April 22, 2017

All’s Well in Wellington

 
KENT FARRINGTON AND HIS STABLES IN WELLINGTON, FLORIDA.
©Rolex/Ashley Neuhof

 

Unless you are part of the equestrian set, Wellington, Florida might not be a familiar destination, but every winter the world’s best riders descend upon this sport mecca for the 12-week Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Hosted at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, the main attraction is the show jumping and its numerous Grand Prix events — along with the perfect climate for rider and horse alike. 

Next door to Palm Beach, Wellington was originally created in 1972 as a 7000-acre equestrian preserve. The Winter Equestrian Festival has been going on since 1979, but it wasn’t until 2008 that Wellington began to evolve into the equestrian lifestyle destination it is today. In 2006, about 1000 acres that included the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, were purchased for $135 million by Mark Bellissimo, a former tech entrepreneur, who envisioned the economic impact developing this community could have.
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September 26, 2016

A Jump In The Park

 
THE ROLEX CENTRAL PARK HORSE SHOW, CLOCKWISE TOP LEFT: STABLE AREA OF MCLAIN WARD; BENJAMIN MEREDITH ON ANNABELLE 28; GEORGINA BLOOMBERG ON CROWN 5; THE GRAND PRIX AT DUSK; CONOR SWAIL AT THE ROLEX JUMP; MCLAIN WARD ON HH CARLOS Z

 

PHOTOGRAPHS BY KIRK EDWARDS

 
Wollman Ice Skating rink was transformed into a horse ring for the third year in a row last week, in what has become a new annual fall highlight in New York City, the Rolex Central Park Horse Show. Nestled at the bottom of Central Park, with the luxury hotels of Central Park South as a backdrop, this metropolitan yet bucolic setting makes for a spectacular venue, and one that is distinctly New York.

New York City is not a place for those who expect success to come easily, and the course itself is extremely challenging for both riders and horses alike, squeezing the multiple combinations of the massive jumps that define a Grand Prix competition — up to 1.5 meters or roughly 5 feet in height and distance — into what is a small and oddly shaped arena. New York’s theme song aptly applies, “If I can make it here, I’ll make it anywhere”, and the lyrics could be changed to “If I can jump it here, I’ll jump it anywhere.”

The five day show has quickly established itself on the international circuit as one of the world’s leading equestrian competitions, combining Grand Prix show jumping and dressage. One of the most anticipated events of the show was the $216,000 Rolex U.S. Open Grand Prix. Held Friday evening, it featured two Olympians from Team USA who competed in Rio this summer, McLain Ward and Kent Farrington, both of whom won silver medals in Equestrian Team Jumping. We had the opportunity to meet Kent, a Rolex Testimonee, and currently ranked #2 in the world, just before the competition, to chat about what has become an iconic and uniquely NYC sporting event — as well as his first Olympic games in Rio.
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September 4, 2016

American Jumper

 

BRIANNE GOUTAL

 
Sunday marks the final day of competition at The Hampton Classic horse show with the marquee event, the $300,000 Hampton Classic Grand Prix, closing the show. It is the grand finale of the Hamptons summer party season and regularly attracts the biggest celebrities and boldface names from the worlds of entertainment, fashion, media and finance. While many come for the social scenery, at the heart of this event is the Grand Prix competition featuring the sport’s best show jumpers.

Neil Latham is a British fine art photographer whose body of work, “American Thoroughbred”, was recently exhibited at Steven Kasher gallery in New York. This phenomenal collection of large-scale black and white portraits showcases America’s greatest race horses, along with an accompanying monograph American Thoroughbred. We profiled the artist and his work in June: Neil Latham: American Thoroughbred. What makes these images so unique is their graphic simplicity and the way they are created. He constructs a studio on site,  photographing the animals in front of a massive black backdrop, 20 feet tall by 36 feet wide.
 

AJ Collection Brianne Goutal (dragged) 2 copy

BRIANNE GOUTAL ON ONIRA

 
Keeping the focus equestrian again for his next project, Latham has turned his lens and backdrop to show jumping and the Grand Prix. He has begun photographing a new series called “American Jumper”, that features the premier equestrians and their horses, with plans for an exhibition and art book in 2018. STYLE of SPORT has been collaborating with him on this project, and very excited to debut this sneak peak at a few of the top riders and horses he has photographed so far: Georgina Bloomberg on Crown, Brianne Goutal on Onira, and Sydney Shulman on Cosmeo.
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August 30, 2016

W.O.W! Working Out With Kelly Killoren Bensimon

 

KELLY KILLOREN BENSIMON AT THE HAMPTON CLASSIC

 
The Hampton Classic horse show takes over the Hamptons social scene this week as the grand finale of the summer season. While many go to see and be seen, at the heart of the event are the equestrians of all ages and levels, and some celebrities too, that are there to compete. For this installment of “WOW: Working Out With” we caught a ride with one of the more recognizable faces, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, who is showing this week.

For many people the name Kelly Killoren Bensimon is synonymous with the “Real Housewives of New York”, the reality show on which she was a featured cast member for three seasons. Pitted in an infamous battle with another cast member, her story line made for the kind salacious programming that people regularly tune in to reality television. We actually don’t, but google it if you’re interested.

Kelly has been a model since she was 16 years old, having been discovered in Elite Model’s “Look of The Year” contest. Attending Columbia while modeling, it was a college professor that encouraged her to start writing for the magazines in which her pictures were appearing. Starting at Hamptons magazine, she would go on to Gotham and later become Editor-In-Chief of Elle Accessories.

Now 48 years old and the mother of two teenage girls, Kelly is still drop dead gorgeous. Take one look at her and it’s obvious she’s been an athlete her whole life. Hard as we may try, this kind of physique is not made in a gym. A competitive swimmer growing up, she runs, rides (obviously), and recently added SoulCycle to her fitness regimen, primarily to improve her equestrian skills. “It really keeps you grounded on the horse and strong,” she says.
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August 29, 2015

The Equestrian: Georgina Bloomberg

 
GEORGINA BLOOMBERG AND “CROWN” AT THE HAMPTON CLASSIC
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DEBBY HYMOWITZ

 
This Sunday, one of the pinnacle events and grand finale to the Hamptons summer social scene takes place, The Hampton Classic Grand Prix. Always a star-studded affair, it attracts the see and be seen crowd who have come to watch the best riders in the world compete for the $250,000 prize.

Georgina Bloomberg, daughter of billionaire business magnate, philanthropist, and former Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, is one of the sport’s top competitors and one to watch on Sunday. Thoroughly impressive in her own right, we had the opportunity to meet her earlier this week and discovered the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. She is fiercely competitive, driven to succeed, and totally committed to the sport.

SOS: How did you get started riding? How did it become this passion? How did it become “Ok… this is my job?”

GB: I started riding when I was 4. My mother is English. She had grown up on horses and wanted me and my sister to take lessons and start riding. My sister started taking lessons and I just wanted to do everything she did so I started taking lessons too. I originally didn’t like it and was actually totally afraid of it, but as soon as I started being able to compete I fell in love with the competition and that part has never changed for me. I wouldn’t ride if I couldn’t show. I’m never going to ride for fun. I’m going to ride at the top level or not do it at all. There is no in-between for me.

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SOS: Wow… that says so much about you.

GB: Yes, I’m very competitive. If I’m going to do something, I want to do it all the way. I go to the barn in the morning and work hard at it so I can go to a competition and win.

SOS: How did you balance riding with everything else growing up?

GB: I grew up in Manhattan. There is less of an understanding of the sport than outside the city where there are closer barns. I was a very rebellious teenager and said “FU” to anybody who didn’t want to take my way. For me it was difficult to balance because my teachers were not so understanding when I had to miss school to go to Florida to compete. So instead of trying to accommodate them more, I just basically gave up on school. Read More

 

September 19, 2014

The Central Park Horse Show

 

 

The inaugural Central Park Horse Show (Sept. 18-21) has begun in New York City. Instead of the ice that usually covers Wollman Rink, aka Trump Rink, there is dirt, and it has been transformed into a show ring where a world class Grand Prix event was contested last night. On a lovely September evening in NYC, this was a spectacular setting for a horseshow, both bucolic and metropolitan, set in the south end of the park with Manhattan skyscrapers as the backdrop. To complete the scene, the winner of the $210,000 Central Park Grand Prix, presented by Rolex, was none other than New York City native and home town favorite Georgina Bloomberg, daughter of the former mayor, Michael Bloomberg.

After the event a very happy Georgina joked how she wished organizers good luck putting on a horse show in Central Park, but said it would never happen when approached about participating. With Donald Trump supporting the idea however, conceived at Mar-A-Lago, his Palm Beach estate, while attending a horse show, organizers had the driving force they needed to make the Central Park Horse Show a reality. At the press conference after the Grand Prix last night, “The Donald” proclaimed the event a “huge” success in classic Trump style. He promised it would be held again next year and would hopefully be an annual marquis event in NYC.

The Central Park Horse Show continues this evening with the $50,000 NYC vs The World Speed Class competition. Other dressage and jumping events are also being held this weekend, as well as a Polo match on Sunday. Tickets are available at Central Park Horse Show.

 

August 29, 2014

The Girls of the Grand Prix

 
LEFT TO RIGHT: SYDNEY SHULMAN, LILLIE KEENAN, BRIANNE GOUTAL, VICTORIA COLVIN IN THE GRAND PRIX RING AT THE HAMPTON CLASSIC. PHOTOGRAPHS BY DEBBY HYMOWITZ

 
One of the premier events and grand finale of the Hamptons summer social scene, The Hampton Classic horse show, is taking place this week. The pinnacle of the show is the Grand Prix, a spectacular display of athleticism, bravado and showmanship that is not to be missed. Scheduled for Sunday, it is an event defined by speed and precision, and features massive jumps with heights up to 1.6 meters (5’3″) and spreads up to 2.0 metres (6’7″). The fastest time with the least amount of faults wins, and it requires perfect teamwork between the rider and the horse.

With a $250,000 purse, The Hampton Classic Grand Prix offers some of the richest prize money in the sport. It is part of the Taylor Harris Triple Crown Challenge which awards a $200,000 bonus to the horse-and-rider combination that manages to win the $100,000 Grand Prix of Devon, the $250,000 Grand Prix at the Hampton Classic, and the $250,000 Grand Prix at the National Horse Show.

The event is unique for many reasons, not the least of which is that men and women compete against each other in the same event. And second only to the competition is the style. From helmets to jackets to shirts, pants, and boots, the top riders are sponsored from head to toe. While many of the brands like Charles Ancona, Pikeur, Tucci, Samsheild, Parlanti, Grand Prix and Essex are known only to the cognoscenti, the look is nothing but chic.
 
grandprix5

CLOCKWISE TOP LEFT: BRIANNE GOUTAL WARMING UP, AS SYDNEY SHULMAN AND ANOTHER RIDER WATCH; LILLIE KEENAN WHO IS PARTNERED WITH HERMES AT THEIR SPONSORED JUMP; TUCCI BOOTS; CHARLES ANCONA CUSTOM SHOW JACKETS, SPONSORS OF SYD SHULMAN AND BRIANNE GOUTAL; TORI, BRIANNE, SYD & LILLIE KEENAN.

 

While many people come to The Hampton Classic to see and be seen, they sometimes forget the reason they are there is the athletic competition among intensely focused and highly trained athletes (and their horses). Photographer Debby Hymowitz and I had a chance to meet up earlier this week with four of the top female competitors in the Grand Prix: Sydney Shulman, Lillie Keenan, Brianne Goutal, and Victoria Colvin, ranging from ages 16 to 25. I asked them about their thoughts on the star-studded social scene at The Classic, and whether they enjoy competing with so much happening outside of the ring.

“In America there is a lack of spectatorship from outside the sport and the Hampton Classic is one of the few horse shows that is successful in bringing in a crowd. Whether that’s for social purposes or for sport, it’s still amazing to have them there,” says Brianne Goutal. “We do have to change the way we interact, however. We have to please the public and compete for the crowd. The horses might have different reactions and you’re dealing with stress you might not be used to. In general, though, I love the crowds and it’s great for the sport!” Read More

 
 

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