Classic Eventing Nation

Photo by Amber Heintzberger.

We are devastated to report that longtime eventing supporter Steve Blauner has passed away. Steve needs little introduction to the eventing world, on which he has left a lasting legacy. A founding member of the Event Owners Task Force and the MARS Bromont Rising Program, among many other endeavors, Steve was a staunch supporter and owner for several riders. We have truly lost one of the greatest lights in our sport, and Steve will be sorely missed.

The USEF has released the following statement:

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation and US Equestrian are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Steve Blauner, a valued USET Foundation trustee and longtime owner for U.S. Eventing Team High Performance Athletes Boyd Martin and Doug Payne.

A dedicated proponent of the syndicate ownership model, he owned six horses through syndicates that represented the U.S. at the Olympic Games, World Equestrian Games and Pan American Games. An amateur rider himself, Steve also supported up-and-coming eventing athletes both as an owner and through launching the MARS Bromont Rising Program, which provides training and educational opportunities for under-25 athletes.

Steve was a motivated and engaged member of the equestrian community, continuously working to enhance visibility and exposure for the discipline of eventing, as well as ensuring other owners and supporters of the sport were involved with the USET Foundation and its mission. He was also a cornerstone of the equestrian community in Millbrook, New York, and instrumental in running the Millbrook Horse Trials.

A true servant of equestrianism, Steve was a member of the USET Foundation Benefit Committee, the USEF Event Owners Task Force, and greatly contributed to the success of U.S. High Performance Teams. The USET Foundation and US Equestrian send their deepest condolences to Ken Shelley, Steve’s partner, his family and friends. He will be deeply missed.

[USET Foundation and US Equestrian Saddened by Loss of Longtime Eventing Supporter Steve Blauner]

In this excerpt from Denny Emerson’s book How Good Riders Get Good, US Eventing Team member Sinead Halpin Maynard shares the reasons for her success in the saddle.

Sinead Halpin and her great partner Manoir de Carneville. Photo by Shannon Brinkman courtesy of Trafalgar Square Press/Horse & Rider Books.

The first major win of Sinead’s competitive career came in 2005 at the National Championships at Radnor. She was a member of the silver medal-winning Nations Cup Team in Holland in 2010, was the top American at the Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2011, and was the first alternate for the US Eventing Team in the 2012 London Olympics. Sinead represented America in Normandy, France, at the World Equestrian Games in 2014, and was named the alternate for the team for the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Life circumstances: Both of my parents emigrated from Ireland. My mother grew up with horses and ponies as part of life when she was young in the country. My father grew up in Dublin with little education and nothing to do with horses. They moved to the United States in 1980.

Hooked on horses when: When I was six I begged for lessons, and my mom was keen on the idea of horses coming back into her life. Over the next few years, weekly lessons turned into a full- on passion, which both my parents encouraged. We were not a wealthy family but my parents believed in following your passion and working hard.

I think I got good because: I think my parents’ influence is a strong reason for the success I have had, as well as impacting my approach with horses. A strong work ethic and a good attitude was mandatory from my mother in the barn—complaining was not a thing that was accepted. My father grew up one of ten kids, raised by his mother and sisters as his father passed away when he was not yet a teenager. He worked every job available throughout his life. To him, there was no time for excuses, just time to jump at any opportunity and see where it might lead. My parents worked incredibly hard to enable me to have a horse. They never told me no; they just said if you can figure it out, go for it. Because of this, I have always felt if I worked hard enough, anything is achievable.

Being a working student has had a huge influence on my life. I started working in professional barns at a very young age. I got to see what the life of a professional looked like. I got to work with beautiful horses, and although I worked for great riders, I also benefited from working directly under great grooms and barn managers. I learned how to listen to and watch the farriers and vets. I got to see how integral the relationships with stable owners and sponsors were in the well-roundedness of a program. The quality of the team around you weighs heavily on your chances of success.

Location, location, location. If you want to be the best you need to be around the best. People sometimes say, “You’re so lucky to have ridden with the people you’ve ridden with and lived where you have lived.” Luck had very little to do with it. I got in my car, drove to where the people I wanted to be like worked, and I cleaned their stalls.

My most important advice: You should be able to put your head on your pillow at night and feel you have done your best with the horses and the people around you. If you wake up in the middle of the night not certain you have done right by a person or a horse, fix it…do not become a victim of it. Educate yourself. Seek out help from the people who inspire you; read, write, and believe the learning is in the struggle…and embrace it.

This excerpt from How Good Riders Get Good by Denny Emerson is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com).

Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The golden years of an event horse are often challenging to navigate. In many cases, a horse accustomed to competing at the intense top levels finds themselves bored or stir-crazy when it comes time to take a step back. Like other elite athletes, these horses crave a job, something to do or fight for.

When it comes time for an upper level horse to retire, several options are brought forth: show the ropes to a young or less experienced rider, live out your days in a pasture or as a babysitter, or step down to a lower level and revel in the joy that comes with the cross country adrenaline rush. Option C is what Team Rebecca LLC and the Broussard family’s Veronica has chosen, and at 18 years young with Lauren Kieffer in the irons we saw the Dutch mare return to competition this past weekend after an injury sidelined her for 18 months.

Lauren felt her heart sink when the mare, who carried her to two USEF National Champion finishes at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event and 23 other FEI starts throughout her career, took an off step on cross country at Maryland Horse Trials in 2018. Luckily, Lauren says, her world-class team of vets and caregivers ensured that “Troll” never wanted for a thing during her time off. The team took painstaking measures to bring the mare back to health without rush or agenda. “Her owners Team Rebecca and the Broussard family never question what needs to be done for their horses,” Lauren said. “We took so long rehabbing her — hours of long walks, and once she started trotting we only added 30 seconds every couple days.”

Of course, one option was a full retirement, but Veronica made it clear that she felt nowhere close to her age and preferred to have a job. So Lauren explored some options, testing out the concept of giving the reins to another rider for some easy lower level work. “She was just horrible,” Lauren joked. “She just loves to compete, and I think I’m the only person who actually enjoys riding her. So I’m just enjoying it and letting her tell us what she wants to do.”

Lauren isn’t sure who had more fun out competing again at Majestic Oaks in the Open Preliminary division, her or Veronica. “It was kind of like putting on your favorite old sweatshirt,” she reflected. Above all, Lauren’s thankful for the doors the otherwise unassuming brown mare has opened for her. “She took me to my first overseas trips and gave me an invaluable amount of experience.”

Lauren has no plans to aim for the top level again with the mare; for her, these events are an opportunity to slip on her favorite sweatshirt and enjoy the partnership she’s built with a horse that is by no means an easy ride. It’s a rewarding feeling, surely, to be able to just enjoy the sport — no pressure, no expectations, just pure joy. We think you’ll see that joy plainly in these videos taken by our friend The Horse Pesterer. Welcome back, Veronica!