They canceled Britain’s famed Wimbledon, two days after America’s famed Devon Horse Show became a no-go. So while equestrian sport is hardly alone in calling off its competitions in the midst of the pandemic (see Olympics, Final Four, Kentucky Derby) it’s impossible not to be depressed by the continuing roster of shows that won’t be held this year (or have been tentatively postponed). This morning’s radio “sports news” was short (and not so sweet), with the only item being the imminent cancellation of the British Open golf tournament.
In the midst of all this, however, the loss of Devon was a particular blow. To paraphrase a famous song title, we believed, “There’ll always be a Devon.” It speaks to the seemingly perennial nature of this show, which started in 1896 and has been held annually except for three years during World War II. And now this year.
McLain Ward has taken many victory gallops at the Devon Horse Show. (Photo © 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Like so many attending the country’s largest multi-breed show on Philadelphia’s Main Line, I always breathe a happy sigh when I come through the gates at the end of May and see everything looking the same as it has for many decades, all painted in that special shade of blue..
David Distler, who co-manages the show with Peter Doubleday, said they looked at postponement, but weren’t able find the right spot on the calendar where it could offer the country fair, the saddlebreds and coaches that are as much a part of the ambience as the hunters, jumpers and equitation.
The big problem with this lockdown, as David pointed out, is “you don’t know where the end’s going to be. People have to make plans.”
The country fair and the carnival are integral components to Devon’s appeal. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Like everyone else, he’s living with scuttled special plans. Judging at Germany’s Aachen show was on his bucket list, and he was set to do it in June. Except that Aachen was postponed, to no “date certain” as they say, and who knows if it will even be held?
McLain Ward, the Devon fan favorite, is missing a chance to add to his record of 11 victories in the Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon, named after his famous mare who was a winner at the show and enjoyed a retirement ceremony there.
I asked what he thinks about the big question, which is where are we going now, and when, as well as what will it look like when we get there?
“In the short term, with any crisis, especially a financial crisis,” he told me, “there’s always going to be some adjustment. We rebound and normalcy will return to some degree. I’m an optimist, I always believe that. Maybe some horse shows, some businesses, some professionals…will unfortunately go out of business; some others will come up and fill the gap. That’s the way of the world; we have to navigate it, so we’re not the ones who go by the wayside. For sure change is going to take place, you need to be ahead of the curve as athletes and as administrators.”
He was, of course, a top candidate for the U.S. Olympic team. The International Olympic Committee said that athletes who qualified for the 2020 Games will be good for 2021, but it’s different for horse-rider combinations because they can’t be selected off what they did 18 months or more before the Games.
“A lot of peoples’ situation will change, some will improve and some will not improve,” McLain pointed out.
“The internal process of qualifying in each country I think begins again. Those of us who were shortlisted have to start the process again in 2020 and 2021,” he said.
What about athletes who don’t have the same horses they had this winter, or what if their horses are going to be too old by next year to be selected for the trip to Tokyo, I asked.
“There’s a ton of questions that need to be answered on a grand world scale that are far more crucial than sports, then breaking it down to sports in general and individual programs,” noted McLain, who is waiting it out in Wellington, Fla., at the moment with his wife and two daughters.
“It’s a little difficult to find motivation day to day with not knowing where you’re going next. In the grand scheme of life it’s a small problem compared to what many are dealing with right now. I try to remember that when I’m going in circles here.”
He’s optimistic that the way American shows are put together “will play in our favor trying to get back to some sort of schedule and normalcy at some point.
We’re an exhibitor-funded, sport not a patron-funded sport, compared to Aachen that wants to put 72,000 people in the seats every day. Our shows in reality are funded by the entry fees so they’re not that concerned with how many spectators are in the seats.”
Devon (can’t get it off my mind) is a special stop for hunter riders and equitation competitors, as well as jumpers. Junior riders often have Devon as their ultimate goal of the outdoor season. That means it’s also key for top equitation trainer Stacia Madden of Beacon Hill Show Stables in Colts Neck, who will be heading back from Florida to her New Jersey farm later this month.
A highlight of any hunter rider’s yaer is competing at Devon. (Photo © 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
What’s her plan?
“I’m just trying to keep everything in perspective,” she said.
Stacia Madden
“Although we all do this because we enjoy the competition, we also do it for the love of the horse and love of the sport. I’m thankful I have a business I’m able to keep running, I’m thankful that can be outside and I’m thankful I own a business that’s kind of secluded on 22 acres, and we can hunker down because a lot of the staff lives on the property. Although I’m disappointed not to be showing, I’m trying to realistically look at how grateful I am that everybody is safe and healthy and that I’m able, for the moment, to stay up and running and hopefully weather the storm.”
In Florida, her customers have been allowed to flat their horses under strict protocols. When she gets back to New Jersey, she sees it as “a nice break to let the horses down a little bit” after the demands of the Florida circuit. I heard a long time ago that when disaster strikes, you’re supposed to make as few changes as possible and try to ride the wave. We’re trying to stick to our normal schedule as best I can, but being very, very cognizant of what I can do to help speed the process of flattening the curve (of the virus).
She has been kept busy cancelling housing reservations for riders and staff involving shows that would have been held through the Upperville, Va., show that was supposed to be held in June but has been moved to September.
Stacia, who has trained dozens of national equitation champions, knows that there could be issues around qualifying for finals. She said she has seen emails of people offering various suggestions and realizes that whatever happens “it’s probably not going to be standard.”
“If we get to show, great. If we are going to keep our horses and staff and customers and peers healthy and happy and try to get them ready for ‘20-21, so be it.”
I’m taking it show by show,” she stated.
