Grant Ganzi, le�, and Nic Roldanwho along with Natascha Baecher organize Sunset Polo and theWhite Party
Photo by Nick Mele
Pat Bradley
Morgan Campbell
Nick Mele
Elizabeth Palace Kimberly Purvis
$1,995,000 I 12.19 Acres • $2,195,000 I 17.19 Acres
HAVES Must
Reading for Riders Great equestrian novels and books for all ages! Horse Books Plus
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horsebooksplus.com
PADDED COLLARS
Free shipping! 1-800-640-8180
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Durable bridle leather, so� leather lining, classy, comfortable and strong. Stainless steel or brass hardware. Complete the set with a matching Padded Leather Leash! See our ad pg 31 Available at AuburnDirect.com
GREAT MASHES
From Emerald Valley Natural Health
See our ad on page 57
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EQUINE CONSIGNMENTS!
Great selec�on of saddles, tack, boots,home items and more. Free trial on saddles.
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Saddler’s Preserva�ve
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FOCUS HF (HOOF)
The most effec�ve nutrient building blocks to help support superior hoof condi�on. Contains a daily serving of the unique SOURCE micronutrients to maximize the u�liza�on and benefit of the addi�onal ingredients in FOCUS HF. 800-232-2365
See our ad page 49 www.4source.com
LAY-FLAT HOSE QUICKREEL
mounts to cart or vehicle. ATV trailer cart assembly available. Proudly made in the USA by our team of cra�smen!
See our ad page 33 BigSprinkler.com
RJ Classics Harmony Show Coat
This easy-care ladies’ show jacket features extremely lightweight mesh body fabric that provides superior comfort and breathability. DoverSaddlery.com
EQUINE HEALTH PRODUCTS
Liniment, Hoof Care, Hoof Soak
See our ad page 39 www.Vetericyn.com
FOR NON SWEATERS
Enables your horse to sweat naturally. Show safe www.nonsweater.com
See our ad on page 53
A Piece Of Your Favorite Horse Can Go With You Everywhere!
Quality fashionable jewerly made with your horse’s hair. See our ad page 29 ponylocks.com
ID FOR YOUR ANIMALS
A must have for traveling and evacua�ons. Available for dogs and farm animals. First Aid kits and more. See our ad on page 35
The Madeline Jacket in Navy Wool, $490, Available at: www.fairfaxandfavor.com
See our ad page 25
HUG YOUR CURVES
BITLESS BRIDLES
English & Western styles
See our ad on page 57 Bitlessbridles.com
ONE-APPLICATION-DOES-IT-ALL SOLUTION
Bullet Blues “Lady Slim” high-waist skinny jeans made in the USA. See our ad on page 27 BulletBluesCa.com www.EquestriSafe.com
Hats With Equestrian Flair! Riata Designs, where performance meets style. See our ad on page 27 riatadesigns.com GUMBITS 100% FEI legal. See our ad on page 75 See our ad for a coupon code! BEST ON-THE-GO Hay Feeding System! Less waste, be�er diges�on for your horse. See our ad page 37 www.NibbleNet.com
Urad leather cream is easy and natural. Clean, polish, protect, condi�on and extend the beauty and life of all your leather goods. See our tall boots “Before /A�er” picture on page 31. URAD.com
“Derma��s Goes Away!” Vet Recommended, Owner Referred, Horse Approved Worldwide See our ad on page 53
www.GumBits.com
The Beatrice Blazer in Plum, $525
The Buckingham Bag in Chocolate, $310
The Heeled Amira in Tan, $625
The Finsbury Bag in Tan, $335
The Heeled Brompton in Tan, $625
The Edward Gilet in Navy Herringbone, $325
The Valencia Heel in Black, $220
The Valencia Heel in Tan, $220
The Mini Loxley in High Shine Navy Croc, $485
The Quilted Mini Windsor Handbag in Tan, $380
The Bedingfeld Loafer in Taupe & Chocolate, (top) $247 and in Navy & Burgundy, (bottom) $245
The Houghton Brogue in Cognac, $260
SpringFashion
Winning Performances
The new spring/summer collec�on from Bri�sh equestrian fashion brand Equetech con�nues to champion those ultra-reliable staples such as your favourite pair of riding �ghts, cosy feather lightweight gilets to beat the early morning chill and hybrid breeches which combine comfort with unwavering performance with the addi�on of new compe��on wear staples which offer a winning performance every ou�ng.
Belt Up
Our range of s�rrup belts is the perfect finishing touch to your casual, compe��ve, or ‘away from the yard’ look. This season, the new Rose Gold leather belt, complete with a Rose Gold buckle, brings some metallic magic to your wardrobe.
Equetech S�rrup Belts Sizes: XS - L Black, Navy Suede, Navy Snakeskin, Rose Gold and Black Patent.
RRP: £39.95
The Perfect Combina�on
The Equetech Combina�on Show Shirt combines elegant contemporary design and fabric technology, resul�ng in a stunning show shirt. This super wicking show shirt is cut to fla�er and combines a dark navy body with a pinstripe bib with a hidden zip front and crisp pe�te white collar with press stud bu�ons and �e loop to keep your �e in place and matching pearl bu�on shirt cuffs. A stunning shirt for show day or as a smart training shirt. Equetech Combina�on Shirt Sizes: XS- 3XL RRP: £49.95
Belle Of The Ball
Made from sustainable yarn and exquisitely cut and cra�ed, the Equetech Bellingham Tweed Range encompasses the look of a beau�ful tradi�onal tweed with the contemporary fit and stretch of a modern compe��on jacket. With a moss green backdrop and navy overcheck, this range is both elegant and comfortable with a lighter weight feel than tradi�onal wool tweed jackets.
One-of-a-kind Equestrian Estate located in town in the heart of Hayden, Idaho on 14.27 acres. This magnificent estate property offers a 6,537 sf main home and 1,544 sf guest home, both built with uncompromising quality, a 21,000 sf barn w/indoor radiant heated lighted riding arena, including 11 stalls w/runs and full living quarters/meeting room, additional 50’ x 60’ barn w/studio apartment, and many other outbuildings for office, equipment, & hay storage. Charming guest house, secondary barn, outdoor arenas, shops, hay shed, bird pen, water feature, and large storage building complete this legacy property. Property has multiple pastures and is exquisitely landscaped for ultimate privacy. Enjoy a rural lifestyle in an urban setting!
Presents Paul Desmond Brown
American Polo Scene Down The Field
American Polo Scene On The Boards
Hitchcock Hooks Nelson Kenny Hits One
American Polo Scene The Goal
American Polo Scene The Save
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We are BartlettJames, LLC. We understand the equestrian world.
A master of both realism and more abstracted style, the ar�st renders horses and light with perfec�on. Her pain�ng is poe�cally influenced by her explora�ons of the woods and fields of New England, the literature of natural history, and a childhood shaped by life on a neighboring farm. “Ar�sts perform a social func�on by producing visual ar�facts that can have an effect on the a�tudes of a society toward the natural world.”
Mary Bridgman draws upon a broad range of cultural influences from Renaissance Pain�ngs to Modern approaches to tradi�onal subject ma�er employing pain�ng, drawing and photography. Her favored mediums are Oil and Gouache with pencil. Bridgman is a freelance Womenswear Designer and fashion illustrator, has worked in the Fashion industry for companies including Ralph Lauren and Ellen Tracy and is on the faculty at the Fashion Ins�tute of Technology. Lifelong horse woman, she has also been known to be a handler for the horses used on stage at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Cordoba, Circus by Mary Bridgman. 12×12″ oil on canvas. $600.
Mare Lunch by Bridget Grady. Framed 12×12″ oil on panel. $950.
3 Horses by Bridget Grady. Framed 8×10″ oil on panel. $650.
Mongolian Horse 12 by Mary Bridgman. 11×14″ oil on canvas. $600.
ART ANTIQUES&
By Dr. Lori
Trendy Vintage Dollhouses
By Dr. Lori Verderame
Did you have a dollhouse as a child?
Do your children or grandchildren have one? Mine was nothing to “write home about,” but it was special to me. It was homemade and I enjoyed playing with it. My Dad made it out of scrap wood from his garage workshop. It was painted white. Our actual house was grey. It was a two-level colonial style dollhouse. Our actual house was a ranch. It had six rooms—three up and three down and a staircase. Our house was smaller and had no staircase. It had no bathroom, so the dolls had to fend for themselves. Even though my dollhouse was something to aspire to, our house had a bathroom, thankfully.
In fact, the absence of a bathroom in my dollhouse was not a problem for me when at play, because I was more interested in my dollhouse furnishings and accessories than I was in playing with dolls in imaginary roles of daily life. I liked the furniture and the tiny accessories. I liked to move around the china cabinet, place the rocking chair in a bedroom or in the living room, rearrange the kitchen chairs, and so on. In fact, if I had kept that dollhouse furniture and resold it today, I would stand to make a very good ROI. While vintage doll house furniture and décor items--everything from miniature four poster beds to tiny ceramic serving platters--are desirable, I would have been sitting pretty if I had kept all those tiny objects that made my doll house a home. These items, if they are contemporary to a doll house, can impact the value of a dollhouse significantly when it comes to the market. If you research auction sales for doll houses only compared with auction sales of furnished doll houses, the values are vastly different. Furnished dollhouses bring more cash.
Today, dollhouses of all types—most of which were much more stylish than my dollhouse—are highly collectible. Acquiring some of the most coveted ones will cost you a pretty penny. In the antiques and vintage dollhouse market today, hand made doll houses dating back to the 19th century command the highest prices at auction and online. This golden age of doll houses, circa late 1800s to the early 1900s, prompted many collectors to seek out architectural marvels in miniature for their collections. Examples from the Victorian period until the World War II era stir collectors’ interest in the United States, Canada, and Europe. More recently manufactured dollhouses, like vintage examples from the 1950s and 1960s to the present day, were made by toy manufacturers and remain are hot collectibles. These lithographed tin dollhouses were made by companies like Ohio Art, Marx, Wolverine. Most were designed like the suburban houses of the era.
Why are we seeing a revival of the collectible doll house? One reason is the 100-year collecting revival of doll houses. When something hits the age of 100, particularly in the collectible’s realm, collector interest piques and market prices rise. The decade of the 2020s marks the era when British Queen Mary, consort to King George V and the late HRH Queen Elizabeth II’s grandmother, was a great dollhouse enthusiast. She had an impressive doll house made by the famous British architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens, from 1921-1924. Today, Queen Mary’s doll house is in the Royal Collection Trust of Great Britain and is filled with furnishings, lighting, books, tea sets, bedroom sets, etc. Of all the royal collections or art and decorative objects, Queen Mary’s doll house is a marvel, and it is one of the objects that attracts the attention of tourists from around the globe regularly.
What dollhouses are bringing the most money today from collectors? You guessed it…Barbie dream houses! Mattel Inc.’s cardboard and plastic dreamhouses made for Barbie and her friends remain some of the most sought-after dollhouses on the collectible’s market today. Levittown style, mid-century modern doll houses made in the name of Barbie from the 1960s, A-frame doll houses from the 1970s with Barbie’s convertible parked out front, and circa 1980s and 1990s Barbie McMansions with elevators have seen an increase in value this year after the popularity and marketing frenzy surrounding the Barbie movie which debuted in July 2023.
Lithographed tin dollhouse, circa 1950s-1960s Photo by Staff of www.DrLoriV.com
HIS HERS&
Tom Poulin: Modern Day Gulliver
with L.A. Sokolowski, equinista
Over a 50-year career as a clinician, trainer, coach, U.S.E.F. Senior Dressage Judge and U.S.D.F. ‘L” program instructor serving that compe��ve sandpit we know and love called the dressage arena, Tom Poulin, of Geneva, Illinois, has been called a lot of things since star�ng to serve his sport in 1968, spanning five Olympics and chairing the groundbreaking U.S.D.F. Freestyle Commi�ee. As the eminent horseman lightens his professional contact and give re�rement its head, may we add one more descrip�on: Modern-day Gulliver. For like Jonathan Swi�’s protagonist, Tom briefly eschewed the company of his own kind to embrace a vow of silence and live among horses, in the tack room of the family barn on Hillside Farm in Maine. A�er eight years away, immersed in an educa�on encouraging abstract thinking he confessed, “I just couldn’t interact with other humans.” That’s okay, sir, you wouldn’t be the first horse person to ‘fess up to that, am I right? So let’s keep good company with a fine horseman, who has grown American dressage from its grassroots and s�ll believes in “the quality and art that go into horsemanship and bring out the beauty of the horse.”
HERS: What did your first horse teach you and does it still apply?
HIS: A Western mare taught me what a horse was about. What is a horse? At 15, I knew zero but we had 120 acres where we could ride and get to know each other. I had a good Western saddle with a horn, and could hang on and learn.
HERS: What qualities do you like best in a horse?
HIS: Temperament, character, and a willingness to work with me. Does it have the best canter and walk (as the two are connected)? The trot you can always improve.
HERS: Best qualities in a person?
HIS: Honesty and character. Life is so short. True friends. The ones you ask for help that say, let me know what you need. And forgiveness, what else is there? If we don’t make mistakes we’re not trying.
HERS: What was your first job and how old were you?
HIS: I went to work at 15 at the local hospital washing floors, doing dishes, helping the nurses, to make a living for our family. Our father died when I was 13; he was 49 when he left us and there we were, kids from Newport, Rhode Island in the Maine wilderness. Someone had to do it.
HERS: If you worked outside the horse world what would you be doing?
HIS: I was destined to be a doctor but went into a different field. I’d be a doctor with a Floating Hospital (non-profit healthcare services to medically underserved communities).
HERS: Favorite quote?
HIS: My own: May the haunches be with you.
HERS: What have been some historic moments in dressage in the last 50 years?
HIS: Definitely introducing the Freestyle to Olympic and World classes by 1996. I saw in the performances at the Spanish Riding School what music could do in sync with horses. The freestyle made dressage accessible to neophytes.
HERS: What and where was the highest score you’ve ever given?
HIS: Lamplight, Illinois, over 80% at FEI-level. Both horse and rider did a very good job.
HERS: You can spend a day anywhere, with any horse or rider in history, who is it?
HIS: The French Riding School with General (Albert) Decarpentry, author of Piaffer et Passage (1931). He set the standard.
HERS: Where would you like to see dressage in the next 50 years?
HIS: Just keep evolving! Let’s see more trainers based in the classical methods.
HERS: You can invite three guests (past or present, real or fictional) to dinner. Who joins you and what’s served?
HIS: Waldemar Seunig, (Colonel) Gustaf Nyblaeus, and my coach and Oberreiter, Franz Rochowansky. Such an international group would require a variety of choice meats and vegetables, but I’d start with escargot.
Learn more from this dressage pioneer and horseman by following him on Facebook.com/ Tom.Poulin. Know a horseman we should meet? Email me at latheequinista@gmail.com.
March 16 10 am - 4 pm Aiken Trials: 81st Running Aiken Training Track 538 Two Notch Road SE Aiken, SC
March 22 -23 Southern Belle Classic Horse Sale Stable View 117 Stable Drive Aiken SC
March 23 Aiken Spring Steeplechase Aiken Steeplechase Racecourse, 2020 Richland Ave E Aiken, SC
March 29-31 The 108th Annual Aiken Horse Show in the Hitchcock Woods. Hitchcock Woods Aiken, SC
March 30 8 am - 5 pm Pacers and Polo Powderhouse Field Powderhouse Road, Aiken, SC
March 30 Jumping Branch Farm USEA/USEF Spring Horse Trial Jumping Branch Farm 179 Fox Pond Road, Aiken, SC
April 5-7 Stable View $60,000 FEI CCI-S 2/3/4* & USEF/USEA Horse Trials (T, M, P, I, A) 117 Stable Dr. Aiken, SC
April 11-June 8 New Bridge Polo Spring Schedule. 862 New Bridge Rd. Aiken SC
April 11-14 Stable View USEF/USHJA $50,000 National ‘A’ Rated Hunters & Level 3 Rated Jumpers 117 Stable Dr. Aiken, SC
April 20 USEF/USEA Horse Trials Sporting Days Farm 3549 Charleston Highway, Aiken, SC
April 16-June 11 Aiken Polo Club Spring Schedule 420 Meade Ave. Aiken, SC
April 18-21, PSJ USEF Premier Aiken Spring Classic Masters Highfields Event Center 198 Gaston Rd. Aiken, SC
April 25-28 PSJ USEF Premier Aiken Spring Classic Finale Highfields Event Center 198 Gaston Rd. Aiken, SC
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Polo Player/Philanthropist/Designer/Developer/Realtor
Meet the man behind Sunset Polo White Party
Having been brought up in Wellington, FL, and calling it home, he considers this an area, where he has deep roots and where from his first home onwards he’s developed a passion for renovating homes. Since then he has gone on to not just flip properties, but also build Spec Homes and a luxury contemporary 20-stall barn in the storied Grand Prix Village.
In 2021 Nic successfully passed his FL Real Estate license and created Roldan Homes, having pivoted his hobby to an additional career. In 2023 he renovated and flipped yet another of his own personal properties, together with his team flipped a 3 bedroom property and completed a 5 bedroom, 6,111 SqFt indoor/outdoor living Spec Home, which is currently on the market. All these properties are in Palm Beach Polo & Country Club. Already he has two properties in his portfolio, to be given the Roldan treatment over the summer, in order to be ready for the 2024/25 season. His properties certainly exude a unique style, making them a cut above the rest. Whilst others may shy away from being different, Roldan uses this as fuel to break new ground and create a beautiful new world in more ways than one. Away from Wellington Nic has been appointed an ambassador for Alba Palm Beach. Intimately sized, graciously appointed, and flawlessly located directly on the Intracoastal, Alba is a dramatic step forward for life on the water in South Florida. Only 55 total residences share a private piece of the coast to call their own, with more than 25,000 square feet of dedicated amenity spaces that redefine the standard of luxury.
I’ve been told that we live in an era of “slashes”. When one asks what someone does for a living, often one’s confronted with at least one slash. Actor/waitress being a LA staple. However, I’ve rarely met someone with such bandwidth as Top American Polo Player Nic Roldan, who I met at his barn at the cusp of the 2024 World Polo League season at Grand Champions Polo Club where the highest level of polo is played outside of Argentina, the only country in the world where the very highest level of the sport is played. Since Nic recently made an investment in 10 new horses, one cannot help, but be infected by his genuine admiration for his four legged athletes. Clearly he’s excited to play them in the upcoming season, developing his bond with each of them. I learn that there are games pretty much 5 days a week from now till mid April, after which there is a brief interlude where polo hits Miami South Beach, before returning to Wellington for the Spring Season. Roldan is keen to point out that spectators are always welcome and is constantly encouraging more people to come and experience this spectacular sport.
Nic quotes “I’m excited to work with a brand that combines my love for real estate and design. I’m honored to have this ambassadorial role introducing Alba and it’s team to the sport I’m passionate about.”
Story By Penelope Cummins
Continiued...
Photo by Nick Mele
5th Annual Nic Roldan Sunset Polo & White Party
Photos by Nick Mele
Nic Roldan witj Grant Ganzi, whom he works with to produce the Sunset Polo & White Party. Photo by Nick Mele
Asking Nic about his annual Sunset Polo Event, he’s keen to share that it will be on the forthcoming 22nd March and preparations for the 6th Annual Nic Roldan’s Sunset Polo White Party are in full swing. How did it come about? \Nic tells me that in 2016 the first edition took place and that he’s worked with a number of charities together with Grant Ganzi and Natascha Baecher. In 2022 Nic, Grant and Natascha founded Sunset Polo International, a 501C3 to support projects focused on the welfare of children, as well as educating about the sport of polo. Their primary focus is supporting programs and organizations that provide support to kids and families in need and disburse grants to organizations who are working to better the lives of children. They provide grants to organizations, including Kids Cancer Foundation, Polo Training Foundation, Dec My Room, Wind Walkers and others whose charitable purpose aligns with theirs. Nic explains that this is more than a passion project, and that all three of them are coupled with a sense
USA vs Spain for the USPA International Cup
Photo by Elizabeth Palace
Ainsley Saddlery x Nic Roldan
Photo by Nick Mele
Blue Cypress Lane
Photo by Nick Mele
of responsibility to everyone who supports their event. They want to be able to control where the funds are distributed and be able to see that they were reaching the right people. Likewise few would appreciate Nic, Grant and Natascha’s hands on approach to bring this event to life each year which is a testament to their desire to make a difference.
Last year’s event included essentially an England vs USA polo game and a performance by 50 Cent no less. The concept is to raise funds, but have a good time whilst doing it, in order to create a unique event which everyone wants to attend. So don’t miss out and make sure you get your tickets before they inevitably sell out.
Soon after last year’s event, this trio could be found in Walmart in deep discussions as to which bracelet set to buy or identifying the correct Disney princess (luckily Grant has all the answers on this I’m told) prior
to then going to a local hospital to decorate the room of a patient as part of Dec My Room. This organization decorates the rooms of children who are in hospital for 3 months or longer. During the summer Nic helps out at Wind Walkers, an equine therapy facility in Carbondale, Colorado. A couple of the charities they work with point out how rare it is to have a group mainly of men, being so proactive in this area.
So as far as “slashes” go, Roldan is making head way on them all and it feels, but the start. I didn’t even mention that he gives polo lessons (see his website) and is part owner in a gin! If ever you find yourself at a loose end in Wellington, don’t hesitate to go and watch a game. A truly perfect way to spend an afternoon.
www.NicRoldan.com
HIGHLAND OAKS STABLES
Highland Oaks Stables is the perfect place, whether you are looking for a Hunter/Jumper or a Dressage star, to find your new equine partner, or have your horse’s training advanced. There are lush pastures for young horses to graze, socialize and exercise. Every prospect receives the developemental training that young horses need.
New prospects are imported from Germany several �mes each year. Horses are developed with an individualized program to build their strength, suppleness, and condfidence.
You are welcome to come for a trial with one of our sale horses for several days to engage in a repoir building experience, allowing you to fully familiarize yourself with a prospect.
Developing Young Sport Horse Prospects, Training Sport Horses For Their Next Level Located in Ocala, Florida, 5 minutes from World Equestrian Center. Email FalkPeter@me.com or call 352-409-6616 to find your perfect equine partner.
Competitor/ Trainer
P &
ERSANO
A GOOD PERFORMANCE HORSE THE FERRARI EMBLEM
By Alessandra Deerinck
The equine breeds originally were created to fulfill various human needs. While nowadays many breeds are still our partners in sports and pleasure, and so this should inspire us to safeguard the precious genetics of those horses.
On October 8th 2023
a very important event happened in a castle at Persano in Italy.
The Persano breed of horses, which was created in that location, returned to its place of origin, thanks to Prince Alduino di Ventimiglia who worked very hard, and for forty years, to purely preserve the Persano breed. The reintroduction to the original place is a very important advantage for the breed because the characteristics of the territory, along with a proper nutrition, will influence the development of the foals and their phenotype.
Going back to the characteristics of the breed, the Persano excels in terms of appearance and most importantly of behavior. The conformation of the Persano is of regal appearance, and this breed has solid essential behavioral traits that were originally developed for the cavalry, for parades and for hunting with falcons. In more recent times the original qualities of endurance and agility of the Persano breed produced great jumpers, that have won gold medals at the Olympic Games in Rome with the Italian riders, Raimondo and Piero D’Inzeo and at the 2020 Olympics in three day eventing. These achievements and at the fact that the existing number of horses of this breed is small is the clear evidence of the value of their performance abilities and great genetics. Along with being great athletes nowadays, the fact that they were the cavalry horses gave them endurance and a disposition for relating to human beings, which makes these horses easy to handle, even when we talk about breeding stallions.
The Persano has been saved from extinction several times and at the moment Prince Alduino di Ventimiglia di Monteforte Lascaris, who, after a forty year quest, has succeeded in masterfully preserve the pure breed through stallions and mares that he carefully selected and acquired. As a young rider, The Prince has ridden Persano horses in competition and has reconnected with the breed while serving in the military, time in which he also began his work to preserve the breed.
In addition to having saved the breed from extinction, Alduino di Ventimiglia is dedicated to training falcons for
hunting, and founded the Italian Academy of High Flight Riders. The Prince studied Agricultural Sciences that gave him a solid knowledge in genetics, and his experimental thesis, “The Historical Evolution of the Razza Governativa di Persano” served as a reference point for several scientific researches in the years that followed. He wrote the excellent book “Persano, the Royal Breed”, and I had the privilege to connect with Alduino di Ventimiglia and hear from him about the Persano.
The book written by Prince Alduino di Ventimiglia di Monteforte Lascaris
Persano horse ridden while hunting with falcons.
The Future of the Razza Governativa di Persano Prince Alduino di Ventimiglia di Monteforte
The Royal Breed of Persano and the Razza Governativa di Persano, created by the King of Naples and then the King of Spain, Carlo III di Borbone, is one of the most interesting breeds of horses of Europe. It is rich in history, steeped in Italian culture and aesthetics, and has been the diamond point of national equine breeding.
The Razza Governativa di Persano escaped the logic of a flattening republic, survived 270 years after its foundation, accompanying humanity for a period of its history that witnessed industrial transformation and transitioning it to the modern era.
It is my hope that this horse breed remains a symbol of pride and excellence for Italy and for all of Europe, that it will never again face extinction or the need to be rescued, and that it may gallop long into the future on the pastures of Persano, its homeland, thereby reviving a geographical area where, for centuries, it was the undisputed protagonist.
The horse of the Razza Governativa di Persano today constitutes a major opportunity for many reasons: for what it represents and has represented. In it the science of the equestrian tradition and history of the Italian Nation are concentrated.
Its nobility and courage through the centuries is unchanged, recalling deeds and adventures of extraordinary men. Faithful companion in victories and in defeats, it still runs fast around the world on the red Ferrari symbol of an intrepid adventurer and ambassador of timeless value. A sport champion, it wonderfully represents the Italian Government throughout an entire century, interrupted only by two terrible wars where it contributed as the cavalry horse.
Persano stallion Zar
The horse of the Razza Governativa di Persano concentrates in itself an important heritage developed over the centuries, rich in the finest “blood” of European and Mediterranean horses. This makes it extremely interesting in the creation of a new, modern sport horse.
Contact for Persano breed: persanohorse@gmail.com
Morphological characteris�cs: Biometric data: Coat: (in order) Gray, Bay, Chestnut, Black. Height: males cm. 155-165, females 152-162 cm tolerance + - 1-2 cm Cannon: males “cm. 21-22, females “cm. 19-21. Head: slightly elongated. Profile: slightly concave in the middle third and convex in the nose. Eye: very large. Neck: well set, pyramidal. Withers: developed. Aplomb: regular. Croup: slightly sloping. Shoulders: sloping. Tendons: well detached. Foot: regular, strong hoof. Temperament: alert. Quality: Endurance and Courage. A�tude: saddle.
Persano stallion Zindoro
Persano stallion Zizio
Persano stallion Evezio
►
►
►Safely balances your horse’s chemistry enabling it to sweat, naturally cooling it down.
►No side effects.
►Does not register positive on drug tests,making it ideal for performance horses.
conditioning the whole horse
By Shelley Onderdonk, DVM
Proper conditioning is a very important factor in getting the most out of a competition horse. There are two elements to fitness—cardiovascular and musculoskeletal. They are equally important. Both are ideally developed through long slow distance work (LSD). Imagine a triangle of time spent riding your horse. Walking is at the bottom of the triangle, comprising the vast majority of minutes spent in the saddle, particularly when “legging-up” horses after periods of rest, but also during a competition season. An hour-long walk maintains muscle tone and suppleness without any risk whatsoever. Flatting and trot sets would take up the second-most amount of time. Sports-specific training comes in near the top, and performance is at the very tip. Once attained, horses maintain their cardiovascular fitness very easily. This is one place it doesn’t help to extrapolate from humans—we lose our cardiovascular fitness in a matter of hours (24 to 48). Horses takes days or even weeks to lose theirs. They have wonderful, large hearts. The better for riding them.
Maintaining musculoskeletal fitness is more of an issue for horses— especially sport horses who are asked to do somewhat “unnatural” things. It behooves us to remember that both bones and muscle are tissues that are adaptive—that is, they react to use and pressure. They need to be stressed to become stronger. The LSD work helps with injury prevention in these tissues, as they have time to adapt and change according to the work they are asked to do. It is also so important to remember that, just like humans, horses vary a lot in their physiological capabilities. Therefore, what is an appropriate amount of conditioning for one horse does not necessarily translate into what will be appropriate for his stablemate. Programs in conditioning need to be individualized.
One of the most important distinctions to learn as a rider is distinguishing the difference between a horse that is “heavy” (not quite fit), and a horse that is “spent” (tired). They can feel the same to the rider, but they are obviously treated in an opposite manner. Knowing the back story is important—nine times out of ten I can ask what the horse has done in the last two weeks and know the answer! I love it
when my client speaks Spanish, because the Spanish words for these two syndromes—pesado and pasado—even sound alike. It makes parsing the difference more real. A few recent media interviews with top eventers have interestingly veered toward this topic, with unanimity on the opinion that less is more when it comes to working their top horses. For them, overwork is more of a problem than underwork. If you have horses in a fairly strenuous program, it really helps to keep track of their exercise, especially the number of “maximum effort days” (heavy training or competing). When it is written down, it is easier for the human brain to acknowledge and assess.
Consistency is crucially important for muscle health. Some programs go so far as to test muscle enzymes on a daily basis to provide immediate feedback on how hard to push the next day. Short of this, a regular work schedule based on good training principles for your sport will go far to prevent tying up and other muscle injuries as well as optimize muscle building. A hard-and-fast rule with horses: no “weekend warriors”! Also, the easy way out is almost never the correct way. If you read an advertisement that says, “Use…for guaranteed increased performance” run the other way! It is almost never that simple!
Recipe for Success
There are many founda�onal exercises that cross disciplines in the mul�faceted world of equine sports. Cross-training can be so beneficial for mental breaks and physical strengthening. Eventers can do condi�oning like fox hunters (long medium-speed rides) or polo ponies (20-minute trot sets); dressage horses can do cavalle� and gymnas�cs; polo ponies can work ca�le; and all horses benefit from hacking on varied terrain in order to develop self-carriage. There are so many talented people in the horse world to learn from. Taking the best prac�ces from different equestrian disciplines is a recipe for success.
Dr. Onderdonk with one of her patients. Photo Robb Scharetg/Scharetgpictures.com
The Saratoga Arms: Embracing
Racing with VIP Style
with L.A. Sokolowski
“I want a horse.”
Ten years ago, a survey of 2,000 British parents asked what their kids’ Christmas lists to Santa looked like, and wanting a horse was the third-most popular request.
A lot more than ten years ago I was one of those kids, too.
Fortunately for my inner child (and yours), the Saratoga Arms Hotel in Saratoga Springs, New York, home to the summer jewel of the Thoroughbred racing crown and a century of “health, history, horses” was happy to encourage me and my His & Hers co-founder, Charles Joseph Berry, to unwrap – no waiting for sleigh bells -one of the finest vacation packages any would-be racehorse owner could dream of: The Off to the Races VIP Experience.
U.S. News & World Report ranked the independently owned Saratoga Arms the top hotel in the city in 2023. The me�culously restored Second Empire brick hotel was built in 1870 by Loren Putnam, the grandson of one of Saratoga’s earliest (1789) se�lers, Gideon Putnam, aka the ‘founding father’ of the region’s hotel industry.
U.S. News & World Report ranked the independently owned Saratoga Arms the top hotel in the city in 2023.
The family name had been synonymous with good �ming before (Gideon’s first hotel a�empt proved its “Putnam’s Folly” label wrong). Loren opened his hotel seven years after the waging of the Ba�le of Ge�ysburg, and just as a casino-owning ex-boxer named John Morrissey introduced Saratoga to wagering, on eight races a day for four consecu�ve days.
Known over subsequent decades as The Putnam, Walton or Windsor, it was inherited in the 1950s by a Brooklyn woman, Alice Bode, who operated it as a rooming house un�l her passing in 1995. The bloom somewhat faded from its rose, the building was purchased in 1997 by Kathleen and Noel Smith (a descendant of another noteworthy New York figure, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant), who oversaw its restora�on and renewal, including the addi�on of a now-signature showpiece, a bright and breezy wrap-around porch replete with white wicker. A�er another addi�on in 2005, the Saratoga Arms doubled its individual luxury guest rooms to 31.
Read more on page
Welcome to the Saratoga Arms, historic Broadway, Saratoga Springs NY. Photo by Morgan Campbell
Fresh crudites and even fresher tuna tartare for VIP guests.Photo by LA Sokolowski
Elite Equestrian VIP guests L.A. Sokolowski & Charles Berry enjoying Saratoga Arm’s signature wraparound porch. Photo by Morgan Campbell
The Hotel
The Triple Crown Trophy at the Racing Hall of Fame and Museum is gold from the bottom to its horse and jockey top. Photo by LA Sokolowski
The Best Weekend All Year! All Year!
It takes a lot to live up to that phrase, but the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event does just that. Actually beginning on Thursday and running through Sunday, the last weekend in April every year thrills thousands of attendees in the heart of Horse Country, Lexington, Kentucky and the spectacular Kentucky Horse Park.
The competition includes the main Event – the CCI5*-L and running concurrently the Cosequin® Lexington CCI4*-S and added to the roster in 2018 the Kentucky CSI4* Invitational Grand Pix presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute on Saturday night.
Equestrian Events is the non-profit charitable Kentucky corporation that was originally established to produce the 1978 World Three-Day Event Championships, held for the first time in the United States and they were heralded as an unprecedented success. Following that success EEI established the annual event we know today.
This is the ar�cle for those of you in the horse world who are s�ll doing business individually, without using a business en�ty. Now you might think: “hey, I need the name recogni�on I get by doing business under my personal name,” or “I’m small potatoes, so I don’t need the protec�on or hassle of a business en�ty for what I do.” These are common concerns, but easily addressed even when you use a business en�ty for what you do in the equine world. First, let’s address a few common ques�ons and concerns horse folk raise all the �me:
1. Do I really need a business en�ty to conduct business?
Yes you do need one or more. While you certainly can go about your day conducting business in the equine community, and elsewhere, in your personal capacity and name, when you do so, you are missing out on the legal protections, strategies, and potential tax advantages of using a business entity. Selling a horse? If there is a problem raised by the buyer downstream, you want the buyer to look to recover first from your entity which sold the horse, and its limited assets, rather than you personally. This deflection and limitation of your liability exposure to your business entity is particularly important if you personally own or have interests in a lot of other horses, farms, or other assets. You may save yourself a lot of money in the long run for a little bit of effort and expenditure up front to set up and operate a business entity.
2. Do I need to register my exis�ng business in every state where that company conducts business?
Short answer, yes. Many states now require registration of a company that conducts more than occasional business in that state. Internet contacts and sales also count. So it follows that if your home base is in the State of Confusion, where you have registered you company, but 4 months of the year your company operates in another location, such as the State of Denial, then you need to register the company to conduct business in that second State. Many states look at a variety of factors, some of the more significant of which are: (i) whether your company has employees or agents in that state, (ii) whether the company advertisements or marketing efforts specifically target the market in that state, (iii) whether your company derives revenue from repeatedly furnishing services or goods (i.e.: training is a “service,” a horse is a “good”) in that state, and (iv) whether any contracts were made in, or were intended to be performed in, a given state. These same type of considerations will drive whether your company is subject to the long-arm personal jurisdiction of a given state, meaning whether a court will exercise its judicial powers over your company in that state. This later consideration is significant, if you are, let’s say, repeatedly selling horses from the East Coast to buyers on the West Coast, such that defending a lawsuit on the West Coast would be cumbersome and expensive.
3. What happens if my company needs to commence a lawsuit, or if I am personally sued for a company issue?
Only a business entity that is registered to conduct business in a given jurisdiction, such as a state, may commence a lawsuit in that jurisdiction’s courts. That means, if you happen to have registered and operate a business entity in the State of Confusion, if you or your company needs to commence a lawsuit (such as to recover a horse, or to unwind a transaction) in the different State of Denial, your company does not have the legal capacity to do so unless you have first registered your company in that second State. If you commence a lawsuit on behalf of your company in the State of Denial, state, but your company is not registered there, you could wind up going all the way through trial, only to have the Defendant in that case raise your company’s lack of capacity to maintain suit at the last moment, thus defeating your company’s otherwise successful lawsuit.
Further, an unregistered company in a given State cannot accrue causes of action while not registered therein. That means if your company was cheated on a deal occurring in the second State of Denial, and you only registered your company in the first State of Confusion, your company cannot bring suit in the State of Denial for a wrong it encountered while not registered there. You will be forced to bring a suit as an individual Plaintiff for that lawsuit, but that would mean abandoning the distinction between you and the corporate entity’s form. When that happens, you face the fact that you might individually be named as a Counter-Defendant in a Counterclaim by the Defendant in that same suit.You see the problem – you had an entity, but failed to properly register it, and now you cannot use it as a sword
Conversely, if you are personally sued, but you have a properly registered company that was the entity which undertook the underlying transaction, then you can claim that there is no basis for the Plaintiff to look beyond the company’s entity form, and thus no basis to look to you individually for recovery of Plaintiff’s alleged damages. In other words, in many instances – but not all - you can utilize the company as a shield to individual, personal liability.
4. So how many, and what kind of, en��es do I need?
The answer to this question is fueled by your responses to a host of questions, and really require a consultation with both your legal counsel and your tax advisor. Generally, the nature and size of your equestrian operation will drive the number of entities. Multi-asset operations, such as those which buy, own, sell and lease many horses, and those equestrian operations with one or more farms, upon which others sometime lease stalls, are prime candidates for multiple entity deployment. By placing your various assets in more than one entity, you spread out the risk and liability exposure. Additionally, if you have multiple interest holders for a given asset, and those interest holders differ over various assets, then a single-purpose entity should be created to own and hold each asset. The significance of the value the assets will also play a role in determining the type and number of entities. As to the type of entity or entities to use, that depends on your operations, the interest holders, and tax planning, amongst other considerations, all of which are beyond the scope of this general information article, but which you should definitely discuss with your legal counsel and tax advisor.
5. Something new for 2024.
Finally, in 2024, there is a new entity reporting requirement imposed by the federal government. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) now requires, and has begun accepting “Beneficial Ownership information Reports” through its website. The Corporate Transparency Act, enacted in 2021 to curb illicit finance, now requires many companies doing business in the United States to report information about the individuals who ultimately own or control them, and the time for reporting the individual(s) who are the ultimate beneficial owners of the entity has now come. It remains to be seen how and when this reporting will be enforced and if non-reporting is penalized, but given that corporate ownership transparency is also a national security issue, don’t count on this reporting requirement not being enforced for long.
If you read to the bottom of this Article, now you at least know what you don’t know, and we strongly suggest that best practice is to consult your legal counsel for your questions, concerns, and next steps.
Avery S. Chapman, Esq. principal of Equine Law Group, LLC is the Founding Chair of The Equine Law Commi�ee of The Florida Bar. His Equine Law Group provides strategies and solu�ons ™ to equine professionals and amateurs locally, na�onally ,and interna�onally, from their main offices in Wellington, Florida. Equine Law Group also counsels members of the equine industry and equestrian owners and athletes on a wide range of legal ma�ers, as well as concerning disciplinary ma�ers and appeals before CAS, FEI, USEF, USPA, USDF, AQHA, WADA, SafeSport, and other na�onal and interna�onal equestrian sport governing bodies. Mr. Chapman may be reached through www.equinelawgroup.com and www.equinelawyer.com.
Bio Mechanics
Story and Photos By Stephanie Fish-Crossman
In this issue, we are going to work on some small changes that will make a BIG difference in ge�ng your horse on the bit!
Our volunteer for this review is Wilma, a lovely lady that I met while doing a clinic in the New Smyrna area. Wilma has been riding for around 13 years, starting as an adult in the hunter world and switching eventually to dressage. She and her horse Kyon have been together for 3 years, with his previous training being mainly in the dressage world as well. She works as a Title Agent, so sits a lot at work looking at a computer, and has no major previous injuries. Welcome, Wilma and Kyon!
In our first picture, Wilma looks safe and confident, and I feel that she is breathing enough to not have to address it. When you glance at this photo it really looks quite nice, what you would commonly see in the Dressage world, but the more you look at it the more you can see that some changes need to be made. For a change, let’s start with the horse – even at the halt, you can see that Kyon’s back is down, and his ears are back in a notnecessarily-happy manner. This body posi�oning, whether it is caused by Wilma or whether she is a by-product of it, makes it difficult for the horse to move over his back, reach for the bit and have a consistent connec�on. That, in turn, makes it difficult for Wilma to do with ease the things she wants to do –steer, make nice corners or lengthenings, and generally remain in a consistent rhythm. Can we help them? Yes we can!
Going to Wilma, you can see that her shoulder-hip-ankle line up is slightly �lted backwards; always remember that my goal is to line my riders up in such a way that if I were to magically pull the horse out from underneath them, they would land on their feet. In our first picture it is clear that Wilma would land on her bu�, as her feet are in front of her, her ankle is locked down and her knee is too open. While Wilma is si�ng upright, her lack of ability to balance through her lower joints has created an engagement imbalance in her front and back of her torso, so that her guts are not engaged and her front lines are not suppor�ng her back lines. Think of it this way: I am dividing Wilma into two parts, a front and a back half. I am then filling her with beans, so that she is a bean-bag Wilma. Looking at our first picture, where would you say Wilma is carrying the majority of her beans? If you said in the back, you’ve got a good eye! By not engaging the front of her seat – meaning her quads and adductors in her thighs, and her core muscles up the front of her torso – Wilma is essen�ally riding only off the strength of her backside, which is one dimensional. This overreliance on her back lines gives her no assistance in ge�ng out of the hole in the horse’s back, and will cause her to have to resort to the reins to try to get him to lower his neck.
BEFORE
It may suffice for a while, but it will make it harder for her to accomplish things like collec�on and lateral work.
Let’s start the fix!
Star�ng with the thigh, we rotated the thigh in and pulled the hamstrings out of the way of the femur, so that it could
lay closer to the saddle. I brought her heel back under her more through the use of isometric resistances, which help Wilma to note her muscle discrepancies and strengthen them through a series of exercises. You can see in the second picture that her foot is more underneath her body and her ankle looks less jammed in the s�rrup. There is a greater bend at the back of her knee, and if you compare the pictures closely, you can see that the seam of her pants is closer to the thigh block. These are all signs that Wilma is ac�va�ng all 4 parts of her thighs to ride in her muscles, while allowing her joints to flex and bend so�ly, rather than bracing into her joints as she was in the first picture. This is some deep work, and takes a lot of concentra�on!
Let’s go back to the first picture for a moment. We know that the horse is standing in this photo, but look at the reins. While they are loose and not disturbing the horse, if you had to describe the direc�on of the energy running through the reins, would you say the energy is pushing from Wilma to the bit, or is Wilma pulling the reins to her from the bit? It is subtle, for sure, but I see that the direc�ons of the energy in the reins is going toward Wilma, not toward the bit. Once in mo�on, this will be a catch-22 problem – because the energy is going to Wilma, she will be pulling the horse’s head to her, causing the back to go down, which in turn causes her to fall more into the hole of his back, which keeps that cycle going. Conversely, if the horse is used to going with his back down, he will be shorter in the topline of his neck, causing there to be a space between her hand and the rein, which will encourage Wilma to shorten her reins to try to find him, while she is also trying
Can you see the difference in the direction of the energy going down the reins?
Trailers 2023
to get out of the hole in his back. See what I mean about a catch-22?
The fix for this issue starts in the thighs, which we have already looked at, and crea�ng a more solid base for Wilma to work from. Once stabilized below the belt, we worked on Wilma ge�ng more familiar with her whole core – how she breathes in her body, where she can and cannot engage muscles, and how to access those areas that her brain had forgo�en were a�ached I feel that one of the biggest things I can do as a coach is help people reengage their bodies and their brains – propriocep�on can really lie to you! By pu�ng my hands on Wilma, I gave her an idea of where she should find herself posi�onally in the saddle, and then we experimented with ways to help her engage those core muscles in front that forgot they had a duty. Using various sounds, breathing techniques and simply poking around, we were able to get Wilma more engaged in the front of her, which allowed her backside to release some of its weight and helped her be more centrally located in the saddle. Take a look at her arms, and compare from the first picture to the second – can you see the difference in the direc�on of the energy going down the reins? In the second picture it is clear to me that Wilma is pushing the energy from her body to the bit. Let’s no�ce the different stance of the horse as well – he is less hollow, and more stretching across his topline, even in the halt!
Great work Wilma – your homework consists of con�nuing to work on u�lizing the muscles all around your thighs to get be�er a�ached, which will lead to you being able to influence your horse to bring his back up under you more and more. Remember to keep your beans more evenly distributed in the front and the back of your body, through breathing exercises, core engagement and simply staying aware of your body as you do the fun stuff you love to do with your horse!
Ques�ons? Comments? Would you like to have a rider biomechanics assessment yourself? Whether you would like to be featured as one of our magazine riders or simply for yourself, feel free to contact me at stephany@serendipitydressage.net. Thanks to the staff at Elite Equestrian for featuring us, we look forward to sharing more informa�on with you next ar�cle!
Tricky
������������������
Story and Illustra�ons
By Tom Scheve
No matter how much you prepare your horse trailer for a trip, annoying situations are going to pop up, and you’re going to have to solve them. When they do, it’s wise to take a slow, deep breath and contemplate the possible solutions before reacting to the first thoughts that come to mind. By reacting rather than responding, you may find your first choice worsening the problem rather than solving it. The following is an example of one of those unanticipated, vexing situations that can unexpectedly arise.
PROBLEM. It’s a beautiful morning. You’re excited because you’re heading out to spend a long-awaited day out with your horse. You’re jacking your trailer up and before it raises high enough to drop it on the ball, the crank handle abruptly stops. Your immediate thought is it’s stuck, but don’t keep cranking the handle. If you do, you will hear a “pop,” your jack handle will start turning freely, and your jack is shot and so is your anticipated day with your horses. Generally speaking, when something on your trailer quits doing what it’s supposed to do, something is wrong. In this case, the jack had reached its limit. Before you read the solution, take a moment to test yourself. What would you do to fix the problem?
SOLUTION. You need to get the trailer weight off the jack so you can retract the jack stand to place blocks underneath it. But how?
Near the coupler, stack enough wood or concrete blocks under the trailer frame until it almost reaches it. Slowly crank the jack down until the nose of the trailer frame is resting on the blocks. Keep cranking the jack until the jack shank lifts off the ground high enough to place one to two blocks underneath it. If your bumper pull jack has a detachable wheel instead of a sand foot, remove the wheel and crank it down onto blocks without it. Now crank the trailer up off the blocks under the frame, remove them, hitch up, and enjoy your long-awaited day with your horses. See top illustration
TIPS
• Bumper pull trailer jacks come with a detachable wheel or a sand foot. A sand foot is safer. With a jack wheel supporting the trailer nose, and four wheels in the rear supporting the body, you might find yourself chasing it if unhitched on uneven ground.
• Always place blocks under your bumper pull jack before unhitching your trailer for extra height. Four-byfour wood posts cut in twelve-inch lengths make good jack supports. Or you can buy pre-maid support blocks on Amazon or RV sites.
PROBLEM. The same problem could arise with a gooseneck jack, especially if the jack is on soft ground. The overall solution is the same as for bumper pulls; you have to free up the jack from the trailer weight to place blocks under it. Again, take a moment and consider how you might respond before reading the solution.
SOLUTION: Start by lowering the truck tailgate. Back the truck under the Gooseneck coupler until the coupler is over the rear of the truck bed. Crank the front of the trailer slowly down until the coupler (trailer weight) is almost resting on the back of the truck bed. Place a rubber mat, cardboard, or other protective material under the coupler to protect the truck bed. Lower the coupler down until the weight of the trailer nose is resting on the bed instead of the jack. Now you can wind the jack up off the ground and place blocks under it.
TIPS
• Always place blocks under the gooseneck coupler before unhitching it from the truck.
• There are two basic styles of gooseneck couplers. One that you have to hitch at the coupler in the truck bed and one that you can secure outside the bed with a quick-release wire. If you don’t like the coupler you have, you can replace it by loosening the bolts and sliding it down and out the coupler sleeve.
FINAL TIP
Situations will arise, both small and large when you have horses. The way your mind interprets the situation can either help or hinder your ability to solve it. My advice is to take a moment, be present, assess and accept the situation, then do what your gut tells you.
Tom Scheve, with wife Neva have been advoca�ng horse trailer safety since 1984. Both have given safety clinics at many hose expos around the country and have wri�en numerous ar�cles for ar�cles for na�onal magazines, bout horse trailer safety. Their na�onally acclaimed textbook, The Complete Guide to Buying, Maintaining and Servicing a Horse Trailer and Equine Emergencies on the Road (with Jim Hamilton DVM have been adopted by most Na�onal Horse organiza�ons. Tom is also owner of EquiSpirit Trailer Company with corporate offices in Southern Pines, NC. For more informa�on on horse trailer safety, visit their website equispirit.com or email Tom at tom@equispirit.com. Toll Free number is 1-877-575-1771.
weight on rear of bed. Raise jack. Put blocks underneath it.
Alexus & Chad Macblain / The
Team Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty Cell: (740)-255-3338
Email: Alexusmacblain@kw.com
Macblain
Today it is downtown’s only AAA Four Diamond Hotel. Lovers of turn-of-the-century ambience will appreciate the front room chandelier and 1920’s ornamental plasterwork, fireplaces and grand staircases, �n ceilings and cloisonné hardware. Those smi�en by the whimsical will delight in such �ny but no less a�en�ve details as en suite baths with claw foot tubs, or handpainted shower �les with local quips and quotes (their “fun fact �les” earned men�on in USA Today’s Hotel-hopping with the Best of Them.)
And should you look closely (like I did) at the monogram on its kilnfired keepsake coffee mugs handmade by Deneen Po�ery, you too can espy a canine face grinning back at you.
“That’s our family’s beloved dog, Bates!” Sheila Smith Sperling told me, calling the Lab-type stray, “BEST dog ever.
“We grew up on Broadway and, when I was 12, our parents moved us ‘out to the country’ (two miles from downtown) and promised us that we could get a dog. We named him Bates, because the hotel and house reminded my parents of the Bates Motel… in the movie Psycho!”
The VIP Experience
I found keen senses of humor and welcoming smiles easy to find among the staff and Smith family. One could start a day discoursing the merits of various coffee beans with a busser before leaving for the track and the ceremonial donning of the Saratoga Arms ‘show’ piece necklace (more on that later).
All of which contributed to an easygoing camaraderie among the adult couples enjoying this Saratoga Arms Hotel Off to the Races VIP Experience. It proved an engaging, educa�onal, equine experien�al tour de force that lived up to its promise to take racing fans – and the ‘horse curious’ – behind the scenes of The Life.
The VIP Experience, like Morrissey’s first meet, was four days long (Sunday- Thursday). It began with a Sunday evening welcome on the porch with champagne accompanied by such “copious” hors d’oeuvres as tuna tartare cakes (worthy of Manha�an’s Balthazar) from the kitchen of execu�ve chef Tim James and sous chef Alex Kollar, before the first of two (Monday, Tuesday) closed, or “dark” days in track speak, began with a private trolley a�er breakfast to the Oklahoma Training Track for a walking tour of barns and morning breezings, and a visit through the Na�onal Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame with Museum Educator, Ma� Reichel.
Reichel rewarded us with some #iykyk gems: U.S. President Andrew Jackson owned and raced horses under the pseudonym, Andrew Donaldson; the skeleton donated to the Anatomy Gallery is a British, not American, Thoroughbred; and a solid gold Kentucky Derby trophy in the Edward P. Evans Gallery has a 14k base, 18k top and, Reichel joked, “Is worth more than they will let me tell you!”
A�er leaving us with the a�ernoon to explore shops, parks and cultural a�rac�ons (try Saratoga.com), Saratoga Arms presented the first of two nights of mul�-course dinners and wine pairings with Thoroughbred legends like Racing Hall of Fame jockey Ramon Dominguez and sports caller Tom Durkin, plus local horsemen like Saratoga Polo School founder Mario Dino Di Salvo (who says ex-racehorses make excellent polo ponies) among our dining companions.
Around the top photo, counterclockwise from top left:
A big group to fit in a win shot but Relate, under Louis Saez and trained by Todd Pletcher, came in under the wire on 6/1 odds in our Saratoga Arms VIP Experience race, was still the star of the show. Photo by Morgan Campbell
The Paddock is so quintessential a photo-op even Saratoga Arms photographer, Morgan Campbell, was coaxed to the other side of the lens.
Yes, that winning racehorse feeling looked a lot like this! By Morgan Campbell
Sheila Smith Sperling wearing the Smith family’s beloved, offbeat and horse-themed ‘Showpiece’ necklace worn especially for the track pool. By LA Sokolowski
Top photo: Elite Equestrian with a VIP view from the Whitney Tower of the Oklahoma Track in the morning, just like any racehorse owner. Photo by LA Sokolowski
Racehorses warming up at the Oklahoma Track from a VIP view. Photo by LA Sokolowski
Track Day Winner
RELATE
Saratoga Arms saved its best for last, pu�ng the VIP into Wednesday’s Experience at Saratoga Race Track, delivering us by trolley ride to this Gilded Age favorite where two airy tables of exclusive sea�ng on the Turf Terrace awaited near the finish line, where we could watch our exclusive sponsored race, the Saratoga Arms VIP Day at the Races before our Winner’s Circle Experience being photographed with the winning jockey and commemorated in the official win photo.
Wai�ng for us were buckets of champagne chilling atop crisp white tablecloths, lunch at our leisure (hello, lobster roll) and complementary be�ng vouchers tucked in our fluted glasses. Saratoga Arms family and friends could join a pool, not to pick a Win horse but to pick for the Show. The pool selects one unabashed soul to choose the horse and place the bet, and the bet must be placed while wearing the Smith family’s beloved, o�eat and horse-themed ‘Showpiece’ necklace.
The first of two (Monday, Tuesday) closed, or “dark” days in track speak, began with a private trolley a�er breakfast to the Oklahoma Training Track for a walking tour of barns and morning breezings, and a visit through the Na�onal Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame with Museum Educator, Ma� Reichel.
“Jockeying for position” before our tour inside the Racing Hall of Fame & Museum across from Saratoga Race Track. This is what Charles indulges!
HOF volunteer Al led an interesting and thorough backstretch tour. Photo by Morgan Campbell EliteEquestrian.com was on the tour of the Oklahoma Track, too.
Read more in the May/June issue! Look for the digital format on our web site in late April!
WhitneyTower - LA Sokolowski photo
DRESSAGE:
Why is it a benefit for all disciplines?
Story and Photos By Lynn Palm
Palm Partnership Training™
Building a Partnership with your Horse
Dressage is a French word that means “training.”
The concept of dressage dates back as far as 350 BC when the Athenian historian and soldier Xenophon completed his “On Horsemanship” manual. However, it wasn’t until the 16th and 17th centuries that dressage began to develop as an art form.
For centuries, dressage evolved as the successful training methods developed by Europeans to improve their riders and the training of horses for war. Essentially the better schooled your horse, the better he would be in battle. However, training horses and riders for more than war became important and eventually finer techniques were developed. This was combined with a desired by nobility to be seen ‘about town’ on magnificent steeds with exaggerated movements which demonstrated their ability as horsemen. When kings and royalty wanted entertainment with horses, dressage competition came to life.
The art of dressage emerged as the training of riders on how to naturally ride with balance and to communicate from the seat, leg, and hand aids. Therefore, dressage fundamentals are: Rider balance, rider correct use of aids for communication, and the rider putting the horse in balance for performance. This combination of skills builds harmony between horse and rider and the importance of working as a team.
It became apparent that dressage works with any breed of horse and was not limited to “war horses.” Today, all breeds and disciplines benefit from dressage; from cutting, reining, and endurance to pleasure and everything in between; it’s important to understand that dressage should be a part of the rider and horse training. “Dressage” is the perfect word to signify the foundation for all riding disciplines. Dressage emphasizes the growth of skills of horse and rider, and is a “natural” way to train both.
Dressage also means respecting that the sport of correct and harmonious riding does not come easily. Also, however, like with any sport you must also understand its simplicity. And as with any sport, to master dressage at any level is only accomplished with practice and dedication; you and your horse can improve and advance together. But you must learn the steps necessary to proceed, and dressage can play an important role.
First, take a humble moment and evaluate your own riding before trying to “fix” the horse. (You might want someone to video you.) “Dressage” means in order to improve the horse, you must improve the rider! It’s not about “fixing” the horse. Too often little is considered about what the rider is doing with regard to balance and soft, light invisible aids. It is the rider’s responsibility to ride with proper position and balance, especially with the correct position of arms/ hands and legs. Communication will become clear and consistent for the horse when the rider has perfect hands and leg positions. Horses will always give positive responses to the rider with these very important basics when given
properly. Next add the seat to assist with the legs, and guiding rein aids for transitions and legs. Then by using rein aids for controlling the horse’s body alignment (straightness) and his outline, this combination of aids ultimately puts the rider and horse in balance.
Remember, the rider has to practice building a correct position and balance. He or she has to coordinate an agile way to use aids for gaits, transitions and figures. It’s also very important that the rider must ride the horse with a positive and confident attitude. Eventually the rider has to develop the strength, coordination, athleticism, and balance with the horse, while always using a consistent training program.
Developing the horse is a great challenge and includes more than swinging into the saddle. In addition to dressage, these following topics will help everyone understand their sport horse, including: Knowledge of conformation, including form to function; horse instincts; horse health; importance of turn out; development of muscles; strength of joints; hoof management; overall soundness; and correct riding techniques that develop willing horses.
Just try a bit of dressage in your training as a rider and the development of your horse — regardless of your sport. It’s all about your horse being willing and confident in performance, no matter what your riding interests and disciplines are. And remember that when you bring out the best in you, you will bring out the best in your horse!
Specializing in Farm and Equine Mortality
Part Two The Preserve You Deserve
Story and Photos By L.A. Sokolowski
Day two, Saturday, at the Preserve Sporting Club & Residences in Richmond, Rhode Island, lived up to its promise as the most amenity-rich resort oasis in the nation and – all pun intended – hit a bull’s eye delivering experiences for me and Charles Joseph that put the S in both sporting and spa.
After strong coffee in our Hilltop suite, we were off to The Sporting Shoppe for a firearms safety class before trying our marksmanship on America’s longest, fully automated underground public shooting range. Then after lunch at its Lilly Pad, we had reservations for our sauna and massage at OH! Spa. By the time we sat down to a four-course dinner in our Maker’s Mark Hobbit House™ our goal was feeling relaxed and maybe celebrating hitting a few targets on the range. Mission accomplished.
Sporting Shoppe, Sporting Life
Open to the public daily, the Preserve’s two-level, 15,000square feet Sporting Shoppe is its own must-see experience.
Designed in the same grand tradition as historic expedition outfitters, the Shoppe carries bespoke Italian FAMARS, or Fabbrica Armi d’Abbiatico e Salvinelli shotguns and rifles, fine firearms and ammunition, plus equipment and supplies for every imaginable outdoor sporting and adventure activity (including for your dogs).
Among the finest of its fine firearms is an ornate (Alpine Ibex-engraved stock and receiver) and highly precise (Zeiss Diavari Scope) handcrafted Stögner-Engraved Underlever .270 Win. 25.5” Rifle, weighing just over nine pounds and valued at more than $250 million.
But first, let’s talk safety because the Sporting Shoppe is also a classroom, where respect for, and safe handling of firearms comes first. Our praise is sky high for firearms safety instructor, Rick Walsh.
You better be good at what you do to look two strangers like us in the eye and, without missing a beat promise, “All my students hit bull’s eyes. First time shooting.”
I replied with self-deprecating humor, “You haven’t met me yet.”
“No,” Rick grinned. “Everybody hits at least one.” Darned if he wasn’t right.
Sixty minutes and two police service Glock 22’s later, Rick determined Charles was left hand/right eye dominant, I was right eye/right hand dominant, and thus we entered, through soundproof double doors, the longest underground shooting range in North America, where we could safely and confidently apply what we had learned (“drop the ball in the basket”) from our NRA certified Range Safety Officer. Rick, it turns out, is a retired 39-year Critical Care Nurse with NRA Instructor Certification in more disciplines than most FEI judges, including rifle, pistol, shotgun, home firearms, personal protection in the home, and range safety.
“I have shot guns before,” says Charles, “but never with this much instruction. I had a better concept about how to hold a gun correctly. What left an indelible impression was his telling us how, ‘A gun is always loaded.’ Even when you think it’s not.”
True to his word, we each collected Gun Fun target sheets with multiple bull’s eyes on them. Rick’s sense of humor was as keen as his marksmanship, assuring us how his CCN training meant he could operate the spa’s (posthangover) IV drip should we find ourselves in need after the Hobbit House bourbon tasting still ahead…
OH! Indeed
Conveniently located back at the Hilltop suites, director Clinton Cox calls OH! Spa, “Where wellness begins. The OH! Spa caters to the sporting and luxury lifestyle, with treatments geared toward adventure seekers and nature lovers, including massages, facials, body scrubs, manicures, pedicures, and a legendary array of services.”Continued...
10AM Tennis, grass or clay court. (Cancelled due to rain).
2:30PM Check out
Our Maker’s Mark Hobbit House™ Menu
Each course was paired with bourbon and culminated in the Preserve Reserve.
First Course
Chef’s Artisanal Cheese and Charcuterie Board
Maker’s Mark® soft red winter wheat, for one-of-a-kind fullflavor.
Second Course
Roasted Pheasant with Braised Collard Greens, Mustard Ju Watermelon Burrata Salad of Baby Kale, Prosciutto, Asparagus, Heirloom Tomato
Maker’s Mark 46™ wood-stave-finishing starts with matured bourbon at cask strength; 10 seared virgin, French oak staves are inserted into the barrel then finished for nine weeks in a limestone cellar.
Main Course
Ginger Salmon, Maker’s Mark Braised Short Ribs with Glazed Carrots, Cumin, Blood Orange, Lardons and Pistachio Gremolata, Garlic Mash
Maker’s Mark® Cask Strength bourbon in its purest form, barrel proof, non-chill filtered.
Dessert
Sfogliatella & Signature DB Cheesecake Pops
Maker’s Mark® Private Selection: Preserve Reserve, whose secret lies not only in 10 custom wood finishing staves added to fully matured Maker’s Mark® at cask strength before aging in a limestone cellar, but in its unique taste profile of vanilla and dried stone fruit notes, with hints of roasted coffee, caramel and honey.
