Ringside

Wanderlust

Travels and tribulations

In the summer of 2020, as we masked up and braced ourselves for the upcoming COVID winter, my usual USDF Connection editorial planning for the coming year—a bit of a leap of faith in the best of times— could really have used an assist from a crystal ball. Would the postponed 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games actually take place in 2021? Would there be a full slate of dressage competitions in 2021? And would a planned 2021 story on budget travel to “bucket list” dressage destinations end up being completely out of step with a locked-down world?

Well, here I am one year later, and I’m thankful that the doomsday scenarios I’d imagined largely didn’t come to pass. As I write this, the Tokyo Olympics are half over, and although they may indeed be “the No-Fun Olympics,” as one wag dubbed them, the Games are happening and a spectacular dressage competition is in the history books. Veteran equestrian journalist Diana De Rosa is in Tokyo covering the dressage for USDF: Check out her multimedia “Postcard from Tokyo” on USDF’s YourDressage.org website, and in the next issue of USDF Connection we’ll bring you Diana’s full Olympic dressage report, exclusive photos and interviews, and more.

On the home front, it’s been a “normal” year for dressage competitions, and both the Great American/ USDF Regional Dressage Championships and the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® are a go for 2021. (Which makes me wistful—I’d really hoped to be there, but my horse is currently sidelined with an injury. Maybe next year.)

Finally, although the travel industry is grinding its gears as it lurches back into action, globe-trotting is reviving, as well. I am relieved that freelance writer Colleen Scott’s feature story in this issue, “Grand Prix Travel on a Training Level Budget” (p. 48), is in fact seeing the light of day at a time when “travel” means more than going to the grocery store..

For her report, Colleen interviewed several young-adult dressage enthusiasts who managed to “do Europe” on a shoestring budget. With their experiences and advice, coupled with tips from a seasoned travel agent, you’ll have a solid starting point for turning your dressage dream destination into a planned itinerary. For many equestrian enthusiasts, no trip to Europe would be complete without attending the renowned World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen, Germany, whose iconic logo and stadium are pictured on the cover of this issue. The 2020 Aachen show fell victim to the pandemic, but it’s back for 2021, scheduled for September—later than its usual date. In 2022 it’s being held in its traditional late-June/early-July time frame, so start planning that summertime trip! Or perhaps you’d like to visit Denmark in August for the 2022 Ecco FEI World Championships in dressage, para-dressage, jumping, and vaulting—one of the “splinter competition” world championships following the International Equestrian Federation’s decision to try splitting up the all-discipline FEI World Equestrian Games. Whatever you choose, it will surely be a thrill to get back in the travel saddle.

To flog the overused phrase yet again, the past 18 months have brought unprecedented challenges. Pandemic-related challenges weren’t the inspiration for the revamp to one of USDF Connection’s long-running columns, but dressage is all about challenges, so: Beginning with this issue, our back-page column, “My Dressage,” has a different focus. Freelance writer Katherine Walcott, who for many years has profiled dressage-community figures from grooms and farriers to photographers and tack manufacturers for our “Behind the Scenes” item, will be asking noteworthy trainers, riders, and others one question: What has been your greatest dressage-related challenge, and how did you overcome it? Kicking it off in this issue is California-based trainer and sporthorse expert Willy Arts, who explains how he struggled to…well, I won’t spoil the ending for you. Turn to page 72 to read Willy’s story.

Hope you enjoy getting out there, whether “there” is across the pond or the best destination of all: the barn.

Jennifer O. Bryant, Editor @JenniferOBryant

Bits and Pieces from USDF and the World of Dressage

IEA Dressage Finals ★ Get Ready for the US Dressage Finals ★ Bringing Horses to Underserved Communities

IN THE FRAME

A moose and her newborn calf caused some disruption at the Alaska Dressage Association’s two-day recognized show in June. Show manager Rosa Meehan, judge Axel Steiner, and technical delegate Peter Rothschild arrived Sunday morning to find the baby lying between the warmup ring and A, with mama pacing back and forth. Equestrian photographer Terri Miller-Steiner, who accompanied her husband to the show, took this photo of the mother moose sampling one of the arena-marker floral decorations.

After a delay and a hasty reconfiguration to block the entrance at A and to allow competitors to enter at H, the show went on, Miller-Steiner wrote on her Facebook page. Sadly, a US Fish & Wildlife Service representative determined that the moose calf was not thriving, and it did not survive.

YOUTH

IEA Holds Inaugural Dressage Finals

Its planned inaugural Dressage National Finals in 2020 fell victim to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, but the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) finally realized the event in 2021.

A total of 143 riders representing 39 teams from 12 regions from across the country qualified for the

IEA Dressage National Finals, held May 15-16 at the Texas Rose Horse Park in Tyler, Texas. Dressage had been an IEA pilot program since 2017. The organization held a “Finale” show in 2018 and 2019, but those competitions did not have a qualification process.

US Equestrian “S” dressage judge Sandy Osborn of Georgia judged the competition, which for the first time included classes for walk-trot riders

in middle and upper school and for fourth- and fifth-graders. In the Upper School division, the riders of Grier School, Birmingham, Pennsylvania, coached by Chrystal Wood, bested 10 other teams to claim that championship title. The reserve Upper School Team Championship went to Linden Hall, Lititz, Pennsylvania, coached by Christina Stamos, Erika Kurtz, and Laura Snavely.

Ten Middle School teams also jockeyed for titles. The championship went to Laurel Manor, Centerton, Arkansas, coached by Laura McKenzie Duncan, with Grier School taking the reserve championship.

Upper School freshman Grace Young, from Spruce Valley Stables in Erieville, New York, was named 2021 IEA Dressage Leading Rider based on her top placing in the Varsity Open Dressage Test. Young also won the Varsity Open Dressage Seat Equitation class.

TEAM CHAMPIONS: Pennsylvania’s Grier School equestrian team won the 2021 IEA Dressage Upper School championship title

LEADING RIDER: 2021 IEA Dressage Leading Rider Grace Young

GOVERNANCE

Former US Dressage Team Vet to Chair AHC Board of Trustees

Former US Equestrian dressage team veterinarian Rick Mitchell, DVM, MRCVS, Dipl. ACVSMR, was elected chair of the American Horse Council (AHC) Board of Trustees at the AHC’s midyear meeting in June, the AHC announced. He had been an AHC board member since 2012 and has chaired the AHC Health and Regulatory Committee.

The AHC represents the interests of the US equine industry in Washington, DC.

Mitchell is part-owner and president of Fairfield Equine Associates in Newtown, Connecticut, where he has practiced since 1989. For 14 years he served as the US dressage-team veterinarian, stepping down from that role after the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He has served on the boards of US Equestrian, the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Association of Equine Practitioners. He is a founding member of the International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology and is currently chair of the Foundation for the Horse.

SUPPORTER AND FAN: Mitchell at the 2012 London Olympics

OBITUARY

Anne L. Barlow Ramsay

Physician, sport-horse breeder, and dressage philanthropist Anne L. Barlow Ramsay, MD, MPH, died May 6 in Fernandina Beach, Florida. She was 96.

Dr. Ramsay’s best-known legacy in the dressage community is the $25,000 Anne L. Barlow Ramsay Grant for US-Bred Horses. Administered by The Dressage

Foundation (TDF), Lincoln, Nebraska, the annual grant supports a promising high-performance American-bred dressage horse and its rider by helping to finance training in Europe or in Wellington, Florida.

Dr. Ramsay was a familiar face at USDF conventions and awards banquets. She was a longtime member of the USDF Historical Recognition Committee and USDF Board of Governors delegate. Horses she bred at her Annie B Farm earned many Adequan®/USDF Year-End Awards and Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards. Usually accompanying Dr. Ramsay was her daughter Barbara Cadwell, also of Fernandina Beach, co-owner of Annie B Farm, who is currently serving as the Administrative Council at-large director to the USDF Executive Board.

Born in Yorkshire, England, to Scottish parents, Dr. Ramsay earned her medical degree from the London School of Medicine for Women, the first medical school in Britain to train women as doctors. After university she spent time in Canada and later moved to the US, joining Abbott Laboratories in 1963 as a medical writer and climbing its professional ladder to a vice presidency. She also earned a master’s degree in public health (MPH) and served in numerous public-health roles over the course of her career.

“She was a leader in the fight for women’s rights and for the provision of health care to the underprivileged,” Cadwell said.

Besides her daughter, Dr. Ramsay is survived by her son, John Cadwell, and by two stepchildren. Memorial donations may be made to The Dressage Foundation (dressagefoundation.org).

BENEFACTOR: Dr. Anne Ramsay (center, holding plaque) endowed The Dressage Foundation’s famous grant for US-bred high-performance horses and their riders. She’s pictured presenting the inaugural Ramsay Grant in 2008 to Rhett and rider Jim Koford, flanked by then TDF board members Michael Matson, Lendon Gray, Ramsay’s daughter Barbara Cadwell, and Clay Teske.

PHILANTHROPY

US Equestrian Launches Fund to Support Community Access to Horses

Many organizations are taking a hard look at their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion, and those in the horse industry are no exception. In June US Equestrian announced the launch of a fund intended to support increasing access to horses, horse sports, and equine-based learning opportunities among underrepresented or underserved communities.

The concept for the project, called the USEF Opportunity Fund, was developed by US Equestrian’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) External Thought Leaders—people like Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy executive director Erin Brown, US Marine Corps veteran and Operation Wild Horse program founder Jimmy Welch, and Ebony Horsewomen founder and president/CEO Patricia E. Kelly. The Opportunity Fund, a grant-making resource for “grass roots” organizations, was seeded with a $50,000 contribution approved by the US Equestrian Board of Directors in January. Funds will be available beginning in 2022. To learn more or to donate, visit usef.org/OpportunityFund.

HORSE INDUSTRY

Equitana USA Returns to Kentucky

The coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of the planned 2020 reboot of the Equitana USA equine expo, but it’s on for 2021: October 1-3 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

Featuring a wide variety of equestrian stars, performers, a trade fair, panels discussions, and a special evening performance, Equitana USA is designed to appeal to horse lovers of all ages and breed/discipline affiliations. Dressage enthusiasts will want to catch the clinic with Olympian Laura Graves, among other featured attractions.

Tickets include free US Equestrian fan membership and admission to the Kentucky Horse Park—which is home to the USDF National Education Center, among many others. The USDF is an Equitana USA association partner. Learn more at EquitanaUSA. com or KYHorsePark.com.

OBITUARY

Sonja-Marita Vracko

The German-born US Equestrian “S” dressage judge Sonja-Marita “Sonja” Vracko died May 18 of lung cancer at her home in Woodinville, Washington. She was 87.

Before she immigrated to the US, Vracko was a jazz singer who performed throughout Europe and North Africa. In 1958 she and her late husband, Rudolf Vracko, moved to the Seattle area, where they established the facility View Ridge Farm.

Vracko is survived by her three children and two grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to a University of Washington fund to support lungcancer research: online.gifts.washington.edu/peer2peer/ Campaign/sonja-vracko.

Corrections

July/August’s “GMO: Conflict Management for GMOs” misidentified the GMO affiliations of two sources. Barbara Harty is president of the Texas-based Fort Worth Dressage Club, and Corinne Spaulding is president of the Central New York Dressage and Combined Training Association.

THE NEAR SIDE

USDF BULLETINS

L Program Accepting Faculty Applications Applications for new USDF L Education Program faculty members are being accepted for consideration. Candidates must meet the following requirements: • US Equestrian-licensed “S” judge for at least two years • Experience teaching in a classroom or 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 application and more information. Deadline for applications is November 15, 2021.

Awards Deadlines and Reminders

Yearbook Photograph Submissions

October 1: Rider awards

October 29: Year-end awards (first place only)

For submission instructions, see the USDF Photo Release Form (go to the Downloads/Forms “Quick Link” at the bottom of the usdf.org home page).

Year-End Awards

September 30 is the deadline for: • Submitting birthdates for Vintage Cup, adult amateur, and junior/young rider awards • Filing Vintage Cup status and verifying adult-amateur status • Joining USDF for Breeder of the Year awards • Submitting online Rider Performance Award applications • Submitting online Horse Performance Certificate applications.

Check Your Scores Check your scores at USDFScores.com. Contact USDF at scorecorrections@usdf.org or at (859) 971-2277 if you notice an error. The 2021 competition year ends September 30. All corrections must be reported by October 15 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Regional Championship Competitor Survey USDF wants to hear from you! Please be sure to complete the electronic evaluation form that will be emailed to competitors following each Great American/ USDF Regional Championship competition.

US DRESSAGE FINALS

2021 Finals News Roundup

OBITUARY

Sue Curry Shaffer

Declare and Nominate

Hoping to compete at the 2021 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®? Horse/rider combinations must declare their intention to participate by filing a Declaration of Intent form (usdressagefinals.com/ declare). The deadline to declare is midnight the day prior to the first day of your Great American/USDF Regional Championship competition (including any day of open competition before the start of championship classes). You must declare at the level(s) and eligible division(s) in which you intend to compete. There is no fee to declare.

In addition, nomination (preliminary entry) is required for participation in US Dressage Finals classes. The nomination deadline is midnight, 96 hours after the last day of your Regional Championship. Find the nomination form at usdressagefinals.com/nominate.

See page 36 of this issue for declaration, nomination, and entry deadlines by region. For the prize list and other information, visit usdressagefinals.com.

Travel Grants

US Dressage Finals competitors who reside in one of the applicable states (WA, OR, CA, HI, AK, MT, ID, AZ, NV, UT, WY, NM, CO) are eligible to apply for travel grants. A rider may apply for a grant with each eligible horse entered. To be considered for a grant, you must submit a grant request with your entry by checking the grant-request box. More program details can be found in the prize list.

High-Score Breed Awards

The popular high-score breed awards will again be offered at this year’s US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®. Participating breed and performance registries will award two high-score awards in both the adult-amateur and open divisions: one for the national levels (Training through Fourth Levels combined) and one for the FEI levels (Prix St. Georges through Grand Prix combined). There will also be one high-score award in the junior/ young-rider division for the national levels (Training through Fourth Levels combined). To be eligible, register your horse for the awards when you enter the competition. Learn more at usdressagefinals.com.

Two New Perpetual Trophies

USDF is pleased to announce that two new perpetual trophies will be offered at the 2021 US Dressage Finals.

The Verne Batchelder Memorial Trophy, presented by River House Hanoverians, will be awarded to the FEI highestscoring US-bred horse.

The Top Hat Perpetual Trophy, presented by Janet Foy, will be awarded to the horse with the highest freestyle and non-freestyle average score at the same level.

The Verne Batchelder Memorial Trophy

The Top Hat

Perpetual Trophy USEF “S” judge, FEI 3* para-dressage judge, USDF L program faculty member, dressage instructor/trainer, and sport-horse breeder Sue Curry Shaffer suffered cardiac arrest in her sleep and died April 25 at her home in Santa Rosa, California. She was 67.

Raised in Pennsylvania, Shaffer rode as a child and discovered dressage during her time at Lake Erie College in Ohio. She moved to Colorado after graduation and established a horse business, competing several horses successfully at the FEI levels. In 1992 she and her husband, Dyke Shaffer, relocated to California. They established Fairwind Farm in Santa Rosa in 1999.

At Fairwind Farm Shaffer established a thriving sport-horse-breeding business. She imported stallions from Germany, including the Oldenburg Donnerschlag (Donnerhall x Pik König), whom she also competed in dressage. Over the years Fairwind Farm hosted many Oldenburg inspections.

A popular instructor/trainer, Shaffer coached many students to their USDF bronze, silver, and gold medals. She also served as northern regional director of the California Dressage Society.

Memorial contributions in Shaffer’s name may be made to The Dressage Foundation (dressagefoundation.org).

AT HER POST: Shaffer in an undated photo

DRESSAGE: THE NEXT FRONTIER

USDF is looking to the next frontier with a new convention format, incorporating technology and a nonconflicting agenda. With USDF creating a streamlined event, members are given the opportunity to access more components of the convention experience.

annual convention annual convention

AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS:

These events will be hosted onsite during convention week.

Council Open Forums US Dressage Finals Open Forum USEF/USDF Open Forum Region Meetings Competition Open Forum Group Member Organizations Committee Roundtables Board of Governors (BOG) General Assembly Featured Education Team USA Olympic and Paralympic Open Forum Salute Gala

SALUTE GALA:

The onsite Salute Gala will be held on Friday night. Join us as we recognize the 2021 Lifetime Achievement and Volunteer of the Year honorees, USDF Rider and Breeder of Distinction Award recipients, and the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic teams.

Make sure to visit the 2021 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention website for the latest updates on the agenda, educational offerings, and other important information! www.u sdf.org/conventi