WCAR Winners

The Road to the World Cup

Desperate Horsewives! By Julie Hancock

Bird's Paradise in Gotham By Nicki Fraioli

Fun Facts from WCAR Grand Prix Riders

Joie Gatlin answers questions about her 2005 World Cup experience.

Gaby Salick writes about the 2005 World Cup in Las Vegas

Zazou Hoffman describes her experience riding in a clinic with Leslie Howard!

Julie Hancock

Joie Gatlin Answers Questions about her 2005 World Cup Experience
Q: In your personal experience, could you describe the atmosphere and mood of these finals?
Joie: The atmosphere was electric! I think that everyone there was so excited and so pumped up.

Q: Nerves must have been running high for both horse and rider! What methods do you use to handle both the excitement and stress of competing at this level?
Joie: I walk the course twice, then I try to close my eyes and visualize riding the course the way I made my plan. I just tried to take long, deep breaths and relax.

Q: Gaby commented in her WCAR letter, "the ring at the Thomas and Mack is super small, of course, but the atmosphere is incredibly dynamic and lively- just like Las Vegas!" Did the size of the ring concern you? Were there any special ways that you prepared at home for this?
Joie: For my very large horse the ring was incredibly challenging. As for prep, we were very fortunate that RJ Brandis and Robert Ridland let us have two schooling sessions in the indoor at OBE.

Q: The courses were all difficult and demanding. Which part(s) did you find tested you and your horse's skill the most?
Joie: The entire course was very testing for me and my horse, not the size of the jumps or the width but the rideability and adjustability. He is very big and to be able to keep my ridability proved to be the most difficult.

Q: Were you able to watch any of the riders go? Who or what impressed you?
Joie: As soon as I would finish my round I would try to watch all of the remaining riders.I think that every rider there had something you could pick up on.

Q: If you could ride any one of the horses that was competing other than your own, which one would you choose to ride?
Joie: That would be a hard decision, there were so many incredible horses.

Thank you Joie for sharing your experience!

The following article, written by Gaby Salick, will be featured in the upcoming issue of Impulsion, the official Newsletter of the American Holsteiner Horse Association
Gabriella Salick and Sandstone Laurin have been a team for ten years. Purchased in Holland as a six year old, Laurin, a Holsteiner stallion (Laurin X Zarah), is one of the foundation sires for the Sandstone Horse Sales, LLC breeding program. Gabriella and Laurin have represented the United States over twenty times in international competition, and have competed at the World Cup Finals for Show Jumping twice. In 2001, shortly after winning the Grand Prix de Fontinbleau, Laurin slipped in his stall and fractured his pelvis, a potentially career ending injury for a thirteen year old sport horse. However, with the help of three amazing veterinarians, Phillipe Benoit, Geoff Vernon and Brendon Furlong, Laurin recovered completely and won his very first Grand Prix back- the $50,000 Rio Vista World Cup Qualifier. Recently, at the 2005 World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, Laurin, the oldest horse to make it into the final round, and Gaby were one of only five Americans to jump all four rounds of the Finals.

Sunday, April 17
I can't believe how beautiful Las Vegas looks from the airplane! Our flight arrives at 9:00 p.m., apparently just when the city is starting to wake up- even the airport is full of slot machines and excited visitors jostling to see just how lucky they might get this week! As I make my way to through baggage claim, to the Mandalay Bay shuttle and towards our beautiful hotel, I see lots of famous equestrian faces- you know, those serious European faces that you see on ESPN! For the first of what will be MANY times this week, I am completely overwhelmed by a sense of excitement and great privilege- I just can't believe that I get to compete at an event like this with my wonderful horse. Wow!

As soon as I get to the Mandalay Bay, where the riders stay, I call Jose Padilla, who is at the Thomas and Mack arena with Laurin. Jose works for Sandstone and has taken care of Laurin for the past seven years. Jose tells me that Laurin is quiet and resting, and that he likes his neighbor. Jose also tells me that he won a hundred dollars on the slot machines, and that he can tell we're going to have a lucky week!

Monday, April 18
When I arrive at the Thomas and Mack arena, I can hear Laurin whinnying before I even get into the stabling area. Laurin is a big "talker", especially at shows, and he has a very distinctive voice. By the time I get my credentials and find my stable, Laurin is loudly pawing on the cross ties and looking quite fresh. Because he's an older horse, Laurin needs to be very fit for a championship event- boy, did those months of conditioning work!

For the first schooling day, the indoor arena is open to both the World Cup Dressage riders and the World Cup Show Jumping riders. As my wild stallion prances into the indoor ring, I can already tell that this is a mistake! Amid all the beautiful dressage horses executing their lovely, graceful lateral movements, naughty Laurin looks more than a little out of place as he bucks and plunges, alternating between loud whinnying and shaking his head. I find myself apologizing to people I've only seen on TV- Isabella Werth, Gunter Seidel, Debbie McDonald, and many more! I wonder if he will ever settle down, but my trainer, John Pearce tells me not to worry: "You'll be fine", he says. "He's always like this when he feels good!"

Tuesday, April 19
Laurin is somewhat more settled today- he works nicely in the arena, and doesn't seem bothered at all by the atmosphere. Some horses need to get used to the small ring, the noise and the lights, but Laurin is all business! He's a great horse that way- I can always count on him to buckle down when it's really important. I haven't competed indoors consistently in a long time…not since 1997, when Laurin and I lived in Warendorf, Germany for a year. But I like riding indoors, and I know that I can count on my lovely horse. He is so light on his feet that he has no problem at all competing in a small indoor arena…and he loves a big crowd. The bigger, the better!

Tuesday afternoon is our veterinary inspection, and all the American horses pass with flying colors. Laurin passes while flying, literally…neither FEI vet looks too impressed as he rears and shakes his head all the way down the trot path and back. They look like they might ask him to trot again, but Laurin looks at them as if to say "Sorry- was that naughty?" Laurin does have a very cute look- he puts his head down and looks at you through his long forelock…it's pretty irresistible. The vet says "OK- Thank you, Miss Salick!" John Pearce says "You know, that horse really is getting a little too spoiled."

Wednesday, April 20
Finally, we get to jump! Wednesday morning is the warm-up class, one of two possible warm ups for WC riders. I opt for the lower class, which is 1.40 meters. Even though I know we'll be jumping much bigger than that by the end of the week, I choose the small warm-up so that I don't put too much stress on my horse. As I walk the course, I can't help thinking that the jumps look just fine the way they are! Can't we just jump this size for the rest of the week?

Laurin canters around the warm-up class beautifully, making it look and feel easy! Our course designer, Guilherme Jorge Nogueira, uses one of the spooky walls and some of their beautiful, shiny material, so we feel like we're jumping the real deal! Laurin is fresh, but focused, and I feel very comfortable in the arena, which is a super competition ring: great footing, beautiful jumps, and tons of atmosphere. Robert Ridland, the horse show manager, makes sure that every last details is taken care of weeks before the event even begins, so there's no last minute panic to stress out horses or riders. Everyone seems pretty calm, and most of the riders agree that the stabling and competition areas couldn't be better.

Thursday, April 21
Our first day of competition! After warming Laurin up in the morning, I leave him alone for the rest of the day, since we don't start showing until 7:00. He feels terrific, and when he's feeling good, he doesn't like to be bothered. He's a funny horse that way- he doesn't cuddle, or eat treats, or whinny to me, or any of that stuff you wish your horses would do when you're around. He's quiet and calm and likes everyone around him to be the same. On competition days, we make sure that he gets enough time alone to rest and settle. He likes to take a big nap in the afternoon and so do I! On Grand Prix days, I always take a nap between my morning warm-up and my class. So Laurin takes a nap in his stall, and I go back to the hotel to do yoga and a little napping myself!

When I arrive at the stadium in the evening, the ring crew is putting the final touches on the course- it looks beautiful! I expected to see lots of gigantic jumps and some trappy options, but Guilherme has built a lovely, flowing course and the jumps are not huge- thank goodness! As John and I walk the course, we try to come up with the "winning track". Laurin has such a long, easy step that I can easily leave out strides, so we walk a track that suits his big stride. I go third, which is early, but I don't care- I like going early, especially when I'm this nervous!

In the ring, my round starts off a little shaky- after leaving out a stride in the first line, I see absolutely no distance to the third fence and have to add a step to the next jump. I feel a little rattled, but the rest of the round is nice and smooth, and Laurin easily does the inside turns and leave-outs that we planned for the end of the course. I am thrilled to finish with only one jump down, and the best part is, my whole family is there! They have signs that say 'Go Gaby and Laurin!". We have the best cheering section of anyone!

Friday, April 22
I arrive at the stadium the next night to see that the friendly speed class from Thursday has become a distant memory! In its place is what is probably the biggest course I have ever seen: the verticals are a full 1.60 meters and the oxers are wider than I have ever seen. The triple combination is followed by a seemingly impossible option to a tall, skinny plank- either five choking strides or a flapping, ugly four. I opt for the four, trusting Laurin's big step. I try to remember my plan, but I feel very nervous- this is seriously big jumping, and I feel more than a little out of my league. After a good round in the speed, I have moved up in the order, so now I go nineteenth. Unfortunately, the first three riders are eliminated, and we see two bad crashes. The crowd is very excited- they love that! I feel sick.

Entering the ring, I notice how packed the stadium really is, and when they announce that Laurin and I are from California, the cheering is deafening! Even Laurin seems a little rattled, and I need to take an extra second to catch my breath. But as soon as I pick up my canter, I can tell how confident and strong he is. Laurin sails over most of the course, showing his incredible scope jump after jump. I encounter a second of trouble at "a" of the combination and I knock down the front rail of one of the last oxers, but the rest of the course feels terrific. Even I, knowing Laurin and his ability as well as I do, am impressed at how scopey and careful he continues to be! After the class, we all wait to hear who will get into the third round…finally, Sally Ike brings the list and we are SO excited to see Laurin's name on it! We all go out to celebrate, and Laurin gets a whole bag of carrots from Jose, who calls him his "little rabbit".

Saturday, April 23
Laurin and I are both tired from the past week, so we go for a little walk. That's all. No bucking, no whinnying, just a tired horse and rider. I give him another bag of carrots and wonder of I'm not just asking a little too much of my lovely, older horse. I can't even imagine what we're going to have to jump tomorrow!

Sunday, April 24
Competing in the World Cup Finals is one of my all-time career dreams, and making it in to the last round is the highlight of my career! Fresh from his day-off, Laurin comes back strong and fit as ever. Whatever doubts I have of being able to jump the final day are gone the minute I pick up my reins. He is confident and comfortable and very cocky- pinning his ears at other horses, whinnying at his neighbor, Laurin is back in full force! Although the track for today is, of course, very big- full specs, full width and lots of scope- I have a newfound knowledge of and confidence in my amazing horse's true ability. The jumps are huge, and I can honestly say that the line to the triple combination is something I would be scared to jump in my backyard if it were three feet high! But Laurin proves, again, his incredible will for the sport and his wonderful heart.

Cooling down after the final round, in which Laurin and I finished in the top twenty, I had a moment to reflect on just how lucky I am. To be able to experience this beautiful, graceful sport, to be able to experience it with a horse like Laurin, and to have all my family and friends there to cheer me on…these are true blessings in an already blessed life, and memories that will
never fade.

Zazou Hoffman
Our big congratulations to Zazou Hoffman, winner of the free spot to the Leslie Howard clinic!!!!!

Our response was QUITE large- thanks to everyone who wrote in!- and in the end, we let Leslie Howard herself pick the lucky rider from our stack of applications. Leslie says "What sparked my interest in Zazou is her attention not only to riding and competing, but her interest in preparation and strategy".

Let's check in with our cute correspondent to hear what she had to say about the clinic:

I was so excited when I heard that I was chosen for the W.C.A.R. spot in the Leslie Burr Howard clinic. Leslie is a two time Olympian (winner of the 1984 Gold Medal) she also won the Maclay and has also been in a gazillion World Cups. SHE IS AMAZING!

The first day of the clinic (which was at the beautiful Endicott ranch in Rancho Santa Fe) was flat work. We worked on shortening our horse's stride over cavelletti. Leslie got on all 18 horses so that she could individualize her comments. The second day we continued to work on adjustability over low jumps, bending and slicing. The third day we worked over a course of twelve fences. The clinic concluded in a competition over a jump-off course.

The main theme of the clinic was the need to be able to lengthen and shorten your horse. Leslie emphasized that whether you are a soft rider
or a strong rider, you need to be able to do the opposite during a course. She quoted George Morris "Your strength is your weakness" .

The clinic was so much fun. The prizes were great. I learned so, so much. It was helpful to be able to watch the entire clinic and to see Leslie work with each horse and each rider. She was genuinely interested in making helpful suggestions and she was SOOOO PATIENT. Robert McNeel did a fantastic job of organizing all the details, from wonderful meals to sound system to goody buckets for all the riders. The Endicotts were terrific hosts and had a festive reception for Leslie at their very pretty home.

A big thank you to W.C.A.R. and Leslie Howard.

Happy Holidays!

-Zazou Hoffman

Julie Hancock
My WCAR 2003 Spruce Meadows Tour Experience

I consider Spruce Meadows to be the ultimate equestrian experience. Spruce is a place where you can feel the highest of highs and the lowest of lows (and that’s just referring to the weather)! This year the weather was our friend and it was truly one of the most pleasant two weeks I have spent in Canada. The courses were beautiful, the footing was perfect and the competition was outstanding. Crystal and Tiffany Hickey and Adria Mashburn made up the other three members of the Low A/O team and they are all talented and competitive riders with great horses, so I had high hopes for our team’s performance.

This year Spruce added a “Medium” Amateur division, 1.3 meters in addition to the 1.2 and 1.4 meter divisions. I decided to compete in this division prior to the Prix De Nations class as it most closely matched the level we jump at home (4’3”). I also thought it would make the team competition course seem small to my horse and me. The thing that I forgot to consider is the difficulty that is added with the many obstacles that we don’t see too often at home and the huge size of the fields which makes speed, track and striding so much more of a factor. The first day our course had a double Liverpool combination and an open water jump. It took a toll on many horses and almost half the class had stops. I was thrilled because my horse jumped the scary fences but in the process of riding him hard to those, I pulled rails at the following fences and ended up with eight faults.

As the Prix De Nations approached my confidence had slipped and I was really grateful that we were competing in the 1.2 meter division. The class was held at the Meadows on The Green, which is one of my favorite fields and one that I successfully competed on the previous year with my mare Lila. We decided to get a little team spirit and braided our horses' manes and painted their rumps with stars in red, white and blue glitter paint. It was fun and great for morale and camaraderie.

We walked the course and, with the exception of the Liverpool next to the open water, it didn’t look too intimidating. I was selected to lead off the team in the opening round. My husband and children flew in a few days early (it was their first visit to Canada)and we went to Lake Louise and Banff for an overnight trip. I was excited to have them there and I wanted them to see me do well. Anyway, when I rode out onto the field, I stopped to savor the thrill of the moment. No matter what happens on course I never cease to be amazed at how lucky I am to be part of such a beautiful sport! There is never such a thing as a bad day when I am on my horse. The course rode well, but my horse peaked hard at the Liverpool and we pulled the rail. I was so flustered by this that I lost focus and had a run out at the next fence. After that I was just plain mad at myself and did my best to complete the rest of the course with no additional rails. I am sure my team was disappointed yet they were gracious enough not to say so! Tiffany and Adria followed my round with eight and twelve faults respectively so we knew we were out of contention even before Crystal and her beautiful horse Enrico went in to anchor the team with a fault free round. It wasn’t a terrific team result but it was fun and I was proud to have competed.

As I said earlier, sometimes results are not measured in terms of ribbons. For me, experiencing the pride and pressure of team competition at a venue as beautiful as The Meadows on The Green at Spruce Meadows with my wonderful family watching was reward in and of itself. I am truly grateful to West Coast Active Riders for giving me this opportunity!