Horse Whispering

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News, Views, & Clues from the Equestrian World GEORGINA BLOOMBERG-ELEGANT APPEAL: New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg may have fallen short in bringing the Olympics to the Big Apple in 2012, but his daughter Georgina shows no sign of faltering in her bid to become a top international equestrian. Georgina's latest triumph? Shewon the prestigious Longines Prize for Elegance while riding Riviera during the Nations Cup in La Baule, France. As one mem ber of the jury put it, "Despite an initial error during her second Nations Cup round, Georgina did not flinch but rode bravely on right to the end." Bloomberg received roughly $11,000 and a set of beautiful Longines watches, along with points contributing to her quest for this accolade at the end of the season. (It cli maxes during the CSIO in Barcelona.) Among Bloomberg's many accomplish ments in her young career was a flawless performance during the Super League's Nations Cup, helping her team to a first place victory. Georgina Bloomberg at La Baule OSCAR BUZZ BUILDING: Hollywood has always loved horses-the Western Cimarron won just the fourth Best Pic ture Oscar way back in 1931, and recent By Michael Giltz winners include Dances with Wolves and Unforgiven. This year looks just as promising, with Ang Lee's cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain an end-of-the-year hopeful. Yet the strongest showing may come from Show Circuit favorite Tommy Lee Jones with his feature directorial debut, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. Starring Barry Pepper (of HBO's 61 *), country singer Dwight Yoakam and Levon Helm of The Band (not to mention Jones himself), the movie garnered roars of approval at this summer's Cannes Film Festival, where Jones was named Best Director and Best Actor, and the film won Best Screenplay. Oscar insider Tom O'Neill has said Three Burials has "a serious shot at being that little arty movie that often sneaks into the top 5."Watch for this moving, uncon ventional drama to open in theaters to ward the end of the year. SHOW CIRCUIT ® SUMMER 2005 COPPERFIELDS SADDLES UP: The New York City institution Copper fields-located on 24th Street and beloved by equestrians everywhere-has been renamed Manhattan Saddlery and is under new management. Loyal cus tomers needn't fret, however. The store is now being overseen by Joseph Der, who will serve as president and designer while still heading up his family-owned Der Dau, the famed maker of hand crafted custom boots and shoes for more than 50 years. Der promises to maintain the high standards people de pended on at Copperfields, with some promising new offerings-including an in-house tailor and private shopper. ''I'm going to be designing my own equestrian fashions and town and coun try fashions;' reports Der, who is busy overseeing details such as a new website and the fashion introductions in time for the official reopening in November. (The store remains open while these changes are afoot.) Saddles from France and England, exclusive products, you name it-as Der says, "If they're looking for something they can't find anywhere else, we can provide it." Der is so excited about the opportunity to extend his family's well-earned reputation for ex cellent footwear into clothing that he has only one regret: "1 wish I could open up sooner!" Manhattan Saddlery head, Jack LeGoff, and Patrick Hermes LIONEL GUERRAND-HERMES TROPHY GOES TO BRIANNE GOUTAL: For more than 20 years, the Lionel Guerrand-Her mes trophy presented by the United States Equestrian Team has celebrated the talents of a promising Junior/Young rider destined for success. This year's re cipient combining horsemanship with good sportsmanship is 16-year-old New Yorker Brianne Goutal, who was hon ored with the trophy during the FEI Budweiser World Cup in Las Vegas. The future Olympic hopeful was wowed by the Guerrand-Hermes Trophy, not to mention the crowd of tens of thousands who watched the presentation. "So many great riders got this before me, whether it was an eventer or dressage rider," Goutal expressed afterwards. ''I'm just really excited and honored:'Goutal's accomplishments in the hunter/jumper discipline and horsemanship are le gion-she was named the Junior Jumper Circuit Champion in 2004, the same year Goutal won the WEF Equi tation Championship. ROUNDING UP MR. ROMANCE: Every female horse lover knows that Mr. Right has to be right at home in the saddle. Season two of The Oxygen Network's reality-comedy show puts that principle to the test. They're searching for men (age 21-45) who can play polo, jump horses, or rope steer. In addition, appli cants must be "attractive, outgoing, charming, energetic, in great physical shape, comfortable on camera, and pos sess a healthy level of competitiveness:' (Gee, is that all?) Men passing their in terview will attend a Romance Academy to learn how to woo women-though presumably someone who is "attractive, outgoing, charming, energetic, in great physical shape" and so on wouldn't need that many lessons. Make the top ten of your class and you'll be part of the tele vised contest whose winner gets $50,000 and a role in an Oxygen original movie. Act fast: The auditions close for good on August 19. Call 323-468-2031 for more information. Mr. Romance is looking for a few good (equestrian) men. NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: Show Circuit magazine is proud to be a key sponsor of an event designed to en courage the basic training and develop ment of Junior Hunters: The Show Cir cuit Magazine/ USEF National Junior Hunter Championships, East and West Coast. The fifth annual East Coast com petition was held at the HITS-on-the Hudson Grand Prix Arena in Saugerties, New York, on August 1 and 2. The fourth annual West Coast Champi onship will be held in San Juan Capis trano at the Oaks Blenheim Exhibition facility on August 15-17. The competi tion is a rare and exciting opportunity for young riders to get the thrill and ex perience of competing in a world-class arena (with their family and friends en joying the comfort of observing the competition from the VIP Pavilion). The Grand Junior Hunter Champion is awarded a cooler, a keeper trophy, the right to display the Show Circuit maga- SHOW CIRCUIT ® SUMMER 2005 Hildegard Frostbite How about 'YSchuyler Riley? She did it again! She won the Chrysler Cup two years in a row, which has never been done by an American or a woman be fore! It is also the first time anyone has captured it back to back since Ian Mil lar won in 1986-89, when it was held atThe National. In the 15 years that the Chrysler Cup has been held at the North American, there have only been nine clear rounds, and Schuyler has two of them! Congrats to Schuyler and her winning ways! Stay tuned, everyone. HorseTV Media Group,lnc. announced recently that it has launched The Horse Channel from its new corporate headquarters in Calabasas, California. The 18,000- plus-square-foot complex will also house the company's television pro duction and post-production facilities. The is another example of the expand ing interest in the equestrian scene. Airing date is scheduled for this fall and will be on the air 24/7. Check their website horsetv.com for more in formation. Good luck guys; we are all rooting for you, as this type of eques trian TV coverage is long overdue! Sean Patrick Maloney, who is run ning for attorney general of New Jer sey, and his partner, Randy Florke, invited a few of the horsey elite and fashion set to their benefit event at the private residence of DF/music producer Tony Moran recently in NYC. Singer Deborah Cox, who flew in to entertain the crowd and support Maloney in his bid for office, was dressed by friend/celebrity stylist Continued» zine crystal trophy for one year, a Pessoa saddle, and an invitation to the USHJA Hunterdon Cup Equitation Class. Kathy Kusner HALL OF FAMER: Three-time Olympian Kathy Kusner continues to blaze new trails with her recent induction into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame. The silver medalist show jumper at the '72 Olympics (not to mention the first licensed female jockey in U.S. histo ry) is now recognized for her many ac complishments off the sporting stage as well. Kusner's Horses in the Hood pro gram has bettered the lives of hundreds of at-risk youth in South Central Los Angeles, teaching them the joys and re sponsibilities of caring for and riding horses. That program is a key reason Kusner was honored recently with her induction at Boise State University. Join ing the likes of Arthur Ashe, Jackie Robinson, and Pete, Kusner said, "I don't need to tell you that the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame is as good as it gets. I cannot thank you enough:' Find out more about her work at www.horsesinthehood.org. SAFETY PATROL: Starting on December 1, tough new rules will ensure that safe ty comes first for all competitors jump ing over fences. Securely fastened pro tective headgear that meets or exceeds ASTM/SE1 standards will be required even in warm-up rings-for juniors and seniors. These criteria apply to Hunter, Jumper, and Hunt Seat Equitation class es, both open and breed restricted in cluding Hunter Hack, where jumping is required, and anywhere on the competi tion grounds. The Board of Directors of the United States Equestrian Federation unanimously approved this rule change after extensive testimony documenting the dramatic protection headgear can provide during an accident. As Andrew Ellis, chairman of the USEF Safety Committee put it, "An ASTM/SE1 ap proved helmet cannot totally prevent an injury, but it certainly can help manage the risk." HUNTER BOOTS MAKE JUMP TO AMERICA: Following on the heels of such well-known British designers as Stella McCartney and Alexander Mc Queen, the venerable British bootmaker Hunter has made the leap across the pond and is offering its footwear in the "colonies" for the first time. Long a fa vorite with European riders, Hunter's equestrian boot collection includes three styles designed for use in the pad dock and stable as well as on horseback. The riding boot collection includes the Masselburgh, a zip-fronted ankle jodh pur boot for men and women ($149); the Kelso, a women's ankle-high pad dock boot with laced front ($169); and the Hamilton, a women's knee-high de sign featuring side zip and buckle ($210). All are made of water-resistant, The Hunter Hamilton SHOW CIRCUIT ® SUMMER 2005 The Stanford University Equestrian Team's Sarah Willeman full-grain leather and are available in black and brown. As its official name the Hunter Rubber Company-sug gests, Hunter is also known for its Wellingtons, as practical a boot for mucking out stables as it is for tromping across fields. To mark the style's 50th anniversary, Hunter Wellies now come in a rainbow of colors, from pink and pale blue to sunny yellow. To purchase Hunter boots or find stores carrying them, go to www.hunterboots.com. -Kathy Passero (CARDINAL) RED HOT STANFORD: The Stanford University Equestrian Team is planning an unusually big bash for its 17th annual Red Barn Festival fundrais er slated for Saturday, October 8. There are a year's worth of major riding facili ty renovations to celebrate and already some very cool prizes donated for the gala's live auction. Hottest items so far include the chance to hang out in Eu rope with international show jumping stars Peter Wylde and Fein Cera, and a shot at working with top hunter/jumper trainer Missy Clark. The common de nominator here is Stanford student Sarah Willeman, currently pursuing her master's in education. She owns the 2002 WEG champion horse and is close friends with Clark, one of her trainers as a top junior. A star of the team's Open English divisions as an undergraduate, the delightful Sarah plans to compete in Reining for the school this year and to continue helping the team by teaching riders and schooling horses, two of her many passions. -Kim F. Miller HALLMARK GOES WILD: Someday soon, they might rename the Hallmark Chan nel the Horsing Channel, because this cable network has proven time and again that it comprehends the power and beauty of horses and that original movies built around these noble animals are a sure-fire draw for viewers. The lat est proof? Hallmark has just begun pro duction on Wild Hearts, an original movie starring Richard Thomas of The Waltons and Nancy McKeon of The Facts of Life and The Division. In it, Thomas and his young daughter (Hallee Hirsch of the indie film Happy Endings) move from Chicago to Montana to care for a herd of Mustangs when the little girl's grandfather dies. They fall in love with the horses and the simplicity of small town life (not to mention Thomas falling for local McKeon), only to find out that developers want to run off the horses and construct a mall. Hallmark's most recent success in this genre came with the Civil War gem The Colt. Anyone who saw that knows they'll want to keep a sharp eye out for Wild Hearts, too. • SHOW CIRCUIT ® SUMMER 2005

📄 Horse Whispering

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