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Barisone gets a psychiatric diagnosis

Barisone gets a psychiatric diagnosis

An increasingly panicked and desperate Michael Barisone was trying to get help as his life was spinning out of control, a psychiatrist testified today in the dressage trainer's trial on attempted murder and weapon charges. The expert witness, Dr....

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Sandra Nagro Lobel has left us

Sandra Nagro Lobel has left us

"She was a horsewoman through and through, to her core, and every moment we got to spend with her made us better horsewomen and better people. She was a class act." That's how Sandra Nagro Lobel was remembered by a former student, Elizabeth...

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Pain on view at the Barisone trial

Pain on view at the Barisone trial

It was a difficult day at the Michael Barisone attempted murder trial in Morristown, N.J., as his former student, Lauren Kanarek, talked about her wounds, wiping away tears as she recounted the incident that led to her hospitalization for three...

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Michael Barisone goes on trial

Michael Barisone goes on trial

After thousands of speculative, gossipy posts on social media and multiple court conferences, dressage trainer Michael Barisone's attempted murder trial finally got under way today in Morristown, N.J., with dramatic opening statements from his...

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A new ID for WEF HQ

A new ID for WEF HQ

Rebranding is a strategy used to update messaging after a business reorientation, to make the brand more relevant to new markets and new audiences, or to showcase the brand under a new parent company. That should give you the context to understand...

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Mary Knowlton has a new role

Mary Knowlton has a new role

After decades running her Knightsbridge training stable in Monmouth County, N.J., Mary Knowlton has moved on to an administrative job at Princeton Show Jumping. She acted on a long-term realization when an opportunity presented itself, making a...

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Alice Tarjan takes a quirk in stride

Alice Tarjan takes a quirk in stride

With Donatella M, the warm-up is the hardest part of competing. "She's completely terrified of the other horses," said her owner/rider, Alice Tarjan, who is competing at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. "It's been a problem her whole life....

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Wellington Wrap-up

Wellington Wrap-up

For one person, covering everything that's happening in Wellington on a show week is impossible, even though the distance between the dressage and hunter/jumper showgrounds is relatively short. But with nearly 20 rings going, it can be tough to...

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A little more good news on Cassandra Kahle

A little more good news on Cassandra Kahle

After several days without much progress, Cassandra Kahle thrilled everyone at her hospital bedside about 9:30 yesterday morning when she opened her eyes. And today, it got even better. "Her eyes were open for several minutes at a time," reported...

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Answered prayers: She’s waking up at last!

Answered prayers: She’s waking up at last!

After several days without much progress, Cassandra Kahle thrilled everyone at her hospital bedside about 9:30 this morning when she opened her eyes. And that's not all she did. The 29-year-old professional rider, who suffered a traumatic brain...

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Please pray for Cassie Kahle, Feb. 7 update

Please pray for Cassie Kahle, Feb. 7 update

Show jumper Cassandra Kahle, who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) after a fall during a competition last month, has been diagnosed with diffuse axonal injury (DAI) in her brain. Emil Spadone, the owner of Redfield Farm where 29-year-old...

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Cassie Kahle, the Feb. 6 update

Cassie Kahle, the Feb. 6 update

Update note: This weekend, things were status quo for show jumper Cassandra Kahle, who is hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury. We will update you as things change. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page to cover medical and rehab expenses for Cassie has...

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UPDATE: Prayers for Cassandra Kahle

UPDATE: Prayers for Cassandra Kahle

After making some progress, Cassandra Kahle developed aspiration pneumonia from her breathing tube today. Although the professional show jumper has been unconscious since a fall last weekend, on Wednesday she was able to respond to commands, such...

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Helgstrand Dressage gets a “name” manager

Helgstrand Dressage gets a “name” manager

It all started just a week ago tonight. Lars Petersen was at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Fla., for the Friday Night Lights freestyle and walked over to speak with his old compatriot, Andreas Helgstrand. Lars, a Danish...

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Saluting the horses at the USEF  convention

Saluting the horses at the USEF convention

The U.S. Equestrian Federation's annual meeting wrapped up last night in Naples, Fla., with a salute to the country's standout horses in six breeds and disciplines. The Smart Pak/USEF Horse of the Year Awards featured not only high-score horses in...

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Where is Monmouth at the Team headed?

Where is Monmouth at the Team headed?

What’s in the future for Monmouth at the Team? The former Monmouth County Horse Show made an impressive statement as a boutique fixture in Somerset County, with the lure of lavish hospitality and a welcoming style. Most important in terms of...

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Dressage finals bring out Jersey stars

Dressage finals bring out Jersey stars

It has been an incredible year for New Jersey dressage riders, who made quite a mark at major competitions, ending their spectacular season with last weekend’s U.S. Dressage Finals. Heather Mason of Flying Change Farm in Lebanon has found the key...

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Barisone trial will be delayed

Barisone trial will be delayed

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...

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“Fast away the old year passes…”

“Fast away the old year passes…”

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...

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Sometimes (almost) everything goes right…

Sometimes (almost) everything goes right…

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,...

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Mason Phelps sadly has said farewell

Mason Phelps sadly has said farewell

Whether he was on the red carpet, running a horse show, pulling out all the stops to organize a party or helming his public relations firm, Mason Phelps Jr. was always a force to be reckoned with. He knew everyone and had a knack of getting them to...

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Disaster. Devon Horse Show cancelled

Disaster. Devon Horse Show cancelled

The stunning announcement came today that the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair is cancelled for the second year in a row, as the organizers and board cited “far-reaching operational and financial implications due to on-going (Covid-related)...

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The same, but different

The same, but different

From the outside, much looks familiar this year at the Winter Equestrian Festival and Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Fla. The palm trees at the entrances sway in a slight breeze, amid inviting landscaping blooming with brightly...

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“Fast away the old year passes…”

“Fast away the old year passes…”

The headline today is from the fourth verse of “Deck the Halls,” one of my favorite carols. It’s quite appropriate; for most of us; Covid 2020 can’t pass away fast enough. Here we are in the middle of the “holidays,” which haven’t felt very festive...

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Kim Herslow is singing a new song with Elvis

Kim Herslow is singing a new song with Elvis

Moments of glory with horses usually are fleeting, but the disappointments too often seem to come like clockwork. Kim Herslow actually enjoyed more than few of those splendid special moments with Rosmarin, a Hanoverian she bought in Germany as a...

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The U.S. fall circuit will ride again

The U.S. fall circuit will ride again

The persistent question of how the USA’s three major fall indoor shows could run during a pandemic-plagued season was answered today: They are going ahead, even though it won’t quite be business as usual in the Covid era. It’s good news, following...

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Laura Chapot does it again

Laura Chapot does it again

She’s been the Winter Equestrian Festival’s overall open jumper champion rider at least since 2009, though Laura Chapot hasn’t kept track of how many times the honor has come her way over the years. And while she claimed the title again in...

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The big test awaits at the Maryland 5-star

The big test awaits at the Maryland 5-star

Ian Stark is as intense as the cross-country course he has designed for the first Maryland 5-Star event at Fair Hill. It will be tested tomorrow afternoon by a top international field of competitors who have talked about little else at the venue...

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Townend on top at Fair Hill

Townend on top at Fair Hill

He’s the number one-ranked eventer in the world, so where did you expect he’d be on the first day of the first Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill? That’s right, Great Britain’s Oliver Townend is in the lead, performing a slick and well-modulated dressage...

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Jersey Fresh can run again in 2022 IF….

Jersey Fresh can run again in 2022 IF….

Even though the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event won’t have its 4-star Long division starting in 2023, the Horse Park of New Jersey trustees “enthusiastically” have voted to stage the event in 2022--“so long as we can obtain the necessary...

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What happened to the Americans?

What happened to the Americans?

There’s no way around it. The outcome of the Olympics for the U.S. eventing team was disappointing. When I made my predictions, I didn’t think the squad would reach the podium, but there was always a chance it would come close. So it was a blow to...

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Olympic eventing dressage wraps up

Olympic eventing dressage wraps up

We started out at a decent hour for Eastern Daylight Time, 7:30 p.m., rather than 4:30 a.m. the way we did this morning, as the third member of each team took their turn in the sandbox for the finale of the dressage phase. As the segment began,...

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Bella Rose bows out

Bella Rose bows out

Bella Rose, ranked as the world's number one dressage horse with Isabell Werth of Germany, is retiring. The silver medal individual test she performed yesterday will be her last. Breeding could be in the future for the 17-year-old daughter of...

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Winning big at the Essex Horse Trials

Winning big at the Essex Horse Trials

Hannah Sue Burnett found a home at the top of the Essex Horse Trials’ leaderboard, and brought her associates along for the ride this weekend at Moorland Farm in Far Hills. She took the marquee event, yesterday’s Open Preliminary, with the...

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Those Summer Days of dressage in Gladstone

Those Summer Days of dressage in Gladstone

“It’s always so hot for this show,” I heard a rider say as she walked her horse toward the ring during the Summer Days dressage show at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone yesterday. Well yes, because it’s summer in New Jersey. Now if...

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Boyd Martin does it again

Boyd Martin does it again

Just call him Champ. Boyd Martin completed his sweep of the two U.S. spring eventing championships today at the Jersey Fresh International Horse Trials, where he came from behind in the 4-star Long on Luke 140 to win the division, taking the U.S....

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Black and white equals blue ribbons for Tarjan

Black and white equals blue ribbons for Tarjan

It all started with Licorice, a black pony with four white socks who tactfully could best be described as “a brat.” But he provided quite a legacy for Alice Tarjan, who figured out how to ride him well enough so he would do what she wanted, rather...

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Learning about foxhounds from the experts

Learning about foxhounds from the experts

This weekend is one that the Essex Foxhounds usually devote to appreciating the country way of life, highlighted by its Masters Chase of fun races at Natirar, a Somerset County park that once was part of a great estate. The Covid situation meant...

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Getting back in the game at Gladstone

Getting back in the game at Gladstone

Things were Covid-quiet at the USET Foundation’s Gladstone headquarters for several months while it was closed to visitors. So this week’s Summer Days Dressage shows, presented by the Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association,...

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