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Wow! The dust from the WEG has finally settled and we have had a chance to get back into a “normal” routine at Maplecrest Farm. We wanted to share our amazing WEG experiences with all our friends…
As many of you know, it was our pleasure to host Catherine Haddad, her groom Anna, and Catherine's horse Winny during the week before the Games. Catherine Haddad represented the USET as an alternate, and having her at our farm was so much fun! I was lucky enough to receive several training sessions with Catherine who was really helpful and informative.
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Catherine Haddad and Reese Koffler-Stanfield
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US Team Horses arrive with Dr. Mitchell, Julie Mitchell, and Jenny VanWieren
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Being that this is Kentucky, we of course had a good old fashioned BBQ! The whole team attended and everyone had an opportunity to tour our new farm and just relax with some good food and southern hospitality. It was a fantastic Barn Party! A special “Thank You” to my Mom, Margee Koffler for being a special events planning expert, as well as Christina and Marina, working students extraordinaire, for all their hard work to make the evening such a success.
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US Team BBQ at Maplecrest Farm
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Pierre St Jacques, Tina Konyot, Todd Flettrica, Catherine Bateson Chandler,
Stefan Peters, Catherine Haddod, Christina Wiseman, Marina Byrd
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Midway through the week leading up to the Games, we were excited to have our friend James Dwyer and his horse Orlando (aka Ben) join us at Maplecrest Farm. James is an accomplished Para Dressage competitor representing Ireland. He and “Ben” had an outstanding show at the WEG finishing 5th overall in the Para Dressage competition.
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Marina Byrd, Reese Koffler-Stanfield, Whitney Todd, James Dwyer
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Mary and JJ Phelps, of Dressage Daily, set up their communication hub in our newly designed camper spot. Mary had the wonderful idea to have the proper hookups installed so it can now be enjoyed by all of our clients when needed. I would also like to thank Mary and JJ for inviting me to their private dinner at Spindletop Hall along with the US Team. It was so special for me to sit with these unbelievable competitors, and support staff, to enjoy both an amazing meal and great conversation.
I had several media opportunities during the weeks of the WEG. (Story about the games on NPR, Horse Radio Network Interview with our favorite horsey husband, Glenn and Samantha, Interview with Gil Merrick, HRTV) Travis and I were very excited to have our new farm and facilities spotlighted in so many media venues.
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HRTV Set
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Travis and I enjoyed our time at the International Equestrian Festival at Rupp Arena. It was a fun place for people to spend some “horsey” time after the Games. Downtown was hopping every night with the “Spotlight Lexington” concerts and shows throughout the two weeks of the Games. It was such an exciting time in our town and it was great to see the entire city truly embrace the spirit of the Games.
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Travis Stanfield practicing for his new career on Bob the Racehorse.
(Bob is owned by our friends Frankie and Sandy Lavoto)
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Once the Games finally began, things got really busy. I had the honor and privilege of coaching Jose Ortelli Jr. during the Games, and was the head Dressage trainer for team Argentina. I can't express in words what an honor this was for me and how kind Jose and his Family were to niclude me in their team celebration. The highlight of the Games for me was walking in the opening ceremony… Wow! What an amazing feeling to be among so many amazing athletes.
The upgrades and new facilities at the Kentucky Horse Park were tremendous. The new footing made working horses like Jos Aladar a real pleasure. It's difficult to describe the atmosphere in the barn with so many top horses, riders, grooms, trainers, vets, and support staff… it was incredible. Jose improved his score from Rolex in April by 13 points and I was so proud of his composure and focus in the ring. Helping team Argentina on Cross Country Day was very exciting. The course was very difficult but Aladar made it through beautifully. Coaching Jose and Training with Team Argentina was an unbelievable experience for me.
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Jose Ortelli Jr.
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Jos Aladar with groom Manuel
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To have the best horses in the world ten minutes from your farm is quite a thrilling feeling. We were able to clearly see the large Adequan promotional banner flying over the stadium from our backyard. We enjoyed seeing many of our friends including Patty Mayer, Meghan McIsaac, Jen Luders, and the list goes on and on. We sat with Olympic Coach Jessica Ransehousen during the Dressage competition listening and watching intently as we received move-by-move insight from a judge’s perspective. I was also able to “steal” Jess away from the stadium for some training sessions with Kasper!
My favorite part of the Games was sitting with my BFF Brooke Jacobs and her mom Jane. I loved sharing our sport with our amazing saddlebred friends.
Lindsay, Connor, and I enjoyed the ride over from Spindletop Hall, which kindly offered a fabulous shuttle service to the Games, for Connor’s first show at the WEG! Not a bad way to introduce baby Connor to the wonderful world of Equestrian Sport!
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Connor Michael Cassidy
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I’m so glad we were able to cheer on team USA along with seeing the incredible Totilas. He is truly amazing and inspiring. Along with Totilas, watching the Dutch win the gold was very memorable. Seeing the top 5 horses in the world was stellar. These horses are in a class all their own.
I was honored that during the Games the Race for Education (http://www.racingscholarships.com) asked me to be an honorary chair for their fundraiser which was held September 25th at the Lexington Country Club. I was so happy to give the US Para Dressage Team tickets to join James Dwyer, Susan Trebass and her husband Scott, Missy Ransehousen, Travis, and myself at the event. We had an amazing evening for a very worthy cause. On a personal note, this non profit is a wonderful foundation that helps people in the horse industry go to college. Please visit their web site or call Elisabeth Jensen for more information.
The last week of the Games we had the pleasure of entertaining the French Delegation from Normandy. The Kentucky Horse Council arranged for the delegation to come to our farm for a visit. Meghan Moore and Grasshopper were amazing demo riders for the group which included the President of the Games, as well as many other business and horse professionals. Travis and I enjoyed a superb dinner with the President of the Kentucky Horse Council, Madeline Mallard.
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The last weekend of the Games, Mom, Kasper, and I headed to the Regional Finals in St. Louis Missouri. Winning Regional Finals has been a goal for Kasper and I for the last couple of years. Although Kasper has won Grand Prix Regionals with his previous riders, Lindsay Cassidy, and Suzanne Dansby-Bollman, we had not won together… until now! Kasper and I won Regional Championships in style with a 67% in the Grand Prix class and a 69% in the Grand Prix Freestyle. We had a great time at our last show of the year. I have to give special thanks to Jessica Ransehousen for taking time away from the Games to coach us.
After the Games finished we kept the spirit going with a visit from Olympic Coach Conrad Schumacher. We had a wonderful 2-day clinic and many friends came to visit our new farm and participate in the clinic. We look forward to many more clinics and educational opportunities at our farm as we continue to improve our facilities and are in the process of adding a beautiful indoor arena.
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The Games brought so much excitement and awareness of Horse Sport to Lexington. I will never forget watching the New Zealand and Australian Endurance teams train at our neighboring farm (Split Rock), and then watching the Endurance Competition from Spindletop Hall. I will forever have the great memories of watching horses and riders from USA, Ireland, and Argentina pull onto our farm as colorful flags hung proudly at the entrance. We all felt the overwhelming excitement to be part of such a prestigious event. I think the WEG Foundation, Alltech, the city of Lexington, and state of Kentucky all deserve a round of applause for a job well done!
I would also like to thank Team Maplecrest for the unbelievable effort that was put forth. We hosted many special events and people which required a lot of extra energy, cleaning, organizing, quick thinking, and preparation. I'm so proud and grateful that everyone came through with flying colors. Thank you to Christina, Marina, and Whitney. Thank you to my mom Margee for being the absolute best hospitality director. And thank you to my amazing husband Travis who helped coordinate and attend all of the exciting happenings.
It really was the experience of a lifetime.
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