Nancy Jaffer
EQUESTRIAN SPORTS
NEWS AND FEATURES
FROM NEW JERSEY AND BEYOND
Horse/human interaction is on the agenda at a unique conference
Interested in exploring the benefits of equine-assisted psychotherapy to improve parent-child relationships? How about the importance of understanding what horses are telling us through their "wanted and unwanted behavior." The Horses and Humans Research Foundation...
Should a single judge be able to eliminate show jumping competitors having “difficulty”?
The International Jumping Riders Club has "serious concerns," about a new elimination rule that allows a single judge to eliminate a horse or rider who appear to be having difficulty during their round. The organization is asking the FEI (international equestrian...
Counting falls; falls count
Falls of horse and of rider in competition will be reported in the class results of every U.S. Equestrian Federation competition beginning Dec. 1, the organization has decided, calling the procedure "a safety and welfare measure." In what can only be called a...
No surprise in the Aachen freestyle
The Paris theme of TSF Dalera BB's freestyle music made its usual memorable impression today at Aachen, as Jessica von Bredow-Werndl completed her sweep of the Grand Prix dressage competition. After her final salute, Jessica hugged her mare’s neck as the fans stood...
The quest ended too early for McLain Ward… UPDATE
McLain Ward, who was hoping to be only the second person to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, had two of the first three fences down today in the Rolex Grand Prix at the Aachen horse show in Germany and retired from the class. He was aboard HH Azur, on whom he...
U.S. off to good start in Aachen eventing: BULLETIN
Take the results from April's Land Rover Kentucky 5-star, mix in a couple of more big names and you have the standings from the dressage phase of this morning's Aachen, Germany, eventing competition. It's run in the same format as a horse trials, with show jumping...
Time to chip your horse
The U.S. Equestrian Federation this week passed a rule calling for all horses competing in USEF licensed or endorsed competitions to be microchipped as of Dec. 1, 2025. The chip used must be a 15-digit ISO compliant 11784/11785 model that is implanted in the nuchal...
Speaking out about the grassroots
The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association's most recent Town Hall webinar was a "Recognized Riding Academy-inspired" program, geared to addressing the concerns of the grassroots. Previous Town Halls have dealt with such first-world equestrian issues as increasing prize money...
Enjoy the extras during Dressage at the Park
Dressage at the Park, July 6-9 at the Horse Park of New Jersey, will have 1- and 2-star FEI competition this year in addition to national classes. It offers nine qualifiers for various championships as well. Those trying to qualify for the Pan American Games in Chile...
What’s in a name?
What's in a name? A lot, when it's as ill-conceived as the new "League of Nations." That's what the FEI (international equestrian federation) is calling the re-do of the Longines Nations Cup series for 2024. The first time I heard how the FEI intended to christen the...
