Ringside

Deep Roots, Soaring Heights

Without a strong foundation, our sport couldn’t thrive as it does

When I sit down at my computer to write this column, sometimes I know exactly what I want to say. The piece is mostly already composed in my head, and the writing is mainly a process of letting the words spill out of my fingertips and onto the screen.

Other times, I’m not so sure how I’m going to fill that blank page in front of me. As my cursor blinks expectantly, I find myself reviewing that issue’s lineup, looking for inspiration or common threads.

The latter is what happened with the issue you’re reading. As I was casting about for ideas, I was struck by how this issue combines a celebration of the very apex of our sport—the achievements of the world’s elite at the Ecco FEI World Championships Herning 2022—with salutes to two pioneers in American dressage.

In her “Salute” to Janine Malone (p. 38), freelance writer Jennifer Keeler profiles the remarkable life and career of a woman who has created, volunteered for, and done nearly everything that concerns US dressage competition, judging, and sporthorse breeding. Janine is already a recipient of the USDF Lifetime Achievement Award; this December, she will be inducted into the Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame at the 2022 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention in Lexington, Kentucky (USDF’s first in-person convention since 2019—can’t wait!).

Then, in her “GMO” column, freelance writer and longtime GMO volunteer Penny Hawes traces the origins and development of a one-of-a-kind regional dressage championships, Region 1’s Col. Bengt Ljungquist Memorial Championships. The CBLMs are a GMO-driven championships that have retained their prestige and relevancy even with the popularity of the USDF Regional Championships program. They are named in memory of the late Swedish master who broke ground in educating US instructor/trainers and who coached the US team to its first Olympic dressage medal in 28 years, bronze in Montreal 1976.

The subject matter in this issue— from World Championships medalists to local riders and shows, and everything in between—reminded me that no high-performance rider starts out in that lofty position. Every dressage enthusiast sprouts from the “grass roots.” Show me a Lendon Gray or a Katie Duerrhammer, and I’ll show you a kid mucking around with assorted nondescript equines, goofing off bareback and learning how to pick feet and clean stalls. Our top riders and trainers benefited from the programs in place at the time that they were coming up in the sport, and many of them have gone on to give back to dressage—financially, through service, or both.

It is important that those at the top of the sport remember where they came from and make an effort to connect with and contribute to the dressage community in some way—and I’m not talking about through slick social-media accounts. I have seen the excitement and anticipation on the faces of USDF members as they stood in line at a USDF convention for the opportunity to meet their idols—the members of that year’s US dressage team—at an autograph session. That moment of connection, or that time when someone offered a horse to ride, a lesson, or some other opportunity, can make all the difference in a “grass roots” rider’s life, as well. As Janine Malone herself recounts, she was a hard-working kid with a love of horses and few resources when some members of her equestrian community recognized her drive and decided to offer her a leg up. Today she’s one of the most influential people in US dressage, and none of it would have happened had someone not reached out.

I hope you enjoy learning about all of the accomplishments highlighted in this issue, and I also hope to see you in Lexington at the USDF convention. Finally, I hope this holiday season brings you many moments of celebration and joy—and perhaps an opportunity for you, too, to give back to the sport and the horses we all hold dear.

Happy holidays!

Jennifer O. Bryant, Editor @JenniferOBryant

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Dealing with Laminitis

Thank you for the very informative, clearly written article “New Hope Build Fitness for the Upper Levels with Dr. Hilary Clayton (p. 20) for Laminitis” Develop Confidence & Strength with Charlotte Bredahl (p. 28) The Latest on Laminitis (p. 54) (July/August).

Fortunately Charlotte Jorst and Kastel’s Nintendo I haven’t had to deal with laminitis, but what did strike me were the treatment similarities between laminitis and polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) type 1. I have a 12-year-old Quarter Horse who has tested positive with two copies of PSSM1 with which we seem to be successfully coping, but I wonder if one of the veterinarians would comment on it, especially as to whether laminitis is a concern with PSSM1 or PSSM2 horses.

Carol Moffatt Chesterfield, Missouri

Mark T. Donaldson, VMD, responds: This is a great question and observation. I am not aware of a link between PSSM and laminitis; however, the observation that the treatments are similar is because PSSM is a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism at the level of the muscle cell, and risk factors for laminitis are abnormalities in carbohydrate metabolism at a systemic level. Regarding the task of icing laminitic feet: My friend’s horse had a serious hoof injury and needed icing for long periods of time. Since we lived in a northern climate, she grabbed snow for the horse to stand on. What else is portable and easy to freeze? Reusable gel ice packs, which come in various sizes. My friend was able to wrap them around the hooves for hours, then easily replace thawed packs with refrozen ones. If your barn has a freezer, you can keep them on hand for immediate use. Another benefit: It was easy to see how quickly the packs thawed and where they were

July/August 2022 Official Publication of the United States Dressage Federation

PRESERVE YOUR HORSE’S LONGEVITY

thawing most rapidly, which helped to indicate how much heat was in the hoof and where the greatest concentration of heat was located.

Pat Czachowski St. Charles, Illinois

Please Keep the USDF Logo

I just had to respond to the recent letter arguing that the USDF should change its logo (“Contact: USDF Logo Should Be Gender-Neutral,” July/ August).

I love the USDF logo and hope it never changes. I’ve never been upset by the term horsemanship, as I take the word man to mean human. Dressage is about the progress and journey between horse and human. I have never been offended by the fact that the USDF logo depicts a male rider; I actually never gave it a second thought.

It is a great logo in that it is clear and balanced as a piece of artwork, depicting an important part of a dressage test. I’ve designed a number of logos professionally, the first one being for a local combined-training club. Though that was many years ago, no one was concerned as to whether the rider in the logo was male or female. It just doesn’t matter!

We are in a sport that allows us all to compete equally, as one human and one equine. Can we just embrace that?

Penny Timoshevick Aguila, Arizona

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.

PARA-DRESSAGE

USPEA Elects New Interim President, VP

Former United States Para-Equestrian Association (USPEA) secretary and vice president Christina “Tina” Wentz, of Richardson, Texas, has been elected the organization’s interim president, the USPEA announced in August. Carole Lee Laulis, senior staff instructor and volunteer coordinator at Thorncroft Equestrian Center in Malvern, Pennsylvania, was elected USPEA vice president.

The elections were held following the death in June of USPEA founder and president Hope C. Hand (read her obituary in the September/October issue of USDF Connection).

Wentz has personal ties to the para-dressage sport: Her son, Jonathan Wentz, who died in 2012 of a heart condition at age 21, had just weeks earlier competed at the London Paralympic Games as a member of Team USA. Tina Wentz has volunteered in para-equestrian sport since 1997, serving as a US national classifier and then on the board of the USPEA since its founding in 2009. She is also an FEI international classifier, the head US para-dressage selector for FEI World Championships and Paralympic Games, a past member of the US Equestrian (USEF) International Disciplines Council, and a current member of the USEF ParaEquestrian Sport Committee.

Laulis has been with Thorncroft Equestrian Center for more than 30 years. She is a PATH Intl. certified therapeutic-riding instructor, a USEF para-dressage silver-level coach, and head coach for Special Olympics Team Pennsylvania.

The USPEA (uspea.org) is the national USEF para-equestrian affiliate organization. Its mission is to help develop, promote, support, and sustain US para-dressage athletes, with a focus on emerging competing athletes.

DEDICATED: New USPEA interim president Tina Wentz

FINANCIAL AID

TDF Receives USA Equestrian Trust Grant for ‘Dream Program’

The Dressage Foundation (TDF), Lincoln, Nebraska, has received a $5,000 grant from the USA Equestrian Trust to support its Young Rider International Dream Program.

TDF’s Dream Program, the brainchild of US Olympic dressage bronze medalist Michael Poulin, sends a handful of promising young riders to a famous dressage destination—traditionally Europe, and more recently Wellington, Florida—on a chaperoned tour with behind-the-scenes access to notable trainers, facilities, and competitions for an immersive educational experience. Learn more about the program at DressageFoundation.org.

The grant was one of 15 awarded in 2022, for a total of nearly $70,000. The USA Equestrian Trust, Lexington, Kentucky, is a private foundation whose mission is to assist nonprofit organizations in preserving or enhancing the quality of equestrian sport in the US. For more information and to learn how to apply for a grant in 2023, visit TrustHorses.org.

Kevin Hadfield, Mendon, Massachusetts; and Jaclyn Pepper-Millard, Petaluma, California, each have received a $5,000 grant from The Dressage Foundation’s (TDF) George Williams Young Professional Fund, TDF announced in August.

The fund, established in 2019 in honor of USDF president and US national dressage youth coach George Williams, provides grants to instructor/trainers aged 25-35 toward the pursuit of continuing-education opportunities.

Hadfield, a dressage pro since 2019, plans to use the grant money to attend the USDF Instructor/Trainer Program and for intensive training with high-performance rider Olivia LaGoyWeltz. Pepper-Millard, an instructor since 2012, also plans to attend the USDF Instructor/Trainer Program and will work with 2020 US Olympic dressage team silver medalist Sabine Schut-Kery.

Young Dressage Pros Receive TDF Grants

USDF BULLETINS THE NEAR SIDE

Attention, 2022 Awards Recipients Rider and year-end awards will be mailed to recipients in January 2023. Please contact the USDF office if you have not received your award by February 28, 2023.

Last Call to Nominate for the 2022 USDF Regional Schooling Show Awards Program The USDF Regional Schooling Show Awards Program offers annual awards and regional rankings for USDF group members. Four award divisions (open, junior/ young rider, adult amateur, and non-professional) are available. Nominate now on the USDF website under Awards: Regional Schooling Show Awards. The deadline to nominate and submit scores for 2022 is December 21!

L Program Accepting Faculty Applications Faculty-member applications for the renowned USDF L Education Program are now being accepted. To be eligible, applicants must meet the following requirements: • US Equestrian “S” dressage judge for two or more years • Experience teaching in a classroom/lecture environment • Willing to serve on the USDF L Program Committee and to assist in working toward the committee’s goals. Please contact the L Program Committee liaison at lprogram@usdf.org for an L faculty application and additional information.

MEET THE CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR/TRAINER

Susan Snethkamp, Melbourne Beach, Florida

Susan Snethkamp is a USDFcertified instructor/trainer through Second Level with more than 30 years of experience. She has earned her USDF bronze, silver, and gold medals; is a USDF L graduate with distinction; and holds a master’s degree in education with a communication, IT, and physical-education degree.

How I got started in dressage: I got started in dressage in England in the 1970s and then studied under Jim and Sharon Rowe. Later, Carole Grant and Jan-Ove Olson were my mentors. I had a successful showing career; one high point was when my horse Turbo and I were first alternates for the US Olympic Festival in 1993.

I wanted to get certified because: My love for teaching is why I became a USDF-certified instructor/trainer. I believed we needed a system for trainers in the US. I signed up as soon as I learned about the opportunity.

What surprised me the most about the process: The wealth of knowledge being shared.

Tip: My tip for prospective trainers is to be open-minded. No matter how much you know or have already done, you have to empty the glass before you can fill it.

Contact me: kampdressage@ gmail.com or (586) 747-3185.

DRESSAGE AT LARGE

Barisone Case Featured on TV’s 48 Hours

The US dressage world got a splashy albeit sordid dose of national attention when the CBS crime-and-justice series 48 Hours turned its cameras on the case of Olympian Michael Barisone, who in 2019 was charged with the attempted murder of his then student and farm tenant Lauren Kanarek and her boyfriend, Robert Goodwin.

As reported in this magazine’s July/August issue, in April of this year after a three-week trial, Barisone was found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity. Kanarek had been shot twice in the chest. During the trial and in an interview with 48 Hours, Barisone claimed to have no memory of the incident, which left Kanarek in intensive care for 19 days and Barisone himself hospitalized with injuries apparently sustained while scuffling with Goodwin. Viewers of the September 17 segment, entitled “The Shooting of Lauren Kanarek,” heard audio from several 911 calls and saw disturbing images of Kanarek hospitalized on a ventilator, post-surgery close-ups of her wounds, and images of a battered and bloodied Barisone, handcuffed to his hospital bed.

The segment laid out the two opposing sides of the story, with both parties’ lawyers reiterating their arguments, which portrayed Kanarek as either a victim of gun violence by an untruthful Barisone, or a jealous and vengeful woman who mounted a campaign of harassment and threats against the trainer, to the point that he cracked psychologically. As in the trial, several prominent equestrians went on record to vouch for Barisone’s character and to comment on the degree to which the ordeal had affected him mentally. Among those appearing in the 48 Hours segment were US Olympians Michael Poulin, Phillip Dutton, and Boyd Martin. 48 Hours’ report ended with the news that on September 7, a judge ruled that Barisone must spend at least six months at a New Jersey psychiatric hospital, with his next hearing set for March 2023. The criminal trial is over, but a lawsuit by Kanarek against her former trainer and his countersuit against her are ongoing.

For more on the segment, go to cbs.com/shows/48_hours. —Jennifer Bryant

TANGLED WEB: CBS’s docu-series 48 Hours brought the attempted-murder case against US elite dressage competitor Michael Barisone to a national audience. Stills from the segment show (clockwise from top left) Barisone in his first interview since his arrest in 2019; undated footage of Barisone competing; the shooting victim, Barisone’s former student Lauren Kanarek, in the saddle; and an interview with US Olympian Michael Poulin, who defended Barisone’s character.