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 colored flowers.
But inside the venues, it’s quite a different story. The Covid era is a difficult time to run a horse show; so extreme caution has to be the byword.
sign near the rings at the Equestrian Village where dressage is held. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Those in the select credentialed group permitted to enter the showgrounds at Equestrian Village and the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center immediately are confronted by warning signs about mask-wearing and social distancing, the all-too-familiar Covid protocols.Temperature checks are mandatory, whether in a sophisticated walk-through tunnel or from a hand-held device.
If you fail to comply with the mandate of “keeping a horse distance apart” in the view of the green-vested security people, they will advise you to social distance, should they think you’re getting too close to someone during a conversation. “Loitering” is not allowed and instead of standing ringside to watch the action, riders and trainers are required to sit in socially distanced chairs around areas reserved for their use.
Management has to be careful–they don’t want an outbreak of the virus. The shows are being watched, and there is always the fear that the authorities could shut them down at any time.
Michael Stone, president of Equestrian Sport Productions, has worked with show manager Dave Burton since last spring to run shows according to state guidelines as well as U.S. Equestrian Federation mandates, which bar fans from the showgrounds.Only five people per horse (rider, trainer, groom, farrier, etc.) are allowed. Others who can enter are competition staff, service providers and support personnel, but not members of the general public..
.If you are not socially distanced, you will be reminded. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
“It hasn’t been easy. To maintain the level of mask wearing, social distancing, has taken a lot of work and it’s costing us a lot of money,” Michael told me.
When shows first started up again, “there was a lot of pushback,” he acknowledged, both from people who thought showing was inappropriate during a pandemic and riders who disliked the restrictions.
Since then, however, the measures have been accepted..The hardest thing for some to understand, he mentioned, is the fact that people can go to dinner outdoors at a restaurant in Wellington without a mask, but at the show a few miles away, caution is the watchword.
As Michael emphasized, here’s what counts: “At the end of the day, the sport is happening.”.
“You’re always going to get cases, but we managed to keep them very low.. In general, people have been amazing how responsible they’ve been. Because they realize, it’s a sport, but it’s also an industry. Without the sport, we don’t have an industry,” Michael pointed out.
“Now they have gotten used to us, so because we’re so strict, they just accept it. It’s working.”
We all miss the electric atmosphere that has become a trademark of these shows, which until now have always drawn an enthusiastic crowd for their featured competitions. Efforts over the years have popularized the shows with the public in the area.,Now, sadly, the public has been dis-invited. In 2021, would-be spectators are warned even on the billboard at the intersection near the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center–a sign on which events have always been promoted–that spectators can’t come in.
At PBIEC, the site of the WEF show jumping grands prix, the grounds used to be packed with thousands on festive evenings, At last night’s grand prix, strapping tape covering every third and fourth seat on the side opposite the VIP area meant people didn’t need an enforcer to keep them apart.
The PBIEC carousel in early February 2020. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
A sad, empty carousel stands idle near the entrance to PBIEC. It’s a reminder of children’s laughter in past years while crowds once streamed past on their way to watch the competition,go shopping, buy a snack or grab a drink. The plaza where all that happened is now empty, and the popular taco restaurant is closed..
But as riders, officials and the folks who fill the myriad jobs it takes to run a competition will tell you, they are just grateful that the shows are going on, as they have in Wellington since last spring, while so many other fixtures in the U.S. and around the world have been cancelled.
A year later, the closed sign on the PBIEC carousel says it all. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
The Grand Prix Freestyle for the only 5-star-rated dressage show in the Western Hemisphere was run without the bleachers that are usually filled to capacity at Global. The VIP area on the other side of the ring had 350 in attendance, half of the usual number, and all were at socially distanced tables.
There was no standing at the bar (servers had to bring drinks to avoid crowding) and the buffet was definitely not serve-yourself. Even cookies were individually plastic-wrapped.
The small audience applauded the usual high-caliber performances, but without the cheers of hundreds in the grandstand, it felt a bit spooky.
Olympic medalist Steffen Peters remembered how it used to be under the lights, enjoying such a strong connection with spectators. After winning the 5-star Freestyle on Suppenkasper with a mark of 80.995 percent this weekend, he recalled wistfully how things used to be when he finished his test to a chorus of resounding cheers.
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper on their way to winning the 5-star freestyle, with only a couple of people ringside where hundreds of fans used to be. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
“I loved to go at the end really close to the rail give a few high-fives.,There’s no better dressage fan than the American dressage fan.” said Steffen..
“I love to keep them involved, especially if there are kids on the side. I missed that for sure,” commented the rider after scoring his 19th victory in a row since January 2020.
Show jumper Todd Minikus observed that when there’s a crowd, “I think the horses feel it; for sure, the riders feel it. I think some of the horses really gain a little more ability, a little more scope, when they feel the buzz from the crowd.”
Crowd or no crowd, being able to have the shows is the most important thing.
“Everybody is appreciative. I’m glad the people in charge of this have had enough foresight to keep it rolling,” Todd commented. At the same time, he added, “I think it is time for people to come back and watch,” but that of course is up to USEF.
Bertram Allen of Ireland topped two of his countrymen, along with WEF perennial winner Daniel Deusser of Germany and Canadian veteran Mario Deslauriers in the $401,000 Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix at PBIEC in its 5-star this weekend.
Bertram Allen winning the Lugano Grand Prix on Pacino Amiro. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Riding the Irishbred Pacino Amiro, Bertram finished in 35.32 seconds, 1.79 seconds ahead of another Irishman, Daniel Coyle on the Zangersheide mare, Legacy.
Bertram has no problems with the masks and social distancing..
:”We’re very, very lucky to be here competing,” he explained.
In regard to the protocols, Bertram commented, “If that’s all we have to do, it’s fine. We’re very privileged and getting a chance a lot of people don’t get and can’t do” ”
