Nancy Jaffer
EQUESTRIAN SPORTS
NEWS AND FEATURES
FROM NEW JERSEY AND BEYOND
U.S. falls short in Barcelona Nations Cup show jumping final
So close, yet so far away. By just one penalty, the U.S. lost its bid at the FEI Nations Cup Final to beat Brazil and secure a berth for the Paris Olympics. In Sunday's final round of the competition in Barcelona, the U.S. had a total of 9 penalties, one more than...
The fallout from cancellation of the Zone 2 Championships (UPDATE Sept. 27)
As we could have predicted, cancellation of the Zone 2 championships due to inclement weekend weather was a hot topic for Monday’s U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Town Hall via Zoom. USHJA President Mary Knowlton fielded a variety of questions about the situation. The...
U.S. makes show jumping Nations Cup final round
The U.S. show jumping team is a step closer to qualifying for next year's Paris Olympics after making the top group in the first round of the Longines FEI Nations Cup Final in Spain on Thursday. The best eight teams of 15 nations that started over the Santiago...
Babington benefit show is now a special tradition
It's been five years since show jumper Kevin Babington suffered a catastrophic fall in a grand prix, but his friends haven't forgotten the paralyzed Olympian. On October 1, they will hold what has become an annual benefit horse show, a fixture that debuted a few weeks...
“Reshaping” Dressage at Devon adds sparkle
Dressage at Devon, once a highlight of the competition season, has been facing challenges for years as the yearlong show calendar was rearranged to the disadvantage of its autumn date. The Northeast no longer is a hub of high-level dressage. There was a time, however,...
Centenary University will be joining the ranks of NCEA
New Jersey will get its first National Collegiate Equestrian Association team as Centenary University introduces its participation in the 2024-25 academic year. Centenary, based in Hackettstown with an equestrian center in nearby Washington Township, also will keep...
Top-notch team named for Barcelona Nations Cup final
Karl Cook, who won the 2023 American Gold Cup last weekend with Caracole de la Roque, has been named with an all-star group of riders to the U.S. squad for the Barcelona Nations Cup final later this month. The 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games gold medal teammates...
Mr. Medicott is gone
At the age of 24, the durable eventer Mr. Medicott left us last weekend. Retired in Virginia at the farm of Jacqueline Mars, the Irish-bred son of Cruising was a star for the U.S. with three different riders. The first was Karen O'Connor, who took over the reins from...
Peggy Thomas has passed away
Peggy Thomas, the owner of U.S. dressage star Brentina, died this month at her farm in Idaho. She was 97. Debbie McDonald, who guided Brentina to an FEI World Cup Finals victory, as well as medals in the Pan American Games, the World Equestrian Games and the Olympics,...
Remembering Mike Polaski
"The nicest guy" is the way friends characterized Mike Polaski, who was well-known on the horse show circuit and in thoroughbred circles as well. A self-made man "who lived life to the fullest," Mike died Sept. 10 at age 76 after being hospitalized for a stroke....
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