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January/February 2022
Official Publication of the United States Dressage Federation
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USDF CONNECTION
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EDUCATION “Showcasing the Benefits of Dressage to all Disciplines”
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COMPETITION “US Dressage Finals: Recap and Results”
Relive all the excitement from the biggest US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® EVER in the official event recap.
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A mother shares how adopting an American Saddlebred helped to heal her family as they were recovering from the trauma of her husband’s murder.
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A foal surrendered to a rescue at just 5 days old has made many believers in the Thoroughbred heart.
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AT-LARGE DIRECTORS ACTIVITIES COUNCIL SUE MANDAS 9508 Bridlewood Trail, Dayton, OH 45458 (937) 272-9068 • ald-activities@usdf.org ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL BARBARA CADWELL 324 Benjamin Street, Fernandina Beach, FL (715) 350 1967 • ald-administrative@usdf.org TECHNICAL COUNCIL SUE MCKEOWN 6 Whitehaven Lane, Worcester, MA 01609 (508) 459-9209 • ald-technical@usdf.org USDF Connection is published bimonthly by the United States Dressage Federation, 4051 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511. Phone: 859/971-2277. Fax: 859/971-7722. E-mail: usdressage@usdf.org, Web site: www. usdf.org. USDF members receive USDF Connection as a membership benefit, paid by membership dues. Copyright © 2022 USDF. All rights reserved. USDF reserves the right to refuse any advertising or copy that is deemed unsuitable for USDF and its policies. Excluding advertisements, all photos with mounted riders must have safety head gear or USEF-approved competition hat. USDF assumes no responsibility for the claims made in advertisements. Statements of fact and opinion are those of the experts consulted and authors, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the policy of USDF. The publishers reserve the right to reject any advertising deemed unsuitable for USDF, as well as the right to reject or edit any manuscripts received for publication. USDF assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. All materials must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Questions about your subscription or change in address? Contact USDF Membership Department, 859/971-2277, or usdressage@usdf.org. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: USDF, 4051 IRON WORKS PARKWAY, LEXINGTON, KY 40511. Canadian Agreement No. 1741527. Canada return address: Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor, Ontario N9A 6J5.
2 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
January/February 2022
USDF Connection
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
Volume 23, Number 5
Official Publication of the United States Dressage Federation
SPORT-HORSE BREEDING ISSUE
Columns
38
20%
4 Inside USDF
A Legacy of Excellence
18%
By Barbara Cadwell
6 Ringside
12%
High Notes
By Jennifer O. Bryant
Departments 3%
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Should I Performance-Test My Mare? By Maurine “Mo” Swanson
The Key to a Better Seat By Jennifer Mellace
The Crowdfunded Horse
34 GMO
How do some dressage riders afford pricey horses? They get a group of people to chip in—known as syndication
By Sue Weakley
Buying Peace of Mind By Penny Hawes
60 My Dressage
44
Blood Ties
By Beth Baumert
30 Rider
38
Systematic Thinking and Riding with Johann Hinnemann
26 Free Rein
Features
By Natalie DeFee Mendik
20 Clinic
18%
The Judge’s Box
From Training Level to Top of the World
Sport horses, pedigrees, and the pursuit of your perfect athlete
Building the Pipeline
By Anne Gribbons with Katherine Walcott
By Natalie DeFee Mendik
50
Renaissance Man
For classical master and World War II survivor Charles de Kunffy, art and horsemanship are one and the same
By Kim F. Miller
Basics 8 Contact 10 Sponsor Spotlight 11 Collection 56 Rider’s Market 58 USDF Connection Submission Guidelines
On Our Cover Illustration by Jody Lynne Werner for USDF.
58 USDF Office Contact Directory 59 Advertising Index USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
3
Inside USDF A Legacy of Excellence For the daughter of a prominent supporter of US sport-horse breeding, carrying on her late mother’s efforts means upholding her standards with pride
F
or me, pursuing excellence in US dressage and sport-horse breeding has been a family affair. I continue to operate the small breeding operation, Annie B Farm, that my mother, Anne Barlow Ramsay, established. As you may know, she passed away in May 2021 at the age of 96 (read her obituary in the September/October 2021 issue of USDF Connection). My mother was born in England. A lifelong horse lover, she stopped riding during secondary school and during her time in medical school in London. After she moved to the US, she became a naturalized citizen as soon as possible. Therefore, when she returned to riding when I was in high school, supporting American-bred horses became a high priority for her. She became active in the USDF, serving as a GMO delegate and as a member of the Historical Recognition Committee. Working with The Dressage Foundation, she created the Anne Barlow Ramsay Fund, which provides training grants for talented US riders and American-bred horses. I am proud that the USDF has created many programs to support sporthorse education and competition. The USDF Sport Horse Development Forum was designed as a bridge between dressage sport-horse breeding (DSHB) competition and the under-saddle performance ranks. Faculty members evaluate and work with young horses and their riders/trainers, giving guidance and feedback. Although no inperson forum is currently scheduled because of COVID restrictions, the USDF has created an online video portal to facilitate continuing education and outreach: For $25, a USDF
member ($50 for nonmembers) may submit a video of a three- or four-yearold horse for evaluation and feedback by a member of the faculty. The next USDF Youth/Young Adult Dressage Sport Horse Breeding Seminar will be held as soon as pandemic-related restrictions permit. This program is for aspiring sport-horse breeders and handlers aged 14 to 27. It highlights the various breeding, training, and sales operations of dressagefocused farms throughout the country. Plans are under way for the next USDF Sport Horse Seminar. This twoday program educates breeders, riders, trainers, and potential owners about the qualities to look for in a sport horse and how to rate them. The seminar serves as a prerequisite for becoming a USEF-licensed DSHB judge. The online USDF Education Library (find it on the USDF website under Education) contains multiple short courses of interest to breeders, including breeding basics, foal basics, and sport-horse conformation and judging. New courses are added frequently. And USDF Connection regularly showcases breeders and breeding
4 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
operations throughout the country, which is a great way to learn about US-bred horses. For those interested in DSHB competition, the USDF Breeders Championship Series offers breeders and owners the opportunity to showcase their youngsters and to vie for championship titles in nine series finals held in locations around the country. Scores earned in these competitions count toward USDF Breeder of Distinction awards and may also count toward USDF year-end awards. Several prestigious categories of USDF awards recognize excellence in DSHB and young-horse competition. USDF’s year-end awards program includes Dressage Sport Horse Breeding Horse of the Year, Materiale Horse of the Year, Dressage and DSHB Breeder of the Year, USEF Four-Year-Old, and FEI Five- and Six-Year-Old. Within USDF’s All-Breeds Awards program, several participating organizations offer annual awards in various younghorse and DSHB categories to eligible horses. For complete awards listings and requirements, see the USDF Member Guide. To help US breeders to further their sport-horse educations, The Dressage Foundation offers grants to help defray the costs of attending sport-horse seminars and other educational events, both in the US and abroad. Learn more at dressagefoundation.org. There are many opportunities for breeders and sport-horse enthusiasts to increase their training, education, and exposure through the USDF and The Dressage Foundation. Take advantage of them!
USDF FILE PHOTO
By Barbara Cadwell, USDF Administrative Council At-Large Director
Apache, Pref. x Weltmeyer
Breeding Sales
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© 2022 Iron Spring Farm, Inc., all rights reserved; Iron Spring Farm, ISF and Iron Spring Farm logo are trademarks of Iron Spring Farm, Inc. Photo courtesy of Stal Larakkers
Ringside High Notes Spotlighting sport horses and sport-horse breeding
“Blood Ties” (p. 44), I realized that I’ve made a number of the mistakes her sources, all well-known US sport-horse breeders, mentioned. As a buyer, I have viewed decidedly average horses through the rosecolored glasses of a dazzling Who’s Who pedigree. I have also chosen not to pursue potentially very nice horses solely because close relatives were “hot tamales.” In both cases, I failed to follow the #1 rule of horse-shopping, which is to evaluate each horse on its own merits as an individual. This being our annual breeding and sport-horse issue, you’ll find informative stories on other issues of interest to breeders, buyers, riders, and trainers, as well. Elite-caliber horses are out of financial reach for many, but some riders with modest budgets and big dreams have found a way: through syndicated or fractional ownership, in which multiple owners purchase shares, thereby pooling their assets to buy and maintain the horse. Setting up a syndicate is not a quickie do-ityourself arrangement and requires expert guidance. For a primer on the process, turn to page 38.
6 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
One of the methods that warmblood registries use to elevate the quality of their gene pools is performance testing of potential breeding stock. You may have heard of stallion testing, but mare performance testing exists, as well, and registries would love for more mare owners to take part in the process. USDF Connection’s sport-horse columnist, Maurine “Mo” Swanson, explains what’s involved in an MPT—and why she’s a fan—in her “Free Rein” column on page 26. It has become cliché to remark that the modern dressage horse outshines the model of yesteryear. Today’s sport horses exhibit unmatched scope and elasticity— some would say almost to the point of extravagance. I’m reminded of a comment that dressage master Charles de Kunffy made decades ago when talking about the evolution in sport-horse breeding: He said something to the effect that, while ordinary horses may have a collectedto-extended range equivalent to a couple of octaves in music, modern stars are the Mariah Careys of the dressage world, able to hit higher highs and lower lows. It’s fitting that de Kunffy used an arts analogy to explain a classicalhorsemanship concept, for that’s what this cultured gentleman is all about. Get to know de Kunffy in our revealing profile, “Renaissance Man,” on page 50. Then go make some beautiful music with your own horse.
Jennifer O. Bryant, Editor @JenniferOBryant
MICHAEL BRYANT
H
ave you ever met siblings whose appearance, personalities, and talents had absolutely nothing in common? Who were so different that it was hard to believe they were actually related? Of course you have. For every pair of siblings with a strong familial resemblance, there’s one that looks like random passersby plucked off the street. That’s how genetics works, and that’s why buying or breeding horses strictly on the basis of pedigree can be a bit of a gamble. My horse is by the same sire as a medal-winning US team horse, so I’ve informed him that he needs to step up his game. (I’ve also described my horse, lovingly, as said team horse’s somewhat less distinguished half-brother.) Having some famous horses in the family tree does not guarantee success: Scratch most warmblood pedigrees and you’ll find at least a few well-known names, so if that were all that’s needed we’d all have a Valegro in the barn. Nevertheless, certain names do appear in the pedigrees of top dressage horses with some regularity, and certain bloodlines gain reputations as producing offspring with common characteristics, whether that trait is ridability, “amateur-friendliness,” or “a professional’s ride,” which I think means inclined to behave like a kite. What are these magic bloodlines that produce amateurs’ dream horses? If I’m looking at a sale horse and its sire is known as a hot tamale, should I fuhgeddaboudit? We asked freelance writer Natalie DeFee Mendik to delve into these and other questions regarding sport-horse bloodlines. When I read Natalie’s report,
Contact NOMINATIONS OPEN
Member Appreciation The September/ October issue of USDF Connection was outstanding! I read it cover to cover as soon as I got it. I especially liked the “Free Rein” article about rules for attire being relaxed (“Color Me Traditional”), and I always study Dr. Hilary Clayton’s articles (“Sport Horse: Strengthen the Sling”). Please don’t ever stop publishing the hard copy. I share it with my non-dressage horsey friends. Jennie Hakes Aitkin, Minnesota September/October 2021
Official Publication of the United States Dressage Federation
Budget Travel for Dressage Enthusiasts (p. 48)
Clinic with Allison Brock: There Are No Training Shortcuts (p. 38) A Year in the Life of a Working Student
To accept the nomination, and if elected, a PM delegate nominee must:
• Be a current Participating Member of USDF. • Have a permanent residence and reside in the region for which they are running to represent. • Agree to serve a one year term, from the time of election in 2022 until the election in 2023. • Attend the 2022 Adequan®/ USDF Annual Convention.
June 1, 2022 is the deadline for nominations for USDF Vice President, USDF Secretary, and Regional Director in Regions 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Nominations for USDF Vice President, Secretary and Regional Director (in oddnumbered regions) will also be accepted from the floor of the Board of Governors meeting at the 2022 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention.
e-mail all nominations to
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Train Your Postural Muscles for Better Riding, Less Pain (p. 42)
Keep the Finals Focused on Amateurs While US Equestrian is currently contemplating rewriting the adultamateur status requirements, it’s time the USDF examines some of its own amateur rules. When the US Dressage Finals were introduced, adult-amateur riders celebrated that they finally had an event dedicated to them, where they could compete against other amateurs from around the country. As the Finals evolve, it’s time to look at what truly defines an amateur. Amateur status should no longer be defined solely in terms of whether a person gets paid for teaching. It should also be defined by the competitions in which you have participated and the titles you have won. For example, if an adult amateur competes in a CDI and places well, that rider cannot compete in the CDI Amateur division for one year. I propose that the USDF adopt similar restrictions for competing in the adult-amateur division at the US Dressage Finals. For instance, if you have represented the United States on a team in international competition, or if you have been part of an Olympic
8 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
Games or World Championships selection process, you would be required to compete in the open division at the Finals. If a horse you rode got invited to the US Dressage Festival of Champions, you would not be able to compete with that horse in the amateur division at Finals. These types of opportunities give competitors access to coaching and show-ring experience that a true amateur could never obtain, giving them an undoubted advantage. And if you win a championship title at the US Dressage Finals, you should not be allowed to compete at the Finals with that horse at that level again, even at Grand Prix. USDF Regional Championships and the US Dressage Finals need to remain amateur-friendly, as they are the biggest competitions most adult amateurs will ever take part in. If these issues are not addressed, amateurs will get frustrated with the qualifying process—some already have—and feel as if another event has been taken from them. Name withheld by request Editor’s note: Revisions to the US Equestrian rules regarding amateur status went into effect December 1, 2021. See page 12 of this issue for more information.
USDF Connection welcomes your feedback on magazine content and USDF matters. Send letters to editorial@usdf.org along with your full name, hometown, and state. Letters may be edited for length, clarity, grammar, and style.
T
Correction
wo names were misspelled in the November/December story “Kids Count in the FEI Children’s Division.” Our apologies to Emma Claire Stephens and her horse, Kappuccino.
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Collection Bits and Pieces from USDF and the World of Dressage
SHARON PACKER PHOTOGRAPHY
USEF Broadens Dressage Attire, Amateur Rules ★ Hart Wins Para Nationals ★ Paris Olympics Update
IN THE FRAME A delighted Rebecca Hart displays her swag—notably the champion’s tricolor and cooler—from the 2021 Adequan®/USEF Para-Dressage National Championship. Report, p. 13. Photo by Sharon Packer Photography.
USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
11
Collection GOVERNANCE US Equestrian Revamps Dressage Attire Rule, Relaxes Amateur-Status Requirements The much-anticipated rewrite to the dress code for US Equestrian (USEF)-licensed/USDF-recognized dressage competitions went into effect December 1, 2021.
MIX IT UP: The permitted color palette for dressage attire—including breeches—is much broader now
As USDF Technical Delegates Committee chair Jean Kraus explained in her September/October 2021 “Free Rein” column, “Color Me Traditional,” the USEF dressage
dress rule (DR120) largely hews to the traditional items of competition attire while expanding the range of permitted colors. If you hate the way your thighs look in white breeches, you may now wear dark- or light-colored breeches (as long as the color isn’t “bright”). Any single color is allowed in coats and jackets, as are subtle pinstripes, checks, or tweeds—but no stripes or coats of many colors. Ties, chokers, or stock ties may be any color (but remember to ditch the neckwear if jackets are waived, and make sure the shirt underneath is “without bold pattern”). Boots “of coordinating color(s)” are now permitted, as well. Riders at and below Fourth Level may even sport gloves of “any solid color,” although white or light-colored gloves are “recommended.” Read DR120 in its entirety in the USEF rule book (usef.org). Note that CDI competitors must still adhere to FEI attire rules (fei.org). Direct questions about the DR120 rewrite to dressage@usef.org. USEF amateur status. Many competitors welcomed a collection of extraordinary USEF rule changes, also effective December 1, 2021, that broaden the spectrum of
activities in which USEF members may engage without jeopardizing their amateur status. Amateurs may now accept remuneration for performing specified barn duties, including grooming and lungeing; and may accept a nonmonetary token or gift of appreciation costing less than $1,000 annually, up from $300 (GR1306.1). Amateurs may also receive remuneration as social-media influencers or social-media brand ambassadors; these categories are distinguished from “sponsored riders,” who are classified as professionals (GR1306.2). Amateurs may also accept remuneration for “teaching or training disabled riders for therapeutic purposes.” Certain USEF divisions now permit amateurs to teach a limited number of beginner riding lessons, but dressage is not one of them. Refer to the USEF rule book (usef. org) for more information. If you’re currently classified as a professional and think you can now reclaim USEF amateur status, or if you have questions about whether you’re an amateur or a pro under USEF rules, e-mail amateurinquiry@usef.org.
RENEW NOW! To renew visit
WWW.USDF.ORG/JOIN 12 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
CHELSEY BURRIS/USDF
All USDF Participating and Group Memberships Expired on November 30!
PARA-EQUESTRIAN DRESSAGE
MEET THE INSTRUCTOR
Paralympic Bronze Medalist Hart Wins Ninth National Title Just two months after she helped Team USA secure its first-ever Paralympic bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Rebecca Hart, Wellington, Florida, claimed her ninth national title by winning the 2021 Adequan®/USEF ParaDressage National Championship. It was Hart’s first national championship riding Fortune 500, an 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Fidertanz 2 – Weinrose, Don
said Hart, 37, who was born with a rare genetic disease called hereditary spastic paraplegia. But “Moola” stepped up and “has really just wowed me this entire week. He’s been so good and so consistent and steady. He’s just such a giant marshmallow, and he’s so much fun to have out here.” Hart began training with 2019 US Pan American Games dressage team silver medalist and individual
Eliza Sydnor Romm, Chapel Hill, North Carolina Eliza Sydnor Romm is a USDFcertified instructor/trainer through Fourth Level. She has competed through Grand Prix and teaches riders at all levels. She also specializes in starting young horses. She is based at her family’s Braeburn Farm in Snow Camp, North Carolina.
SYSTEM IN ACTION: Romm
SHARON PACKER PHOTOGRAPHY; BRITT GILLIS
IN THE MONEY: 2021 US para-dressage national champion Rebecca Hart on Fortune 500
Romantic) owned by Rowan O’Riley. The reserve championship went to Hart’s 2020 Paralympic teammate Kate Shoemaker on Solitaer 40, her partner in Tokyo. The competition was held October 29-31 at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina, site of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), where Hart made history by becoming the first US athlete to win a WEG para-dressage medal, the Grade III individual bronze. A challenge at the 2021 Nationals was damp, chilly weather that “really kicks in my spasticity,”
bronze medalist Jennifer Baumert in advance of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. “Before Tokyo,” said Hart, “Jen and I were still pretty new in our relationship, so we really learned a lot about each other on that trip and were just letting things settle in getting to know each other. We’re pushing each other more now and really working on fixing the things that we want to and adding the easiness, the harmony, and the power in the ring.” Hart’s next goal is to make the team for the 2022 FEI ParaDressage World Championships in Herning, Denmark, this summer.
How I got started in dressage: My mom, Cindy Sydnor, is a dressage trainer, and I’ve ridden all my life. I started competing in dressage when I was six. I wanted to get certified because: I was very involved with the program from an early age. I wanted to have the education to help me start out as an instructor. What I learned during the certification process: I really appreciated the systematic approach to analyzing horses and riders. Certification helped me to prioritize what to work on and how to go about it. Tip: I often hear people say they have not gone through the certification program because the workshops are too far away and too expensive. My suggestion is to consider working with your GMO to host a series at your own barn or a barn nearby. Also, investigate grant opportunities from The Dressage Foundation, as there are quite a few grants to help people with the cost of certification. There are ways to make it affordable, and it is worth it! Contact me: elizasydnor@gmail. com or (336) 214-5279. —Alexandria Belton
USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
13
Collection OLYMPIC GAMES FEI Proposes Three-Rider Teams for Paris 2024 The three-member equestrian-team format used at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games looks likely to be in place for the 2024 Paris Olympics, as well. At its 2021 Hybrid General Assembly in Antwerp, Belgium, in November, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) had to act quickly to assemble its proposed 2024 Olympic qualification systems for dressage, jumping, and eventing in advance of the December 2021 submission deadline set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). For dressage, the FEI has proposed a quota of 60 athletes for Paris: 15 three-member teams (45 athletes) and 15 individual competitors. Eventing
THE NEAR SIDE
would be allocated 65 athletes (16 three-member teams constituting 48 athletes), plus 17 individual competitors. Jumping would be the largest contingent, with 75 proposed total athletes (60 athletes on 20 three-member teams, plus 15 individuals). FEI president Ingmar De Vos emphasized that the threemember team format would apply only to Olympic and Paralympic Games. It would not apply to FEI championships, including this summer’s 2022 Ecco FEI World Championships in Denmark. The IOC Executive Board will approve the 2024 Olympic qualification procedures for all sports in February 2022.
USDF BULLETINS Attention, 2021 Awards Recipients
All 2021 bronze, silver, and gold medals; freestyle bars; Diamond Achievement pins; Master’s Challenge Awards; and Adequan®/USDF year-end and All-Breeds awards will be mailed to award recipients in January 2022. Contact USDF if you have not received your award by February 28, 2022.
Free Online Reports Available
USDF historical awards reports, owner’s/lessee and breeder’s horse portfolios, and dam/sire reports are available to current USDF participating, group, and business members free of charge. Please note that you must be logged into the USDF website to obtain reports at no charge.
I-I and I-II Test Reminder for Year-End Awards
For Adequan®/USDF year-end awards purposes, the Intermediate I and Intermediate II tests are not considered consecutive levels. See the USDF Member Guide for year-end award requirements regarding consecutive levels.
Reminder: Horse Ownership for USDF Awards
USDF horse registration must be in the name of the current owner or lessee, and a horse must be exhibited in the name of the current USDF owner or lessee of record. If a lease is on file with USDF, the horse must be exhibited under the ownership of the lessee.
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FINANCIAL AID Elite Riders, Dressage Instructors Receive Grants Claire Darnell, Mount Vernon, Washington, with her horse, Harrold S; and Amelia Newcomb, Simi Valley, California, with her horse, Harvard, are the 2021 recipients of the $25,000 Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize, The Dressage Foundation (TDF) announced.
(Charmeur – Beaudea, Tuschinski), qualified for the Developing Prix St. Georges championship at the 2020 US Dressage Festival of Champions, and in 2021 he and Newcomb qualified at Intermediate I. They will train with Johann Hinnemann and Christine Traurig. INSTRUCTOR SUPPORT: Lindgren Grant recipients Cunefare, Fucinaro, and Smith
RAMSAY GRANT RECIPIENTS: Lindsey Holleger and MW Ave Maria
CORTNEY DRAKE PHOTOGRAPHY; SUSANJSTICKLE.COM; LIZ GLANZ; COURTESY OF JANE FUCINARO; SUSANJSTICKLE.COM
GOING PLACES: Claire Darnell and Harrold S
Olympian Carol Lavell established the fund at TDF in 2009 to provide financial assistance to talented, committed, qualified riders with plans to reach and excel at the international levels of dressage. Darnell is a member of the Kundrun US Equestrian (USEF) Dressage Development Program and a USDF gold, silver, and bronze medalist. Harrold S, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Vivaldi – Zantana Sollenburg, Fidermark), was the 2019 Adequan®/USDF Fourth Level Horse of the Year and recently made his debut at Intermediate II. Darnell plans to use the funds to travel to Florida this winter to compete and to train with Olympians Jan Ebeling and Nick Wagman. Newcomb is also a Kundrun USEF Dressage Development Program member. Harvard, a nineyear-old Dutch Warmblood gelding
TDF, Lincoln, Nebraska, awarded its 2021 $25,000 Anne L. Barlow Ramsay Grant for US-Bred Horses to Lindsey Holleger, Middletown, New York, and MW Ave Maria. The grant fund, established by the late Dr. Anne Ramsay, aims to showcase talented American-bred horses ridden by US citizens by providing money to train and compete in Wellington, Florida, or in Europe. Holleger is a Kundrun USEF Dressage Development Program member. MW Ave Maria is an eight-year-old Oldenburg mare (Voice – Fiderline, Fidertanz) bred by Nancy Holowesko and owned by Jen Vanover of Maplewood Warmbloods, Middletown, New York. In 2021, MW Ave Maria competed at Intermediate I and was invited to the US Dressage Festival of Champions for the third year. Holleger plans to use the funds to travel to Wellington, Florida, to compete and to train with Scott Hassler. TDF awarded a total of $12,000
to three US dressage instructors through the Major Anders Lindgren Grant program, funded through the Carol Lavell Gifted Memorial Fund. These grants help dressage instructors to receive continuing education that will improve their teaching, riding, and training skills. Carol Cunefare, Durango, Colorado, is a USDF-certified instructor/trainer through Second Level. She plans to use the grant money to train in Florida and will study with Sarah Martin for six weeks. Jane Fucinaro, Omaha, Nebraska, a USDF-certified instructor/trainer through Second Level, will spend four weeks in Florida and two weeks in Colorado training with Sarah Martin. Emma Smith, Mound, Minnesota, is a USDF-certified instructor/trainer through First Level. She will train with Olivia LaGoy-Weltz over the winter in Florida. A new fund, added to the TDF roster in 2020, is the Team Tate Mentorship and Leadership Fund, established by the Tate family to aid dressage professionals in furthering their business, leadership, and equestrian skills. The 2021 recipient of the $5,000 Team Tate grant, Brett Ingram, Waxhaw, North Carolina, will use the funding to work with Richard Malmgren and to attend a rapport leadership and professional-development course.
USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
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The Judge’s Box From Training Level to Top of the World Tokyo Olympic Games FEI 5* judge Janet Foy shares her insights on judging, test-riding, and Olympic dressage competition By Natalie DeFee Mendik
A FRIEND IN HIGH PLACES: After judging at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, US FEI 5* dressage judge Janet Foy shared her knowledge in a continuing-education judges’ seminar
USDF group-member organizations (GMOs) across the country. Additional financial assistance was provided via a grant from The Dressage Foundation’s Edgar Hotz Judges Fund. Although judges were the target audience, GMO-member auditors were welcome, too. Those who turned out for the September 7 event were treated to many tips geared toward understanding the
workings behind judging a test—and how to make a good ride great.
Anatomy of a Score Removing some of the mystery behind scoring, Foy explained the methodology that judges use in arriving at a score for each element of the dressage test. The formula goes like this: Q (+/- B) (+/- E) (+/- M) = Score Foy explained: “You first look at the big picture, starting with the quality of the gaits (Q). Then you consider the basics—in other words, the training scale, depending on the level (B). Next comes the essence of the movement (E) and then a modifier (M), which can move the score up or down.” She gave the example of how she might score a trot stretching circle, which is required at both Training and First Levels. Foy’s hypothetical horse started with an 8 (Q) for the movement because of its good gaits; but its open mouth, which indicated an issue with the contact (-B), dropped the score to a 6. However, the horse did stretch out and down nicely, thereby demonstrating the essence of the movement, which boosted the score to a 7 (+E). Finally, such details as geometry and consistency can move the score up or down (modifiers); her hypothetical rider unfortunately rode the circle as an oval (-M), so the final mark for the stretching circle ended up a 6.5.
Get the Most out of Your Test Sheet The comments in each box on the test sheet address the most important concept(s) the judge would like
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to convey, given the limitations on how much a scribe can write in a short period of time, Foy said. The USDF L Education Program teaches judges that they must provide a comment for all scores of 6.5 and below. Foy encourages judges to employ vocabulary that provides constructive information that riders can use to improve. She also encourages judges to use the full range of marks, from 0 to 10, although she recognizes that it’s not easy to hand out low scores. “Riders may not realize the pressure judges are under. Everyone recognizes 8, 9, 10,” she said. “Lower marks are harder, especially 4 and below. Sevens are boringly wonderful.” The collective marks are comprehensive scores and comments given at the conclusion of the test: in the US Equestrian national-level tests, for Gaits, Impulsion, Submission, Rider’s Position and Seat, and Rider’s Correct and Effective Use of the Aids. Foy’s advice to competitors: “The more impulsion you have, the more submission you need. Don’t ask for so much that you lose your submission; the smart rider knows where the line is.” With a smile, she added: “The ‘rider’s position and seat’ score is the ‘bathing-suit contest’—how you look on the horse, and the ‘rider’s correct and effective use of aids’ score is the ‘talent contest’—how you ride and present the horse.”
Time to Move Up? Or Not? In the US, dressage competitors may show at any level they choose, and “we often see riders moving up before they are ready,” Foy said. She encouraged riders to be honest with them-
EMILY SANDLER
J
ust a few weeks after judging at her first Olympics, the 2020 Tokyo Games in July 2021, US FEI 5* dressage judge Janet Foy shared her knowledge in a continuing-education seminar for judges organized by the Coloradobased Rocky Mountain Dressage Society (of which Foy is a founding member). The event was sponsored by the USDF’s GMO Education Initiative, with the mission to promote educational events within
selves: “Can I do the movements of the test with ease? Is my horse strong enough? In correct balance?” If you’re consistently earning scores of around 65% at the highest test of the level, she said, that may be an indication that you and your horse are ready to step up to the next level. But be sensitive to your horse’s limitations: Some excel at the lower levels but may not be physically able to perform comfortably at the upper levels.
Ride Smarter The average-moving horse can score just as well as the extravagant mover on such “non-brilliance” movements as turn on the haunches, halt, rein back, and simple change, Foy said. If you “ride smarter” by perfecting these movements at home, you’ll raise your test scores. Showmanship—learning to ride the test for maximum visual effect— is another part of riding smarter. This includes such aspects as showing clear transitions into and out of the medium gaits. “Use your corner, straighten, and then sell it,” said Foy. “If you show two clear transitions, the judge will love it. Don’t just cruise along and bore the judge.” It also includes “know[ing] your horse and what your horse can do. Don’t override something the horse can’t do well; it will result in a lower score. If you push a weakness for an 8, you’ll get a 4 instead of a 6. Know where you can make up for it in other parts of the test.” Showmanship also includes learning how to carry on when things in the ring don’t go as planned. “Stay on course when all goes wrong; do not go back and redo. The judge can only score the first attempt. If you go back and do a movement again, you will also receive an error deduction on your score at the end,” Foy said. “As a rider, it’s really important that you know where the lines are once you have a mistake,” she said, meaning which elements are included in each
numbered movement on the test sheet. “Keep the mistake within that box so that a discussion with the horse doesn’t continue into the next movement. You have 10 points waiting for you in the next box.”
Widen Your Horizons (Even on the Cheap) Foy reminded the audience that the US Equestrian and Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) rule books are filled with free information regarding the test movements and what the judges are looking for. Besides studying the rule books, she recommended attending dressage clinics and benchmarking excellence by watching top riders on such streaming platforms as Germany’s ClipMyHorse.tv, which is available for a small subscription fee. “Never stop learning,” she said. “I’m still learning as a judge. Be open to having that moment when things click.” For in-person coaching, Foy advised finding an instructor who works well with both you and your horse. “There are many roads to Rome. Figure out which trainer works with how you learn and function. You have to find the right fit for yourself,” she said. “Each horse is an individual, so you sometimes have to train in different ways. Find a trainer whose system works for your horse.”
Collaboration Collaborative communication among judges elevates the sport as a whole. For example, major FEI dressage championships now feature a Judges Supervisory Panel (JSP), a group of 5* judges and international trainers selected from the global dressage community. As Foy explained, the JSP views the competition from a control room in real time and also has access to immediate playback, to help ensure that judging standards are clear, fair, and equitable. Discussion amongst the ground jury and the JSP educates
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USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
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The Judge’s Box
D
uring her continuing-education seminar for judges presented by the Rocky Mountain Dressage Society, Colorado-based FEI 5* dressage judge Janet Foy took time out to share her thoughts of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games dressage competition with USDF Connection. Foy was on the ground jury for the Tokyo Games—her first Olympic judging experience—in July 2021. “The venue was amazing,” Foy said of the Baji Koen Equestrian Park, which was also the site of the previous summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, in 1964. “It was really exciting as judge.” Foy, who jokingly referred to herself as a “butt judge” because of her primary positions on the seven-judge jury (she sat at K, H, and M), shared some of the innovations and memoraON THE JOB: Foy and her scribe make ble moments from the Tokyo Games. their way to the judge’s booth at the • Technology in the warmup em2020 Tokyo Olympic Games ployed thermographic cameras for both horse and rider, so veterinarians and stewards could bring pairs into a cooling tent if body temperatures were registering too high in the notorious Tokyo summertime heat and humidity. But the US horses “looked really good” thanks to their pre-Olympics stint training in Wellington, Florida, Foy said. • COVID protocols brought an eerie quiet with no audience—meaning not only no appreciative applause, but also no reaction to scores as they posted. “You haven’t lived until you’ve been booed at Aachen,” Foy laughed, saying that, in Tokyo, at least she knew she wouldn’t be the focus of spectator derision. • Given the pandemic restrictions, the judging panel came together for the first time in Tokyo. In addition, judges hadn’t seen many of the horseand-rider combinations perform in person prior to the Games. • While some of the horses that would have competed in 2020 had retired before the postponed Olympics, several new faces had the opportunity to make their debut. “We’re surrounded by extraordinary horses,” Foy said. • In Tokyo, for the first time, competitors had the opportunity to choose music to accompany their Grand Prix Special tests. Although the test was not treated as a freestyle and there was no artistic score, the addition of the musical accompaniment gave riders the chance to highlight their horses. • Significant competition-format changes included: the new makeup of three horse-and-rider combinations (instead of the traditional four) constituting a team; a new order-of-go system that grouped competitors into heats; and the designation of the Grand Prix test as a qualifier only for both individual and team competition. Results from the Grand Prix Special determined the team medals, and the Grand Prix Freestyle was the individual medal final. • Standing by the in-gate during the medal ceremonies, judges were treated to the pure emotion of overjoyed riders crying and hugging their horses.
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and raises standards worldwide. In addition, upgrades in judging software enable judges on a panel to alert one another of concerns during a test, such as a horse that appears unsound or the presence of blood having been detected.
Onward and Upward Dressage is an Olympic sport, so horses and riders must be held to the same standard around the world, Foy said. This means that national-level excellence is the same as international-level excellence: Judges should use the same criteria, whether they’re at a small local show or the Olympics. Judging standards themselves have been raised to emphasize correct, classical training over tension-fueled extravagance, Foy said. “The judging trend to reward brilliance that results from suppleness and harmony, not tension, shows that we recognize good training. It’s interesting to see how things are changing. We all love this sport and want to make it better, so we have to work together to do this.” And like so much in the sporting world, the bar in dressage is continually being set higher. “A 60% today is not the same [level of achievement] as 30 years ago. Sixty percent in the past would get you on a team. Now it’s a 75%.” And while we enjoy this beautiful sport of ours, Foy encourages judges and competitors alike to “be nice to one another. Thank your volunteers and show managers. We need to be grateful.”
Special thanks to Rocky Mountain Dressage Society education chair Mary Jo Hoepner and RMDS office manager Beth Geier for organizing this continuing-education seminar. Natalie DeFee Mendik is an awardwinning journalist specializing in equine media. Visit her online at MendikMedia.com.
DIANA DE ROSA
IMPRESSIONS OF TOKYO
Photo: Sharon Packer Photography
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Clinic Systematic Thinking and Riding with Johann Hinnemann At the New England Dressage Association’s Fall Symposium, the renowned German trainer shared his wealth of knowledge By Beth Baumert Photographs by Carole MacDonald Johann “Jo” Hinnemann is known for his kind training that consistently retains the basics throughout, from young horses to Grand Prix. As a rider, he rose to the top in 1986 with his horse Ideaal at the World Championships in Canada, winning team gold and individual bronze. However, he is best known as the trainer of such top international riders as Christine Traurig, Coby and Marlies van Baalen, Steffen Peters, and Kathleen Raine.
Horse people always want to learn, so I think you are horse people.” If you’re reading this, then you’re horse people, too. So let’s get started.
Elementary School: The Fourand Five-Year-Old Young Horse Rhythm, Activity, and Ground Cover Hinnemann asks the riders of young horses to keep the reins as long as possible while still retaining contact with the mouth. He says:
A MASTER AT WORK: Clinician Johann Hinnemann helps NEDA Fall Symposium demonstration pair Espumante and Roberta Carleton with piaffe
I
t was a clear, chilly October morning at Jane Karol’s Bear Spot Farm in Acton, Massachusetts, and Jo Hinnemann opened the two-day New England Dressage Association (NEDA) Fall Symposium by saying appreciatively, “There are horse people, and there are people with horses.
• To maximize ground cover, keep the contact and push the nose slightly in front of the vertical with the mouth not lower than the shoulder. I know that it is difficult, but when you ask the horse to reach, you will immediately find that you’re using a driving leg and
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seat, which gets the horse supple, swinging, and reacting from back to front. Then you get a better contact and more ground cover. • When you ask the stride to be a little longer with the nose in front, take care that your horse’s rhythm stays the same and he doesn’t run. Rhythm is number one, activity is number two, and ground cover is number three. Hinnemann reminisces about when horses were bred for the army and the young-horse classes included technical tests for ground cover. There was a minimum amount of ground cover needed to achieve the required distance with soldiers and their equipment: at a walk, 350 meters in three minutes; in trot, 750 meters in three minutes; and in canter, 1,500 meters. Although the technical tests are no longer included, the horse’s ability to cover ground is as important as it ever was. Importance of the Canter Depart Trot-canter-trot transitions, Hinnemann believes, are the best exercises for developing suppleness. In the transition to canter, the withers must come up—which is the reason for wanting a round neck that is reaching as much as possible. When dressage trainers say “uphill,” it means that the horse’s withers and shoulders come up. The neck comes up, too, but only because the shoulders rise. Correct trot-canter-trot transitions—with the shoulders coming up—make the horse very ridable. If you think about the end result that you want at Grand Prix, the canter-depart aid is the most impor-
tant aid we ever teach our horses. Here’s why: • Every flying change is a canter depart. • Every stride in a canter halfpass is a renewal of the gait with a canter depart. • Every stride in a pirouette is a canter depart. • When you do your first canter depart from walk, it is the beginning of collection. Hinnemann has a precise plan for teaching these transitions: On an accurate 20-meter circle in trot, the rider sits as she crosses the center line; then, as she approaches the track, she does a little leg-yield, rides a visible half-halt, and asks for the canter depart. The horse must not lose his frame or change his relationship to the bit. The poll remains the highest point, with the nose slightly in front of the vertical. The key is always to make the transition at the same spot. Then the horse becomes more and more sensitive, and the aids can become increasingly refined because the horse understands. He will start to do the transition by himself, but of course he must wait for the rider’s aids. Teaching the horse to wait takes patience. Hinnemann expects quiet, patient persistence within the system. Both of the demonstration riders of the young horses at the NEDA symposium are flexible and quiet in their seats. Their quiet hands keep a discreet, steady connection to the mouth, and the balance is good. The work looks easy. The next step, after doing the canter depart at the same place many times, is to ride it from walk at the same place. The horse expects this, so it looks very easy. The Visible Half-Halt Don’t just half-halt; do a visible half-halt. A visible half-halt is one with an obvious result. Hinnemann wants all of the riders to make a visible half-halt before every corner and before every canter depart. For USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
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Clinic this, the horse must have consistent contact with a relaxed neck that is round and reaching; he must have an uphill inclination; and he must be obedient to the aids. “It might take a long time to get that reaching frame,” Hinnemann says, “but when I ask for it, the rider automatically uses a driving seat.” The five-year-old demonstration horse is nervous, so Hinnemann incorporates halts into her session. They are practicing canter-walkcanter transitions on a 10-meter circle, with the transitions located approaching the track in the same system. The work is not too hard, but the mare is anxious by nature. They repeat: walk, canter, walk, halt. And they stay in the halt until the horse breathes. “If you do this ten times, she will understand,” Hinnemann says. “Walk, canter, walk, halt.” Hinnemann is very aware of the horse’s breathing, and he asks his riders to concentrate on that. They stay in halt until the horse visibly relaxes, and then they repeat. Next, they canter in a long, low frame on the same small circle, and the horse looks fabulous and relaxed. Hinnemann talks about the horse that is not only supple in the body, but also supple in the mind. “A supple horse is not necessarily submissive, but a submissive horse is definitely supple. This is why, in a correct way, we teach exercises that are systematic. When you always want what’s best for the horse, he learns to listen to your aids and do what you want in a relaxed, confident way.” He delineates specific ways that the rider makes contact with the horse, explaining: “There are three types of contact: from the rider’s seat to the horse’s back; from the rider’s leg to the horse’s ribcage; and from the rider’s hand to the horse’s mouth. With the aids of those points of contact, we must ride very precise lines, very correct corners, very exact diagonals and precise circles. When you
HORSE PEOPLE: Hinnemann commended the large audience for its commitment to dressage education on a chilly fall weekend. NEDA members watch demo rider Kathleen Fuller on her San Silvio.
lengthen the stride, stretch, or do any movement, you must retain the same three-point contact that you have in the working gaits.”
The Middle Years: Third and Fourth Levels The basics, as always, come first. Rhythm is still number one. Activity is number two. Ground cover and reach are still number three. “When the horse is behind the vertical,” Hinnemann says, “he gets behind the bit. Then you either have not enough in your hand or too much in your hand. With both problems, you lose control of the hind legs and you’re done. When the horse reaches and stretches the neck, you get the best-quality connection, maximum overstride, and expression. There are too many pictures in publications of the the front legs too high and the lengthening of the neck missing.” Concentration on the horse’s breathing remains paramount. “When the horse stops breathing in the movements, it’s the most difficult problem we can have. They must be supple in the body and the brain.” To that end, Hinnemann has the riders do many transitions to walk or halt—even if only for a short time—until their mounts relax. Canter departs still must step under the rider’s weight and lift the horse’s shoulders. Each horse does trot-canter transitions to prove that he can carry himself throughout
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and swing in the back. Transitions must be clean. In the dressage tests, judges look to see “how you prepare, how you develop the movement, how you do it, and how you get out of it.” One of Hinnemann’s exercises was a test of the riders’ ability to show clear, smooth, accurate transitions: • In trot or canter, come out of the corner in shoulder-in • Ride medium trot or medium canter to X • At X, collect momentarily, then return to the medium gait on the diagonal line • Walk before the corner while still on the diagonal. The transitions must be absolutely correct and straight on the diagonal. When the horse expects to walk in the corner, Hinnemann explains, then you can really risk going forward because he will expect to come back. In canter, you can go very forward, and because the horse expects to walk you can push in the downward transition and get a good flying change on the line. This exercise is not about power, but about the development of control at the beginning, the middle, and the end. Shoulder-in and Half-Pass According to Hinnemann, the most common shoulder-in problem occurs when the rider tries to get bend in the horse’s ribcage with the inside leg, and the horse’s haunches swing out. “It’s true that you want bend,” he says, “but the horse must bend from balance.” His tips for achieving a better shoulder-in: • Remember that every corner is a quarter of a circle. Don’t let the shoulder go too deep into the corner. • Bring the shoulder out of the corner, keeping the rhythm. • Do shoulder-in with a straight horse, thinking about balance instead of about bend. • Then ask for that little bit of flexion and bend.
• Try riding trot-walk-trot and trot-halt-trot transitions within the shoulder-in. • The result will be a supple, expressive, and swinging shoulder-in. Hinnemann has an equally simple system for teaching half-pass: “The first thing you decide is where you want to end up, and you must stay on that line!” he says. • Come out of the corner straight, and align your horse so that he’s looking at the end point. The horse has to look in the direction he’s going, with his forehead (use the bridle browband as an easy reference) perpendicular to the diagonal line of travel. • Make sure his shoulders stay on that line. • Then ask for haunches-in (travers) on that line, getting the bend behind you with your seat. Keep in mind that half-pass is the same as travers on the diagonal. • Develop the half-pass first from the rhythm, then from the activity; then half-halt to add volume. Likewise, if you’re doing travers on the long side, the horse’s forehead should be perpendicular to the long side and parallel to the short side. This system works, no matter the level of the horse or the degree of the half-pass angle. Simple Changes Walk-canter-walk transitions, known in the dressage tests as simple changes, are important as the basis for flying changes. Hinnemann asks the demo riders to do simple changes on a three-loop serpentine, on the diagonal, and then on the center line. He insists that they “correct the reins” during the walk steps by shortening the new inside rein to change the flexion and indicate the new direction. “Instructors have to be sure their students understand this,” he says. “Correcting the reins minimizes the danger of getting the wrong lead, it gives the horse correct flexion, and it assures that they do enough walk strides.”
Walk Pirouettes The basis for a good walk pirouette is a good collected walk—one that is active, with the horse’s poll the highest point. • First, establish flexion in the direction of the turn. • Ride a visible half-halt. • Manage the collected-walk strides in the turn. • Make sure you sit on both seat bones.
• Finish your walk pirouette with a visible half-halt. Be patient. With this control, you make the horse submissive because you have control of the balance.
The FEI Horse Back to the basics we go! • Rhythm is still number one, but the FEI horse must also have cadence. • The canter departs must still be
Q&A with Johann Hinnemann
G
erman master Johann Hinnemann took questions from the audience at the 2021 New England Dressage Association Fall Symposium. A sampling: How do you know how high the horse’s neck should be? Hinnemann: The height of the neck is related to the engagement of the hind legs. Relative self-carriage means that the carriage is related to the activity and engagement of the hind leg. In absolute self-carriage, the rider incorrectly—and often unknowingly—brings the neck up with the rein aids. How do you build the horse’s strength and stamina when moving from Prix St. Georges to Grand CANTER FUNDAMENTAL: The canter Prix? depart is key to many movements. Ashley If you follow the development of the Madison rides Bella Mondo. exercises in the tests, you will end up, for example, practicing quarterpirouettes first and then half- and finally full pirouettes. First we do a long half-pass that doesn’t require much strength, and gradually we are required to ride steeper lines and smaller figures. It takes months and years to build strength slowly. If the horse loses rhythm and expression in the half-pass, what exercises can you do? Practice half-pass as a forward-sideways movement that retains the balance and cadence. It’s a matter of personal strength. That’s why we start the halfpass straight on the diagonal and then ride the haunches-in behind you only to the degree that you can without losing the cadence. How do you teach a short and upright horse to piaffe? If the horse is incorrectly uphill so that he’s using the lower neck, you need to lower the neck and then find the rhythm. What exercises do you recommend for horses that are not mentally forward and are difficult to get in front of the leg? Go outdoors. At home I have a racetrack, and we do trot poles outside. When you are in the arena, ride on longer lines.
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Clinic
SUPPLE AND BALANCED: Shengli, owned and ridden by David Collins, demonstrates trot half-pass
uphill. “Higher” means higher in the shoulders—in absolutely every exercise. • The horse must reach. For ex-
ample, in the extended walk, the horse must look as if he wants to get to the end of the diagonal— reaching out with a long neck. • When using a double bridle, riders must rely on the snaffle rather than the curb rein. • Most riders can do the exercises, but the question is, how expressive can they make them without creating tension in the horse? You want to get to the stage when the horse can do the exercises with more expression. When your FEI horse wants to go, he understands the work, and you have control, you’re in a very luxurious situation. Piaffe and Passage Hints • Piaffe starts with half-steps forward. Transitions between collected trot and half-steps help the horse to learn that piaffe is just a trot, and it retains the desire to go forward. Hinnemann
The NEDA Fall Symposium Riders and Horses
K
ristin Wagner, Derry, New Hampshire, with her four-yearold KWPN gelding, Millennium Falcon (by Glock’s Toto Jr.) Mary McCarthy, Marlborough, Connecticut, with her five-year-old Oldenburg mare, Dramatique (Bordeaux – Damara ZG) Leslie Morse, Acton, Massachusetts, with Be My Hero, an eight-year-old Brandenburg geldTHANK YOU! Clinician Johann Hinnemann ing (Belantis x Quarterman) owned poses with Jane Karol, owner of NEDA symposium venue Bear Spot Farm in by Anna Kolchinsky, demonstrating Massachusetts Third Level Kathleen Fuller and Jane Karol with Fuller’s 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding, San Silvio (by San Amour), demonstrating Fourth Level Ashley Madison, Chesapeake, Maryland, with Bella Mondo, a 10-year-old Westfalen gelding (Bellissimo x Landfriese II) owned by Carol Lippa, demonstrating Prix St. Georges David Collins, Ossining, New York, with his 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Shengli (Souvenir x Donnerhall), demonstrating the Intermediate levels Roberta Carleton, Salisbury, Connecticut, with Roxanne Bok’s 12-year-old Lusitano, Espumante (Quovadis x Magica), demonstrating Grand Prix.
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has the demo horses do these transitions in a three-loop serpentine, with half-steps on the center line. Then they do them on diagonals and the center line. • The horse must remain uphill. • If the rider lightens her weight in the saddle, the horse sometimes can swing in his back more easily. • Beware of the situation in which the horse goes too much forward and drops his back. Learn how you can move him forward without him dropping behind you. If the strides are too big, then he can’t carry the weight behind. Bit by bit, the strides can get bigger. • Don’t swing your hips left and right; swing toward the pommel. • Sometimes it helps to think of rein back. • Go to halt often, and be sure that the horse relaxes and breathes. Canter-Pirouette Hints Hinnemann has the FEI-level demo horses execute many canter-walkcanter transitions on a small circle. Then they do transitions between “on the spot” canter and walk. On the long side, they do transitions between collected canter and canter on the spot. “It’s necessary that you have control over the canter on the spot and control of the turn,” Hinnemann says. “If you can’t canter on the spot, then you can’t turn with control.” The demo riders then do the same thing on the center line. Hinnemann notes that it’s not possible to get a good score in the Grand Prix without excelling at the canter center line with its pirouettes and flying changes. As the work gets harder… For example, when the rider asks for a steep half-pass that separates the horse’s hind legs, Hinnemann warns not to do it too often: “When the muscles get tired, then the tendons need to start working, and then we get into medical problems.” To that
end, they take many long breaks. The same advice holds true for pirouettes, piaffe, and passage. A rider might passage four strides and then walk, do a walk pirouette, and repeat in the other direction. Hinnemann points out that the transition from walk to passage is very difficult because the walk has no impulsion, while the passage has maximum impulsion. Riders need to be aware of this. The work is quiet. The horses must be correct and relaxed, and those qualities take precedence over expressiveness.
Beth Baumert is a USDF-certified in-
Your Sport...Your Community...Your
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structor through Fourth Level and a USDF L program graduate with distinction. She is the author of When Two Spines Align: Dressage Dynamics and of How Two Minds Meet: The Mental Dynamics of Dressage. She currently serves as president and CEO of The Dressage Foundation. For many years she owned and operated Cloverlea Dressage in Connecticut and served as the technical editor of Dressage Today magazine.
IN THE NEXT ISSUE • 2021 USDF yearbook: Yearend awards, rider medalists, All-Breeds awards, Regional Championships, and more • Reports and photos: 2021 US Dressage finals, 2021 USDF virtual convention
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USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
25
Free Rein Should I Performance-Test My Mare? Yes, says our sport-horse columnist By Maurine “Mo” Swanson
I
f you own an eligible mare or three-year-old filly, you might be wondering whether you should do a mare performance test (MPT) with her. Let me explain the purpose of the MPT and offer some insights you can use in deciding whether it’s right for your mare.
What Is an MPT? Several European and US-based warmblood breed registries offer performance testing for registered mares or those of a breed eligible to be placed into the registry’s studbook (e.g., Thoroughbred, Arabian, or Anglo-Arabian). The registries can tabulate the results, which aid in their evaluation of horses’ genetic traits and heritability. Some European and US registries publish the results. An MPT usually consists of an under-saddle evaluation of the
mare’s walk, trot, and canter. Free walk, medium walk, lengthened trot and canter, halts, circles, and serpentines may also be required. Some registries use a predetermined pattern, while others have the judges call out the desired gait and pattern. Each gait receives a numeric score between 1 and 10, but the pattern or any required figures are not scored as they are in a dressage test. Some registries award a separate score for the mare’s ridability. In Europe, the registries that score ridability do so by employing guest test-riders. A test-rider rides each mare for five to 10 minutes, then dismounts and gives the score for ridability. Guest test-riders are usually not used in the US because of the logistics and cost of hiring and transporting a test-rider to all the sites that offer MPTs. There-
fore, most of the time in the US the judges give the ridability score. Free-jumping is part of some MPTs. Some registries require any mare with a jumping pedigree whose owner has declared her “jumper oriented” to jump a course under saddle. Dressage-bred mares typically are asked only to free-jump obstacles of moderate height, and some registries don’t require freejumping at all if a mare is declared as dressage-oriented. If a ridden course of jumps is required, then the course and the obstacle heights are specified and age-appropriate. Each score that a mare receives during the MPT—for the three gaits, for her ridability, for free-jumping, or for any other component—is weighted as a percentage of the total. For example, the canter and jumping scores may be weighted more heavily in a jumper-oriented mare than in a dressage-oriented mare. The three gaits and ridability may be more heavily weighted in a dressage-oriented mare. Each registry has its own formula.
HIGH PERFORMANCE: Rolling Stone Farm’s Fherrari (Foundation – EM Rheporter, Royal Prince) received the highest-ever scores given in the US by the German Oldenburg Verband: 8.75 at her inspection and 9.2 in her mare performance test. In 2021, Fherrari (pictured during her MPT at age three) was the USDF Breeders Championship Northeast Series Final grand champion and the Dressage at Devon (PA) breed division reserve grand champion.
26 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
If a filly or mare has not previously been inspected in order to be placed in the breed registry’s studbook, then the inspection usually takes place at the same time as the MPT. A previously inspected mare may complete the MPT at any time. In a studbook inspection, the mares are evaluated in hand only. The inspector scores each mare’s conformation, correctness of gaits, type, and overall impression, and evaluates her walk and trot. Some registries also assess the mares at liberty in the trot and canter. Each
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What Happens at an MPT?
CONFORMATION POSE: Fherrari is stood up in the correct positioning for conformation evaluation. Behind her are the jump-chute panels built by Rolling Stone Farm co-owner Jim Swanson.
category is scored on a scale of 1 to 10, and usually an overall score is given. It is quite an honor and an accomplishment to present a highscoring mare, especially if you are the breeder! Not every three-year-old is ready to do the MPT. Although in Europe the MPT is designed for young mares only, there is usually no age limit in the US because most registries in this country are trying to encourage members to have their mares tested. In my opinion, the MPT has value for mares of any age. Some US registries offer a performance route that can substitute for the MPT; if so, the performance requirements tend to be very specific. It is interesting and fun to watch the day’s activities, and these events are typically open to the public. If you are considering taking your mare to an inspection, an MPT, or both, it may be a good idea to watch one first. Inspections typically are held in the summer and fall; breed registries publish their yearly inspection schedules online.
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Why Test Your Mare? In most warmblood registries, special titles are awarded if a mare’s inspection score is high enough. There are also titles for mares that receive a good inspection score and that have completed the MPT with a good score, or that completed certain alternate performance tests.
The breed registry records awarded titles and stamps them on the mare’s registration certificate or passport. Each registry has its own titles and procedures. In some cases, the title becomes part of the mare’s name (e.g., Special Premium Poopsie, Hanoverian Premium Mare Candidate Poopsie, Silver or Gold Medal Poopsie, or Poopsie Ster). Some titles are permanent on receipt, while others become permanent after the mare has had a quality foal. These titles can enhance the value of the mare as a breeding animal, and they can also enhance her sales value. They are designed to encourage breeders to use their best mares in their breeding programs. I have been a proponent of MPTs since their inception in the US. I have tested every three-year-old filly I have ever bred that was still on my property at the time of the testing. Some of my fillies were barely under saddle and others had had more training, but the MPTs were only held once a year on my farm, so the fillies were tested regardless of their stage of training. This did make for some interesting tests, like the year a mare jumped through an open window in my indoor arena while free-running (we now close all the sliding windows). But I have had many success stories, and I am proud to have tested so many mares, with almost 90 having received mare titles. I especially wanted to test the mares that I had selected to add to my broodmare band, but I believe that testing enhanced the value of every mare, even those that didn’t receive titles. At a minimum, doing the MPT with your filly or mare will provide you with an independent evaluation of her strengths and those areas that could use improvement. Of course, as with a dressage test, the MPT reflects only one day in the life of your mare—so if that day happens to be a bad one, try to keep that in mind. You will return home with the same mare that you love. Keep
in mind that the excitement of the day can cause a horse to act and even move differently than it does at home. Be open to the advice and evaluation that you receive. If you are disappointed in the results, some registries will allow you to test your mare again another year. Another reason to consider doing the studbook inspection and the MPT is as “injury insurance.” If you inspect and MPT when your mare is young, and later she suffers an injury or becomes permanently unsound, she will still have value as a breeding animal, bolstered by an evaluation that was done when she was young, sound, and in good condition. Doing the MPT will also help you to determine whether your mare has the qualities you’d want to pass on to offspring. Is her ridability good? Does one or more gait need improvement? Is she “amateur friendly” or more of a professional’s ride? Does her jumping talent match her jumping pedigree? Did the studbook inspection point out any conformational defects? Keep these things in mind later when you represent her to potential buyers or choose a stallion for her. If you’ve already bred your mare and she has not yet been inspected, get her placed in a studbook before she foals. Nothing is worse than having a mare die from foaling complications, leaving an orphan that cannot be registered because his dam was not in a studbook.
Free-Jumping Prep If your registry of choice requires free-jumping as part of the MPT, don’t panic. A fancy practice setup at home is not necessary. The important thing is that it is safe. A small obstacle or two made from cavalletti or straw bales will give your mare the idea of jumping. A fence line or one wall of an indoor arena can serve as one side of the jump chute. The other side of the chute can be lightweight wooden panels (my
USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
27
Free Rein
husband made ours), jump poles, or even caution tape. If all else fails, the mare can get the idea of jumping on a lunge line. Some farms, mine included, allow people to trailer in for freejump practice sessions before the MPT. At my farm, we do free-jump practice once a week for six to eight weeks before an MPT. In the MPT, the free-jumping test usually consists of three jumps with one stride between. Dressage-bred mares are usually only asked to jump moderate-sized obstacles, while jumperbred mares and those showing real talent will be asked to jump higher. The registry can provide you with additional information and resources. The big thing is: Don’t let a jumping requirement scare you away from the MPT.
What the Inspectors Want to See The judges want you and your mare to have a good experience. They are usually forgiving of rider and horse mistakes, and they don’t expect perfection. In the under-saddle part of the MPT, the inspectors want to see a “forward thinking” mare that can show her gaits to the best of her ability. They look for a steady, age-appropriate frame and connection to the bit. You can present your mare in either dressage or hunter/
reasonable time as needed to warm up.
A Worthwhile Effort Does all this sound intimidating? Don’t worry! Most breed registries that offer MPTs want owners to test their mares. The registries are there to help and can answer any questions you may have. Experienced breeders are usually a good resource, too. I encourage you to give the MPT a try if it is offered near you. If your mare’s breed registry doesn’t offer the MPT at this time, see if one of the registries that does offer it would accept your mare’s results. Good luck, and enjoy the process!
Meet the Columnist
M
aurine “Mo” Swanson has been breeding horses for 42 years. With her husband, Jim, she owns Rolling Stone Farm in eastern Pennsylvania, where she stands the stallions Shakespeare RSF and Shavane. She has bred about 450 foals, including 37 Elite Mares and Elite Mare Candidates and four State Premium Mares for the American Hanoverian Society and the German Hanoverian Verband; and 29 Special Premium mares, 12 Verbands Premium mares, 184 Premium Foals, and 48 Foals of Distinction for the German Oldenburg Verband, plus nine licensed stallions. Swanson got her equestrian start in hunters and jumpers, then rode dressage up to the Prix St. Georges level, earning her USDF bronze and silver medals in 2018. Her homebred Hanoverians and Oldenburgs have earned top-10 national dressage rankings and have won many titles both under saddle and in hand. She has consistently been highly ranked in the Adequan®/USDF Dressage Breeder of the Year, the Adequan®/USDF Dressage Sport Horse Breeding Breeder of the Year, and the US Equestrian Dressage Breeder of the Year standings. She won the Adequan®/USDF DSHB Breeder of the Year title in 2016 and 2018, and in 2020 she was named the Adequan®/USDF Dressage Breeder of the Year. She has also been the USEF Dressage Breeder of the Year every year since 2014. Rolling Stone Farm sells young stock and about 20 to 25 riding horses a year. Swanson’s greatest pleasure has been breeding suitable horses for the amateur market in the discipline of dressage with an emphasis on ridability and movement.
28 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
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MULTITALENTED: Rolling Stone Farm’s threeyear-old Fhestiva (Franklin – Sp. Pr. Shcooter, Shakespeare RSF) has a dressage pedigree and earned a free-jumping score of 9.0 for her ability over fences
jumper tack, as long as it is clean and fits her well. (Some breed registries offer a hunter-oriented division, as well.) The gaits should be shown in a frame that is consistent with the mare’s age, history, and level of training. The trot and canter should ideally show free forward steps without resistance or tension. The hindquarters should be active, with the energy moving over the back into the rider’s hand. The foreleg mechanics may show a lot of knee or be more sweeping; either is fine as long as there is freedom of the shoulder and the forehand does not have a downhill tendency. The walk should show a clear four-beat rhythm with overtrack and swing. Minor mistakes and exuberances generally are not penalized. The judges will help you as much as they can, and they will give you as much
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Rider The Key to a Better Seat New research shows: If you want to ride better, you might want to dust off that hula hoop. Here’s why.
R
iding doesn’t require brute strength, but most dressage enthusiasts nowadays understand that an independent seat and correct equitation require core strength—well-toned muscles in the trunk, from waist to knees, and especially in the abdominals. Recently, however, researchers have identified what they say is the real key to that harmonious, beautiful, effortless-looking seat we all aspire to: pelvic mobility and control.
which factor or factors are most highly correlated with the ability to sit well and to ride in harmony. Their findings, published in February 2021 in the MDPI Journal Animals, show that although core strength remains an important fundamental, pelvic mobility—and control of that mobility—are paramount. “There are sophisticated studies showing that the timing between the horse and rider needs to be synchronized,” Clayton explains. “If horse
THE DRESSAGE SEAT: Supple hips are needed to keep the pelvis in the ideal middle position so that the base of the rider’s seat can establish the best contact with the saddle
“The single most important thing is the rider’s pelvis, and the ability to control it and follow the horse’s movement with precise timing and not tamp down the horse’s movement,” says equine veterinarian, renowned biomechanics researcher, and accomplished dressage rider Hilary M. Clayton, BVMS, PhD, Dipl. ACVSMR, FRCVS. Along with colleagues Mette Uldahl and Janne W. Christensen, Clayton conducted a study of experienced riders, with the aim of determining
and rider are well-coordinated, they move as one in sitting trot. If the rider is slightly out of time, you can see it. Synchronicity is a really important part.”
Methodology The study evaluated riders’ performance of exercises on a gymnastic ball, their equestrian skills, and indicators of stress in the horses they rode. Twenty experienced riders each performed three exercises on the ball, and videos of their riding were
30 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
assessed for quality and harmony. To gauge the horses’ performance and stress levels, their heart rates during riding and their post-ride levels of the hormone cortisol (which is released during stress) were measured, as were the number of “conflict behaviors” (such as bucking, kicking, head-tossing, and tail-wringing) exhibited while under saddle. What the researchers found was that a rider’s ability to roll the pelvis from side to side on the exercise ball was highly correlated with both the ability to circle the pelvis on the ball and with quality and harmony during riding. Interestingly, although riders need to be able to balance in the saddle without hanging onto the reins for support, those who showed the greatest ability to roll the pelvis on the ball and who demonstrated the most harmonious equitation skills were actually less adept at a balancing exercise: Sitting upright on the ball with their arms extended, the riders were asked to lift their feet off the ground and to attempt to balance for 30 seconds. In other words, the ability to actively move the pelvis is more relevant to equestrian performance than static balancing skill. In addition, horses whose riders demonstrated increased pelvic mobility and control showed significantly fewer conflict behaviors. What’s more, high scores for balancing on the gymnastic ball were negatively correlated with the horses’ working heart rates, suggesting a less-energetic performance.
There’s More to the Core Don’t stop your Pilates sessions, though. Dressage riders need core
THOMAS LEHMANN/COURTESY OF TRAFALGAR SQUARE BOOKS
By Jennifer Mellace
stability to follow and guide the horse’s movements and to avoid giving unintended or conflicting signals. “We loosely think of core muscles as just the core,” says Clayton. “But we must include the muscles that attach
a rider’s arms and legs—the sling muscles—as part of the core because they control what happens between the pelvis and the leg muscles.” As the study authors explain in their report, the pelvis is moved and stabilized by the core muscu-
lature, which connects the pelvis to the trunk; and by the extrinsic leg muscles, which affect the position and movements of the pelvis relative to the thighs. Many equestrians cross-train using exercise programs that purport to strengthen the core muscles needed
Three Awareness Exercises
COURTESY OF SUSANNE VON DIETZE
F
rom equestrian-biomechanics expert Susanne von Dietze, here are three simple yet effective exercises to help dressage riders develop that all-important pelvic mobility and control. You’ll work your core, hone your balance, and develop a better connection with your horse. 1. Sink and grow. Sitting in a chair or on a mounting block, allow your upper body to become very relaxed, sinking down in the seat and rounding your spine slightly with your head still aligned above your pelvis. From that very relaxed position, start gradually growing taller until you are at your tallest possible position. As you do this, imagine that the tension in your body is increasing like a scale with eight levels, similar to an octave in music. Now gradually shrink back to your lowest and most relaxed position. Then find your “comfort” position: This varies from person to person, but it should be more toward the middle of the two extremes. Note that in both extreme positions—either very slouchy and relaxed or stiff and upright—elasticity and balance are not possible. 2. Arch and curl. The seat bones are not just points; they are shaped like the runners of a sleigh, and you can shift the weight on them forward and back. When you sit on a chair or in the saddle, you should be able to feel your seat bones. Experiment
with angling your pelvis so that your weight shifts first to the front of your seat bones, then to the rear, toward your tailbone. Feel how shifting the weight forward leads to an arch in your spine (arched position), whereas shifting the weight rearward causes your lower back and shoulders to round (curled position). As you alternately arch and curl, find the balanced middle point (sometimes referred to as neutral spine). When you ride, from this balanced pelvic position you need to be able to momentarily arch or curl at any time in order to adjust your balance to your horse’s movement or to influence him. 3. Walking seat bones. Sit on a wooden chair, a mounting block, or some other hard, level surface. Imagine that your seat bones are your feet. Shift your weight onto one seat bone, and lift the other one slightly off the chair. Move the lifted seat bone a “step” forward; then shift your weight again and move the opposite seat bone. Alternately lifting and “stepping,” “walk” your seat bones to the front edge of the chair and back again. Feel whether you find it easier to move forward or backward. Notice how much your upper body has to sway to the side to be able to lift one seat bone, and compare the two sides. This exercise promotes awareness and control over pelvic weight shifts while also mobilizing your hip joints and lower back.
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SINK AND GROW: Balance in Movement author and biomechanics expert Susanne von Dietze demonstrates the first awareness exercise. Notice how the scarf she’s holding changes from slack to taut as she alters her sitting posture from slouchy and relaxed (1), to stiffly upright (2), to to comfortably erect (3).
1
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ARCH AND CURL: Feel how altering your pelvic angle changes where your seat bones are weighted. An arched back weights the front of the seat bones (1). A neutral spine centers the weight atop the seat bones (2). A pelvic tuck (curl) shifts the weight rearward and causes the lower back and the shoulders to round (3).
1
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WALK YOUR SEAT BONES: From an even sitting position, Von Dietze shifts her weight onto her left seat bone and “walks” her right seat bone backward (1), back to center (2), and forward (3)
USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
31
to compromise and move more in the back, and then the hips get tighter,” von Dietze explains.
Stabilize to Mobilize
THE FOUNDATION: Using a skeleton model, biomechanics expert Susanne von Dietze demonstrates correct spinal and pelvic alignment. Note that the seat bones are not “points” but rather shaped like runners on a sled that can rock forward and backward.
for riding, but little is known about whether such regimens actually help riders to improve their performance in the saddle. One authority who’s dubious about the benefits of traditional corestrengthening work for dressage is author and equestrian-biomechanics expert Susanne von Dietze (Rider & Horse Back to Back; Balance in Movement). “The pelvis is a complex thing,” says von Dietze. “It’s important to understand that if the pelvis moves, it also makes a movement in the lower back and in the hip joint. There is no pelvis movement without creating movement in the lower back and the hips. It’s a functional unit.” When you sit in the saddle, the horse’s movement likewise moves your pelvis with every step—which is why your hips and lower back need to be mobile, as well. If the hips lack mobility, then “the whole leg will swing forward and back because the hip is tight. If the hip is tight, the rider has
It might seem counterintuitive to say that riders need to develop core and hip stability in order to promote mobility, but von Dietze says that’s exactly what has to happen. Core stability, she explains, isn’t just about strengthening muscles, but also about developing coordination and connection among the ligaments, tendons, and fascia (connective tissue) that surround the core muscles. Tightening and “crunching” the core are the wrong approach; the resulting rigidity not only tamps down and restricts the horse’s movement, but it also causes the muscles to fatigue and the fascia to become looser. Once again, the objective is less about strength and more about stability, which is the basis from which the rider can learn to stay in harmony with the horse and to influence the horse’s movements with the seat. “How come all these women are winning against men?” von Dietze says. “Because it’s not about strength. How your body moves and connects with the horse is the important thing. For me, it’s a mix of rhythm, which would be the timing; balancing and keeping everything open; and suppleness, which would be the ‘volume control’ of your tension. I sometimes talk about tone instead of suppleness—that you have the right tone in your muscles.”
that one ride,” von Dietze says. “You need to become more sentient with your riding, [to acquire] the wisdom of what to do and how to do it.” Clayton often sees riders who possess strong core muscles but who don’t use those muscles properly in the saddle. “You must learn to use the core in harmony with the horse, and that’s where a good trainer comes into play,” she says. “I think you can do things in the gym to strengthen the muscles, but it comes down to getting on the horse and using the muscles correctly, and [having] the right person on the ground watching you and the horse to make sure you are correct and that the rider isn’t blocking the horse.” As she did in her many years as McPhail Chairholder at Michigan State University, Clayton strives to unlock the secrets to equine and equestrian athleticism and performance through scientific research. And as much as she’s learned, she’s aware that many discoveries await. “We are only beginning to get a clue to what is important” in developing the ability to ride well, Clayton says. “We don’t ride all day; we do other things, too. General strength, flexibility, and cardio should be a part of your daily life. But if you’re a rider, pelvic mobility and the ability to control it are important.”
Less Strength, More Awareness
Thanks to Trafalgar Square Books (HorseAndRiderBooks.com) for permission to reprint photos from Susanne von Dietze’s book, Balance in Movement. Photos by Thomas Lehmann.
Both Clayton and von Dietze believe that developing awareness and understanding of seat-bone positioning, and of how the horse moves, is infinitely more valuable than doing a handful of exercises over and over again. “It’s more important to get on the horse and take the first five minutes on a long rein, and ask yourself and your horse how you each feel and what you need to do to feel better for
Jennifer Mellace is a published author who writes about topics ranging from health and wellness to lifestyle and business. She lives in Frederick, Maryland, with her husband, two children, and three dogs. Visit her website at MellaceWrites.com.
32 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
THOMAS LEHMANN/COURTESY OF TRAFALGAR SQUARE BOOKS
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GMO Buying Peace of Mind A guide to insurance for GMOs and their board members By Penny Hawes
T
here’s no way to sugarcoat it: We in the United States live in a litigious society. An organization, group, or individual can be sued for pretty much anything by pretty much anyone. And USDF group-member organizations (GMOs) are not immune to ending up in someone’s crosshairs. Although there’s no magic bullet to protect against lawsuits, there are ways to lessen the
EALAs: A Good Place to Start According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), horserelated injuries affect 35.7 persons per 100,000 population every year in the US. Those injuries are often followed by lawsuits. With the exception of California and Maryland, all states in the US have Equine Activity Liability Acts (EALAs). These statutes are
won’t prevent your GMO from being sued, it’s still a valuable first line of defense. Start by becoming familiar with your state’s EALA. Learn what it does and does not cover. Then make sure that the EALA is posted prominently at all entrances to farms, show grounds, and other facilities at which your GMO holds events. In many states, posting the EALA signage is required in order to be covered by the statute.
FIRST STEP: Equine-activity liability notice at the entrance to a Pennsylvania equestrian facility
chances of someone suing your GMO and winning. A key part of preparedness is robust liabilityinsurance coverage. In this article, insurance experts explain the basics and GMO officials share their experiences. The information contained in this article does not and is not intended to constitute legal advice. Contact your attorney for advice on specific legal matters.
designed to help protect horse owners, equine-event organizers, and other equine professionals from being successfully sued for injuries, damage, or death resulting from the “inherent risk” of being involved with horses. The purpose of an EALA is to move the liability of inherent risk from the event, the facility, the equine professional, and so on to the participant. Although the presence of an EALA
34 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
For a GMO and its board members, liability is a primary concern. The purpose of liability insurance is to help protect the insured organization or individual in the event of a lawsuit—if, of course, the reason for the suit is covered under the insurance policy. Expert caution that liability policies are not one-sizefits-all. Coverage, limits, and costs can vary widely from place to place and company to company. For starters, “There is a specific type of coverage for clubs and associations that offers liability insurance to assist with risks involved with these types of operations,” says Ryan Gotshall, an agent at Equine Insurance Center, Liberty, North Carolina. “We always recommend getting with an attorney to determine where they are liable for risk, then contacting a reputable insurance carrier to align the attorney’s recommendations with the coverage necessary to properly cover the operations.” “Risk management begins with a mindset: ‘It could happen to us,’” says Shane Crockett, CPCU, AFIS, senior director of agriculture in the Markel Specialty Agriculture divi-
JENNIFER BRYANT
Liability Insurance Explained
sion, Glen Allen, Virginia. “Start by asking yourself, ‘What could go wrong?’, and take steps to avoid and eliminate hazards and to mitigate the impact of potential accidents.” In other words, think through all the potential risks of your GMO’s activities similar to the way you try to anticipate and eliminate hazards— protruding nails, flimsy latches, broken fencing—before your horse can hurt himself on them. Crockett advises taking the following steps: • Look around any facility at which your GMO intends to hold an event (that could include the restaurant where the club holds board meetings!), and eliminate any obvious hazards. • Ensure that the basic requirements of any applicable equineactivity statute are met. • Purchase insurance. “In today’s litigious society, protection against liability claims is an utmost necessity.” As Gotshall explains, although a smaller GMO and a larger one may require the same type of coverage, the cost of each club’s policy can vary quite a bit, “based on the risk assessment from the application process if they are hosting events.” Agencies that sell liability policies to equestrian clubs may be able to offer quotes with or without events. If your GMO buys a no-event policy, “endorsements can be added at an additional cost throughout the year to accommodate any shows, clinics, et cetera,” he says. Crockett points out that “some insurance policies can be inadequate for the needs of group-member organizations. A group-member organization may need coverage that encompasses events, property, members, spectators, and volunteers.” He recommends discussing with your GMO’s lawyer and insurance agent what additional areas of coverage beyond basic liability should be added to the club’s insurance portfolio. Options include but are not limited to:
• Premises liability, for the club’s leased or owned premises • Liability for special events and parades. Club members, officers, volunteers, and employees typically are insured while participating in a club-sponsored activity. The insurance carrier needs to know about all clubsponsored events. • Fire legal liability, commonly included in general-liability policies, which covers the liability as a tenant for damage by fire to a rented premises • Liability coverage for the club’s various functions, such as shows, clinics, and trail rides; for the club’s equine equipment; and for sales of tack and goods • Excess-liability insurance, to protect the club’s assets • Directors and officers (D&O) errors and omissions insurance, to protect a GMO’s directors and officers from personal liability associated with wrongful acts or omissions in the performance of their duties. Some D&O policies also include Employment Practices Liability (EPL) coverage for claims alleging harassment, discrimination, or wrongful termination. • Other options, such as participant accident insurance; cyber liability coverage; and “care, custody, and control” insurance to cover animals not club-owned but in the club’s care. Reed Schroeder of G2 Insurance Services, a San Francisco-based Great American Insurance Group affiliate, offers some additional considerations, such as coverage for property including dressage arenas, tractors, or other equipment. If volunteers and board members drive their own vehicles for GMO-related purposes, then a policy covering leased, hired, and non-owned vehicles may be advisable, as well. Schroeder explains that “the insurance always follows the auto. The GMO has liability coverage,
but [that insurance] does not cover physical damage. If you’re driving your own car and something happens, that’s on your [personal] insurance; but if you’re [driving] on a club activity and someone goes after the club, this covers them.” Finally, “if you have vendors, such as tack shops and food trucks, at your events,” Schroeder says, “get certificates of insurance from them. A tack vendor selling helmets can have direct impact in a bodily-injury situation. If you have a massage therapist at your show, premises insurance is critical; but make sure they have professional-liability [coverage], and make them provide proof.” Did you know? The USDF requires each GMO to carry a commercial general-liability insurance policy with a minimum liability limit of $1,000,000 per occurrence. This policy is separate from D&O insurance. For more about GMO insurance requirements, see Section 4 of USDF’s GMO Handbook at usdf. org/clubs/gmo/guide.asp.
GMOs Weigh In The western Pennsylvania-based GMO Keystone Dressage and Combined Training Association (KDCTA) carries D&O insurance “because we’re all retiree age and aren’t losing our funds because someone does something stupid,” quips Janet Doe, the GMO’s former treasurer. “Even if you’re not legally liable, it doesn’t stop someone from trying.” Most GMOs share the belief that their volunteer ranks would suffer if they did not offer the shield of D&O insurance. “I would not participate on a board that was not covered. It’s a minor expense to protect volunteers,” says St. Louis Area Dressage Society (SLADS) president Sarah Szachnieski. Some Eastern New York Dressage and Combined Training Association (ENYDCTA) board members would not continue to serve if the
USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
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GMO insurance safety net were not there, says GMO president Krystal Wilt. Wisconsin Dressage and Combined Training Association (WDCTA) board member Caryn Vesperman agrees that “we’d have fewer volunteers” without the coverage. However, that protection comes at a cost, and some GMOs are feeling the pinch. The Wisconsin-based New Dressage Association (NEWDA) pays about $1,200 a year for its D&O policy, according to president Cecelia Conway. The small GMO’s member numbers are down—from the usual 60 to 65 to fewer than 50; Conway attributes the attrition to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic—meaning that the club has fewer membership dollars available to spend on insurance. Other GMO officials voiced the same concerns, saying that the insurance expense doesn’t decrease as quickly as the revenue. Nevertheless, most GMOs pony up, as it were, for insurance. The Western Pennsylvania Dressage As-
SAVE THE
DATE le x ington, k y
Adequan®/USDF
Annual Convention Nov 30 – Dec 3, 2022
sociation (WPDA) carries liability, D&O, and even automobile insurance, says WPDA board member Barbara Wozniak, who considers the expense an investment: “Everyone hates insurance until you need it, right?”
Shop Around Gotshall advises a GMO in the market for insurance to “obtain multiple quotes to ensure they are getting the best deal for their requirements.” He recommends looking for a carrier “who has an excellent rating with AM Best, is US admitted, and is knowledgeable and competitive.” (In insurance-speak, admitted insurance companies are those that are licensed to operate by state insurance agencies and must comply with regulations regarding rate approvals, policy forms, and claims handling.) “Customer service is the numberone priority to assist with this type of clientele,” Gotshall says. “If you are receiving great customer service and being provided the proper coverage, it’s always worth a little extra cost.” Look for an insurer with a great reputation and that has a lot of experience handling claims, Crockett says. “When things go wrong, you want an insurance carrier ready to go and prepared to defend the club’s interests.” The agent, of course, is a key player and instrumental in your satisfaction, as well, Schroeder says. “Use an agent who understands your present and future needs,” he advises. “Minimum premiums are often similar [among insurers]. Think ahead. If you’re small and you’re going to grow, what will be the extra cost? It’s important to trust the agent.” Realize that “the level of coverage often drives the price of insurance,” says Crockett. “Always compare the details, and understand what club activities are covered and what are excluded. Also, pay attention to the limits of insurance and the deduct-
36 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
ible,” which is “the amount the club is responsible to pay if a loss occurs.” According to Doe, the KDCTA found an affordable source of insurance through membership in its state horse council, the Pennsylvania Equine Council. “The organization joins as a member, and the ‘plus’ membership, which cost $83, includes directors and officers insurance,” Doe says. She adds that the Pennsylvania Equine Council also includes liability insurance in its individual “plus” membership tier, at a cost of about $40. Other state horse councils may offer similar benefits, as do some other types of equestrian organizations. US Equestrian, for one, does not offer coverage to organizations, but individual USEF members can purchase an excess personal liability policy against claims arising from use or ownership of horses and horse-related accidents involving personal or property damage. Is your GMO ready to take the first step toward bolstering its liability coverage? Start by speaking with your club’s lawyer. Learning what types of coverage your GMO needs can make the rest of the process much simpler. The cost of good liability insurance is “a small price to pay,” says Lehigh Valley (Pennsylvania) Dressage Association vice president Sherry Morse, “for the extra peace of mind.”
Penny Hawes is a writer, rider, and coach from Virginia. When she’s not working, you can find her hiking with her daughter, scouting around for antiques with her husband, or hanging out with her assortment of horses, cats, and dogs.
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38 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
ILLUSTRATION BY JODY LYNNE WERNER
PAID
How do some dressage riders afford pricey horses? They get a group of people to chip in—known as syndication.
P
erhaps your dressage dream, like many riders’ dreams, is to make it to the top—the very top. You know you have the work ethic, skills, and determination to become an elite
equestrian. There’s just one problem: You lack the horse to take you there. An ideal partnership with an exceptionally talented horse at the upper levels of FEI competition takes lots of hard work, a little luck, and, usually, a boatload of money. You may be somewhat lacking in the finance department, but you’ve heard there’s a creative solution: a syndicate, in which the horse is owned and financially supported by a group of people rather than by a sole owner. But you don’t know where to begin, what questions to ask, and what pitfalls may crop up along the way. We can help. We talked to riders, syndicate members, the owner of a high-performance horse, and a lawyer specializing in horse syndication, all of whom have successfully navigated the maze of questions, legalities, niceties, and being-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time scenarios to set up syndicates to purchase their dream dressage mounts. Consider this Introduction to Horse Syndication 101, dressage edition.
JENNIFER BRYANT; COURTESY OF AMY EBELING
Syndicates Explained The creation of a syndicate allows a group of people to purchase a horse—often an expensive, elite-level mount—to put under a talented rider. Sometimes the syndicate members know the rider, but not always. The members not only share in the purchase of the horse; they also share the horse’s expenses, such as vet bills, board, travel costs, and competition fees. Six-time Olympian Robert Dover experienced syndication firsthand when his 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games mount, Romantico, was purchased by a partnership for Dover to ride. Syndication became better known to dressage audiences when Jan Ebeling rode the mare Rafalca, owned by a syndicate created in 2007 by co-owners Elizabeth Meyer, Ann Romney, and Amy Ebeling, Jan’s wife. “The Three Amigos,” as Jan Ebeling dubbed them, got plenty of press, especially in the lead-up to Rafalca’s making the US team for the 2012 Olympic Games: 2012 was also an election year, and Ann Romney is the wife of that year’s Republican candidate for US president, Mitt Romney. “There are a lot of Olympic-athlete-quality human beings out there who are amazing athletes, but it takes
THE WIND BENEATH HER WINGS: Rafalca and rider Jan Ebeling made the 2012 US Olympic dressage team (top) thanks in large part to the mare’s ownership syndicate, the “Three Amigos” Elizabeth Meyer, Amy Ebeling, and Ann Romney
more than that,” Ann Romney says. “It takes a heart of gold, and to find that combination is rare,” she says, referring to Jan Ebeling. “The other piece of the puzzle that we were focused on—and that’s hard to duplicate— is the horse. You can get other horses that are even better movers [than Rafalca], but the heart of a champion, you don’t find that very easily.” [ USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
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IT TOOK A VILLAGE: Her clients banded together to make Melissa Vaughn’s dream horse a reality
this thing, but neither of those things happened,” he says. The DOTF, like its website, is now defunct. With the DOTF’s demise, the onus to create a horse syndicate is back where it started: on the shoulders of individual riders. Along with Hlavacek, we talked to two riders who have successfully formed syndicates. Here’s what they had to say about the process.
If You Don’t Ask, It Won’t Happen “It’s definitely worth it” for upand-coming dressage pros to explore the syndicate route, says Melissa Vaughn, who operates Vaughn Equestrian in Aiken, South Carolina, with her husband, hunter/ jumper and eventing trainer Darrell Vaughn. “I think that you’ll be surprised who backs you up and gets you to that next place. But you have to ask or it’s not going to happen.
40 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
And asking for help was the hardest thing.” After Vaughn found her dream horse (she declines to reveal its name), she scrambled to put the pieces in place. She had been figuring out how to buy a horse to fulfill her dreams when COVID hit. On top of that, she and Darrell were having health issues because of mold in their house. The house was razed and the Vaughns were also busy managing two barns and more than 50 horses, but they carved out time to travel to Florida to look for a horse for a client. They found one they liked, had it vetted, and were headed home when a hurricane curtailed flights out of the area. The client flew home the next morning, and the Vaughns stayed behind. Melissa Vaughn rode the horse again and was besotted. The client gave her the go-ahead to pursue the horse herself, and the seller gave her 10 days to make it work.
COURTESY OF MELISSA VAUGHN
In 2013, US Equestrian (USEF) formed a short-lived program to entice support of syndicates in dressage. The mission of the Dressage High-Performance Owners Task Force (DOTF) was to work with the USEF to implement a system “to ensure that the USA’s elite riders are mounted on the finest horses in the world,” with the ultimate goal of boosting Team USA’s world standing in dressage. The DOTF was first chaired by Bruce Hlavacek, who, with his wife, Jen Hlavacek, owned the late Weltino’s Magic, whom Olympian Steffen Peters rode to team and individual gold medals at the 2011 Pan American Games. The DOTF created a now-defunct website, ExperienceDressage.com, with the hope of matching would-be sponsors with ambitious riders. “You know, it was a great idea theoretically,” Bruce Hlavacek says of the DOTF program. “We had a lot of riders who were looking for sponsors, but no sponsors who were looking for riders. Every owner I talked to already had their rider, so to get a horse that might go to a large group for another rider was somewhat problematic because of personal relationships between riders and owners. So that was the hard part.” The DOTF’s ultimate goal was to form an independent group that would raise funds to buy horses, then audition elite riders to take over the horses for high-performance competition, Hlavacek says. He and other program supporters hoped to establish a foundation as a funding source: If a horse didn’t work out at the international level, it would be sold and the proceeds would go back into the foundation for reinvestment in other horses. “That was the long-term vision for
HEATHER RICHARDS
SHARING THE JOURNEY: Through exclusive photos, written updates, and other opportunities, Lauren Sprieser makes shareholders in the Guernsey Elvis syndicate feel a part of the team
Vaughn put together a brochure, a pamphlet, and a video and distributed them to her clients. “I said, ‘We can’t do this alone because of the cost of the horse and our current situation with our house. And in order for me to even try to get to the next point in my career, I need your help. If you’re interested, get back in touch with me.’” The next step Vaughn took is recommended by other syndicationsavvy dressage enthusiasts: She hired a lawyer well-versed in creating a limited-liability company (LLC), and she assembled a group of people to get it done (see “Make It Legal” at right). Another rider who has experience with syndication is FEI-level trainer and competitor Lauren Sprieser, who operates Sprieser Sporthorse in Marshall, Virginia. Sprieser was horse-shopping in the Netherlands for a student when she
spied something interesting: a 2011 KWPN gelding named Guernsey Elvis. She gave the little brown horse a try and thought, “Oh, there’s something very interesting about this horse,” but the gelding wasn’t suitable for her student. She approached one or two people about buying the horse outright, but that didn’t work out, so she figured she’d lost her potentially career-making horse. But not long after, Sprieser was searching for a horse for a different client when she learned that the little brown horse was still for sale. Elvis had not left the building. “Like I needed a plot twist in my life,” Sprieser quips—but she began brainstorming how to make it happen. “I said, ‘I can’t find one person interested, but maybe I can get a group together.’” The Elvis syndicate was born. “I got a lot of help in borrowing the money to be the
overwhelmingly majority owner,” Sprieser says, “but the basis of a syndicate exists, and the beauty of the syndicate is that I can continue selling shares forever.” For Sprieser, “the absolute hardest part for me is approaching people, because going to one person with hand outstretched is hard. Going to 35 people, hand outstretched—well, I heard no more than I heard yes.” She persisted because “I believe in the horse, and I also believe that I can provide a journey worth going on. And so I have approached everyone I can possibly think of. I have approached people who know me well; I have approached people who apparently don’t know me at all. And sometimes I heard no, but every no I heard was just an opportunity for me to knuckle down and get fired up to go approach the next person.”
Make It Legal Vaughn and Sprieser agree that the key to launching a successful equine syndicate is engaging a lawyer who’s well-versed in equine matters. “It was absolutely imperative that an attorney be involved because this is complicated law,” Sprieser says. “It is not straightforward. And I would certainly advise anyone interested in doing such a thing that not only do they need an attorney, but they also need an equine specialty attorney with some mileage at this.” As it happens, both women hired the same equine lawyer to guide them through the legal process, explain the options, and draw up their syndication documents. Yvonne Ocrant, a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in Chicago, “sent me some examples and talked me through a few ways that we could
USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
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Don’t Take the Law into Your Own Hands
T
he horse business is unique. When it comes to equine-related legal matters—from sales issues and liability releases to, of course, syndicates—it can pay to engage the expertise of a lawyer who specializes in equine matters. One such lawyer, Yvonne Ocrant, helped FEIlevel competitors Melissa Vaughn and Lauren Sprieser to form syndicates to purchase their dream dressage horses. Ocrant, a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in Chicago, specializes in the English disciplines and has assisted in the creation of more than 210 syndicates. USDF Connection asked her to walk us through her process. Step 1: Free consultation. In a conference call with the interested parties, Ocrant asks a series of questions and ultimately suggests one of five, fully-customizable types of syndicates (more on those in a minute). Questions include things like the name of the syndicate, the name of the manager of the syndicate, the number of owners involved, the dollar amount of each share (called fractional interests), the amount of the annual maintenance fee, whether horse insurance is to be included, and what would happen if a third party offers to purchase the horse. Step 2: Setup. If the parties choose to go forward with the syndication agreement, Ocrant charges a flat fee for her services. The first step is setting up a limited-liability company or LLC “so that all of the members have liability protection,” Ocrant explains. “You don’t want any one member to personally own the horse, and it also prevents any one member from taking the horse and claiming the horse is theirs.” There are two types of expenses to be funded: “One is going to be to buy the horse if they don’t already have it. The other number is the annual maintenance fee” for the horse’s expenses. Ocrant procures a tax ID number for the LLC, and the manager of the company sets up a separate bank account. Step 3: Create the syndicate’s operating agreement. Ocrant has developed five versions of the operating agreement to accommodate
42 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
common variations in horse syndicates. They are: 1. Supporters start by contributing money and then put together the syndicate, with the intention of purchasing a specific horse for a specific rider. 2. The horse has already been purchased, but the rider needs financial help in reaching the elite levels, such as through traveling to train and compete. 3. The rider has a promising young horse. The horse’s expenses might be minimal in its early life, but as the years go on, expenses can mount. 4. The rider wishes to create a multiple-horse syndicate, such as for both a young horse and a Grand Prix horse. “I don’t always recommend that,” says Ocrant, “but I’ve done enough of them to know that it’s needed.” Potential investors may be willing to support the young horse if they can get in on the Grand Prix horse, as well. 5. A syndicate involving a mare or a breeding stallion might include breeding opportunities. Syndicate members could receive such benefits as first rights to next year’s breeding straws or the option to flush an embryo from a mare. As Ocrant explains, the operating agreement is “the partnership agreement that lays out all the terms of the rights and responsibilities that the manager of the syndicate and each of the members have.” In her role as attorney, she customizes and fine-tunes the contract language “to make sure that this agreement is drafted the way they want it to be for their opportunity.” She asks questions until she and all the parties feel comfortable that the operating agreement covers the necessary scenarios, such as: What happens if an owner wants to get out of the syndicate? Will the horse be insured, and if so, for how much and for what types of coverage? What happens if the horse needs to be retired? “What’s so important with these syndicates is transparency and satisfying expectations,” Ocrant says. “Don’t be afraid of the process or the things you don’t yet know. We will get through all that together.”
structure it,” says Vaughn. “And we chose the way that was best for us.” In addition to hiring a lawyer, Amy Ebeling recommends involving a knowledgeable tax advisor. “The IRS rules for a syndicate are very specific,” says Ebeling. “It’s very, very important to work with a really good accountant and a really good attorney who can help advise them how to structure this and how to file tax returns so that they never get into trouble.” For more on the legal aspects of syndicated horse ownership, see “Don’t Take the Law into Your Own Hands” on the opposite page.
Care and Feeding of Shareholders The “journey worth going on,” as Sprieser puts it, is what attracts many supporters to buy into a syndicate. Not surprisingly, our experts say that personalized attention is key to maintaining successful relationships with syndicate members. The rider needs to be “somebody who is really personable and on top of things and makes it fun,” says Hlavacek. “If people get regular updates, it lets them know what’s going on, and maybe the rider does little videos and they send them out to everybody, and they have little get-togethers and weekly updates.” As Sprieser was assembling her syndicate, she considered what strengths she could capitalize on to involve shareholders. A popular Chronicle of the Horse blogger, she decided that her writing and storytelling skills would help keep supporters engaged and involved. “I can create an experience in being a part of this journey that people from all over the country would find valuable, not just people who are there in person to watch Elvis go,”
she says. “My owners follow along with a private Instagram account, and I write them little newsletter updates. They get a really behindthe-scenes experience that would normally only be available to somebody who owns a horse outright. So they’re paying a fraction of the cost but still getting a huge experience. I have in-person opportunities for them, as well. Of course, all of my members are welcome to the farm any time.” It’s important, Ebeling believes, for the syndicate members to be united in their mission. “When you line up a group of people, you want to make sure that they all have a common end goal,” she says, citing such scenarios as one member’s wanting to sell the horse to make some money, one lobbying to get a different rider for the horse, and another wanting to sell the horse to buy a new one for the rider.
Would They Do It Again? Vaughn calls the time in which she assembled her syndicate one of the most stressful weeks in her life. “It was one of those things: You don’t really know how badly you want it until it’s standing there right in front of you, but you have a pretty major obstacle to overcome in order to get it,” she admits. But “it was definitely worth the work. And the fact that all of these people were willing to support us to have the opportunity to get to this next place is what I’m thankful for. Of course I’m thankful for the horse, but it wouldn’t be possible without them.” If the right horse comes along, Sprieser says, she will certainly consider forming another syndicate, to enable her to have horses at different levels coming up the pipeline.
“I know how important it is to have as deep a bench as I possibly can,” she says. “So for sure I would do this again. It has been worth every ounce of effort—every ounce of considerable effort that I have put into it.” Syndicate members Romney and Ebeling agree that the effort is worth it, not only for the riders and their horses, but also for the shareholders themselves. “We wanted to do this with a group of people because we just wanted to share the joy,” Romney says. A very few fortunate riders can self-finance their dressage dreams. A handful of others win the backing of a sole deep-pocketed sponsor. And then there’s everyone else—the talented equestrians with lofty goals and slim wallets. For that majority, syndicated horse ownership can be a way—sometimes the only way—to get the ride on a horse whose price tag is out of any single buyer’s reach. “It’s imperative that we get creative, we who do not have access to the single owner of our dreams,” Sprieser says. “And this is a way of not only providing access to the rarefied air of elite horse ownership to a lot of people, but also a way for us riders of getting more help than we might otherwise be able to get.”
Sue Weakley is a freelance journalist with a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in print journalism. She taught journalism and integrated marketing communications at the university level for five years before melding her love of dressage with her love of writing.
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Blood Ties Sport horses, pedigrees, and the pursuit of your perfect athlete
STANDOUTS: US breeders aim to produce sport horses with top talent, temperament, and ridability. From top: Sonnenberg’s Modern Pleasure (Expression – Gold Pleasure, Wynton), a 2017 KWPN gelding bred by Sonnenberg Farm LLC, ridden by Michele Bondy. MW Marcario (Morricone – MW El.Sp.Pr. Cilla Amour, San Amour), a 2017 GOV stallion bred by Maplewood Warmbloods, ridden by Lindsey Holleger. Louisville HTF (Lord Leatherdale – Unicum-D, Negro), a 2017 Hanoverian stallion bred by Hilltop Farm, ridden by Michael Bragdell.
44 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
MARY CORNELIUS; SUSANJSTICKLE.COM; MICHELLE MORGENSTERN PHOTOGRAPHY
BY NATALIE DEFEE MENDIK
Y
ou hear talk about warmblood bloodlines that are known for producing dressage horses with stellar gaits. A friend remarks that another line is a great choice for amateur riders. Then there’s the stallion that’s the hot new thing—until offspring suggest that perhaps he’s not all that, after all. How can you separate fad bloodlines from solid, proven breeding? For this article, we asked top US sport-horse breeders to share their insights gleaned from years in the business.
Get Educated Do you feel you lack a good grasp on what goes into breeding exceptional sport horses? You’re not alone: Breeding and bloodlines are a gray area for many riders because there’s such a range of knowledge, says Jen Vanover, owner of Maplewood Warmbloods in Middletown, New York. “It’s something you can master, but there really is a lot to it, and I think that can be daunting,” Vanover says. “Just as dressage is something you can never learn everything about, the same is true in breeding. There are eighty-year-old breeders in Germany that will tell you they are still learning.” So where to begin? “Start by looking at what catches your eye and work backward from there—who’s the sire, who’s the dam, what’s the dam line. More often than not, you can explore that family tree and find something that suits you,” Vanover says. “To this day, if I see a horse at a show and I like the type or movement, I’ll look up the bloodlines.” Then expand that research over the decades, Vanover suggests: Look to see which bloodlines produce proven performers and which produce good ridability. “And ask questions of people who have been doing this well for years.”
She’s Got It Stallions get the lion’s share of the attention in bloodline research and identification, but experts know that mares and mare lines are equally important, if not more so. “In many European countries, where big breeding takes place, they figured out years ago that mare lines and mare families are the key to breeding,” says Dan Ruediger, co-owner with wife Gina of Sonnenberg Farm in Sherwood, Oregon. In Ruediger’s experience, the dam and the dam line
play an outsized role in the offspring’s characteristics. The ideal dam, therefore, is a mare with a proven competition record of her own, whose mare line has been competitive and has produced top performers in sport. “The consistency of what the stallion produces stems from the strength of the mare line,” Ruediger says. “We hear so much about stallions, but mares deserve credit for bringing so much to the table.” As a result, choosing a stallion starts with the mare. At Sonnenberg, “we don’t choose what we consider to be the best stallion or our favorite stallion; we choose the best stallion to fit what that mare needs to be successful,” Ruediger says. “We start with our mare and the mare line. We know a history of what the mare line produces, and then we choose a stallion that consistently improves what we are trying to improve.” Example: “Say the mare has a short back or shorter lines that we want to lengthen,” Ruediger says. In this case, “we look for a stallion that comes from a mare line that produces more length. We can see what the mare lines do by researching to see if that’s a consistent trait. So the mare line is the important part in this equation, even for the stallions.” “Dedicated breeders often give more attention to the mare lines,” echoes Natalie DiBerardinis, managing director at Hilltop Farm, Colora, Maryland. “There is often misconception when people think of mare lines, as pedigrees are often listed as sire-based. People go automatically to the mare’s sire and not the mare’s mother, but what we are really talking about with the mare line is tracing the mares in the bottom of the pedigree line. There are breeders out there doing dedicated research into mare lines, including good books on Hanoverian and Holsteiner mare lines and some great websites that are continually being updated to see the newest offspring coming from these lines. It’s fun to dive further into what the mares have contributed.” For some suggestions of jumping-off points for your own bloodline research, see “Start Your Bloodline Research Here” on page 47.
Proven Performers Anne Sparks, owner of Horses Unlimited in Albuquerque, New Mexico, takes the long view, choosing both proven mares and stallions. In mare selection, “you have to look at the dam,” says Sparks, “which is why I’ve gone from breeding threeand four-year-olds to making sure the mare has finished her mare inspection and mare performance test, and if USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
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possible has gone out and competed, because that’s going to tell a lot.” As for stallions, Sparks mostly shies away from the hot new youngsters, saying, “If you breed to a three-year-old, what do you know about the ridability of that horse? Does he have the conformation that’s going to hold up? Will he have passed by age 12, or will he still be ridden at 20? Now that we don’t do the 70-day or 100-day test, people should look at the competition records of the stallions.” To check the correlation between lineage and ridability, Sparks suggests looking at the performance records in the family. “What you need to know is if the mare is ridable and comes from a ridable mare line, and if the stallion comes from a ridable mare line and stallion line,” she says. “That’s why I really like Hilltop Farm’s Louisville HTF (Lord Leatherdale – Unicum-D, Negro): His sire is an FEI horse that has sired Grand Prix horses, and his dam competed at Grand Prix.” “From a breeding perspective, we are looking to produce horses that
score in the eighties,” notes Vanover, who adds that—no surprise—the mare line is crucial to this equation. “You can breed to an amazing stallion, but the dam also needs to be a very good mover from a performance-based dam line with a deep tradition of producing ridable performance horses,” Vanover says. She adds that “it’s important on the stallion side of things that the stallion has a good pedigree, a good mother line, and moves well on its own, not just because it’s fancy when Edward [Gal] or Charlotte [Dujardin] or whoever rides it.”
Leave It to the Pros… or Not?
Is there really such a thing as an “amateur friendly” bloodline? “I love the amateur riders and think they don’t give themselves enough credit for what they can ride. There’s that whole fallacy that a fancy horse is only for a professional. It’s really not true,” says Vanover. A “forward thinking” horse that’s not overreactive is often an ideal fit for amateurs, she says.
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RIDABILITY: The KWPN stallion Vitalis tends to be a consistent producer, says breeder Dan Ruediger. Formerly owned and shown by US rider Charlotte Jorst (pictured), Vitalis now stands at stud in Germany under European ownership.
And while some “hot” bloodlines may be known as best suited to professional riders, “I think the professionals are also getting to a point that they don’t want to ride crazy,” Vanover says. “To do a Grand Prix test, the horse has to be with you. They have to be hot enough to go on their own, but if they are too reactive, that whole journey of ten years takes such a toll on their bodies that they rarely make it, despite being exceptionally fancy young horses.” Ruediger encourages riders to consider their own skills and plans before they get caught up in evaluating bloodlines. “People ask us all the time about this pedigree or that horse, and it really depends on what the rider wants to do and to accomplish,” he says. “Every rider needs to define what their goals are: to compete on a regional level? On a national level? On an international level?” He points out that “some of the best young horses may not be the best Grand Prix horses, and vice versa; some tough young horses might be excellent Grand Prix horses. So it really depends on the goals and abilities of the rider.” So back to the burning question: Are some lines considered more amateur-friendly and others better suited to pros? “Generally speaking, there is some blood that consistently produces for easier ridability: Vivaldi, Totilas, Fürstenball, and Donnerhall, to name a few,” Ruediger says. He calls the KWPN stallion Vitalis (Vivaldi – Tolivia, D-Day) “a great example of a horse that produces good temperaments when crossed well and makes good young horses that we’re now starting to see in FEI, so here’s an example of both nice temperament with the talent for upper levels.
“Then there is some blood that is known to be more difficult to work with, like Jazz,” Ruediger continues. “But Jazz is also one of the top producers of Grand Prix horses.” That’s why he stresses again that “you have to go back to your goals. Some hot horses can be ruined if people are afraid of them. You have to match your ability and skills with your goals and line out a pedigree that makes sense.” That said, Ruediger urges buyers and breeders to remember that bloodlines should not serve as the sole criterion. “Look at the pedigree for its information, but it’s not everything. Never count out a horse because of its pedigree,” he says. In other words, if you’re an amateur, don’t pass on checking out a promisingsounding horse just because it has a “hot” bloodline: “I know quite a few horses that may seem hot because of pedigree but have super ridability and temperament.” Sometimes simple common sense is the best guideline for the buyer. “I think one of the biggest things for the average amateur is to not get a young horse,” says Sparks. “The point of riding is to have fun. I won’t say there’s a bloodline I recommend or don’t recommend. Talk to the breeders; look up if the mom performed, if the dad performed. If the dad was retired because it never made it through Prix St. Georges, do you think you’re going to have a lot of success with their offspring? Look up the records; that information is out there.” “Pedigrees are a starting point, but it’s important to look at each horse as an individual,” says DiBerardinis. “The older a horse is with more training, the less we rely on
the pedigree as a predictor of what we may have, although the pedigree may give us insight into training strategies or how a horse may come along—but, of course, they are horses; they don’t always follow what we expect!”
Concerning Trends? Sparks sounds the alarm on several trends she has spotted in sporthorse breeding. “When did all the parameters change? When I got into warmblood breeding, I was told I couldn’t license a prospect at seventeen hands as he was too big, and now I see top scores going to horses that at four years old are close to eighteen hands,” she says, a note of frustration creeping into her voice.
“I’ve been breeding for the walk and canter for the last twenty years. The walk and the canter are tied together, but now a walk can get a 7 and the canter, a 9. When I got into it, a walk mattered.” Sparks thinks sport-horse breeding currently places a little too much emphasis on style and not enough on substance. Today, she says, breeders tend to “want them black, tall, with a little nose and a wide forehead. I want to see three good gaits. I see so many people breeding to the fancy trot.” She’s also concerned that “we are losing good bloodlines because they aren’t the ‘flavor of the month.’ This trend is damaging overall when you rarely find pedigrees without the same stallion.” Such dominance,
Start Your Bloodline Research Here
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our social-media feeds may be veritable candy stores of scrumptiouslooking stallions and dainty, delectable foals—but don’t make breeding and buying decisions based on Instagram, breeding experts caution. “We have to remember that social media is essentially a huge marketing run,” says Hilltop Farm managing director Natalie DiBerardinis. “There is so much more in terms of objective data and information besides social media.” Start your sport-horse-breeding research by checking the USDF (usdf. org) and US Equestrian (usef.org) websites for competition results and basic pedigree information, DiBerardinis suggests. From there, take a deeper dive by exploring such European warmblood databases as the UK-based Sporthorse-Data.com; the Dutch-based HorseTelex.com; Pferd-Aktuell.de (German language only); and KWPN.org, the website of the Studbook of the Royal Dutch Sport Horse. These online resources allow researching the correlations between pedigree and sport-horse data, including competition, testing, and inspection results for dam and sire lines in a horse’s lineage. In addition, HorseTelex.com and Sporthorse-Data.com offer test mating functions, in which you can explore the pedigree of potential crosses. This of particular importance, says DiBerardinis, as breeders consider how many times an ancestor appears in a possible pedigree: “Genetic diversity within warmblood breeding is becoming a larger discussion amongst the registries,” she notes. Finally, keep in mind that just learning a horse’s first- or second-generation pedigree isn’t enough. “Don’t just look at the first two horses in the pedigree,” says Horses Unlimited’s Anne Sparks. “You have to follow further.”
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made possible by advances in frozen-semen storage and use, “would never have been possible thirty years ago,” she points out.
Global Reach, Specialized Pedigrees For mare owners, “stallion choice is driven by sales,” DiBerardinis says. “In the social-media age, one clip of one super-exciting stallion or one high-selling auction foal travels fast, so I think breeders to some degree to survive have to be a little reactionary to what the market is demanding—and where the market demand comes from now is based more on name recognition than actual quality. We have to look at the actual statistics: How many Grand Prix horses have come from this particular mare line? Is this a family that tends to do well in the Young Horse classes, but we’re not seeing them train up? What is the sport record beyond just the trending video on Facebook? We all need to drive the best in breeding programs.” Even if certain stallions remain ubiquitous in modern pedigrees, Vanover asserts that “there is room
for preferences in breeding.” “If you look at top horses at the [FEI] World Breeding Championships or the top horses at Aachen,” she says, “there is quite a diversity of type, registry, size, and bloodlines. For example, some of the top horses in the world for the last ten years are barely over sixteen hands. Some have longer backs, some shorter. Some Dutch, some German. What they do have is very good hind mechanics.” Changing times have blurred the distinctions among many warmblood registries, says DiBerardinis. “Most of the warmblood registries were historically regionally developed and had a very strong following in that region; now they have become a global brand,” she says. “And in responding to that, I would say there is less loyalty from the breeders to their specific registry, which has encouraged the swing of using a ‘flavor of the month’ sort of stallion as opposed to strongly following what works within a particular mare base and within the guidelines of the registry. This flexibility in registration options gives
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Buy American Many American breeders are producing exceptional horses to sell to US riders, says Vanover. “We don’t have these big auctions where people come from around the world, the horses get sold, and then they disappear. We are basically selling to our ‘back yard’; we are super-honest about what we have,” she says. “We often have generations of horses out of the same mother line, so we are really able to say how a horse is going to be, even as a foal. I encourage everyone to look for horses in this country. We have to produce from within if we want to be super-competitive over the decades.” Ruediger says that the US “is catching up [to the European breeders] in terms of quality and education. There has always been a desire to import from abroad, but we have
REBECCA BLAKE
BREEDER RECOGNITION: USDF offers educational and awards programs for US sport-horse breeders, including the USDF Breeders Championship Series. Pictured is the 2020 Northwest Series colt/gelding champion, Dante SVS (Diamond Head – Udora), a Hanoverian bred by Jeanne Schamblin.
breeders freedom, which is great if they have the education to make the right choices.” At the same time, many warmbloods are no longer marketed as all-around sport horses: Instead, bloodlines have become specialized as producing dressage horses, jumpers, or eventers, DiBerardinis adds. “For example, dressage horses are no longer required to free-jump as part of the stallion licensing for most registries,” she explains. “This specialization allows us to develop the breeding for a specific sport a little faster, but we may be losing other qualities that are also beneficial and better evaluated through the free-jump chute, such as the horse’s quick reflexes.” She believes that “the versatile, athletic horse that can be successful in multiple disciplines still has an important place in our industry.”
a lot of American breeders producing very high-quality horses. At Sonnenberg Farm, we have some of the best mares in the world in terms of proven sport records—and we’re not the only ones. It’s important for Americans to have that shift to our own sport-horse base.” To that end, DiBerardinis hopes to see all members of the equestrian community take an interest in sporthorse breeding. “We are definitely making strides forward in a better link between sport and breeding, but that still has a long way to go in this country,” she says. “I think riders and owners should take initiative by learning their own horse’s pedigree and connecting with the breeder if possible.” Even trainers, who may already have developed preferences for certain bloodlines, “may need some
guidance regarding how those lines would be expected to cross on their mare.” As for breeders themselves, she says, “I think our breeding community sometimes needs to be more connected with what the demands are for top sport, and develop more relationships with riders and trainers regarding how different bloodlines train up the levels.” A current co-chair of the USDF Sport Horse Committee, DiBerardinis touts the “great platforms” that the USDF has developed to support breeders and provide education to all, including the USDF Breeders Championship Series, the USDF Sport Horse Prospect Development Forum, and the USDF Sport Horse Seminar. (Find these and more on the USDF website under the Competition and Education tabs.) If you’re looking for your next
dressage partner, you may well find it right here in the USA—but don’t expect that American-bred youngster to come with a lower price tag than its imported counterpart, our experts caution. “Many buyers in the sport-horse market don’t understand why foals are expensive,” says Ruediger. “It’s incredibly hard and unbelievably expensive to be a breeder of consistent, high-quality sport horses. I think it’s really important, especially in this country, for people to learn about and understand breeding.”
Natalie DeFee Mendik is an awardwinning journalist specializing in equine media. Visit her online at MendikMedia.com.
REGISTER YOUR HORSE WITH USDF! The $115 USDF Lifetime Horse Registration: • Fulfills horse registration requirements for ALL USDF award and championship programs.* • Never needs to be renewed. *For information about rider/owner membership requirements for award and championship programs, visit the USDF website.
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Renaissance Man For classical master and World War II survivor Charles de Kunffy, art and horsemanship are one and the same BY KIM F. MILLER
USDF ARCHIVE
STEEPED IN TRADITION: De Kunffy in an undated photo
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P
alm Springs, California, may not seem the Mecca of classical dressage and horsemanship, yet that’s where the art’s most passionate and eloquent advocate resides. He is Charles de Kunffy, world-renowned and revered as a conduit for the equestrian education he absorbed from European masters throughout his youth and young adulthood in his native Hungary. His teaching and judging have influenced equestrians around the world. On doctor’s orders, de Kunffy travels only 50 days a year now; but through clinics, articles, interviews, and his many books, he continues to ensure that the principles of classical horsemanship are available to those who seek them out, now and for the future. Inducted into the Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame in 2013, de Kunffy was born into Hungarian aristocracy sometime in the 1930s (he is famous for declining to reveal his exact age). His parents were prominent horse breeders, and horses were interwoven into the family’s life at their castle and surrounding grounds. He began formal riding lessons from a cavalry officer at the age of seven and progressed under the eye of European masters who were considered part of a golden age of equestrian education. It was an era, he says, when learning to ride and train horses using classical, compassionate principles was part of an upbringing that led to a meaningful, beauty-filled, useful life in the broadest sense. “Good riding is a metaphor for a life lived correctly,” says de Kunffy, chatting on a Zoom call from his living room. European oil paintings crowd the walls behind him. He is not wearing the handsome haberdashery— usually a cap or fedora—that perfectly complements the always-impeccable attire seen in any image of de Kunffy, from any year or circumstance. But his hat is “just nineteen steps across the room,” he tells this reporter playfully. “I can easily go get it.” And so begins a conversation that weaves a life with horses into life itself. Which is as it should be, asserts the master: “Riding is not an excuse to forget the world.”
The Art of Living Horses were de Kunffy’s passion early on. Yet his horsemanship education was always part of a wider world that included many forms of art and philosophy. His mother was a talented sculptor, and a great-uncle was an accomplished artist. The dinner-table discussions of
THE AESTHETE: Old World manners and impeccable turnout are two of de Kunffy’s hallmarks
his youth were enlivened and enlarged by the perspectives of omnipresent visitors. “We never dined alone,” de Kunffy says. “We always had a huge number of guests. It was the nineteenth-century style of living. “My idols and teachers and the many important people in my life all had many passions and pursued education in many areas,” he continues. “We called this ‘overall culture.’ It had to do with knowing where you are in history. Knowing when things started, whether it was 10,000 or 10 million years ago, there was a really big feeling of knowing where you are in art, philosophy, ethics, and aesthetics.” Brought into the equestrian realm, this concept fosters admiration of the horse’s beauty and nature. When horsemanship is learned as part of one’s overall culture, he explains, then it’s the horse’s correct training that is more highly valued. If it’s beautiful to boot, all the better. De Kunffy appreciates that he’s lived in three distinct cultures over his 80-plus years. He describes it as having lived in three centuries. In the first, family and teachers immersed him in nineteenth-century beliefs and ethics. “We would call it heaven,” he says of his youth. “It was a life where we woke up to birdsong and had no fears or worries. We were never threatened, and there was so much beauty, elegance, and appropriate behavior.” Then came the unimaginable opposite of life under first Nazi, then Soviet, rule of Hungary during and in the wake of World War II. De Kunffy witnessed unspeakable USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
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Preserving the Art
MENTOR AND STUDENT: De Kunffy with longtime student JJ Tate
horrors, including what he refers to as “industrial murders” including those of family members “for no reason other than that they were born.” His upbringing dictates keeping those memories to himself: “If you don’t watch out, you can burden the people around you. So you have to be elegant, even sometimes a little aloof.” He’s grateful to be living in this current “third century,” with justice and peace largely outweighing global strife. However, he’s concerned that the concept of horsemanship as an art form is being lost, saying, “The living arts survive by those who everyday demonstrate that the art is living. “I wish more people would handle it as an art form,” he continues, “and put in the much-needed academic preparedness. Any form of character development is going to be more proud and large with the horse than without it. That’s why the powerful elite of the past always wanted to educate their offspring on horseback.” That’s because “You can’t argue with a horse when it comes to courage and gratitude, focus and char-
Grand Prix-level trainer and competitor Jessica Jo “JJ” Tate shares de Kunffy’s worry that the art of classical horsemanship could be lost, and she’s doing everything in her power to prevent that. Since she began riding with the man she calls her mentor at age 11, Tate has embraced, embodied, and promoted his methods wholeheartedly. “Is he still relevant?” is a question Tate hears frequently. “In my career, I’ve been privileged and blessed enough to ride with some of the top people in the world, and it’s Charles who always brings out the best of my horses and myself. And he does so in a way that you don’t even know you are working so deeply.” The patience required for the slow work of classical dressage can be a hard sell today. “People are attracted to new and shiny things, but that doesn’t really work in dressage,” explains Tate, a Wisconsin native now based in Landrum, South Carolina. “The age-old principles are what we need to hold onto the most, and I don’t know anyone who exemplifies them better than Charles. He is the living embodiment of endless patience and nonconfrontational training methods.” A clinic with de Kunffy can be “more like a meditative yoga session” than a conventional riding lesson, Tate says, adding that his methods prove themselves time and again
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with horses of various breeds and abilities. This facility, says Tate, may seem less important in the current era of the “superhorse”—sport horses bred to be superbly physically capable of dressage’s most difficult movements. But she and de Kunffy believe that such gifted equines are a doubleedged sword of sorts, because their physical abilities and the willing, kind temperaments for which they are also bred enable and even tempt riders to take shortcuts in the training process. As de Kunffy puts it, “What worries me most is that we are in a time of superior horse and minimal rider.” “Riders are not taught and trained the correct seat and aids,” de Kunffy laments. “There are no longer eighteen months spent on the lunge line, riding behind the vertical, leaning back to send the pelvis forward and build that abdominal grid and lumbar swing that allow the seat to develop.” A correctly developed seat, he explains, is an integrated seat in which the rider’s presence is “no more a burden to the horse than the horse’s skin, eyeball, or left ear. The rider is inside the horse’s body in a way that takes us toward the goal of classical riding: to amplify the natural gaits. To make them easier, with less effort. Those things are totally ignored.” “The horse knows how to be a horse,” he asserts. “The rider has to be made.” Even at the highest level of competitive dressage, de Kunffy sees too few integrated seats. He recalls judging a Grand Prix class with 58 entries and determining that only eight riders had a proper seat. “The rest just came around to win.” More than just ribbons are at
RBM PHOTOGRAPHY
ity—all of those wonderful characteristics that make a nasty little child into a responsible adult. And all those things are happening because riding is an art. Ours is a wonderful performing art that we are involved with. It is going to disappear if one generation starts to display it in a false way.”
stake, he stresses. “The more fabulous and physical the sport gets, the more it happens that more skills enable the rider to inflict more hurt on the horse. By abstaining from correct riding principles, the rider can become cruel without wanting to be cruel.”
USDF ARCHIVE
A Matter of Engagement Dressage isn’t easy for the horse, physically or mentally, de Kunffy emphasizes. He describes the frequent sight of a “confused, terrified” horse that seems to be poised to bolt at a flowerpot or some other presumably frightening object. But “it’s not the pot” that’s the problem, he asserts. “It’s little Agatha back in the saddle, and the horse knowing that if he makes a move, little Agatha holding the reins with two fists will be snatching at those reins.” While the horse is born knowing how to be a horse, he does need to learn from the rider how to have the correct posture for moving. “The horse is not just taught what to do; he should be taught how to do it,” de Kunffy says. “It’s beautiful to see a horse moving in big, bold ways; but without correct posture, there is no correct transportation. There is just the horse running with kinetic energy.” Engagement of the haunches is the source of that correct transportation, but de Kunffy describes it as largely not taught, even “ignored.” “If the horse is correctly aligned and correctly asked, he would use the ambidextrous nature of his function on a circle to tuck under the pelvic structure, giving him more flexibility and allowing him to raise the limbs.” Then “he’d land the leg and sink into it. They need to be able to soften on landing; otherwise they are just beating the daylights
THE TEACHER: Lecturing at a USDF Violet Hopkins National Seminar for Dressage Instructors (with attendees including the late Centered Riding founder Sally Swift, center) in the 1980s
out of the arena floor and they can’t yield to the terrain. This is when they are not comfortable: They’re hurting and disturbed.” This critical engagement of the hindquarters should be introduced at the outset of the horse’s training, then developed as the horse becomes stronger and more educated. De Kunffy recalls his grandfather’s advice that forward motion for a horse under saddle should come from the hocks’ rotating closer to the bridle. “The horse slows down and folds under, and every time he surrenders his joints, you taught him to do that. That is the action of a riding horse, versus the carriage horse that runs like hell.”
Technology and Horsemanship De Kunffy likes the fact that modern technology has helped to validate what his grandfather and his contemporaries knew about horse training and equine biomechanics. “In the good old days, people knew the value of starting a piaffe from a halt,” he notes. “Now you can put this info into a sophisticated machine and the machine will say, ‘Uncle Johnny was right.’” Infrared systems that track movements and
impact forces “prove that the old peasant who was your stable man in 1812 was totally right in the way he insisted on training the horse.” He appreciates the work that renowned equine-biomechanics researcher Dr. Hilary Clayton has done in this realm, noting that “She is also a very good rider!” At the same time, de Kunffy has found advances in communication technology to be a mixed blessing for horsemanship. “It’s a two-bladed knife,” he says. “If somebody has their horse behind the vertical and the horse chewing on their own chest and you spread that to 57,000 riders, you do great harm. If you are spreading correct techniques, then it can be very good.” De Kunffy’s own horsemanship education was rooted in experience, reading widely, and working closely with mentors. Those pillars remain the gold standard. Although 30-year mentorships of the kind de Kunffy and Tate enjoy are rarities, books, videos, and clinics make de Kunffy’s teachings available to those who seek them out. Of his six published books, Tate recommends Dressage Principles Illuminated as the best place to start for those new to classical horsemanship. [
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“It’s my dressage bible,” she says. “They’ve just done a new edition, and I am really proud to have myself pictured in it. It’s an excellent book that really brings the feel of working with Charles to life.” (Read an excerpt from the newly revised and expanded edition of Dressage Principles Illuminated at YourDressage.org.) The Athletic Development of the Horse is another of Tate’s favorites. All of de Kunffy’s work is a focus of the online Team Tate Academy that Tate launched in 2020. Geared for “the new generation of classical riders,” the Academy presents among its educational offerings live streams of de Kunffy’s twice-yearly clinics at Tate’s South Carolina facility. “I’m excited that so many people can see him in action,” Tate says. “To see him is to believe him. He’s like fluffy, fluffy, fluff; then you watch it work with a horse that’s come into the ring looking possibly a little off, its tongue hanging out, et cetera… then, within fifteen minutes, the horse is moving over its back, the rider is able to sit the trot, and the horse looks totally different. Until
you watch him do his magic, you can’t believe it. That’s one of the main reasons I created the Academy: because I know the process he teaches works.” Scenarios like the one Tate describes confirm one of de Kunffy’s frequent jokes with his longtime student: “He’ll say, ‘Am I right? Or am I always right?’” she says with a laugh. “He likes to say that he’s a fortune teller because what he teaches always works, with any horse and any type of rider.” An in-person classical-horsemanship academy in the United States was actually a goal of de Kunffy’s for many years. “Correct training should be institutionalized,” he says. “It should be our common daily diet.” After his 2013 USDF Hall of Fame induction, he says, many expressed enthusiasm for the concept of an academy, but few felt that such a venture was financially feasible.
Lifesavers Since he suffered a heart attack 12 years ago, de Kunffy has obeyed strict doctor’s orders to stay out of
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Kim F. Miller is a California-based content creator and ambassador liaison for Haygain who freelances as her time allows.
JENNIFER BRYANT
INDUCTION: De Kunffy (center) at his Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2013
the saddle and to limit his travel to 50 days a year. He enjoys giving clinics during those 50 days and encourages riders to get in touch early if they’re interested in having him visit their area. In his memoir A Rider’s Survival from Tyranny, de Kunffy credits horses with saving his life. During the Soviet occupation of Hungary, he recounts, his riding abilities were valued because the Soviets wanted to show them off to the world. His compassionate training methods, he and supporters say, are all for the good of the horse. In that way, he’s been returning the favor of his life to horses throughout his time in America, which he has called home since 1957. That life has also included attending the University of California, Berkeley and, prior to embarking on his US equestrian career, 13 years spent teaching philosophy and psychology in the San Francisco Bay Area—two topics he would like to talk more about as he moves into the twilight of his life. “I want to talk about other things—ethics and culture. I want to talk about the private self and the public self, art, and aesthetics,” he says. Because horses have a permanent place in de Kunffy’s “overall culture,” there will always be talk of horses and the time-honored methods for bringing out the best in their natures and those of their riders.
Grant Recipient Leah Majkrzak By Red Pony Photography
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USDF CONNECTION | January/February 2022
59
My Dressage Building the Pipeline From her greatest challenge—serving as US national dressage technical advisor— stemmed what may turn out to be Anne Gribbons’ greatest legacy
EYES ON THE GROUND: Gribbons ringside at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky
But I think the biggest challenge I took on was the position with US Equestrian (USEF) as national dressage technical advisor and coach. When I started the job in 2009, it was the first time that US citizens were encouraged to apply, and the first time that the technical advisor was required to live full-time in the US during the contract period. After my appointment by the USEF Elite Athletes Committee, there was some pushback from members of the press who preferred Robert Dover for the position, and even leaks from “confidential” conference calls, both of which made me feel uncomfortable. I had never been attacked for political reasons, and it
was a strange experience. Meanwhile, our dressage facility at home could not be suspended in air but would still have to be a part of my duties. Had it not been for the support of my husband, David, who saw this as a great experience for me, I most likely would not have signed the contract. What primarily attracted me to the job was the opportunity to organize a system for educating and helping athletes who were striving toward a berth on a US dressage team. Having worked for many years toward that goal and having ridden on a team myself, I knew that we needed a clearer pathway to the top. Like many riders, I had done several training and showing “hardship tours” in Europe. At the time there was little training or financial support available to the individual athlete with a good horse and big dreams. The USEF position was my chance to change things so that Americans would not have to spend years abroad in order to make a team. Although I was told that my job was to “earn medals,” I did not see this as my only mission. Good teams come and go depending on the availability of quality horses and competent riders, but the “pipeline” that produces strong new combinations is the foundation of top nations’ continuing success. Building an educational and support system from FEI Juniors to elite Grand Prix became one of my goals. My first move was to gather and officially install the coaches for the various levels of development. (The one thing I could not convince the USEF to establish was a pony program, and I still think that is a missed opportunity that needs revisiting.) As technical advisor, I was available 24/7 to the athletes at home, at team training and observation sessions, and
60 January/February 2022 | USDF CONNECTION
at major competitions. A lot of travel was required, and I saw a great deal of this magnificent country in the process. Nothing was done online at that time, so showing up was the ticket. As a team selection trial approached, the tension could become intense. Once the team was selected, the traveling, training, and showing in Europe were always exciting. I was never more nervous than when one of our riders was in the ring, and I totally shared their triumphs and tragedies. Once I signed up, I never looked back and have no regrets about having taken the job. I learned a lot about working for a “firm,” which as a lifelong dressage professional was a new experience. There were some setbacks, but there were also wonderful opportunities for intense involvement in every aspect of our sport, and many more “highs” than I ever expected. The medals we won are good memories, but so are the team preparations and the daily work with many fabulous athletes and their horses. In the end, I take great personal satisfaction that the USEF pipeline, which has been improved and extended over the years, is doing well and helping to create new elite combinations for Team USA.
Anne Gribbons, of Chuluota, Florida, served as the US national dressage technical advisor and coach from 2009 through 2012. She is a Pan American Games team silver medalist and an FEI 5* dressage judge. In 2013 she was inducted into the Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame. Katherine Walcott is a freelance writer based in Alabama.
COURTESY OF ANNE GRIBBONS
W
hen I was asked about my greatest dressage challenge, it was difficult to choose. Every horse I have trained presented a different challenge, and I have trained and shown 18 of my own to Grand Prix. Or surviving as a professional in a field that I had viewed as my hobby until I got married at 22. Or judging the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games as the head of the ground jury with a hurricane on the way.
By Anne Gribbons with Katherine Walcott
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