EQUESTRIAN SPORT IS OUR PASSION
APRIL 2016
Combined Driving
CHAMPION CHESTER WEBER
Hitting her stride
CHLOE REID AIG
$1 MILLION
Grand Prix Results
The Unstoppable
Marilyn Little
Contents APRIL 2016 ISSUE
Directory & Columns 08 10 30 38 42
Publishers Note: Rail Talk Horse News Snapped by the Rail: HITS Thermal Snapped by the Rail: Live Oak Ocala Guide: Good Eats & Drinks
Features 16 20 24 32
Chester Weber Cover Story: Marilyn Little Chloe Reid AIG Grand Prix Results
PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Bonnie Thibodeau ART DIRECTOR Mary Racila WEB DESIGN Rebecca Fox CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS ESI Photography Pics of You
Cat Allen
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Alexis Karlson Jane Meggitt
Above the Rail magazine is Published 12 times a year by Equinox Media Group LLC, Š 2016. Above the Rail and its subcontractors do not endorse opinions or its writers and assume no liability for claims to advertise.
TO ADVERTISE Call 352-598-6668 or Email bonnie@abovetherailmag.com
Media kit can be found on www.abovetherailmag.com
Rail Talk ABOVE THE RAIL MAGAZINE spent an amazing month out and about at the shows. Between the excitement and beauty of the Live Oak International Show, and the opportunity of meeting Chester Weber, who always seems to shine; To HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, Fla., finding Tom Struzzieri sitting alone in the old office working away. I am always amazed how he keeps it all together and makes it look so easy. Tom, it was great meeting you! On March 20, we headed west to the AIG $1 Million Grand Prix in Thermal, Calif., where McLain Ward, Charlie Jayne and Johnathan McCrea were the only 3 clears. The competition was great and the atmosphere with all of the spectators was simply spectacular ‌ THIS just set the bar and the anticipation of the Rolex Kentucky threeday Eventing coming up April 28-May 1 and the Kentucky Derby on May 7 at Church Hill Downs. Above the Rail magazine is honored and grateful to be a part of all these events! We want to share the experience with you — Look for coverage of these special events and much more in our May and June issues. Thank you to all our advertisers and readers, for the support and the excitement over the welcomed changes in Above the Rail. The magazine is now available monthly and pleased to be adding 2016 Dressage and Eventing. I am so excited and looking forward to a great year.
BONNIE THIBODEAU PUBLISHER
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HORSE NEWS
Three-Day Event OCALA JOCKEY CLUB INTERNATIONAL $100,000 IN PRIZE MONEY REDDICK, FL — The Ocala Jockey Club and Equiventures are pleased to announce that a record-breaking $100,000 in prize money will be awarded at the inaugural Ocala Jockey Club International Three-Day Event to be held over Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 24-27, 2016, in Reddick, Fla. The purse is the highest amount offered by any recognized event below the four-star level in North America. The pressing need to inject more prize money into the sport has long been lamented by professional event riders around the world, and Ocala Jockey Club owners Erik and Pavla Nygaard are committed not only to hosting a world-class event at their facility, but also to offering a prize pot that will attract the sport’s top riders. “The Ocala Jockey Club International Three-Day Event has generated a great buzz in the U.S. eventing community and with international riders,” Erik Nygaard said. “We are excited about bringing top-level eventing to Ocala. This level of prize money fits with our desire to attract top eventing riders and will position the competition as one of the sport’s premier destination events for years to come.”
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The event, organized by Equiventures and featuring 2012 London Olympics Eventing Manager Alec Lochore as Event Director, will host a CIC3*, CCI2* and CCI* at the inaugural Thanksgiving event, which will unveil brand new cross country courses from world-renowned designer Mike EtheringtonSmith and Olympian Clayton Fredericks. Equiventures CEO Richard Trayford believes professional event riders should be afforded the same opportunity to compete for a substantial amount of prize money like athletes in any other top sport. “Event riders need the opportunity to earn enough at a competition to make a living out of being a competitor,” Trayford said. “We want to contribute to the goal of having professional riders be focused on competing.”
HORSE NEWS
Michael Jung & A German Triumph
FEI NATIONS CUP EVENTING AT FONTAINEBLEAU
Their team mates, Jorg Kurbel (Brookfield Bouncer) and Andreas Ostholt (So Is Et), were also clear on cross country, although like most of the field with time penalties in double figures. Host nation France finished second, led by former European champion Nicolas Touzaint (FRA), who knows his way around the twisting forested tracks of Fontainebleau well and finished fourth individually on Crocket 30, and European team silver medalists Thomas Carlile and Sirocco du Gers who placed fifth individually. Gwendolen Fer and Romantic Love, who came second in Fontainebleau last year helping France to win the series opening leg, were this year eliminated for a horse fall at fence 14. Ireland, who won the last FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing meet of 2015 in Boekelo, placing sixth overall in the series, produced 12
another determined performance in Fontainebleau and finished third, led by Jonty Evans, who placed 11th individually on his exciting Olympic prospect Cooley Rorkes Drift.
Photo by Eric Knoll
FONTAINEBLEAU, FRANCE — Olympic and European champion Michael Jung and his wonderful 16-year-old horse La Biosthetique Sam FBW led the German team to victory in the competitive opening leg of the FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing 2016 at the weekend at Fontainebleau (FRA). Jung and Sam also took the individual CIC3* honors for the second year running (Jung was also second on FischerRocana FST) and Sandra Auffarth, the world champion, came third on her great chestnut gelding Opgun Louvo; she was the only rider in the field without cross country time penalties, finishing exactly on the optimum time of 6 minutes 15 seconds.
An all-male Australian trio led the dressage phase, but slipped to fourth when Andrew Hoy (Cheeky Calimbo) had a run-out at fence 10a. Bill Levett finished best of the team, in eighth place on Improvise. A three-rider Swedish team finished fifth, led by the 2012 Olympic silver medalist Sara Algotsson-Ostholt riding Reality 39. Great Britain, who won the FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing 2015, slipped from fourth after dressage to sixth out of nine teams with refusals at fence 18 for both Gemma Tattersall (Quicklook V) and Dani Evans (Smart Time). Izzy Taylor finished best of the quartet in 14th on Allercombe Ellie with the second fastest cross country time (2.4 penalties).
There were 49 clear rounds from the 71 cross country starters and 59 completions, but the optimum time proved influential around Olympic designer Pierre Michelet’s (FRA) track, which is always technically demanding thanks to its winding route around the ancient forest of Fontainebleau. The course at the next FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing 2016 venue, Ballindenisk (IRL), a typically, bold Irish track designed by Peter Fell (IRL), could not be more contrasting, and promises an equally thrilling competition this month, April 22-24.
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Opening at
NATIONS CUP LIVE OAK INTERNATIONAL 15
Combined Driving
CHESTER
WEBER 16
Champion
BY JANE MEGGITT
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B
abe Ruth and baseball. Tiger Woods and golf. Roger Federer and tennis. In the rarefied world of combined driving, Chester Weber is synonymous with the sport. In late February, Weber won a record 13th USEF National Four-in-Hand driving championship at the 25th annual Live Oak International Driving Event, held at his family’s 4,500 acre farm in Ocala, Florida. Weber first competed in driving in 1989, when he was just 13. He got started in driving much earlier, at about 8, with his family’s Clydesdales. Although he drives a four-in-hand these days, at age 16 he drove a six-horse Clydesdale hitch at Toronto’s Royal Winter Fair. It was while attending boarding school at New Jersey’s Blair Academy that Weber first got involved with combined driving, when a school friend introduced him to FEI competitor Jimmy Fairclough. Weber says that all great competitive horsemen have one thing in common — they can cull ruthlessly. “It’s not having four good horses,” according to Weber. “It’s having four, great, spectacular ones.” He buys prospects ranging from 3.5 to 11 years old, and his “hit rate” is about 50 percent. He works well with Dutch-bred horses, such as the Tuigpaard or Gelderlander. “The blood comes more from the Hackneys than the thoroughbreds. It just suits me better,” says Weber.
His top horses train six days a week. In the morning, they do mostly flatwork, but cover about six miles in the process. After that, they’re turned out in paddocks for a few hours. In the afternoon, they come in and each horse spends about 25 minutes walking on the treadmill. Weber keeps himself as fit as his equines, spending every morning from 7 to 8:30 a.m. working out in the gym. “I train every piece of my body,” he says. The Live Oak International features not only driving, but show jumping. His sister, Juliet W. Reid, niece Chloe Reid and wife My ride jumpers, so adding that sport was a natural decision. Weber notes there is a wonderful grass field for dressage and cones, and his sister and niece thought it ideal for jumping. “I didn’t think we could get the dates — but we did,” he says. “It’s a nice marriage of two sports.” Going forward, they may add eventing. In May, he’ll compete in the CHIO 4*at the Royal Windsor Horse Show and then head to Germany and The Netherlands for CAI and CAIO 3* and 4* events. While Weber never wants to be presumptuous, he’d “love to stand on a medal podium again.” n Photos by Pics of You.com
A potential driving horse must make a sharp first impression. Weber looks for something special that catches his eye and will catch the
judge’s eye. That might be the frame, neck or body type, but the horse must have presence. He knows that some young, “weedy” type horses might come into their own and develop presence as they mature.
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The unstoppable
Marilyn Little BY JANE MEGGITT
M
arilyn Little is famous for competing at the top levels of two different horse sports — show jumping and eventing. She has a new goal, although it can’t come to fruition until at least 2020. That’s representing the United States in both disciplines at the Olympics, which she believes has never been done before. For this year, she’s hoping for a spot on the eventing team in Rio de Janeiro. That means she must forego the invitation to join the show jumping Nation’s Cup team in Mexico, as the date conflicts with Rolex. While in Wellington, Little’s show jumpers are at HITS, while the eventers live at Jacqueline Mars’ property, Meredyth South, about 25 minutes away. Her eventers live outside at night, and some of her show jumpers come to Meredyth South on their days off for turnout. Besides the exercise benefits and the ability to live more naturally, Little believes turnout helps develop independence in young horses. As for young horses, she’s got plenty of them. Seven years ago, she started a breeding program for show jumpers, using broodmares she had ridden at Grand Prix. Today, her “babies” number 18. They all belong to her and are now out competing. Although she was born into a family of professional horsemen, her parents, Ray and Lynne Little, didn’t encourage her to
pursue an equine career. Instead, she was steered into various other sports and activities, including tennis, piano, violin, field hockey, soccer, scuba diving and snowboarding. She did well at all of them, but the horses drew her back. Today, this Renaissance woman — who majored in Rhetorical Communication and Eastern philosophy/religion at Wake Forest University — pilots her own plane, likes to go fishing and, of course, spends a lot of time looking for horses and fitting in some teaching when she can. How does she do it? Little calls herself “terrifying organized,” and notes that she is also a successful multi-tasker. Live Oak is her favorite venue in North America, and not just because of her success there. In February, she won both the $35k Grand Prix and the FEI $100k Grand Prix on the 12 year old Hanoverian mare Corona. She enjoys having the top jumpers, eventers and combined driving horses in one place, “seeing horsemanship at its finest,” according to Little. She likes the interaction and camaraderie between riders, eventers and drivers, all at their top of their game. “If we stop learning, we will be passed by,” she says. “Riding is always evolving — there’s no time to stand still.” In Europe, her favorite shows are Aachen and Breda, for many of the same reasons.
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Had she not pursued a career with horses, Little would likely have ended up in academia. She was in the process of getting her Ph.D. from the University of Miami in Rhetoric. Then again, she also has a great passion for interior design, so that would have been another career possibility for this singular woman. Wherever Marilyn goes, The Snook is sure to follow. He is, in his owner’s words, “a very fine feline.” The Snook, whom she adopted from the humane society after Hurricane Katrina “when his owner’s house blew away,” walks on a leash and comes when he’s called. Not only does he accompany Little to competitions in the United States, he has his own passport and travels with her to European shows. Above the Rail wishes her good luck in turning her dreams into reality. Perhaps she — and The Snook — will head to Brazil this summer. n
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“If we stop learning, we will be passed by,” Marilyn Little says. “Riding is always evolving — there’s no time to stand still.”
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Chloe I
REID
in the Weber family, equestrian success comes early. When the first Live Oak International was held in 1992 at Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation, Ocala, FL, her son Chester couldn’t compete in the combined driving event because he wasn’t yet 18, although he had been driving for six years. In 2012, his niece, Chloe Reid, then 15, was the youngest person ever selected to represent the United States in international show jumping competition. This year, now 19 year old Reid and the Irish sport horse Codarco came in second at the Live Oak international FEI $100K Grand Prix, held February 28. The pair finished just behind winner Marilyn Little and Corona 93, with no faults. Reid started showing at age 4 in the leadline class at Devon. She grew up in Washington, D.C., and trained with Kim Prince, Hume, Virginia as a young girl. She began competing in the jumper division in the sixth grade, and was “always the youngest” competitor in those classes in the early days. Reid had wanted to focus on equitation, but couldn’t find a horse with which she had a connection. “We went to Europe and found two jumpers we liked instead,” she recalls. Those two were the Dutch Warmbloods “King of Hearts,” who has since died, and “Windbreaker” who she later sold to a teenager who now shows the gelding. A sample of her jumping career awards to date includes: • Best Junior Rider Award at the Live Oak International Horse Show in Ocala, Florida 2013 and 2014 • U.S. National Junior Jumper Champion, 2014 • Selected to compete in Switzerland and Slovakia as a member of the U.S. National Equestrian Team, summer 2014 • Riesenbeck International Grand Prix Winner, 2015
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ALWAYS THE
YOUNGEST BY JANE MEGGITT Reid balances competing at the highest levels of the sport with attending college full-time. She’s a freshman at the University of Miami, considering a political science major. She currently attends classes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Every Wednesday night, she heads back to Wellington so she can participate in the qualifiers held each Thursday for that weekend’s Grand Prix. Once the qualifier is over, she’s back to Miami for Friday classes, returning to Wellington on Friday night and leaving again on Sunday evening. Her horses stay in shape while she’s away thanks to her “awesome team” — two young women who work for her. Once school is out in May, Reid is off to Europe to train with Meredith Michaels Beerbaum and compete on the European circuit. Her mounts Codarco, Athena and TNT Explosive will accompany her. Her goal is to make a few teams this summer. Her current string includes two stallions — Codarco and Victor E. The latter, a Dutch Warmblood, is the first stallion she owned, but Reid says the dark bay son of Indoctro isn’t given to studdish behavior. In fact, his barn name is “Fluffy.” Codarco does “have his moments,” but he, too, is not particularly stallion-like in his demeanor. Reid hopes to breed her stallions at some point. Overall, she doesn’t see much difference in the performance and has no preference for stallions, geldings or mares. Reid looks for a scopey, careful jumper, but it’s the individual horse’s “heart” that makes a great partnership. Asked for advice for young show jumpers, Reid responds: “Don’t get discouraged. The high and lows come close together.” She points out that she fell off Athena at Live Oak, while coming in second in the FEI $100K Grand Prix on Codarco. n 25
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Out & About HITS Thermal
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And the
Winners are... THERMAL, CA — Two-time Olympic gold medalist, McLain Ward, and Sagamore Farms’ Rothchild, rose to challenge a top-notch field of 33 riders, including Ocala’s 2015 Great American Million winner Charlie Jayne, to claim a prestigious victory by going double-clear on a challenging course in the first Jewel in the HITS Triple Crown of Show Jumping, the AIG $1 Million Grand Prix. This is Ward’s third HITS Million Grand Prix win, the first with his long-time partner Sapphire in Saugerties in 2010 and the second two years later on Antares F. The 2016 HITS Desert Circuit was in its final week of the season as an electric crowd descended upon HITS Desert Horse Park to witness the grand finale of the winter show circuit. A large spectator crowd filled the grandstand. Complete with a sold-out VIP club and thousands viewing a live United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Network webcast, featured on HITS TV, competitors did
not disappoint their fans as the showdown for an AIG $1 Million Grand Prix win unfolded. “I try to be fair to everyone, and a Grand Prix of this magnitude should have a sense of achievement,” said course designer Alan Wade of Ireland in regards to his 17-effort course built for both the seasoned competitor and Million new-comer. “The distances for the most part are straight forward but whether you jumped clear or had a rail, I want riders to walk away feeling like they learned something or their horse learned something.” “The course shows what a genius Alan is, it was straight forward in some areas, and tricky in others,” said Ward after winning the class. “I think all riders would agree that [HITS President and CEO] Tom Struzzieri, the HITS team and their sponsors put on a phenomenal production. HITS always has new and
First Place McLain Ward
AIG
$1 Million Grand Prix Thermal 2016
“I’ve made the mistake with [Rothchild] before where I hold back and try to ride more conservatively to back into the win,” said McLain Ward of his jump-off ride. “I knew Charlie wasn’t as fast as he could be and a few of his stride options didn’t show up, so my plan was to ride a quick round without taking massive risks.” 33
innovative jump material every year, it keeps the sport interesting and keeps the horses’ and spectators’ interest levels up — I love coming out here to show at HITS Thermal, it was a great crowd today.”
and has a faster horse,” said Jayne of his jump-off strategy. “Things didn’t go exactly according plan, I was planning six strides from jump two to three, but I caught the angle and had a bit of a shift. I just had to put the pressure on being fast.”
Faults were spread evenly throughout the first round with both a tight time allowed of 87 seconds and a few navigational tests on course. A combination near the in-gate ending with a wide oxer followed by a left turn that came up quick to another oxer provided many faults as well as the last jump, the tall AIG liverpool heading toward the in-gate. Only three in the talented field would go clear to advance to the jump-off.
Next in the order was Ward and Rothchild, eager for a “bit of revenge,” as McLain would later say after coming in second to Jayne in last year’s Great American Million in Ocala, Florida. He and “Bongo” took the challenge as the fiery chestnut zoomed through course at his naturally fast pace. They clocked in with a blazing, fault-free 37.648 to steal the lead from Jayne by nearly two full seconds, pushing him to second.
Eric Navet riding out of Panileuse, California, narrowly missed a ticket to the jump-off with one heartbreaking time fault, ultimately placing his 87.076-second round in fourth. Germany’s Andre Thieme, a two-time Million Grand Prix winner, also felt the pressure of the clock, coming in just behind Navet in 87.817 with one time fault for fifth-place. The stands were anxious as the threehorse jump-off got underway, with McLain Ward and Rothchild, Charlie Jayne and Chill RZ, and Jonathan McCrea and Aristoteles V all jumping clear to advance to the final battle for the blue. As Ward, the eventual winner would say, the course “really proved just right,” with three making it to the jump-off. First to return for the jump-off was 2015 Great American Million Grand Prix winner Charlie Jayne of Elgin, Illinois, and the big-strided Chill RZ owned by Maura Thatcher and Alex Jayne. Jayne placed third in the 2015 AIG Million in Thermal, California, and with a 2015 Great American Million victory in Florida under his belt, he was looking to seal a Million win on the West coast. Jayne and Chill RZ soared through the course, jumping clear, but unable to leave out a stride in two of the option lines. They put down a quick, faultfree round in 39.829 to set the tone. “I’ve been in the up position a few times before and I knew I needed to be quick with McLain following me, he’s a fast rider 34
“I’ve made the mistake with [Rothchild] before where I hold back and try to ride more conservatively to back into the win,” said McLain of his jump-off ride. “I knew Charlie wasn’t as fast as he could be and a few of his stride options didn’t show up, so my plan was to ride a quick round without taking massive risks.” With Ward topping the leaderboard, Jonathan McCrea riding out of East Windsor, Connecticut, and Aristoteles V, owned by Candy Tribble and Windsor Show Stables had one last chance to etch their spot in the placings as the final rider in the jump-off. “I knew I had two very fast riders in front of me,” said McCrea. “Unfortunately, I made a mistake in the jump-off and it cost me, but overall my horse jumped very well.” McCrea was on his way to besting Ward’s time, until his horse spooked at a decorative obstacle on his way to the last line that cost him valuable seconds. McCrea and Aristoteles V clocked in fault-free, but their time of 40.410 was not fast enough to edge out Jayne and Ward on the leaderboard, giving them a third-place for their efforts. “It was a great class, and we of course have the super sponsor AIG for four years in a row now which is extraordinary, and we thank them for that amazing support,” said HITS President and CEO Tom Struzzieri. “It was a great way for us to finish the Desert Circuit.” n
Second Place
Charlie Jayne
AIG
$1 Million Grand Prix Thermal 2016
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Third Place
Jonathan McCrea
AIG
$1 Million Grand Prix Thermal 2016
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LIVE OAK Caught on Camera
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Snapped by
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OCALA GUIDE
Good Eats & Drinks IN & AROUND OCALA
ARTISINAL DISH Fine Grocer & Eats 6998 N Hwy 27, Unit 111, Ocala 352.622.9977 ocaladish.com artisancattle.com HORSE & HOUNDS Restaurant & Pub 6998 Hwy 27, Ocala 352.620.2500 THE IVY HOUSE, OCALA Restaurant & Catering 917 E Silver Springs Blvd , Unit #1, Ocala 352.622.5550
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