October 2023 Issue

Choose a one time charge of $20 to be added permanently to the mailing list, for an ongoing subscription via third class mail. OR have each issue sent to you first class for an annual fee of $35. You can pay by check, Visa, Mastercard or Discover. Simply complete and mail this form with payment to: East Coast Equestrian, P. O. Box 8412, Lancaster, PA 17604-8412 or order online at eastcoastequestrian.net  I would like an ongoing subscription via third class mail for $20.  Please send each issue first class for $35 per year.  Check for $________ is enclosed  Please bill my Visa/Mastercard/Discover Acct. #________________________________ Exp. Date ____________________ Name ______________________________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________ City ________________________________ State ___________ Zip ___________ Email ______________________________________________________________ Get East Coast Equestrian at home! East Coast Equestrian P.O. Box 8412, Lancaster, PA 17604-8412 (717) 509-9800 E-mail: PAEquest@aol.com www.eastcoastequestrian.net Published by Pennsylvania Equestrian, LLC Stephanie Shertzer Lawson, Editor and Publisher Contributors Marcella Peyre-Ferry, Suzanne Bush, Alicia Martin, Amy Worden, Lois Szymanski, Sylvia Sidesaddle Advertising/Production Manager Debbie Reid Advertising Sales Manager Phyllis Hurdleston Published 9 times a year. Submissions of articles, events and photos are welcome and should be received by the 10th of the month preceding publication. Please call (717) 509-9800 for advertising rates or visit www.eastcoastequestrian.net . We cannot accept copyrighted photos without permission from owner. You must have permission before reprinting anything from East Coast Equestrian. For permission please call (717) 509-9800 or email steph@eastcoastequestrian.net EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN October 2023 Page 47 By Sylvia Sidesaddle Well hello again darlings and welcome to fall! Syl’s got a lot to say this month so let’s get to it! The Indoors are ahead, and Nancy Jaffer reports that the Washington International Horse Show has retired its Puissance. The high jump competition that thrilled generations of children standing on the rail, watching horses navigate a seemingly impossible height (the Washing- ton record was 7 feet 7.5 inches set by Sweet ‘n Low ridden by Anthony D’Ambrosio in 1983) is a relic. Too much has changed in terms of the sport, prize money, animal welfare senti- ment. And the fact that it takes a unicorn— “It is a specialized class you need a specific horse for. It’s hard to carry a horse for one class,” Todd Minikus , a regular Puissance competitor, told Jaffer. WIHS will give the class a special send-off this year with a ceremony to retire the wall. “We’re thinking about put- ting the wall somewhere where people can have their pictures taken with it,” Board Chairman Anne Poulson commented. The show also will recognize the late Donald Tober and his wife, Barbara , who owned Sweet ‘n Low. Unionville, the heart of Pennsylvania’s horse country, was quite a bit on edge for two weeks in early September after a convicted murderer crab-walked (Google it, sweet things) up a prison wall and escaped from the nearby Chester County Prison. The escapee, a Brazilian citizen sentenced to life for stabbing his girlfriend 37 times in front of her children, was seen multiple times on camera in the Union- ville area. Roads were blocked, aggressive media stalked, helicopters and drones buzzed and locals were starting to get peeved at the interruptions. State police horses were called in for the search and organizers were seeking farms to provide hay and rest for them. Syl’s darlings can read the whole story elsewhere in this issue, but they won’t find this bit: Boyd Martin posted entertaining Facebook footage of his boys learning to crab-walk up a wall….just in case, Syl figures. Lori Harrington , a volun- teer with Freedom Hill Horse Rescue in Dunkirk, MD, is the latest local to be named an EQUUS Foundation Champion. Nineteen years ago, Lori took her daughter’s Girl Scout troop there and immediately signed up to be the organization's treasur- er. Lori has since served as vice president, volunteer coordinator and president and manages all the horses, current and placed. Congratulations Lori! If it’s October, it’s time for the FEI Eventing Nations Cup Netherlands CCIO4*-NC-L hosted in Enschede, Netherlands at the Military Boekelo-En- schede. On the team are Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) and Denim , a 2015 Holsteiner geld- ing owned by Caroline Moran, Ann Lapides, Neil Sites, and Ann Jones and Jennie Saville (nee Brannigan) (also of West Grove, Pa.) and Connory , a 2012 Holsteiner gelding owned by Nina Gardner, Timothy Gardner, and Jennie Saville . The competition will be held October 5-8. In other eventing news, Boyd Martin and Fedarman B have been awarded a USEF Eventing High Performance Flight Grant, for athletes targeting the 2024 Olympics who need to fly their horses abroad. They will be heading for Les 5 Étoiles de Pau CCI5*-L in Pau, France, from October 26-29. In other Olympic news, something that was long overdue. At next year’s Paris Olympics, Thoroughbreds competing in any of the equestrian disciplines – dressage, show jumping and eventing – will, for the first time, be recognized by breed in the starting lists and results. In past Olympics, the retired Thor- oughbred racehorses competing were listed only as ‘breeding unknown.’ The reason: under a Memorandum of Understanding between the FEI and the World Breeding Federation for Sports Horses (WBFSH) only member stud books of the WBFSH, all of whose members breed horses specifically for the Olympic disciplines, have historically been credited. The Devon Horse Show grounds have become a much busier place in recent years (despite the loss of the Brandy- wine Summer series). Now for something different – an upscale Christmas market. Yuletide at Devon, held November 24 to December 31, will “blend the essence of a traditional European Christmas market with the thrill of a top-tier music festival and gourmet farm-to-table food expe- rience.” Featured are live music (no one Syl has heard of but what does she know), ‘farm-to-table culinary delights paired with craft cocktails,’ and 4 million (count ‘em darlings) LED lights. Keystone state resident Pamela Santucci was awarded a $1,000 grant from the Lynn Palm Western Dressage Fund and the Dressage Foundation to continue her western dressage education. Pamela began riding in 2000 at age 44 (you go girl!) and is a behavioral specialist at an equine assisted learning facility. Largely self-taught, she learned by attending clinics, reading, and taking virtual lessons. She is also the co-founder of the Pennsyl- vania Western Dressage Asso- ciation. Pamela plans to use her grant funding to train in person with Jennifer Sharpnack . Con- gratulations Pamela! And there’s more dres- sage news! Quinn Ridgway , a 21-year-old dressage rider from Springfield Township, NJ, re- ceived a $25,000 D4K Christian Kennedy Scholarship for 2024. She is currently a USDF Silver Medalist with placings at USDF Regional Championships, USEF Festival of Champions, and the North American Youth Champi- onships. Quinn, a recent college grad and longtime Dressage 4 Kids member, currently trains with Nicole DelGiorno out of her family's Greymare Farm, where Quinn lives and helps care for both her horses and boarders’ horses. She will use her grant to train with Oded Shimoni in Florida. Syl’s darlings who are plan- ning to attend the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup on November 5 might want to add a few extra items to their grocery shopping cart the week before. The event is raising funds for the Chester County Food Bank, and organizers are encouraging attendees to donate non-perishable food items like pasta, salsa, beans, oil, and ready to eat meals. The Food Bank peo- ple will be conveniently located in the parking lot. In other good deeds, dar- lings, Delaware Park Casino & Racing and the Delaware Thor- oughbred Horsemen's Association teamed up to donate $20,000 to the Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue and Canter Delaware. A check presentation was held after the fourth race on September 9 as part of the special 10-race Own- ers Day card. Welcome to Emma Cary , who has been hired to replace Harper McVey as assistant to the National Steeplechase Associa- tion director of racing Bill Gallo . (Harper, lucky girl, was accepted into the Godolphin Flying Start program at Kildangan Stud in Ire- land, which will take her to five countries in two years, studying and working with thoroughbred industry leaders.) Cary, 28, is from Melville, N.Y., and cur- rently resides in Hockessin, Del., not far from NSA’s headquarters in Elkton, Md. Previously she worked for Graham Motion and with the Maryland Jockey Club on their marketing team for the 2022 Preakness Stakes. Finally, July’s extremely hot weather and continuing poor air quality from the Canadian wild- fires took its toll on racing days that month. Race days were down 6.62 percent for the month and wagering was down 6.68 percent for the same time period. Who else would tell you these things darlings???? And that’s it for Syl for anoth- er month. Until next time, remem- ber to S.S.S. (Send Syl Scoop) at PAEquest@aol.com . And…be careful where you step! Please submit your events to steph@eastcoastequestrian.net . Please provide event name, location, city, state and contact information for inclusion at no cost in East Coast Equestrian's calendar of events. Attention Event Organizers!