by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 4, 2022
When you want an answer, you have to ask for one. So my question to Andreas Helgstrand (CEO of the Global Equestrian Group that owns the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center) was whether he is planning to move Wellington, Florida’s, Adequan Global Dressage Festival from the Equestrian Village to his nearby farm, since rumors to that effect were percolating.
The short response was no, but keep reading.
His company does not own the facility where the AGDF is staged, a short canter from PBIEC, though he indicated at a Zoom press conference today that it likely will be the owner, and I’d bet on sooner, rather than later.
Andreas Helgstrand during his competition days, when he was a sensation at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games on Matine. (Photo © 2006 by Nancy Jaffer)
“At the moment, we only own the jumping part, so of course, we put all our efforts into the jumping,” he said, referring to the massive improvements made to PBIEC after GEG, which also includes German show jumping legend Ludger Beerbaum, took over there last summer.
Those efforts include upgrading rings, replacing railings that had rotted, working on drainage and adding land for stabling and parking; the latter is always an issue. Shuttles will be provided to move spectators from outlying parking areas. The concentration was on the horses and the rider experience, rather than anything too cosmetic, after a survey was taken to determine the concerns of riders and fans.
Andreas noted, “We are working hard to take over the dressage as well,” but added, “before that, we cannot do so much. We will do everything we can to do as much as possible for the dressage riders, but as long as we don’t own it, we cannot do more than what we do right now. Hopefully, very soon we can also take over the dressage there and then we will also go full power on that side as well.”
The gossip was that the jumper shows would expand from PBIEC to the Global tract, where there already has been a good amount of hunter and jumper competition during the Winter Equestrian Festival, so the dressage would then pick up and go to Andreas’ own farm.
“I don’t think we have space enough for this there,” pointed out the Danish entrepreneur, who made his reputation first as a dressage competitor, then as a trainer and horse dealer.
“We are not there to make another showgrounds We are there to have our sales horses and training with the customers and so on,” he explained during the virtual press conference, set up to preview WEF, which gets under way Jan. 5, and AGDF, which starts next week.
Big prize money, glitz, glamour and high-profile riders such as Georgina Bloomberg are major attractions at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
This isn’t the first time that there has been talk that dressage might be leavingf the Global grounds. In 2016, when Mark Bellisimo was calling the shots at PBIEC and AGDF, he and his partners paid $72 million for the International Polo Club. The word was that he would move dressage to that site, but it never happened.
Michael Stone, president of Equestrian Sport Productions (an umbrella entity for the Winter Equestrian Festival, AGDF and the Tryon shows), did say that PBIEC would be hosting some dressage, however. The riders appreciated it when the final Olympic dressage observation event last year was held in the International Arena at PBIEC.
Before Covid, crowds packed the AGDF stands to watch such world-class riders and horses and Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Our objective is to grow the jumpers, grow the dressage and put both in the best conditions and the best venue possible and then have some movement,” he explained.
“So just as the jumpers enjoy going over to Global and jumping on the grass, the Global riders like to come over here and show in our facility,” Michael mentioned, referring to PBIEC.
He cautioned that the trick is to “just make sure we can fit everything in so that we don’t have dressage going until 11 o’clock at night. It’s quite complicated, but we’re working on it.”
GEG intends to pull out all the stops.
As Andreas noted about his company’s takeover of the facility, it offered an opportunity “to create something even more unique than what it is already. We want to invest money there; we want to take care that Wellington will stay as the best place on earth for horse people.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 1, 2021
Michael Barisone was “incoherent” after the Aug. 7, 2019 shooting for which he was charged with two counts of attempted murder, according to a Washington Township, N.J., police officer who responded to the scene.
Detective Derek Heymer recounted under oath during a Superior Court hearing in Morristown today that when he arrived at Barisone’s Long Valley horse farm on the afternoon of the incident, he found the 2008 Olympic dressage team alternate face down on the ground with Richard Goodwin on top of him, while Goodwin’s fiancé, Lauren Kanarek was nearby bleeding from chest wounds.
Michael Barisone in his competition days. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Heymer located the gun, a black and pink Ruger, underneath Barisone and threw it to one side and its empty ammunition magazine to the other. Barisone, who also was charged with possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, had blood on his face and a laceration on his forehead. He was talking to himself, according to Heymer, who reported the athlete had a blank stare and said several times, “I had a good life.”
Kanarek, a dressage rider, and Goodwin lived at Barisone’s farm, but he wanted them out because of what were called “escalating threats” involving fear of physical harm and property destruction, as alleged in a lawsuit filed in July against 11 Washington Township police officers and the municipality. A claim was made in the lawsuit that police did nothing to protect Barisone from the couple when he began calling 911 about the situation eight days before the shooting. Heymer was among the officers named in the suit, which eventually was dismissed.
Barisone’s attorney, Edward Bilinkas, said he plans to present evidence of insanity and self-defense in the case. In an interview outside of the courtroom, the lawyer said his client doesn’t remember anything about the shooting incident, blacking out from the time a representative of the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency began asking about accusations of abuse involving his girlfriend’s children, until he was hospitalized to be treated for his injuries. Following Barisone’s first court appearance in 2019, his former lawyer said that after Barisone tried to evict Kanarek and Goodwin, there was retaliation with the abuse allegations.
Michael Barisone confers in court with lawyer Ed Bilinkas. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
The purpose of this morning’s session was for Judge Stephen Taylor to decide whether jurors should be permitted to hear testimony at trial about what police officers heard Barisone say when they were dealing with him after the shooting. Two other Washington Township policemen were questioned about that at a hearing in October.
Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Schellhorn pointed out that police did not cause Barisone to make the statements, which were not offered in response to questioning but were overheard and unrecorded. There was, he added, no risk those officers could have misheard or misunderstood the statements Barisone made. According to the police officers’ testimony, the statements included “Is this real? I need to wake up” and “They destroyed my life in the last six months, they took it all away. I’m sorry it happened.”
Schellhorn asked the judge to rule those statements should be admissible at trial.
Barisone, who has spent nearly two and a half years in the Morris County Correctional Center, came into the courtroom in handcuffs and was seated facing the judge. He did not speak publicly, but talked with his lawyer during the hearing. He was scheduled to be tried in February. But a pending murder trial for someone who has been in custody longer than Barisone will be occupying Schellhorn early in the year, so Barisone’s proceeding has been moved to March 21. Lawyers on both sides expect the trial will take two weeks for each of them to present their case, and dozens of witnesses will be involved, including psychological experts.
Discussing Barisone’s comments that were reported by the police officers, Schellhorn noted Bilinkas argued that these statements were related to the allegation of insanity.
“It certainly would be the defendant’s burden to produce evidence and establish he was insane by a preponderance of the evidence,” said Schellhorn.
Bilinkas pointed out that his client had been beaten and was described in testimony as “incoherent” and “dazed” in the wake of the shooting. He contended that the comment, “Is this real” was “an indication he doesn’t understand…what he’s saying. Those statements indicate someone who’s struggling with, I submit, reality.”
Michael Barisone leaving the courtroom today. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
In response, Judge Taylor asked, “Is that a question for the court now or perhaps one for the jury?”
Bilinkas explained, citing his client’s trauma and head injury, “He didn’t realize what he was doing, what was going on. To make any type of statement, the court needs to make a determination, at least initially, as to whether or not it’s at all reliable and voluntary under the circumstances.”
The lawyer said some of the statements were made after Barisone received large amounts of narcotics in the hospital, maintaining it was mind-altering. The judge asked how he was supposed to know “what the pharmacological effects of fentanyl is a minute later?”
Bilinkas suggested the judge could use his “common sense,” but the judge said that assertion is subject to medical testimony.
“When you’re telling me it alters his mind, I don’t know that, I don’t have any evidence before me, medical records or other records, to indicate what the effect is on an individual,” the judge said.
Bilinkas responded, “He doesn’t know what’s real, he doesn’t remember the incident.” He added that should weigh heavily in regard to the court’s “initial determination as to whether or not the statements should be admissible.”
The judge said he would take the issue under advisement and issue a written opinion.
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 30, 2021
My headline, which I have always used for New Year’s stories over the decades, comes from a seldom-sung verse of a favorite carol, Deck the Halls. Last year at this time, the headline signaled the hope that 2021 would be better, so good riddance to 2020. We all agreed 2020 couldn’t pass away fast enough. But few could have guessed what new tribulations 2021 would bring, although the Olympics gave us a bright spot for a few weeks.
After Covid became a national emergency in March 2020 and the U.S. Equestrian Federation suspended all showing until June 1, I asked federation CEO Bill Moroney when he thought things would get back to normal.
“December,” he said, but he was talking December 2021, not 2020.
“Really?” I replied in disbelief, anticipating it would have been much sooner. Turns out we were both wrong–our guesses were too optimistic. Omicron, a word you likely didn’t know unless you spoke Greek or belonged to a fraternity, is now part of our everyday language. Things are still being cancelled; the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation, for instance, just called off its Jan. 21 party to raise funds for the 2022 world championships. (The Westminster Kennel Club even postponed its January show.)
Five major winter indoor competitions in Europe already have fallen by the wayside, and there may be more to come. Will the FEI World Cup Finals in dressage, jumping, driving and vaulting be held in Leipzig, Germany this April after a two-year hiatus for the competition? Or will we have to wait for Omaha in 2023 for the first Cup finals since 2019?
So I’m saying, “happy new year?” rather than “Happy New Year!”
The Covid situation has meant some major modifications to the equestrian scene.
The Washington International show was able to hold its 2020 and 2021 editions, but they were in Tryon, N.C., far from DC and the unique character of this fixture. In the meantime, its lease at the Capital One Center expired. So the show isn’t going back to the city whose name it bears, heading instead to the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Maryland.
That’s a big change on the North American Fall Indoor Circuit, which didn’t see its finale, Toronto’s Royal Winter Fair, in either 2020 or 2021. Devon’s multi-discipline show was cancelled for the second year in a row (though Dressage at Devon did run at the venue in the fall). The anticipated Olympic/Paralympic quarantine restrictions at the USET Foundation in Gladstone, N.J., meant the popular and innovative Monmouth at the Team show became Not Monmouth, Not at the Team, when it moved to Centenary University’s equestrian center in Morris County.
ShowPlus Dressage at Devon came back in 2021 after a year’s absence. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
On the other hand, the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla., is flinging open its doors and inviting spectators in for 2022, though fans are advised to have a mask handy. It was big news when a new partnership was formed for ownership of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, with famed riders Ludger Beerbaum (show jumping) and Andreas Helgstrand (dressage) involved. Major improvements already have been made to the home of WEF.
The good thing about how Covid tested the world of equestrian competition is the way so many people and organizations rose to the challenge. Equestrian Sport Productions continued without a hitch at WEF and the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (unless you didn’t pass the temperature test).
Spectators will be back at the Winter Equestrian Festival in 2022. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
A group of determined riders, owners and supporters, led by Sara Kozumplik Murphy; her husband, Brian, and other stalwarts wouldn’t take no for an answer when it was announced the Kentucky 5-star wasn’t going to run. They pushed to get it done, and it happened, albeit with cardboard photos of spectators in the stands, rather than real fans.
Let’s hope we don’t have to resort to cardboard photo spectators again, as we saw at Land Rover Kentucky during April. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
The biggest story of the year was the Tokyo Olympics, which the International Olympic Committee insisted on calling the 2020 Olympics, even though they were held in 2021. It was hard to believe the Olympics could be staged in the midst of Tokyo’s Covid restrictions and that equestrian sports there could run as well as they did, but it happened. The ban on spectators meant atmosphere was lacking, but the competition itself was great and I was able to give my readers a window on the action in 20 stories on this website.
McLain Ward and Contagious, team silver medalists in Tokyo. (Photo courtesy FEI)
I have never gotten as many thank-you notes as I did for my Olympic coverage, because Nancy Jaffer Equestrian Sports became a go-to for those who didn’t want to rise at 4 a.m. or 6 a.m. Eastern time (and even earlier in other parts of the country) to watch the livestream. Cross-country was the only segment shown in its entirety during what was a comfortable evening time frame on this side of the globe. The Olympics, despite all their problems, are still popular with those who love horse sports.
Tokyo highlights for the U.S. included team silver medals for both the dressage and show jumping squads, as well as the country’s first team para dressage medal and two individual para golds for world number one Roxie Trunnell on Dolton.
Zoom was a still a go-to for many meetings this year. The U.S. Dressage Federation and U.S. Hunter Jumper Association cancelled plans for in-person annual meetings, but the U.S. Eventing Association went ahead with its convention; after all, eventers are risk-takers.
Covid was far from the only thing making waves in the horse show world, of course.
Yet to be resolved are differences between the USEF and the World Equestrian Center in Florida, which held enthusiastically received shows at a dynamic new facility. The issue involved a disagreement over show licenses. As an alternative, WEC chose to have its shows governed by the National Snaffle Bit Association, a group best known prior to this for its involvement with western competitions. The Sonoma, Calif., show series also is going with NSBA, and other shows are considering doing that as well.
The eventing scene was shaken by several things, including the USEF decision not to renew the contract of Erik Duvander, the performance director who gave the job everything he had. Ironically, this happened just after Boyd Martin became the first American in 13 years to win a 5-star–the wonderful new Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill–the team earned a silver medal in Europe and Will Coleman won at Aachen. A task force is supposed to look at eventing and plot a course for running it at the upper levels in this country.
Boyd Martin with On Cue during his victory gallop at the Fair Hill 5-star. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Another facet of the new look at eventing was a re-do of the upper-level calendar. It sadly left by the wayside the Jersey Fresh International event, a fixture on which so many had worked so hard for nearly two decades at the Horse Park of New Jersey. Under the reshuffle, Jersey Fresh lost its coveted 4-star-Long designation, which had made it a selection trial for Olympics and World Championships, and also was divested of its 4-star Short and 3-star designations. Although the new calendar isn’t going into effect until 2023, sponsors did not want to back a last hurrah for Jersey Fresh in 2022, since the event would not be continuing. It’s such a shame, and a loss for the region.
Among the unresolved situations from 2021 is that of Somerset County’s Lord Stirling stable in Basking Ridge, N.J. The facility, one of the few in the area where people could learn to ride for a reasonable fee, had that program shut down in the midst of the pandemic and the horses were sold in 2020. A committee has been studying the future of the property, but a year on, there’s been no word about its conclusions, and the stable is now the province of boarders who have their own horses.
As always, we lost key people in the horse world during the 12 months gone by. It seemed to me that there were many more than usual whom I knew this year, though none of that group died of Covid. This is just how things go in the scheme of things, but it is still hard to take.
So let us remember those to whom we said goodbye.
Among them was the irrepressible Mason Phelps, who kept the National Horse Show alive as its president and moving force. A member of the USET in his youth, he translated his equestrian involvement into energy for so many causes. More tears were shed when two more pillars of the equestrian community died within the week after Mason’s passing in May. The dean of ringmasters, John Franzreb, left us with memories of his warmth that had lifted the spirits of so many competitors.
John Franzreb and Mason Phelps at the National Horse Show. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
The deaths of both Mason and John were shocking because they were unexpected, but the passing of respected trainer Ray Francis, a horseman’s horseman, hurt just as much, even though he had been ill for a while.
Prince Phillip of Great Britain, a former president of the FEI (International Equestrian Federation) and the man who codified the rules for four-in-hand combined driving, said farewell in April at age 99.
Others we will miss include Harry de Leyer, who rode $80 former plow horse Snowman to show jumping stardom, then earned more fame late in the game with a book and movie based on his life and that of his marvelous horse; Kenneth Wheeler, a hunter trainer known among other things for his enormous success showing horses in-hand; the co-chair of the Far Hills Race Meeting, John von Stade and Bert Firestone, another man known not only in racing circles, but also among show jumpers and fox hunters.
Also Carol Harris, a native of West Orange active in the American Quarter Horse Association and famous for her relationship with the fabulous stallion, Rugged Lark; eventing cross-country course designer and builder Tremaine Cooper; Tom Mannos, well-known in New Jersey and beyond as a horse show announcer, and Frank Gibbs, master of the Spring Valley Hounds. The most recent death of note came this month, when trainer and horse dealer Jessamy Rousson passed.
We lost some great horses, too. Among those who went to greener pastures were Brentina, the special mare who elevated the status of U.S. dressage with rider Debbie McDonald. They earned medals in the Olympics, world championships and Pan American Games, as well as logging the first American World Cup finals win.
Brentina and Debbie McDonald. (Photo © 2006 by Nancy Jaffer)
Others who are gone include Flexible, Rich Fellers’ 2012 show jumping World Cup winner and member of the U.S. Olympic team that year; the stallion Sandro Hit, who is in the bloodlines of all three U.S. 2020 Olympic team silver medal mounts; Poggio II, the plucky former mountain pack horse who carried Amy Tryon to Olympic and world championship medals, two-time American Invitational winner Kroon Gravin, ridden by Molly Ashe Cawley; eventing star Ballynoe Castle RM, the ride of Buck Davidson, and Judgement, guided to grand prix distinction by show jumpers Michal Matz and Beezie Madden.
When you uncork the champagne on New Year’s Eve, think of them and offer a toast in the memory of all they achieved as we ride forward in the unknown of 2022.
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 26, 2021
The holidays offer the perfect occasion to showcase a feel-good tale, so here’s one that fills the bill.
During Dressage at Devon last fall, I spotted a lovely palomino, and marched right over to him. That was only natural; palominos are rare in the dressage ring, so he caught my eye. But it turned out his looks weren’t the only unusual thing about him. He came with a story, and now, after my hectic autumn season, I finally have time to tell it to you.
Fantom belonged to a retired music teacher, Bev Thomas, who was at a barn where Jess Idol was the assistant trainer. A Lusitano by the perlino stallion XA, Fantom was imported from Portugal. Jess doesn’t know what happened to him there or later, while he was passed around in the U.S., but said, “I assume he had a hard upbringing.”
Jess Idol and Fantom leaving the ring after the Prix St. Georges at Dressage at Devon. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
The horse could do the Spanish walk, though Jess mused, “He was so afraid of the whip. I think they just made him do it. I don’t think anyone taught him.”
As a result, Fantom was spooky and challenging, which didn’t get him votes as a barn favorite. Bev was an amateur who loved her horse, but wasn’t really enjoying riding him.
So Jess started working with him in-hand and found “he was just sort of uncomfortable in his own skin.” Every day, however, the attention encouraged him to be better and better; “more honest and more trustworthy,” she remembered.
“I think he just needed someone to be his friend,” said Jess.
“Bev and I were the only people who believed in the horse.”
When Bev suggested that Jess should show Fantom, that wasn’t the most inviting proposal, but Jess accepted.
“I won’t say no to an opportunity,” she explained.
Jess and Bev were ecstatic with a 64 percent at Third Level, especially since they hadn’t thought he would even get in the ring. Bev realized that what the gelding needed was one person to be his trainer, and that’s why she chose Jess. Bev had dialed the right number.
Jess comes from a natural horsemanship background. starting youngsters and sorting out problem horses. She worked with her mother, Amy Beeson, in North Carolina. They advertised well over a dozen specialties, from training trail horses to desensitizing, teaching them how to load on a trailer and western dressage. It wasn’t an easy way to earn a living.
“Growing up,” recalled 26-year-old Jess, training horses was “how we ate dinner. We would get on anything. We lived out of our horse trailer.”
This was not some fancy van with sleeping quarters; it was a gooseneck with a tack room and a mattress on the floor.
“You mean you were…?” I asked hesitantly.
“Homeless,” was Jess’s quick response.
“We’d go to anyone’s place who had a horse. They were often horses that shouldn’t have been ridden. We would go to auctions. As a kid, five or six years old, I was put on horses to show they were kid-safe.”
Jess started riding Fantom, now 11, when he was nine.
“He just bonded with me and bonded with his owner. Only she or I could catch him in the field,” said Jess.
In mid-2020, she was doing a clinic with 2016 Olympic team bronze medalist Ali Brock and of course, Bev was supposed to be coming to watch, as she always did. But Fantom’s owner never showed up.
After her ride, Jess went to Bev’s house, where she saw newspapers in the driveway, mail in the mailbox and Bev’s dog sitting by the door. Alarmed, knowing that Bev was 70 and not in the best of health, she called 911. A fireman opened the door to the laundry room and found Bev in a diabetic coma. She was hospitalized but suffered bilateral strokes before passing away.
It was a huge loss. Jess noted Bev would do whatever she could for people at the barn, donated to every charity, had adopted mustangs and did much to help animals, especially golden retrievers and horses.
Bev had talked to Jess about taking Fantom if anything happened to her. Jess said she would, explaining “I love him.”
Jess pats Fantom for a job well done. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
It turned out that Bev had left Fantom to Jess in her will, along with a trust fund so the trainer could afford to keep him.
Talking about it, Jess got emotional while thinking of how she misses her friend.
“Bev and I were the only people who believed in the horse. People felt he was tricky and difficult. He used to hide in the back of his stall and try to disappear. Now that he’s so confident, he has the biggest personality.”
He has graduated to a stall where can hang his head out and ask for cookies.
Jess works out of Dynamic Dressage in White Post, Va., with her partner, Patrick Tigchelaar.
Although they often ride in the same classes, Jess and Patrick are partners, not rivals.
“We don’t compete against. We just ride together,” explained Jess.
“We support. It’s easy. I say, `Good job.’ He says, `Good job.'”
In October, the two went to Dressage at Devon, a dream come true for Jess. Although Patrick had ridden at Devon five times, won there in 2011 and would win again this year in the Intermediate I, everything about the storied venue was a revelation for Jess.
“I had always seen people posting photos of being in the Dixon Oval,” she said, explaining she kept “visualizing what it was going to look like, what it’s going to feel like.”
But the visualizations didn’t quite match reality when Patrick pointed out the compact showgrounds as they drove along busy US Route 30 outside of Philadelphia. Jess had trouble believing that was Devon.
“I was taken aback that it’s literally in the middle of a town,” she said, still almost in disbelief.
“When you get in there, that’s where the magic is. You get in the Dixon Oval and it’s special,” Patrick told her.
As Jess finally walked into the arena on Fantom, she found the experience was indeed as special as she had hoped it would be.
“Holy cow!” she thought, while going through the gate and seeing the famous grandstand, painted Devon blue, towering in front of her.
Riding in the Dixon Oval at Dressage at Devon was always a dream for Jess Idol. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
“This is my moment, I’m in the Oval. I’m in a CDI (FEI class) with these judges that I look up to: Here I am. They rang the bell, I patted Fantom and said, `Here we go.’ ”
It wasn’t a bad test. Fantom finished 14th on 63.333 percent after scoring some marks of 5 in the flying changes every four strides and the extended and collected walk. But he also had some better moments, including 7s for flying changes and collected canters and the end of his test with a nice halt.
The next day in the Intermediate I, which Patrick won on O’Captain, Fantom moved up to seventh place on 65.490 percent, with two of three judges marking him at more than 66 percent. Fantom’s only mark below 6 was a 5.5 for the extended walk.
Lusitanos aren’t made for Small Tour, “they’re made for Grand Prix,” Jess declared.
“My ambitions are to conquer the world on horseback. Fantom is probably not going to be the horse I conquer the world with, but he’s going to be the horse that lets me get my feet wet in everything and lets people see me.”
She believes that Fantom will be a much better Grand Prix horse than he is Small Tour horse, because “walking is not a favorable gait for Lusitanos. When he can piaffe and passage around the ring for eight minutes, he’s going to be phenomenal.”
A national Grand Prix is the goal for the spring while Jess works on improving CDI scores in the Small and Medium tour.
“The ultimate goal (is) to do a CDI GP in the near future.”
They are hoping to compete in the new CDI in Lexington, Va., during May.
Jess and Patrick with Fantom and the photo of his former owner, Bev Thomas. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Even though she’s gone, Bev is still a presence for them.
“She was the best horse show mom. She would always bring snacks and water for us,” commented Jess.
At Devon, Bev’s photo hung on Fantom’s stall.
As Jess explained, “It was important for her to be here.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 27, 2021
In her equitation championship debut, Ella Witt of Califon won the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association 3’3’ Hunter Seat Medal Final East last Saturday aboard Stakkair, owned by Redfield Farm.
But only a few days later on the horse show roller coaster, with its steep highs and deep lows, the gelding was being vetted for sale–just as Ella had to get ready for the National Horse Show in Kentucky.
“Life as a catch rider,” sympathized Redfield’s owner, Emil Spadone.
“If it was my own horse, I’d make them (the buyers) wait a week. But it’s not my own horse and she understands I can’t do that to a client, I can’t risk another week. What if something goes wrong?”
Ella in action at the championship. (Photo by Ann Gittins Photography)
As Emil looked for a mount that could go to Lexington with Ella, she was more grateful than sad about Stakkair, saying she was “so lucky to have had the opportunity to ride him, he’s a special horse.”
She cherishes a magical victory that was part of an incredible week for Redfield, as Cassandra Kahle won the $100,000 Forrester Farm Equipment Grand Prix at the Pennsylvania National Horse show with the farm’s own Selle Francais, the 18-year-old Pyrenes de Louzes..
It was, as Emil said, “icing on the cake” because she also was aboard the Dutchbred stallion Corragio for victory in the 3-3 Green HunterStake and the Pennsylvania National Horse Show’s 3-3 Perpetual Trophy. Corragio is standing at stud for Redfield, so he collected a nice addition to his list of achievements. Pyrenes’ groom, Oscar Trevizo, also was a winner, getting recognition from the Grooms Award Ltd.
“Right now we’re flying high,” said Emil of the wins that were hundreds of miles apart, from Harrisburg, Pa., to West Springfield, Mass.
Ella came to Emil via Amanda Lyerly, who had been training her, but lessons at Amanda’s stable involved a six and one-half hour drive to Ohio. It worked when Ella was doing virtual classes from the Marymount School in New York during the pandemic, but the long trip meant she couldn’t get in enough riding after in-person classes resumed.
Emil’s farm is five minutes from Ella’s New Jersey home. Amanda suggested that might be a better fit, and it was. Ella got along well with the other teens at Redfield and began working with trainer Luke Olsen.
“I feel like she’s found a bit of a home with us,” said Emil.
Ella Witt with trainer Luke Olsen and USHJA President Mary Knowlton. (Photo by Ann Gittins Photography)
Ella had junior hunter experience, but was just starting equitation, as was Stakkair, a former jumper.
She was training for the 3’6” classes. But when Luke realized the 15-year-old (she’s 14 show age) had three more years to compete as a junior, he thought it made sense to step back and give her experience in the 3-3 championships, which have multiplied in recent years.
The only problem was that when he discussed it with the Redfield team and the decision was made at the end of July for Ella to focus on the 3-3 medals, there was just a week left to qualify for the USHJA class. But she did it.
Luke worked with her intensively for six weeks “and set me up for success,” as Ella put it.
“I’m very reserved and don’t ever go in the ring thinking I’m going to win,” said Ella.
“It’s always a shock when I do well, especially since this is my first year doing equitation and my first final,” she said of the competition at the New England Equitation Championships.
“I didn’t really have any expectations, so this was definitely a dream come true. It’s a good boost for my confidence.”
Ella added, “The whole team at Redfield, I really owe them a lot. They’re really an amazing team. It’s a lot of effort that goes into it and I’m lucky to be a part of that.”
Emil saw a natural talent in Ella and “pushed her a bit to do the equitation.”
Luke has an eclectic background, which includes handling special events for Inglenook Winery in Napa Calif., and a job with Soul Cycle. He added credentials to his equestrian resume during a stint with Susie Schoellkopf and Jen Alfano at SBS Farms in Buffalo.
Luke began working Emil in the summer of 2020, saying “he gives me a ton of opportunities. I love working with the kids, I obsess over equitation. It’s something I’m super, super passionate about and study and watch the other trainers.”
When he met Ella, he said, “Wow, this kid can ride.” He characterized her as “very, very natural and very, very calm. When it comes to finding the jumps, she’s a laser. As long as she knows the course, she’s on it.”
At the ingate, he tells her, “You’re cool as a cucumber; you gotta have the eye of the tiger.”
Cassandra characterized her victory on her first grand prix horse, who she’s been riding since 2016, as “pretty surreal.”
Cassandra Kahle and Pyranes de Louzes. (Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography)
She noted,.“I’m very dedicated to the sport. I love it. I do it every day, so it’s a lot of ups and downs, a lot of long days. To have a day like this come together makes it all worth it. This is such a special show. They brought the crowd, and I think the whole atmosphere just makes it that much more surreal.”
Despite his age Pyranes de Louzes “is sound and he seems to love his job,” said Emil.
“He’s going to Florida as a 19-year-old and we’re planning on showing. When he’s done showing, he stays with us to retire in a field and have plenty of carrots.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 13, 2021
The winner and runner-up in the HITS $400,500 grand prix were new faces, which German course designer Werner Deeg considers a good thing.
The finale of the Saugerties, N.Y., spring/summer series was won yesterday by 25-year-old Megan McDermott on Entano, logging her first 5-star victory, while her close friend, amateur rider Maria Costa, 29, was close behind aboard Presence.
Friends Megan McDermott and Maria Costa finished first and second in the Hits $400,500 Grand Prix. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
There were many big names among the 26 starters; Hampton Classic grand prix winner Daniel Bluman, former World Champion and Olympic gold medalist Rodrigo Pessoa, the eternal Margie Engle (fourth on Dicas as the fastest 4-faulter in the first round), Amanda Derbyshire and Hunter Holloway (second and third in the competition last year). Werner, however, found it refreshing that virtual unknowns were at the top of the class.
“There is a change of generation at the moment,” he maintained.
‘”You can see it in Europe as well.”
He told the young women, “What you did today it was absolutely fantastic. We need names like McLain and Beezie, but we need these names in the future. This is what we have to work with.”
HITS impresario Tom Struzzieri told Mean and Maria during the post-grand prix press conference, “You young ladies should be pretty excited. I’ve sat here many times with people who’ve gone on to some pretty great things.” He cited, among others, Andre Thieme of Germany, who has been a winner of the big classes at HITS and just took individual gold at the European Championships.
Megan, a Westchester County N.Y., resident who is based for the moment at Blythe Masters’ farm in Bedminster, N.J., was the only rider to produce a double-clear in the competition after topping the three-horse tie-breaker. She set the pace with a well-judged round in 48.69 seconds.
Megan McDermott put in a winning trip with Entano. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“He’s naturally quick and has a big stride,” said Megan, noting that if she let Entano go in the jump-off, she was rolling the dice.
“My strategy was to go a little bit medium so I would not lose control at the end and have one of the last couple of jumps down. I definitely felt there was risk for me nearing the end,” said Megan, who had skill and luck on her side.
Ireland’s David Blake went for it following Megan’s trip, but had 12 penalties on Keoki.
David Blake and Keoki. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“Megan had a good tactic, she put a lot of pressure, I really had no choice but to chase,” David said.
“There were only three in the jump-off, there’s no real advantage to playing it safe. I was going to be second or third or win and had to give it a go. All we could do was try to beat her. It didn’t work out for us today,” David concluded.
Maria, who is a good friend of Megan’s, had the advantage of riding last.
Megan “put the pressure on,” said Maria, who coped as best she could aboard Presence.
“Unfortunately, coming to the second-to-last jump, I wasn’t able to get him back as much as I knew I needed to, I just wasn’t able to get it done. But I couldn’t be happier with the horse.”
Maria Costa and Presence. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Werner’s first round route had plenty of challenging loops as it wound around the enormous grand prix arena.
“The horses have to maintain the rhythm and free-forward movement. Let them go and make them happy, give them a chance,” said the designer, citing the importance of balance.
“For me, it is important not only having a nice rhythm from (fence) one to five, they have to keep the rhythm through 13 and 14.”
Werner’s techniques were effective, and he was proud that no horses had real difficulty along the path he laid out.
Analyzing how Werner did his job, David said, “I think he used the length of the course, with 14 jumps and 93 seconds (time allowed).
“Turning back to the triple bar (fence 11) was quite an uphill battle for a lot of horses, they fatigued a little bit. I think the length of the course was clever, and for a $400,000 grand prix it should be hard.”
The grand prix course.
The victory turned things around for Megan, who does most of her own work with her horse. She hired a freelance groom who didn’t come on time yesterday morning to feed her horse; when the groom finally rolled in, she already had done everything, and friends pitched in to free her up for the course walk. It wasn’t a propitious start to the day, but she turned it around..
It is only a little more than a year that she has been riding Entano, a 12-year-old son of Namelus R out of a Numero Uno mare.
“The first time I jumped him, I thought, `I’m going to win a 5-star grand prix on this horse,’” Megan confided.
“He’s difficult, he’s very quirky, it takes a lot to manage him properly. For it to come together on my first 5 star, he just couldn’t have been any better,” she said.
“I’ve had a really awful year, starting the last week of August 2020. I’ve had terrible luck inside the sport and outside the sport. The way to keep getting through it, every time I show, I say `I’m going to win the class.’
However, she added, “I have not won any classes or even come close in a long time. but I always do psych myself up and think i am going to win. That’s what i have to do to give it my all.”
While Megan and Maria are new faces, they work with people who are big names. Maria rides with Laura Kraut, a member of the U.S. silver medal team at the Olympics. She wasn’t on hand in Saugerties, but Maria credits her influence as an important part of her success.
Megan’s mentor is Daniel Bluman. He had her ride Entano when he was thinking of selling the Dutch-bred gelding as an amateur’s mount, because he wanted to see how the gelding would go with a female rider. Megan hit it off with the horse, and changed his destiny.
“He’s been a super complex and interesting horse to work with. I love the challenge of him,” the young professional said.
Asked what she will do with her $132,165 share of the purse, she responded, “Try to keep my business afloat.”
Among the day’s featured classes was the $200,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix, which went to Jimmy Torano on Laskano. His final score was 357.50 for today’s two rounds, edging Hannah Isop and Believe, who had a total of 356.
Jimmy Torano and $200,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix winner Laskano. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
The horse belongs to Daryl Portela, who is practically a member of the Torano family.
Teary-eyed for a few moments after his victory, Jimmy explained, “A year ago exactly, the owner of this horse had a catastrophic fall and can never ride again, so this is an emotional win today
“He won the first round, he won the second round, he was circuit champion in Florida, he just tries to win every class he goes in,” he said of the horse he bought from Emil Spadone at Redfield Farm.
Jimmy was wearing an air vest during his time in the arena, something he, his wife, Danielle, and their 11-year-old son, JJ, feel strongly about.
“We had talked about her (Daryl) wearing a vest and it never materialized and she had that bad fall and I said, `We’re ordering them.’ From that day forward we wear them in every class.”
Although more riders are wearing the vests, not everyone wants to.
Jimmy Torano gives Laskano a pat. Note the air vest he is wearing over his jacket. Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“In the old days, we didn’t wear seat belts, we didn’t wear helmets,” Jimmy pointed out. Now, of course, we can’t imagine life without those items
“Change is hard,” he acknowledged.
“This is my choice. Everyone’s got to make their own decision, and this is mine.”
