Nancy Jaffer
EQUESTRIAN SPORTS
NEWS AND FEATURES
FROM NEW JERSEY AND BEYOND
Remembering those who said farewell in 2025
Between the celebration of Christmas and new year's eve champagne toasts, let's take a few minutes to think about the people and horses who sadly left us over the last 12 months. They deserve our attention in a final salute, recalling their achievements and what they...
A new leader for the Irish show jumping team
You may know her best as an interviewer and analyst on the live stream, but Jessica Kürten has just been appointed Horse Sport Ireland's new High Performance Jumping Manager, succeeding Michael Blake. One of Ireland’s most accomplished, and influential figures in...
A battle of the dressage titans
It has been an incredible year for the low-key world number one Justin Verboomen of Belgium and his fabulous Hanoverian stallion Zonik Plus, with victories at Aachen and the European Championships. On Sunday, the duo finished their year in the same style, with a...
Youth takes the prize in London show jumping grand prix
Show jumping often is called a lifetime sport. No one takes that more seriously than John Whitaker, who spent decades as a mainstay of the British team and is still going at age 70. When the London International Horse Show drew to a close Sunday, John found himself in...
A fond send-off for retiring Explosion W
Explosion W got a salute worthy of a remarkable show jumper who had won 16 5-stars and individual Olympic gold. as he retired with Ben Maher aboard at the London International Horse Show on Sunday night. A sold-out arena cheered him and 6,000 glow sticks were waved in...
We’re not the only ones…
The survival of struggling national-level jumping show circuits, the places where riders can improve their skills at less cost than on the international level, is a global concern. It was a topic last week at both the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association's annual meeting in...
Open discussion was the hallmark of the USHJA’s annual meeting
At a non-competition gathering of equestrians -- case in point, the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association's annual meeting -- the array of issues feels daunting. Even days starting with 7 a.m. sessions hardly seem long enough to tackle them. From horse welfare and a new...
A sad farewell to a beloved mentor of youth and horses: UPDATE on visitation
Judy Hennessy was the salt of the earth, an amazing person; an inspiration, a dedicated teacher, all that and more, as expressed by hundreds of people whose lives she touched, and hundreds more who simply held her in their hearts. They all mourned her passing on...
Rocky rocks it at WEC dressage
The winning Grand Prix Freestyle presented by Christian Simonson and Indian Rock Friday night at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala was performed to music with a double significance. The tunes were from the Rocky movies, obviously appropriate since the 12-year-old...
Adrienne Cotter passed away
Adrienne Ann Cotter, a former executive vice president of the American Horse Shows Association, died Friday. She is survived by her husband, Martin, and two children, Ian and Rhea. For decades Adrienne was a staple in the horse community on Long Island and...
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