As
the World Equestrian Games kick-off in Lexington, Kentucky, I had the unique
opportunity to attend a major horse event which hosted many of the top WEG
bound international and Olympic show jumping riders this past weekend. Held right in my own backyard in a
northeast suburb of Columbus, Ohio, The New Albany Classic has
become an important date on the Grand Prix circuit.
Held at the 336 acre picturesque estate of the ultimate
“fashionister”, Limited Brands Chairman and CEO, Les Wexner, attending this
show is like a trip to the Hamptons times 1,000! (And yes, Mr. Wexner, that was “fashionister” = fashion +
mister, a term that I am proud to have coined myself.) With a retail stable that includes Victoria’s
Secret, PINK, Bath and Body, and once included The Limited, Express, Abercrombie & Fitch, Wexner is rightfully regarded as a fashion
industry genius!
With
an appreciative fan base of Quarter Horse “royalty” in attendance, including Sweet
Shop’s own Barbara Johnson, and tennis phenom Kara Jo Cecil (daughter of Rick and Heidi), The
Classic is a star studded spectacle not to be missed. An amazing “Family Day” theme features
carnival rides, games, face painting, balloon artists, and musical acts American Idol runner up, David
Archuletta and up and coming local boy band, New Hollow
(they’re great – check them out). Guests rubbed shoulders with the
likes of former undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion, James Buster
Douglas, CBS college
basketball analyst, Clark Kellogg, The Ohio State University Marching band, (a/k/a
“the best damned band in the land” – can I say that lol?), and my lifelong dream photo op, OSU
mascot Brutus Buckeye!!! And girls, can I just say that
media credentials can come in handy when they score a BIG HUG from a hot OSU football
player!
Click here to view Dakota’s fantastic slide show from The New Albany Classic!
Hosted
by the gracious and beautiful Olympic gold medal horse owner, Abigail Wexner, the New Albany Classic is not
just about the horses and celebs.
Granting me a rare interview
for which this young reporter will be eternally grateful, I sat down with
Abigail to learn more about her Olympic experience, gold medal winning horse,
Authentic, and nearest and dearest to her heart, “the charity”. The Coalition Against Family Violence was founded by Wexner,
and has raised over $15 million to date.
Why is this important?
Since many of us live and work in an animal based industry, Abigail explained that it is documented and evidence based that people
who abuse animals will ultimately abuse people as part of one cycle which
should service as a warning marker for all of us.
Putting
everyone immediately at ease with her “first name basis” protocol, Abigail thoughtfully
recalled growing up horseless in New York, and not being able to ride until she
could subsidize her own lessons. Her
extraordinary road to personal success includes a law degree from New York
University, and a seat on the USET Board of Trustees alongside AQHA notables
Bill Brewer and Frank Merrill. Abigail
acknowledges that although her marriage has brought “tremendous
privilege”, that she was ultimately hopes to use her resources to “make a
difference.” “By taking something
that felt selfish to me (horses), and sharing it with other people, I kind of
invented this notion of putting the Classic together as a fundraiser. It started as an experiment and the
amazing thing is that it took off,” Abigail happily exclaimed.
I first met Abigail thirteen years ago when our industry’s own
star, Carol Harris, extended the HUGE honor of showcasing Rugged Lark to
perform for corporate guests at the first New Albany Classic. At the time, the immortal stallion was
in semi-retirement; however Carol’s belief in the importance of the charity’s
abuse message was compelling. Abigail
exclaimed that Lark’s performance was
“an amazing thing” which she recalled moved the non-horsey, yet appreciative
audience to tears. Describing the incredible connection
between horse and human”, I think she summed it up best when she related how “an
animal can just go and pierce straight through to your heart.”
Following in the footsteps of Harris and “Lark”, Abigail realized
every girl’s childhood dream when Breyer asked for permission to release a
limited edition model of her beloved 1995 Dutch Warmblood gelding, “Authentic”. Credited by
many for helping to “save” the US team’s bid for Olympic gold, Wexner agreed
without hesitation to purchase the 3-time Olympic gelding when a foreign
buyer’s proposal would have sent him overseas. Today, the limited edition of 750 makes “Authentic” one of the most rare and sought after
Breyer’s on the market today. To
provide a sense of his star power, Authentic a/k/a Bud, is listed as one of the
most popular meanings of the word “authentic” on a Wiki definition search.
Abigail
described with humility and pride that her “once in a lifetime horse” has made
her “just being spoiled enough” to know that when Authentic enters the ring
that there is a good shot that he is going to win. “That horse has all heart; it’s all about that. He’s not that big (16.1). You look at him sometimes and if you
put him over a low jump you’ll say, that thing can’t jump. It’s all about him believing that he
can do anything you put in front of him”.
Although confident in his ability, she describes watching him wrap up
team gold with trainer Beezie Madden aboard at the Olympics in Bejing as “the
most nerve racking experience of my life”. (Photo courtesy Diana DeRosa)
Noticeably
absent from The Classic, Abigail let fans in on Authentic’s current
condition. “After sustaining a
serious tendon injury a year ago, I’m pleased to report that he’s doing
well. We did some really
innovative work up at Cornell University to re-grow his tendon, and he’s very sound now. There’s no question that his life is
saved and we’ll know in the next couple months whether he can come back to full
competition or not. Either way,
John Madden (Beezie’s husband, no relation to former NFL coach) and I always say “that horse owes us nothing.” I added that he also owes our nation
nothing.
There
was soooo much to see on Sunday that I could barely scratch the surface. However, when famed rider Peter Leone
popped on my radar, I was there in an instant for the photo op. The guy is SUPER HOT, alright, but it was actually a funny
story from my childhood that came to mind. When I was
about seven years old, my mother had a copy of Town and Country magazine which left
a lasting impression on me. On the
cover was Marcella Leone, the stunning blonde wife of Peter.
Dressed in a pair of breeches and crisp white shirt, I will never forget
how her rich leather belt was fashionably buckled on her left hip, rather than
front and center. I can recall
dragging my Mom out to purchase a similar belt which I had inscribed with my name. The challenge was trying to figure out
which belt loop to start with in order to achieve the “side” buckle look, while keeping my nameplate from reading
upside down – LOL. It’s funny to
think back that riders at my next show expressed “concern” that I didn’t know
how to wear my belt. Remarkably, the skeptics began sporting the same look which I could not
take credit for. Although I was
too star struck to share my fashion story, Peter confided that one of his
favorite show jumpers was actually an American Quarter Horse! The legendary rider described the horse
as being so talented that he labeled the gelding a “freak”. Our industry’s dream of
developing an Olympic level quarter horse jumper will hopefully one day become
reality! BTW, check out Peter’s
website. His
place in tony Greenwich, Connecticut, is simply amazing!
Saving
the best for last, it might have been my BIGGEST SCORE of the day when popular
socialite and competitor/rider extraordinaire, Georgina Bloomberg agreed to talk about her charity,
The Rider’s Closet. I’m proud to
be the daughter of an NRHA Futurity Champion, but this girl is the daughter of
Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City!!! Let’s see, Roy Halladay spoke to me after the Vice President
called him following his no-hitter, and now Georgina visited with me fresh off
her Today Show interview with Matt Lauer.
Not sure I’m Emmy Award worthy, but that practically makes me a “real”
reporter, right?
The
always fashionable Georgina described how any rider in need of English
clothing can send a letter to her charity and receive gently used attire. Her mission is to turn no one
away. Although The Rider’s Closet
was first conceived as a way to help intercollegiate competitors,she started getting a lot
of individual letters from kids in therapeutic riding programs, pony clubs, and
even adults who could not afford to buy (as she described) a new pair of
“britches” or boots. “I am able to
help a lot of college teams”, Bloomberg described, “but more than anything I
have been able to help a lot of individual riders”. Anyone who
needs more information can visit her website.
One possible trend alert that I noticed was that the event’s
youngest rider at 21, wore her very long blonde hair in a ponytail outside of
her helmet to compete. Everyone in
the stands noticed and LOVED it.
Little girls and prominent equestrians alike were pretty impressed by
the Anna Kournikova look-alike.
Not sure the hunters are quite ready for this, but all goes for the
jumping set!!!
My readers know that I like to end interviews with a hot seat
question, but to ask the respectable Mrs. Wexner something like “How does my
brother score tickets to your world famous Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show?”
didn’t seem appropriate. A girl
has to have a little dignity. Not
to be denied however, my hot seat question was posed to the unsuspecting event
veterinarian, Dr. Schmall of The Ohio State University.
When I asked “Who is the most famous horse you have ever worked on”, he
thoughtfully considered his reply for a moment before responding, “I don’t
really know that I can answer that question”. “Come on Doc”, I replied, “this is a loaded question”. His response, “Yeah, because you
probably know, I’m not really good a remembering things, Dakota”. “Well, what about that Hopeful Assets
horse”, I prodded, “She’s pretty famous, right (jokingly)”? The very smart and esteemed professional replied, “Ahhhh, Hopeful
Assets, now there you go! That’s
the top of the heap… That’s the
top of the heap”! At
that moment, I knew my work here was done.
See you at
Congress!!!!
