SEPTEMBER 26 - OCTOBER 7, 2 018 | RANCHO MURIETA, CA
SACRAMENTO INTERNATIONAL
HORSE SHOW P HOTO : AL DE N C O R R IG AN M E DIA
OFFICIAL PROGRAM
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W W W. J U M P S A C T O . C O M
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WORLD CUP WEEK OCTOBER 3-7
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5:30PM
6:15PM
$36,500 GRAND PRIX QUALIFIER
$36,500 MURIETA INN AND SPA 1.45M $5000 PRO-JR/AM TEAM RELAY KID’S JUMPING QUALIFIER
SATURDAY 3:00PM
$10,000 MORNING STAR SPORTHORSES 1.40M
7:00PM
$100,000 LONGINES FEI JUMPING WORLD CUPTM SACRAMENTO
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AFTER PARTY AND AUTOGRAPH SIGNING
P H OTO : M C C O O L P H OTO G R A P H Y
KID’S JUMPING FINALS
7:25PM
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PHOTO: ALDEN CORRIGAN MEDIA
WELCOME We are incredibly excited to welcome everyone back to the 11th year of the Sacramento International Horse Show. We are proud to be part of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League and we are looking forward to sharing this world-class event with our competitors, sponsors, owners, and, of course, visitors! The Sacramento International Horse Show offers something for every equestrian, from riders just beginning their show career, to those aiming for the pinnacle of the sport: the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Finals. And for those who prefer to keep their boots on the ground, there is great food, shopping, and entertainment, in addition to some of the best horse jumping on the West Coast. The Sacramento International Horse Show appreciates its longstanding partnership with the Murieta Equestrian Center, one of California’s premier equestrian facilities. This year, the newly opened Murieta Inn & Spa adds an unprecedented level of luxury and service. We encourage all visitors to enjoy a meal at The Gate, the inn’s farm-to-fork restaurant, or indulge at The Cupola, the inn’s 5,000 square foot day spa and salon. We’ve dedicated this program to the horses that make the sport possible. You’ll find a breakdown of top 12 finishers from previous years, and an in-depth profile of last year’s champion, Milano, aka “Cookie Monster.” You’ll also find a special feature “Inside the Mind of a Show Horse” where we do our best to figure out what’s going on behind those big brown sets of eyes we all love so much. In addition, we’ve profiled Olaf Petersen, Jr., this year’s FEI course designer, who works hard to create the most appropriate challenges for the field of horses at the show. We would like to sincerely thank our sponsors for their continuous support of this unique event. And we warmly welcome each and every competitor and visitor to the Sacramento International Horse Show!
Sara Nastri
Show Manager Sacramento International Horse Show O F F I C I A L P R O G R A M | W W W. J U M P S A C T O . C O M
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The world’s premiere individual Jumping series 14 leagues across the world 14 qualifying events for the North American League 14 North American League athletes will qualify for the final 1 prestigious final in Göteborg, Sweden
Vancouver, CAN 21-26.08.2018 Lexington, KY 30.10-04.11.2018
New York , NY 26-30.09.2018
Columbus, OH 03-07.10.2018
Sacramento, CA 03-07.10.2018
Del Mar, CA 17-21.10.2018
Washington, DC 23-28.10.2018
Toronto,CAN 05-10.11.2018
Thermal, CA 06-11.11.2018
Las Vegas, NV 13-18.11.2018
Guadalajara, MEX 23-27.01.2019
Wellington, FL 01-03.02.2019
Leon, MEX 06-10.02.2019
Ocala, FL 06-10.03.2019
THE FINAL - Göteborg, SWEDEN 03-07.04.2019
#FEIWORLDCUP
WATCH THE BEST OF EQUESTRIAN SPORTS
LIVE & ON DEMAND www.fei.tv
FORWARD By the FEI President Ingmar De Vos On behalf of the Fédération Equestre Internationale, it is my great privilege to welcome you to Sacramento for the third qualifier of the highly anticipated Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League 2018/2019. Kicking off its fourth season, this series will once again wow audiences with incredible athletic skill, as partnerships battle it out for the chance to contest one of the most coveted titles in Equestrian sport. Spanning a sizeable geographical landscape, including Canada, Mexico and the USA - the North American League consists of two sub-divisions, seven qualifiers in the east and an equal number in the west, providing 14 spectacular opportunities for partnerships to secure a place in the prestigious Longines FEI World Cup™ Final in Gothenburg, Sweden in April next year. Ensuring maximum geographical coverage allows audiences across North America a chance to get closer to the action. Throughout the series we will witness, top-class combinations tested by the world’s best course designers, resulting in breath-taking, thrilling action at the most esteemed venues across North America. The series showcases the top-tier of Equestrianism; intense, awe-inspiring, edge of your seat sport with gripping jump-off rounds guaranteed to raise the heart rate. We continue to see exciting, emerging talent breaking out in the North American Jumping scene and in part, this success can be associated with the prosperity of the North American Jumping League. Each rider that graces the FEI Jumping World Cup™ stage acts as an ambassador for FEI Jumping, exhibiting essential values to audiences around the world. It is a great privilege to have our ambassadors inspire future generations of young riders and a great sight to behold, watching up-and-coming talent challenge our decorated stars. Last year marked 40 years of the FEI Jumping World Cup™. Throughout its history, it has provided many unforgettable moments leaving a lasting impact on spectators and competitors alike. It has proven instrumental in the growth of FEI Jumping and the Equestrian industry worldwide, acting as a platform for highlighting top-class sport and embodying the core values central to the FEI; the utmost pride at representing a nation and the unique relationship between horse and rider which allows such captivating sport to be achieved. We are incredibly thankful to our Top Partner Longines for their support of the series, as well as their dedication to the Western European League, China League and our pinnacle event the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final. Together we are growing and promoting Equestrian sport around the world, expanding into new territories and capturing new audiences. It is with great anticipation that we come together here in Sacramento to launch the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League 2018/2019. I wish all competitors success as they embark on their quest for World Cup™ glory. On behalf of the Fédération Equestre Internationale, I would like to thank all those involved in providing an unforgettable showcase of FEI Jumping throughout North America. Your continued commitment to the promotion of our sport, allows this series to prosper.
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In Between Rounds Olaf Petersen with David Ballard
with Course Designer
OLAF PETERSEN, JR. German born Olaf Petersen, Jr. began his course design career almost 30 years ago, but he still loves every minute of it. “The best is when the course works exactly like I planned,” said Peterson. “But there is also so much drama in the sport, like one rail at the last fence, or when a rider is just over the time allowed you and you hear the spectators do a lot of ahs and oohs.” Petersen has designed courses all over the world, including the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta where he assisted Linda Allen and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens where he was co-course designer with his father, world-renowned
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course designer Olaf Petersen, Sr. He also designed for the 2005 South East Asian Games in Manila, and the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. In addition, he has designed for Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Qualifiers in thirteen different countries. He is one of only 33 international course designers to have achieved the highest FEI level 4 license. While there are FEI specifications to follow, course designers have wide latitude in determining the difficulty of the course. “I general, I believe I don’t help the riders by making the course too easy,” said Petersen. “They would get a big shock when they competed in the finals. The target is to get them to that level and give
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I sit in front of my laptop and I try to imagine the horse and rider combinations and then give them tasks to create exciting sport.
It is a little bit like writing a book or a movie; it takes a lot of imagination. them confidence, but also show if a horse is not quite ready yet.” Course design is a time consuming task, with many elements to consider including the quality of the field, the setup of the arena, and the footing. “I sit in front of my laptop and I try to imagine the horse and rider combinations and then give them tasks to create exciting sport. It is a little bit like writing a book or a movie; it takes a lot of imagination.” Petersen says while that a normal grand prix course takes four or five hours to design, a class like a World Cup Qualifier takes weeks and requires multiple iterations. Only after watching the welcome grand prix early in the week will Petersen
make final adjustments to the course design. “After watching the horses and riders in the welcome class, then I can make my last decisions about the final dimensions and distances,” said Petersen. You can bet that Petersen will be watching like a hawk when the first few horses step into the ring for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Sacramento. “The favorite moment for me is when I go up to the jury box for the first three horses to see how the time allowed works, and to see if the tasks I created are right for the class,” said Petersen. “If it goes well, it’s a great feeling. It is so nice to see the horses jumping better and better by the end of the week.” O F F I C I A L P R O G R A M | W W W. J U M P S A C T O . C O M
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By the
Numbers 17 %
OLDENBERG
16%
DUTCH WARMBLOOD
14% 14%
ZANGERSHEIDE HOLSTEINER
GELDING
SELLE FRANÇAIS
8%
SWEDISH WARMBLOOD
8%
58%
11%
STALLION
31% MARE
TOP 12 HO RSES LO N G I NE S F E I J UM P IN G WO R L D C U P T M SAC R AM E N TO 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 7
BAY
67%
CHESTNUT 19%
GREY 14%
NUMBER OF HORSES
Rich Felle rs’ 20-yea r-old chestnut Irish Spo rt Horse stallion d efied the odds in e way and fi very nished 5t h in 2016
Median Age: 12
AGE
Inside the Mind of a
Show
Horse It’s always a treat to watch the great horse and rider pairs compete at a big event like Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™. The best make it look effortless, as if the horse and rider are reading each other’s thoughts. Some horses seem to understand the game— they want to go fast, and they make tremendous efforts to turn in a clear round. Still, jumping fans and casual riders alike have often wondered why horses indulge us at all. We sat down with Wendy Williams, journalist and author of the bestselling book The Horse: The Epic History of Our Noble Companion, to shine some light on the subject.
Why do horses let us ride them? WW: I think that horses enjoy the interaction. Unless they’ve had negative experiences with people and riding, they don’t mind have someone sit on their back, and I think they like to be part of a larger world. Once they get over their initial confusion about what riding is about, for the most part, it’s fun for them. Clearly, if you’re talking about jumping horses, they have to like it. You can’t make them take those huge jumps if it’s not something they want to do. I can personally attest to this as I spent many hours in the dirt as a child, courtesy of a pony who did not always want to jump. If they don’t want to do it, they won’t do it. But generally, to horses it’s just as it is for us, an experience that is enjoyable.
You don’t think it’s anthropomorphizing to say that horses like being ridden? WW: Well, we cannot get inside a horse’s mind. We don’t have the eyes, the vision, the ears, the mind, the brain, the neurostructure of another species, so we can’t say we understand the
experience of any other living thing. But we can tell from the enthusiasm with which an animal behaves whether it is something they want to do or not. I have a border collie, and most of the time he feels that being owned by a writer is a very boring experience. But if I ask if he would like to go for a walk, I can tell by his enthusiastic response that he does want to do that. It doesn’t mean I know what goes through his mind but I know what he likes to do or does not like to do. As far as whether horses enjoy the athletic experience of jumping, I can’t speak directly to that but I can say that if they didn’t want to they wouldn’t do it. You can tell what living things enjoy and don’t enjoy by seeing how they react, and all evidence suggests that horses who are trained correctly enjoy the experience of working with people. When I was researching for The Horse, I spent some time with Mongolian herders out in the field, and one day they had summer games with horse races and stuff like that. They all showed up in these traveling trucks with horses in the back. But these trucks have flat beds with no O F F I C I A L P R O G R A M | W W W. J U M P S A C T O . C O M
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walls, and the horses aren’t tied. There is nothing keeping the horses there. The Mongolians also don’t have fences on their lands. The horses live out in bands, and can do whatever they want, but they choose to interact with people.
How would you compare horse intelligence, to say, that of dogs? WW: Horses are every bit as smart as dogs, and our modern American society is only now discovering how intelligent they are. There were horse communities who knew it from the beginning. The Plains Indians knew it; the Mongolians have always known it. Even in Great Britain, the upper class has historically had very intimate relationships with their horses, so they have a sense of horse intelligence. But in America we have had a different point of view, since for most of our history we used horses to get from point A to point B, or to plow land for food. It’s only now that horses are no longer needed for that kind of work, so we’re starting to look at what really goes on in the mind of a horse. By contrast, there are many people in Europe researching equine ethology, and they’re discovering that horses have similar intelligence to dogs.
horse and rider have a good bond, then the horse is willing to give a little bit more when he feels the rider’s excitement.
How can riders develop deep bonds with their horses? WW: We often miss the fact that horses are capable of bonding every bit as deeply as dogs do. If we give them a chance to bond with us, they will. I’ve seen that in numerous, numerous experiences I had over the course of writing the book. The one thing I saw in all these relationships was time, and not time in the saddle. If this is the kind of relationship that you want, you need to spend time with the horse on the ground. There is no formula, no trick. There are many methods you can use, but you have to spend time with the horse. You interact and you don’t force. You invite the horse to be involved. And the horse will choose to be involved. Want to learn more? Pick up a copy of Wendy William’s The Horse: An Epic History of Our Noble Companion (a Wall Street Journal best book of the year and a New York Times bestseller) on Amazon or at a bookstore near you.
You often hear riders say that their horses know when it’s show time. Do you think horses like to compete? WW: I don’t believe that horses understand the fine tunings of competition, of winning. They don’t know what a blue ribbon means as opposed to a yellow ribbon. But if they have a close relationship with their rider, they know something new and different and exciting is coming on show day. There is an excitement that is communicated to the horse through the atmosphere in general and the rider in particular. If the
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Profile of a Champion
MILANO The crowd exploded in applause as Mandy Porter and Milano soared over the final fence of the jump off round to win the 2017 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Sacramento. The bay Swedish Warmblood gelding, who was 12 at the time, was the only horse to jump both rounds clear, handily earning the champion title. “He was in great form that day,”
said Porter. “Just really on his game.” By all accounts, Milano has stayed on his game and has grown quite accustomed to leading the victory gallop. So far this year he has won the Ulcergard Grand Prix at HITS Coachella, the KindredBio National Grand Prix and the AON Grand Prix at the Temecula Valley National, and the Summer in the Rockies Grand Prix and Welcome Stake. “I think he’s matured in the last year and a half,” said Porter. “He got a later start in the big leagues, so it feels like he’s maturing a little
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later and is just now peaking.” Milano is owned by rider Abby Archer, who purchased Milano from Belgium in 2013 as her personal mount, but passed the ride to Porter in 2015. Archer is thrilled with the gelding’s progress with Porter in the irons. “Since I handed the reins over to Mandy he has just answered question after question,” Archer told West Palms Events after his win at the 2017 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Sacramento. “He always tries his hardest. He wants to be fastest; he wants to be clean.” Milano is a horse who loves to compete, but doesn’t necessarily see the point of expending too much effort otherwise. “He’s quite lazy on the flat,” said Porter. “He’s lazy until something interests him. He can go from kicking quiet to—I don’t want to say raging bull—but let’s just say very strong and very fast. He enjoys competing. The more electric the energy is around him, the more he sparks up. He definitely likes that.” Some show horses can be timid outside the ring, but not Milano. Like a rock star, he loves people and getting attention, but likes things done a certain way. “He likes to have his Milano ways,” said Porter. “He thinks he’s kind of the boss, and he knows everything. From grooming him to leading him around the stable to riding him, he’s pretty sure that he has it all dialed in and the rest of us are there to serve him.”
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“He enjoys competing. The more electric the energy is around him, the more he sparks up. He definitely likes that.�
PHOTOS Opposite page: Kristin Lee Photography This page: Alden Corrigan Media
With a record like his, you can’t really blame Milano for having a bit of an ego. But still, Porter is careful in managing his schedule to keep his confidence high. He qualified for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Final last year, but Porter did not think it was in his best interest to go. “He’s sensitive and can get a little nervous, but he’s such a trier,” said Porter. “I don’t want to put him in a situation where he could hurt himself or overextend himself. Since he’s gained more experience this year, maybe if we qualified he would be ready for that this year. But I won’t put him in a situation that’s not right for him.” While we would love to see Milano in a World Cup™ Final, we’re thrilled to be able to watch him right here on the West Coast. You can catch Milano in action at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Qualifiers at Sacramento, Del Mar, and Thermal, and then he’ll wrap up his year at the Las Vegas National.
VITAL STATS NAME:
Milano
NICKNAMES:
Cookie (like a Milano cookie), Cookie Monster
FOAL DATE:
5/10/2005
BREED:
Swedish Warmblood
COLOR:
Bay with three white socks and a faint star, stripe, and snip
RIDER:
Mandy Porter of Encinitas, CA
OWNER:
Abigail Archer
TEMPERAMENT: “1” on the flat; “10”
when it’s show time!
BIGGEST WIN:
AIG $1 Million Grand Prix at HITS Desert Circuit in March 2017
PHOTO: WHITE FENCE EQUINE PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTO: ALDEN CORRIGAN MEDIA
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2019 S C H E D U L E
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Living Legends
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BUTCH LU T If you’re a California equestrian, you’ve likely heard of Butch and Lu Thomas. But even if you haven’t, there is a 100% chance you’ve been influenced by them without knowing it. Graeme “Butch” and Lu Thomas have been fixtures on the hunter-jumper scene for the better part of five decades, and have trained or taught some of the biggest names in the sport. Just to name a few: Mandy Porter, Michael Endicott, Peter Breakwell, John Charlebois, Rachel YorkFields, Jan Pearce, Sarah Baldwin, and Gail Greenough, the only woman to ever win the World Show Jumping Championships. Their personal achievements are inspiring: Both competed in FEI World Cup Finals, Butch in Berlin in 1985 and Lu in Geneva in 1996. Each has won numerous
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grand prix classes including those at Bromont, Lake Placid, Cow Palace, and Del Mar. In addition, Lu became one of the most sought after and accomplished hunter riders, while Butch served as the Chef d’Equipe of the Zone 10 FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships and the Harrisburg Prix des States/Junior Jumper Championships, winning a clutch of gold medals. “Their success is a testament to simplicity and great horsemanship,” said Olympic rider Guy Thomas, son of Butch and Lu. “They found a niche that worked
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Photos courtesy of Willow Tree Farmss
HOMAS way back in the beginning: keeping it simple and putting a great foundation on horses and riders, and there’s been a trickle down effect throughout the years.” It all started with a chance encounter in 1963. Lu’s father was a pilot for Pan American Airlines, and he would routinely fly from San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand. On one of his trips, he met a saddle maker, Doug Hannigan, who suggested that he send his daughter Lu to New Zealand to ride with Coloman Bolger, the Olympic team coach. It was an opportunity Lu couldn’t pass up, and while riding there she met fellow student Butch. “He had a fabulous horse, and was by far the best rider there,” recalled Lu. The pair kept in touch with Christmas cards, and in the summer
of 1971 another fateful event brought Butch to the United States: two broodmares from New Zealand were sold to a California breeder, and Butch agreed to accompany the mares on the long boat ride over. He was only supposed to stay for two weeks, but by the end of the year he and Lu were married and they had started their own training business. “I came with two horses for two weeks and I’m still trying to get back,” Butch said with a laugh. After a brief stint in Washington, Butch and Lu took over Willow Tree Farms in Woodside, California. “It turned into a fantastic business,” said Lu. “We had some super neat kids, and Butch has an amazing knack for pairing horses and riders up.” They moved their operations to Burson, California in 1990, and today they still run breeding and rehabilitation programs there. They also have a racehorse breeding operation in New Zealand, and they spend a couple days a week training riders and horses at the Stanford Red Barn, which their son Guy operates with fellow grand prix rider Leslie Wright. Lu couldn’t be more proud of Guy. “I quit riding and went to coaching when I knew I couldn’t outrun my own kid,” said Lu. “We wanted him to have good horses, so it was time for me to hang it up.” Guy says the contributions of his parents are invaluable, both for him personally and for his students: “Mom [Lu] is very good at the details. She can see little details and show you how if you do it just a bit differently you can be better. And my dad, just him being in the warm-up area with you gives you confidence that you can do it. It’s funny because he doesn’t out and out say it, but there’s something in his mannerisms O F F I C I A L P R O G R A M | W W W. J U M P S A C T O . C O M
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that makes you believe that you can do it and that you’re going to be just fine.” While they are modest about their own accomplishments, Butch and Lu are quick to brag about each other. “As soon as we got good horses, Lu became a superstar,” said Butch. “She can ride a hunter better than anyone who rides them, and that’s true to this day. Horses just like her. If a horse jumps well, just put Lu on him, and he’ll jump even better.” Guy is similarly in awe of his mother’s way with horses. “Horses just loved jumping for her. They may not have had the most ability, or the most scope, but when she rode them they felt like they could jump anything, and for her they did.” Butch is also known for bringing out the best in a horse, and he’s always done it the old-fashioned way. He insists that no drugs are used on his horses. “Some trainers today have never tried showing a horse without drugs,” said Butch. “But they’d find out that the horses are actually better without it.” He also has a knack for riding in a way that gets the most out of the horse’s ability, and can teach that skill to others. “I could figure out how to go and where the horse’s weight was,
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and when was the best time to turn it for maximum speed,” said Butch. “Most of the riders who turned out good, I could get through to them with that. Like Mandy [Porter], for example. Mandy can do it.” “It’s really not fair how easy it was for my dad to ride,” said Guy. “Once we were at home schooling one of my 1.40m horses, and it was going poorly at best. I finally quit and said we’ll just try another day, and got off to school another horse. But my dad jumped on in his Wranglers and boots, and picked up a gallop. He jumped that horse around a 1.40m course like it was as easy as walking to the mailbox to get the paper.” In honor of the incredible impact that Butch and Lu have had on the sport throughout their lives, Sacramento International will present them with the 2018 Sacramento International Horse Show Lifetime Achievement Award. “My biggest goal is to keep their legacy going as long as they want to be in it, and as long as I can continue to do it, because they built something very special to me,” Guy said of Butch and Lu. “And I just hope that one day, before I quit riding, that I can do it half as well as they did.”
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