On the Line

Semi well-behaved polo stallion.

There’s never a dull moment in Wellington. Even though the show jumping season is winding down, polo season is still in full swing, with the U.S. Open brackets being fought out during most of April. And last night the 2nd Annual National Polo Pony Show was held over at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center, which normally hosts CDI dressage shows, and of course, the recent Masters.

But with nary a dressage horse in sight, polo ponies had their night in the spotlight with this event, dreamed up by one of polo’s most talented female players, Sunny Hale. She’s president of the American Polo Horse Association, which was created to register and recognize polo ponies, promote breeding programs, and generally give this sport a little more guidance and structure when it comes to the horses that are such a critical part of it.

Polo requires so many horses per player (in a high goal game one player might use up to 10 horses) that sometimes, looking at the horse as an individual gets passed over. Polo ponies are meant to be uniform in size and type, and there are just so many of them that sometimes, they blend together. But Sunny, daughter of legendary female polo player Sue Sally Hale, is on a mission to give the ponies some more recognition, so hats off to her. She organized the whole event, which included a silent auction and benefitted the Polo Museum and Philadelphia’s Work to Ride program.

There were halter classes:

The 2-4 Years Old Halter Class lines up

Cibby, winner of the Halter Class Stallions

Performance Classes:

...which included a set pattern and a "freestyle" to show polo pony handiness.

A Nations Cup Competition/relay race, in which four teams of three competed against each other on a set pattern. The t-shirt wearing team from Grand Champions Polo Club won the class:

The teams all listened to the rules before the class...

And then they relayed!

Show attire was not judged...

Finally, there was the very best thing that ever happened to a polo pony show; the Grooms Competition. On the Line spent a couple of summers as a high-goal polo groom, and knows all too well the pressure that grooms are under on the sidelines, when they must switch horses for their player in a matter of minutes. How long would it take you to remove wraps-boots-breastcollar-standing martingale-draw reins-bridle-saddle w/ two girths, hose and ice a pony and throw aforementioned tack on your next horse? Really good grooms can do it in under 5 minutes, and Sunny Hale accurately likened polo grooms to a Formula One pit team.

Again, teams of three relayed two horses on either end of the ring; they had to tack one up, race to the other end where their teammate was waiting, switch the tack to a new horse, and race back. A high form of entertainment, to say the least.

Team Audi finished last when their groom had trouble mounting up on a skittish horse, but here they are with ponies and tack before the race.

Two grooms to a (very patient) horse, wrapping at lightening speed.

Racing to the end of the ring..

And all three teams raced to switch tack to their second horse. Vale!

On the Line is of the opinion that to truly be an excellent polo player, one’s first thought has to be on the game, and then, if there’s time, the pony. Events like this are rare, but appreciated because they give the ponies well-deserved attention and importance that is too often passed over. And sometimes, the polar opposite of a hunter/jumper show is a bit refreshing, helmetless children and all…..

Helmetless children atop polo stud, no less.

And the hooooome of the, braaaave...... Photo ©Kym Ketcham

Because if a skydiver trailing an American flag hadn’t touched down in the International Arena just as Ki-Juan Minors sang the final, pitch perfect note of the National Anthem, the night would have seemed incomplete, somehow.

Fortunately, that is how the 2011 WEF season’s finale class opened, and the 7,000 show jumping fans filling every available space in the International Arena (a sight that warms On the Line’s heart) were thoroughly impressed.

The $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix CSI 5* provided an interesting end to the winter season’s grand prix circuit. In difficulty, it didn’t come close to the Nation’s Cup course, but it did do its job of letting the cream of the show jumping crop rise to the top. It’s just that last night, there was a whole lot of cream.

Out of 40 starters, 15 made it to the jumpoff, and of those 15, 9 jumped double clear. The time allowed was 90 seconds, and most riders finished under 85. That’s a whole lot of clear rounds for a 5* grand prix, and On the Line would have liked to track course designer Guillherme Jorge down after the class to pick his brain on the subject. However, celebrating “someone’s” birthday in Lé Club took priority over press conferences yesterday evening. . . . but that’s another story.

Moving on. In any case, the jumps were big, and the most challenging question was a bending, s-shaped line from the water, to a skinny vertical, to a one stride. And with Cedric, Laura Kraut capped a very good season when she jumped fastest of the double clears to win the class:

They look good in blue. Photo ©Kym Ketcham

Lauren Hough and Quick Study were a close second,

Photo ©Kym Ketcham

And Andres Rodriguez surprised himself by finishing 3rd with Secret.

Nick Skelton finished 4th, and capped his own memorable season by winning the $100,000 FTI Consulting Rider Challenge. Don’t we all wish we could pick up a $50,000 bonus after a few months of hard work! Congratulations to him:

Photo ©Kym Ketcham

And with that, WEF’s 2011 grand prix season closes its doors. People are starting to talk about packing up the horses and getting back home, the weather’s getting warmer every day, and there’s an overall feeling of winding down at the showgrounds. Next week will focus on the hunters, and while On the Line will be front and center for the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, the sad fact remains that the International Ring has seen the last of our beloved show jumping superstars. On to springtime, and on to that next big class, where ever it may be. . . .

Va-Va-Voltaire!

When was the last time a saddle was likened to Sex and the City, or designer shoes? I would venture to say, um, never!

Until now, that is. If you hang around horse shows, chances are you’ve already met Brice Goguet. The tall, 32-year-old Frenchman is on quite the mission to tell the world about his Voltaire saddles. With a prime vendor booth at WEF that is right on the path where all the warm ups intersect, Voltaire has been impossible to miss all season. And why, you ask? It doesn’t actually have to do with the location of their booth, at all.

Two words: blue stripes.

Brice, who worked with Devoucoux saddles for 7 years, branched off on his own last year and formed Voltaire. Olivier Puychiot, former head of Devoucoux’s saddlemaking workshop, joined him, with the two setting up a small shop in Brice’s garage in the south of France. But after officially making their U.S. debut at the Menlo Charity Horse Show in California last year, Voltaire has quickly expanded. Beezie Madden was riding in a trial Voltaire when she won the $50,000 G&C Farm Jumper Derby in February; the next week she came back and bought two saddles. Voltaire now has offices in New York and reps across the country, and premiered a line of tall boots last month.

But wait, back to the best part, those blue stripes. In addition to building very high quality, durable custom saddles and tack, Brice wanted his saddles to have some kind of unique, head turning trademark. Something understated but flashy. Something that took a little risk, but wouldn’t scare people away. Something like Brice’s favorite suit jackets, which often had a flashy lining on the inside. Something a little like a very famous designer shoe. . .

Carrie Bradshaw, we <3 you so...

Which brings us to Sex and the City. Among the many designers/trends/fashions that On the Line’s all-time favorite TV show made famous were some very hot designer heels. Red soled Christian Louboutins were a Carrie Bradshaw staple, and once she wore ‘em, the already famous Louboutin name was racheted to legendary status forevermore. After all, what girl doesn’t love a look that’s business on the top, party on the bottom . . .

. . . right?

Brice was on to something. He took the red sole concept and applied it to his saddles, and voila! Voltaires are just as impossible to forget as Louboutins.

The underside of every saddle sports this blue striped design, which harks back to a pattern from the Basque region in Southwest France, where Brice is from. In that region, the stripe pattern differs from family to family, and Voltaire plans to unveil a new pattern (with same fabulous color palette) every time they release new saddles.

On the Line just looooves this modern take on saddlemaking, and in case you’re wondering, Voltaire doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to craftsmanship and saddle functionality. The flashy underside is just where the cool factor of Voltaire saddles begin, but I’ll let Brice tell you more. You have a few more days to catch up with him at WEF, but something tells me that he’ll be at a show near you sometime soon, too. In the meantime, you can follow Voltaire on facebook or check out their website.

In addition to talent and loads of ambition, Voltaire's President and Founder is also in possession of a hypnotizing pair of smokey green eyes. No wonder he sells so many saddles...

Voltaire-Design.com for more

Photo ©David Lominska

My fondness for polo has been well documented, and for me, going to watch a game on a Sunday afternoon is a little like a stay-cation. After spending the week immersed in the horse show world, even the most dedicated show jumping fan/reporter/industry buff (which happens to sum up On the Line perfectly) needs a break from that scene.

But don’t assume that your favorite die-hard equine enthusiast actually wants a break from horses. Because that would be just silly, wouldn’t it? The perfect stay-cation for a Wellington show jumper (or dressage rider, or eventer, for that matter) is an afternoon at polo. And lucky for us Welly World “locals”, the very best polo in the entire country is currently in full swing -pun intended- at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.

High-goal polo is a sight to see, and while those unfamiliar with the sport sometimes complain that the playing field is so large it’s difficult to follow the action, I simply tell them to sip their beverage of choice and wait until the field passes by. It’s hard to top the sensation when eight screaming, sweating, mallet wielding polo players and their horses come galloping at full bore past your edge of the field and shake the ground underneath your feet.

Yesterday was the finals of the USPA Piaget Gold Cup, a 26-goal tournament that is the 2nd most important in the country. The most important tournament in the country, the US Open, begins this week, and Sidelines pays tribute to its roots as a polo magazine by focusing on the “sport of kings” in our April issue. 10-goal player Gonzalito Pieres is our cover model, and polo staff writer Danika Rice wrote the cover story, which takes a look at the many familial ties in polo.

Sidelines' April cover, shot by the talented David Lominska

Yesterday, Gonzalito and his younger brother Nico Pieres played together on the Audi team, which beat Lechuza Caracas (same team of the infamous polo pony tragedy from two years ago) in overtime when Nico scored the tiebreaking goal. David Lominska caught that exciting moment in the action shot above. Polo writer Alex Webbe details the play-by-play of the game for The Polo Zone here.

It was an exciting game, a lovely afternoon to bask in the Florida sunshine, and a great staycation. The top equestrian disciplines that coexist in South Florida will never cease to amaze me, nor will the amount of people who fail to look outside their own discipline. People who have never been to a polo game are always surprised to hear that Sunday polo actually is like that scene in Pretty Women, complete with big hats, divot stomping and champagne toasts. It is, it really is. Ah polo, my weekly staycation!

With the end of WEF Week 10, daylight savings a thing of the past and the smell of spring in the air, it seems that the winter circuit is almost, impossibly, coming down to the wire.

But luckily for On the Line, there are still a few more nights of excitement in store before the weather turns and the horse show world hits the road for the summer.  Example A, the $50,000 Vita Flex Match Race, held under the Saturday Night Lights at the PBIEC. In front of a crowd that was a little on the subdued side (they’re saving their energy for next week’s half-a-mil FTI Consulting Finale?), 32 riders followed a bracket format over 5 rounds, jumping identical courses of 6 jumps.

That made it a long -but worthwhile- night for Richard Spooner, who made it through 5 brackets with Lady Like to win the class. Chalk another one up to the California-based Master of Faster! There’s nothing like a good horse race, and Spooner raced, raced and raced again, beating Karina Aziz, Todd Minikus, Paul O’Shea, Jonathan McCrea and finally, narrowly beating young Daniela Cordova in the final round.

Lady Like and Daniela Cordero’s mount T Cavalier deserve their own special award for gamely jumping 30 fences throughout the night. Both horses proved their fitness and stamina, and Daniela actually finished ahead of Richard in the final round, albeit with a rail that added time to her final score.

I love classes like this, and it’s a no brainer that horse shows need more of them. They’re easy for the general public to relate to, exciting and fast paced. Some really top riders competed in the class, and many of them were neck and neck galloping down to that last fence. Which is, of course, the only way a match race should finish. My only complaint about last night was the long waits between “heats”, but then again, just when I started to think about being bored, the live singer in the corner started belting out top 20 hits, and the fire jugglers walked by and captured mine, and the rest of the blue seat spectators’ collective attention. Entertainment and a horse show? On the Line really has nothing to complain about.

And next week will be even bigger and better. The biggest grand prix of the season is on the horizon, and I’m already looking forward to the party. Go show jumping!

Daniela Cordero (far left) beat Reed Kessler by a nose in the third heat of the Vita Flex Match Race. Photo ©Kym Ketcham

Last week I interviewed Will and Nicole Simpson for the upcoming issue of Sidelines. They’re one of the better known couples in the show jumping world, and ever since Will won a gold medal at the last Olympics, the two of them have stayed in the spotlight with their small, but very successful string of horses. Here they are at the ingate to the International Ring at WEF, Nikki mounting up while Will looks on.

Nikki has the special distinction of being this equestrian journalist’s very first in-person, big rider interview. It was after the 2002 WEG trials in San Diego, and with my first-ever press pass in hand, I was sent in Nikki’s direction by the publisher of California Riding Magazine. I’m sure that Nikki doesn’t remember the stammering reporter who interviewed her about her win, but I’ll never forget it. She was down to earth back then, and even though they’ve racked up more than a few international titles between them in the years since, both Will and Nikki remain friendly and down to earth today. Their riding accomplishments are admirable, but more admirable is their focus to “keep it real” for their kids, Sophie and Ty, making sure the family stays grounded amid the crazy horse show lifestyle. They love coming to Wellington for the winter for the stability that it gives their family; Ty can join a baseball team and the whole family can sit down together for dinner every night.

Will’s got an exciting young horse in the barn, and Nikki has been guiding Sophie through the equitation ranks this season. The family will head back to their summer base in California soon, and then it’s off and running onto the summer show circuit.

During our interview I learned where Will keeps his Olympic gold medal, how different Will and Nikki’s riding backgrounds are, and how this show jumping power couple’s plans for  the next year and a half could potentially include a return to those Olympic rings.Look for the article in Sidelines May.

For the first time in six weeks, trainers all over the West Coast are gratefully waking up without the assistance of an alarm clock. HITS Thermal wrapped yesterday as a great horse show should – with an exciting finale grand prix and top notch riders battling it out over a difficult course to the sounds of an enthusiastic crowd.

Designed by Olaf Peterson, the $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert drew 53 star studded entrants. But no one, not Rich Fellers, not Jill Humphrey, not Hap Hansen, not last year’s winner Jill Henselwood, could get the best of a certain blond haired girl with a pixie face. That was how I described Lucy Davis when I interviewed her less than one year ago, after she won her very first Grand Prix in Los Angeles. That article, which ran in Sidelines’ August 2010 issue (and is reproduced here for your reading pleasure,) introduced a promising young rider. I write about a lot of talented youngsters like her, but with changes in horses, college, and other roadblocks, only a few of them go on to make a bigger impact in the industry.

But with her four consecutive grand prix wins, 18 year old Lucy blew everyone’s socks off and became the talk of the circuit. Congratulations to her for the biggest win of her short career. With the help of trainers Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Gaby Salick, Lucy has established herself as one of the few.

With Thermal 2011 in the history books, On the Line will be missing the unique sights of Thermal as seen through the lens of photographer Selena Frederick. Enjoy the images below, and visit Cheval Photos for more of her outstanding work.

LesAnn LeClaire and Dylan Harries' adorable daughter Lydia Rose checks out the course. Photo ©Cheval Photos

Lucy Davis walks the course. Photo ©Cheval Photos

. . . With coach and competitor Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum close behind! Photo ©Cheval Photos

You call him the course designer, I call him the architect of show jumping. Olaf Peterson makes a final survey of the course before the class. Photo ©Cheval Photos

This was Thermal's biggest circuit in years, and a huge crowd showed up to watch the last class of the season. Photo ©Cheval Photos

As one of the fastest four faulters, Guy Thomas and Petebilt finished 8th. Photo ©Cheval Photos

Ricky Neil's Transmission has almost developed a habit of putting his leg in the middle of fences, and amazingly, pulling it out to clear the fence without fault. Photo ©Cheval Photos

Meredith MB and Kismet made it to the jumpoff, but with two rails down, they finished 4th. Photo ©Cheval Photos

Kismet gets a pat and a few good words after his round. Photo ©Cheval Photos

The triple bar was a real bogey fence of the course, causing problems for more than a few riders, including Jill Henselwood. Photo ©Cheval Photos

Lucy Davis and Nemo 119 jumped double clear, and fast. Lucy chalked it up to pure luck, but she's probably got a smidgen of talent too, don't you think? Photo ©Cheval Photos

Lucy and Nemo. Photo ©Cheval Photos

Lucy and Nemo, all smiles. Photo ©Cheval Photos

The Lamborghini in the middle of the grand prix ring was merely course decoration, and not a jump. Darn it! Photo ©Cheval Photos

And that's a wrap from Thermal 2011. See you next year! Photo ©Cheval Photos

Full results from the $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, and the entire HITS Thermal Desert circuit can be found on their website.

It may have been all sunshine and Lamborghinis in Thermal yesterday, but in Palm Beach, dark and stormy clouds unleashed enough rain to cancel Thursday’s classes at WEF. Luckily, the highly anticipated Exquis World Dressage Masters CDI5* were beginning down the road at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center under a much appreciated covered arena.Purely a fan of dressage with no desire to ever pick it up myself (where these people find their endless tolerance for flatwork, I don’t know), I nonetheless can appreciate how very difficult it is.

And beautiful. And fluid. And when performed correctly – harmonious. Steffen Peters traveled from California to prove as much with the great Ravel, scoring miles above the 2nd place finisher with 80.87% in the Grand Prix test. We can safely say that they’re the favorites heading into today’s Grand Prix Special and Freestyle classes….dontcha think?

Photo ©Alan Fabricant

I love this photo of Steffen and Ravel in the warm up before their test. First of all, Steffen’s got his helmet on, go helmets! And his expression says it all; he is cool, calm, and focused. Cantering around on a loose contact, Ravel is totally relaxed and confident. They warmed up like this, and then went in the ring and nailed every movement of their test. Steffen said he felt better today than he did at WEG when he won two individual bronze medals. Sadly, On the Line can’t be there for the big classes today, which I hear are completely sold out. If you’re like me and will be somewhere else but still want to watch, go to USEF Network for the live online broadcast.

A few more photos from the Grand Prix:

Tina Konyot and Calecto V placed 2nd on 72.21%. Photo ©Alan Fabricant

Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven of Sweden and Favourit were second, scoring 71.34%. Photo ©Alan Fabricant

Ashley Holzer and Pop Art scored 71.06% to finish 4th. Photo ©Alan Fabricant

German rider Anja Ploenzka was sporting an interesting -blue!- shadbelly. Photo ©Alan Fabricant

Crowd favorite. Photo ©Alan Fabricant

Blowing the competition away during the Grand Prix test. Photo ©Alan Fabricant

Insert wise-aleck horsepower joke here. Photo ©Cheval Photos

On the Line loves having talented friends in high places. In between interviewing show jumping superstars this afternoon for EquestriSol,  Selena Frederick whipped out her camera to provide us with more delicious shots from HITS Thermal, continuing On the Line’s recent theme of equestrian affluence and excess. Head-turning commenced once again today in the desert, as $200,000 Grand Prix of the Desert title sponsor Lamborghini of Newport Beach shipped 18 cars to Thermal for the week, and artfully arranged them on the VIP berm above the rings.

Not a Lambo fan? No worries, they've got a Rolls, too. Photo ©Cheval Photos

Holy SoCal! Donny Gath and his uber-gorgeous family pose next to "Daddy's favorite car." Photo ©Cheval Photos

Lamborghini of Newport Beach director Donny Gath’s daughters ride with Tracey Baer’s Windsong Farm, and Donny was out in the desert today playing horse show dad while representing Lamborghini of Newport Beach. He reports that so far, there has been lots of interest in the cars from horse show attendees.

“This year seems to be more crowded than the previous year, which is great!” he says. “Sponsoring the grand prix is great exposure for our dealership and for the brand. And I think that the demographics for equestrians and the Lamborghini are probably similar age groups. It’s a younger demographic here, and the Lambo demographic is a little more fun spirited, and matches that.”

Hmmm, that’s a younger demographic with deep pockets, right? With price tags of roughly $200,000 each, the Lamborghinis are slightly more affordable than the private jet mentioned in the previous post. The good news is that unlike the jet, these hot-looking status symbols are available for test drives. Any takers?

Photo ©Cheval Photos

Want.

Stunning displays of wealth and opulence aren’t just for Wellington, anymore. The California desert is positively humming this week during the sixth and final week of HITS Thermal Desert Circuit. Humming, that its, with the sound of private aircraft (and it sounds like this: cha-ching, cha-ching! !)

Pilatus Aircraft is a Week 6 sponsor, and considering how many equestrian weekenders fly to horse shows in Daddy’s private plane, parking one of their jets smack dab in the middle of the Thermal showgrounds was a brilliant move. This jet is a stunner, and you’d better believe that it’s the talk of the show this week among those who can actually afford to consider such things, and all the rest of us. It will always amaze me that there are people out there whose reality includes private aircraft like this. My reality is flying Southwest, where luxury is a window seat and a bearable in-flight movie.

But in any case, big props to HITS for pulling out all the stops during Thermal’s finale week. Thermal wraps on Sunday with three finale classes: the $10,000 Pilatus Aircraft Junior AO Medium Jumper Classic, the $25,000 California Horsetrader Junior/AO High Jumper Classic, and the $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert.

That’s right, Lamborghini is Week 6 title sponsor . .  . . Bring on that display!

Do they give test rides?

Once again, many thanks to the very talented Selena Frederick for these stunning photos. Check her out at www.chevalphotos.com