number four in the world, was the winner on Vanir Kamira with 27 penalties, which included four for a show jumping knockdown (but her margin was such that she even had another rail in hand). Meanwhile, another Brit, world number one Oliver Townend, was eliminated on cross-country after falls with two separate horses.
The USA’s Cornelia Dorr and Daytona Beach 8 made the biggest leap that wasn’t on the cross-country course by finishing 10th after standing 50th of 52 starters in the dressage phase. She was clean in cross-country except for 8.4 time penalties, and fault-free in show jumping. A star is born!
The other U.S. riders who finished were Emily Hamel (Corvett) 20th and Meghan O’Donoghue (Palm Crescent), 24th. Wood Baughman was eliminated for three refusals on cross-country with C’est la Vie 135.
To me, the most amazing result was a fourth-place finish for Jonelle Price of New Zealand on the 19-year-old Classic Moet, the only horse to complete cross-country without time penalties. Don’t know how she did it; the battery on Jonelle’s watch died while she was riding, which means she has a very accurate clock inside her head.
Her achievement earned the new Avebury Trophy for the best cross-country round of the day, judged by former Burghley course designer Mark Philliips.
It was donated by Rosemary and Mark Barlow, owners of three-time Burghley winner Avebury, bred by New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson. Their first Burghley win came in 2012. The horse retired in 2016 and was put down that year due to a malignant tumor. He is buried at the Nicholsons’ home at Westwood Stud in England.
Jonelle Price and Classic Moet. (Photo courtesy Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials)
What spoils Jonelle’s story a little bit is the fact that she dropped two rails in show jumping, without which she would have been second. But fourth place on 40.2 penalties is still pretty terrific under the circumstances.
She finished just behind her husband, Tim on Vitali (38.5), who was back of runner-up Tom Jackson, another British rider. He collected 32.5 penalties on Capel’s Hollow Drift.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 28, 2022
New Jersey riders continued to do the state proud as the Dressage Festival of Champions came to a close at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Illinois today.
It was quite the show, with 168 horses and riders across 15 divisions for seven days. The Festival began as a multi-discipline competition in the 1990s at the U.S. Equestrian Team in Gladstone, N.J., eventually winding down there to include only the dressage championships, but with less divisions than were held in Illinois, where more rings were available at a larger facility.
Cesar Parra, who splits his year between Pittstown, N.J., and Florida, won the Markel/USEF Young Horse Six-Year-Old championship with Møllegårdens Fashion (83.480). The Danish gelding (Florenz 71 X Tailormade L’Espoir) “was very relaxed. I didn’t want to push for much more. He’s a a very powerful horse, we are a little bit new to each other. I know how he can get really, really strong,”
Cesar Parra and Møllegårdens Fashion claim their prizes. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickle)
Cesar added, “I’m very happy he’s getting so obedient, so supple.” He characterized him as “almost a Grand Prix horse now.
While it is “Important to come here and win,” he added what is more important is that “the education follow parameters we need for Grand Prix.”
Cesar told the story of showing Fashion at the Florida Horse Park last April, when “he ran away from the groom. two miles and almost got hit. That was his warm-up. I think that’s why he’s a beautiful gelding.”
The reserve champion was Lauren Fisher’s Lionell VE (81.800), ridden by Rebecca Rigdon. She said their test had one mistake, but it was hers and “I can fix that.”.
Alice Tarjan, the omnipresent Oldwick, N.J., resident, who took the Grand Prix title with Serenade MF earlier in the week, was third in the six-year-old section with Gjenjanger (80.840).
“I’m really pleased with my horse. She did her job. It’s been a long week,” said Alice.
Fourth place went to another of her horses, Glory Day (79.520), ridden by her trainer, Marcus Orlob of Anandale, N.J.
The Markel/USEF Young Horse Seven-Year-Old title belonged to Endel Ots on King’s Pleasure (Dark Pleasure X Glock’s Johnson TN) with a score of 78.925. Cesar was second on Fanta (76.181), a Hanoverian he owns with Gina Raful.
Endel said the horse’s final test, marked at 78.925 “couldn’t be better” after a day devoted to a hand walk, turnout and a roll.
“He had a lot of power and energy and really stayed with me.”
Endel told his horse’s owner, Heidi Humphries, that he didn’t want to show him in the six-year-old championship last year, because he wasn’t ready. But 2022 would be another story.
Endel Otts and King’s Pleasure. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickle)
“For her birthday about 10 months ago, I gave her a silver frame and it said `Seven-year-old 2022 national champion Kings Pleasure.’ I said there will be a photo in that frame of your horse with a championship ribbon on there. I see it, I feel it. I know it. It’s there.”
And he was right.
Cesar said he enjoyed his ride on Fanta, even though he was having a hard time keeping him on his aids. “He’s an amazing horse. I really love him. I’ve been riding him for two years.”
In the Markel/USEF Developing Horse Grand Prix section, Claire Darnell earned the championship with the 10-year-old Dutchbred Harrold S (Vivaldi X Fiedermark NRW) on a score of 69.942 percent.
“My horse was super good all week,” said Claire, noting that even when “I made a couple of little rider errors, he kept doing his thing.” She said the best quality of the horse is his reliability.
Judge Janet Foy, left and U.S. dressage development coach Charlotte Bredahl (far right) with Claire Parnell and Harrold S. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickel)
“My goal for the year was to qualify for this. To have him win was super, super special,” she said, noting he adjusted to everything but “the fake horse in front of the VIP.” They kept putting different decorations on it, so “every time he came by, it was different.”
Reserve champion on Jane was Alice, with a total of 69.325 percent.
As she has said was the case with her other horses, being in Germany much of the summer as an alternate for the U.S. world championships team meant little training for those who stayed at home. Alice called the championships a good experience for Jane, noting now it’s back to work. She’d like the horse to have more exposure, so she’s thinking of going to Show Plus Dressage at Devon next month.
Third place went to Marcus on Jeannette Pinard’s Spirit of Joy (68.966).
He sees “a lot of things to improve,” but noted it was the hose’s first Intermediate II.
Marcus said, next up is “a few weeks of light work, then our homework will start. He’s only eight. I think I have to push to the next level,” which means starting with national Grands Prix in Florida.
Click here for results
Read stories from previous days in the previous columns section, listed at the top of the website.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 27, 2022
Alice Tarjan and Serenade MF made a clean sweep of the Grand Prix championship classes at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions today, after adding a freestyle win to her victories in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special earlier in the week at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Illinois.
The Oldwick, N.J., resident breathed a sigh of relief after the competition ended, saying she was “just happy we got through it.”
It was only the second time she had ridden the freestyle on Serenade (Sir Donnerhall X Don Principe.) She was marked at 76.985 percent and took the overall championship on 74.176.
She didn’t know much about the music to which her 9-year-old mare danced, expIaining that when she needed a score to try and qualify for the world championships, a European produced the piece for her.
“He was kind enough to throw it together for me in five days,” said Alice, who won the championship for the second year in a row. In 2021, she rode Candescent to the Grand Prix title, while Serenade won the Developing honors.
The mare was bred in America by Maryanna Haymon. Alice and “Shrimp,” as she is nicknamed, were the first alternates for the U.S. team that went to Herning, Denmark, for this month’s world championships.
Critiquing her progress with Shrimp, she noted, “The balance uphill has been a real struggle,” adding the mare is getting better and better overall. She kind of wants to be a show hunter,” Alice observed slyly, “so it’s been a real push to try keep her in front of my leg. Over the week, she’s getting hotter and hotter. This is like a way different horse than I ever used to ride.”
Alice Tarjan is heading home to Oldwick, N.J. from the national championships with quite a collection of ribbons. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickle)
Training with the team in Europe “helped me have an idea about how much more compressed you have to keep the horses through the test to be able to get the quality and higher marks you want.
“You have to really ride to get a young horse through a Grand Prix, because otherwise it doesn’t happen. You have to make something happen in the beginning, but after becoming more proficient in movements, the idea is to back off and have it be more harmonious.”
The reserve champion was Katie Duerrhammer on Paxton with an average of 70.547. Katie rode Quartett on the world championships team in Denmark, and for today’s competition, Katie said she borrowed Quartett’s freestyle. (Quartett is Paxton’s uncle, so it’s all in the family.”
Katie told Terri Gallo, who produced her freestyle, that she “wanted music that would be fun, that people would know and wouldn’t overpower him. He’s a very powerful horse, but he’s very lightfooted.”
He had not done this freestyle before and they had some mistakes, but she liked the way it showcased “his power and showed how elegant he can be. I was very proud of him; he tried very hard to accomplish everything in there.” She was marked at 74.980 for her performance to the music.
The Markel/USEF Developing Prix St. Georges Championship went to Fritz and Claudine Kundrun’s Johnny Be Goode (Glock’s Dream Boy X Tietse 428.
“I was really pleased with how he stuck with me and did everything I asked and handled everything, despite being hot. You can’t ask for more than that,” said his rider, Olivia Lagoy-Weltz, who has been riding him since December. His score was 73.223.
Reserve was Kathryn Fleming-Kuhn’s Ronin, ridden by Martin Kuhn (71.211).
Adrienne Lyle was a big winner at the show, taking the four- and five-year-old Markel/USEF Young Horse Championships and coaching her assistant trainer, Quinn Iverson, to the Brentina Cup championship for riders 16-25. Quinn, who started with Adrienne as a working student, rode Billie Davidson’s Beckham. That competition is named after Brentina, who was the ride of Debbie McDonald, Adrienne’s mentor.
Adrienne praised Quinn for all her help in keeping things going while she was away at the world championshps.
Although Adrienne has always trained young horses, this is her first year doing young horse classes and championships.
She described the 5-year-old, Valor (Vitalis 4 X Fürstenball OLD), as “so rideable, such a kind, giving horse.”
He was bought off a video when he had just turned three. He’s already earning astronomical scores, taking the championship on 92.480. The Westphalian is owned by Kylee Lourie, who also owns Katie’s horses. Adrienne is Katie’s coach, so that’s a nice little package
Alice was reserve five-year-old champion with Ierland’s Eden (88.480).
Adrienne topped the four-year-old rankings with Fürst Dream (Fürstenball OLD X Benneton Dream). Their average for the show was another whopping score, 92.920. The Hanoverian stallion is owned by Betsy Juliano, who also owns Adrienne’s world championships mount, Salvino.
Adrienne Lyle and Fürst Dream. (Photo courtesy USEF/Susan Stickle)
While the horse was frisky outside the ring, “he really focused when we went down centerline. He’s really rideable,” said Adrienne.
“He has such incredible suppleness, especially for a four-year-old. He just feels like every part of him moves, and I love that feeling. And he’s got an amazing brain.”
Reserve was yet another of Alice’s horses, Ice Princess (89.760).
“I’m super excited about that horse,” said Alice, who bought her as a yearling from a friend in Denmark.
“I think she’s going to be a super Grand Prix horse.”
While she’s honest, she’s also hot, and can “overboil easily.”
Since she had the summer off while Alice was in Europe, her owner thinks it says something about Ice Princess that she could come to the show with a minimum of training.
The mare lives up to her name, she’s quite the princess.
“There is no question that horse thinks she’s the most important horse in the barn. That horse thinks she’s special, I’ll give her that,” Alice said.
To read previous days’ stories about the championships, check the On the Rail section.
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by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 26, 2022
There was yet one more win for Alice Tarjan at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions today, as she took the Markel/USEF Developing Grand Prix Championship (Intermediate II) with Jane (Desperado NOP X Metall) marked at 71.813 percent.
Alice, from Oldwick, N.J., didn’t mince words when she assessed Jane, bought as a two-year-old.
“I think she’s probably the stupidest horse I’ve ever trained,” stated Alice, then quickly noted that once Jane learns a movement, “she’s so honest, that’s what she does every time and she doesn’t question it. Once she understands it, it’s completely solid.”
Assessing her test, Alice said proudly, “We got the twos and the ones,” referring to the two- and one-tempi lead changes.
She called it “kind of a miracle, given what the warm-ups have been. This horse hasn’t been basically been ridden for 2 ½ months.”
Alice was training in Germany this summer with the U.S. world championships team, for which she was the alternate.
Jane was shown just a bit in Florida, where Alice also has a stable, but the championships at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Illinois was her first real “away” show.
Alice Tarjan and Jane.. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickle)
“The horse just needs exposure and experience,” said Alice, comparing being in the saddle of the eight-year-old to riding a four-year-old.
“The concentration has been on having her trying to feel confident in the arena. She’s the sweetest horse everybody loves her.”
Alice characterized Jane as “super hot.” That made her so strong when she was young that Alice thought she might be a man’s ride. But it’s all worked out.
“She’s so willing, she has no attitude at all,” Alice reported.
Another New Jersey competitor, Cesar Parra, was wildly enthusiastic about his win on Møllegårdens Fashion in the FEI Six-Year-Old Preliminary Test with a stellar mark of 84.200 percent.
“I’m very excited. I love this horse. I connected with him very well,” said the trainer, who has stables in Pittstown, N.J., and Wellington, Fla.
The Danish gelding (Florenz 71 X Tailormade L’Espoir) was bought by Cesar as a two-year-old as a present for his wife and previously trained by others at Parra’s farm.
Looking toward the championships, Cesar said, “I took the ride on him in late March. He’s very strong, but I think he’s a horse built for Grand Prix. He has amazing hind legs, he’s very honest and he’s very powerful. Hopefully, we can be part of the (U.S.) team in the future. I think we have a wonderful horse. It’s up to God.”
Cesar characterized the horse as “a goofball. He’s the dude in the barn, like Mr. Sexy. When you get on him, it’s like you are going on a jet. I think he’ll be a better horse as he develops.” The horse was third last year in the five-year-old championship.
The FEI Seven-Year-Old Preliminary Test went to King’s Ransom, ridden by Endel Ots to a score of 78.543 percent.
“I gave more gas in that ring than in the warm-up. I just really wanted to go for it and show everybody how great a mover he is. He is such an honest, really-with-you horse,” said Endel.
He called the stallion (Glock’s Pleasure X Glock’s Johnson TN) “a puppy dog. You can have a five-year-old lead him, but then he fights for you in the ring that way.”
Endel has had the horse for a year, but he wasn’t ready for the six-year-old championships in 2021.
He told the horse’s owner, Heidi Humphries, that the seven-year-old competition would be “a really good plan for him.”
The owner agreed and “has been a dream. That kind of support…gives you a lot of confidence. I never felt any pressure. She said, `I want what’s right for the horse.’ It’s been wonderful.”
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by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 25, 2022
Alice Tarjan continued her march toward the national Grand Prix Dressage Championship today, taking the Grand Prix Special with Serenade MF on 73.467 percent at the Festival of Champions at Lamplight Farm in Illinois.
Second place went to Katie Duerrhammer with Paxton (71.680 percent).
Interestingly, Katie, a Coloradan who rode Quartett on the U.S. team at the world championships this month, last week was one of three riders (Adrienne Lyle and Steffen Peters were the others) named to the U.S. dressage pathway program’s elite training list. She was named with Paxton.
Meanwhile, Alice and Serenade, as well as another of her horses, Donatella M, were not selected for the elite program, but rather, the pre-elite program with 10 other riders, including Katie, who is on that roster with Quartett.
As I mentioned previously, Alice’s Wednesday Grand Prix score of 73.869 percent was ahead of the marks delivered by Katie and Ashley Holzer with Valentine, half of the U.S. team at the world championships. Would Alice, who was the squad’s alternate, have had the same score she earned at Lamplight had she been at the world championships? No way to know, but interesting to consider.
Alice, who lives in Oldwick, N.J., needs only a good enough score in Saturday’s freestyle to take the national Grand Prix title for the second year in a row. But that isn’t a done deal.
“All kinds of things in the freestyle we haven’t practiced in probably over six months. And the horse has worked two days,” said Alice, who doesn’t want to overdo on a non-show day.
Alice Tarjan and Serenade in the Grand Prix Special. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickle)
“We’ll try to school a little bit…and cross my fingers and pray. It’s easier if they’re kind of familiar with the lines, which she’s not,” Alice observed.”
The American-bred Serenade (Sir Donnerhall X Don Principe) is continuing her development.
“We missed both sets of ones (one-tempis) so that’s a little disappointing,” said Alice, as she thought about her test.
“It’s hard had to get everything on the same test on the same day.”
Even so, she added, “It’s a drastic improvement over where it was last year. We didn’t prepare for this show at all, so I’m really pleased. The horse is drastically different than she was last year.”
She praised Serenade’s work ethic, saying, “You could put your 12-year-old child on this horse and it would do its job.”
Laura Graves, once the world’s top dressage rider with the now-retired Verdades, took the Intermediate I Championship on SenSation HW.
She had won the Prix St. Georges and Intermediate I classes this week, but finished second today with 76.005 percent in the I-1 freestyle to Emily Miles of Kansas and Daily Show (77.300).
Laura, a Florida resident, had a high enough overall score to take the tricolor, however. She earned a total of 75.104 percent to Emily’s 73.301 for reserve. SenSation was ridden by Michael Bragdell to the USEF five- and six-year-old championships in 2018 and 2019 respectively before Laura took over.
The Westfalen gelding (Sunday NRW X Dancier) will now move up to the Grand Prix ranks, with enough time ahead of him at that level to perhaps be considered for the Paris 2024 Olympic team.
Laura was all smiles to be back in the show ring, have missed two years after Verdades retired and she had a baby.
“I’m always so excited to stand top three with women. (Rebecca Rigdon was third overall on Iquem with 71.350 percent.)
“It’s so amazing for us to support each other. It’s such a difficult industry. And to see smiling faces and people really supportive of you….”
She said it was the second time she had ridden SenSation in the freestyle, but “the first time in a big atmosphere,”
There’s more to come.
“It’s just the beginning, I think,” she said, noting she’s rally getting to know him.
Laura was “Super proud of the test we put in at beginning of the week,” referring to the Prix St Georges.
At this point, Laura sees herself “moving forward and excited about it.”
Olivia Lagoy Weltz has only been riding Johnny Be Good (Glock’s Dream Boy NOP X Tietse 428) since December, but he made a real statement to the tune of 74.558 percent for his performance in the Markel/USEF Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Dressage National Championship. That was a personal best for her, and she’s very excited about Johnny.
Olivia Lagoy Weltz and Johnny Be Goode. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickle)
“He’s a very striking horse. He’s very elegant in his trot work and his extensions. He just kind of draws you in,” she said, assessing her mount.
“I think he’s a horse that potentially has no weaknesses. He’s scored up to 10 on the walk, and I don’t know that we were able to show that today, but I think that he really has the ability to have no holes.”
Adrienne Lyle made a statement for the future with young horses.
She topped 12 other horse/rider pairs in the Markel/USEF Young Horse Four-Year-Old Dressage National Championship with Fürst Dream (Furstenball Old X Benetton Dream), who won the Four-Year-Old test with a score of 9.5. Lyle. The Hanoverian stallion is owned by Betsy Juliano, who also owns Adrienne’s Olympic and world championships ride, Salvino.
“This is a big venue, and there’s a lot going on for a four-year-old,” Adrienne pointed out.
“We’ve done very limited showing. He handled everything just super well, he was focused, and he was right there with me. He’s just got such an incredible brain, which is something I really like, besides his talent. And he’s got lovely gaits, but he’s really got a super brain, especially for a stallion.”
In the Markel/USEF Young Horse Five-Year-Old Dressage National Championship, Adrienne was the best of 14 starters in the Preliminary test on Valor (Vitalis 4 X Furstenball OLD) on a score of 9.26. Kylee Lourie’s 2017 Westphalian gelding rose to the occasion.
“Honestly, I don’t think I could have asked him to do much better than what he did,” she said.
“He is so fun in the ring. He is so light to the aids, soft in the contact, that you can just kind of sit there and try to stay out of his way. And he really lets you navigate him through all of the different questions in there.”
