South Hamilton, Massachusetts, September 6, 2025 = Excitement was in the air on the first day of the Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. One of show jumping’s stars, Darren Graziano, had a ready smile for his fans at a “Meet and Greet” event held at EuroStoves in Beverly Wednesday evening.
Graziano won his first class, sponsored by William A. Berry & Son, Inc., aboard Coeur De La Lune. Darren was one of five competitors on hand to answer questions from the audience, made up largely of local children and aspiring, young equestrians.
Questions for the riders
“Who is your favorite horse?” a small voice asked from the crowd, and Olympian Peter Wylde named his 2004 Olympic mount that helped him capture the team gold, Fein Cera. “She’s just an amazing animal who makes jumps in the biggest classes in the world feel very easy, said Wylde.” “She changed my life and there will never be another like her.” Wylde has an active U.S. schedule this fall and winter with several horses he brought from his farm in the Netherlands. However, he plans to compete Fein Cera on one of his return trips to Europe. He is looking forward to a Fein Cera foal in the coming year.
Some advice was sought from another local young rider. “I have an eight-year-old thoroughbred off the track,” a teenage girl told Olympian Nona Garson. “How long does it take to get a horse like that ready for show jumping?” Nona, who is known for bringing along young horses, suggested that the horse’s maturity at eight would be to his advantage, while a young horse would have to be brought along more slowly as he physically develops. She started training her mount Derrek, at age three and he eventually matured to become her first Grand Prix horse.
Ellie Howe, the Chairman of the Lovelane Therapeutic Riding Luncheon, who will hold a charity luncheon on Saturday, September 8th, asked about the effects of jet lag on the horses who frequently travel by plane to compete in shows all over the world.
Grand Prix rider Schuyler Riley took that question, since her Grand Prix horse of ten years, Ilian, deserves his own frequent flyer card. “I’d have to say it’s horse specific, but Ilian just goes to sleep when he’s traveling. Some horses are more sensitive and the transit process stresses them out more.” Schuyler, who resides in Florida, said the time change doesn’t seem to be as problematic as the physical traveling. “We adjust their feed schedule and they adapt right to it. The people caring for them do everything to be sure they are healthy before they travel.”
Candace King was asked about a human athlete’s partnership with an equine athlete, and said that by spending time each day with her horses, she can anticipate how they will be on the day of the Grand Prix.
Spectators Make it Fun
“Do the horses respond to the crowds?” someone asked. Each rider said yes. “I have a veteran horse that feeds off the excitement of the crowd,” Darren Graziano said. “But if I’m riding a young horse, sometimes tents that are close to the jumps, can be distracting for him.”
“Some of the best horses respond to the bigger crowds,” Candace King added.
Nona Garson recalled her Olympic mount Rhythmical was very responsive. “He’s a little horse and he would puff himself up and raise his head and look at the crowd.” She admitted she and Rhythmical were so caught up in the wild excitement of the spectators at Madison Square Garden when they had a clear round that she didn’t realize they had one more jump left, and so they ended with four faults.
Jeff Papows, moderator of the event and chairman of the Jumper Classic said, “On the rare event that I have a double clean round and we get to ride in the victory gallop, my horse bucks the entire way around the field. When horses are happy, sometimes the way they express themselves is in a way that makes it physically difficult for the rider.”
Course Designer Has the Horses in Mind
Interest in the field and the jump course turned the questioning to course designer Richard Jeffery, who has been recognized as Course Designer of the Year for seven years. Jeffrey designed the course for the Olympic show jumping event in Atlanta, as well as many other world class events.
Asked if he creates courses with specific horses in mind, he noted that the Jumper Classic is well known as a good venue for young horses, and he designs courses that help test them and get them ready for the Grand Prix. His goal for the Grand Prix is to have five to eight riders qualifying for the jump off with clean rounds.
“You get ten gray hairs with each Grand Prix,” he joked, explaining that in a World Cup qualifier it’s imperative for the right horses to win. Alternatively, if everyone in the class qualified for the jump off it would be boring, and if no one qualified it would put everyone on the edge of their seat.
Jeffery is especially pleased with the field and the footing this year, and complimented Jumper Classic President, Melissa Lovasco, for investing heavily in the Grand Prix Field, sponsored by Coldwell Banker Previews.
Attendees from Adequan, sponsors of the Winner’s Circle, and The World, the Masters Division Sponsor, were on hand to experience the reason for all the excitement, a selection of the top international riders who will compete this week at the Jumper Classic in preparation for Sunday’s big event, the Grand Prix.
Local Children Meet Top Equestrians
Among the fans were eleven-year-old Sadie Ferriera and her mother Betsy. They have been driving from their Middleton home twice a week to ride at Ascot Farm in Ipswich. Both enthused about the chance to meet the top riders in the Jumper Classic. Both mother and daughter were new to riding when Sadie chose horses over flute lessons at age seven. “I love to ride,” said Betsy, “but I’ll tell you the best part is when you take the saddle off and groom the horse.”
Eleven-year-old Lauren Pippins of Hamilton rides her pony Gingersnap practically every day. “She and her sister Brook are passionate about horses,” said their mother Marlene. The Pippins family attended the Jumper Classic in 2006 and the sisters won the Ladies’ Best Hat Contest.
“It was wonderful to meet the riders and learn from them,” Marlene said of the press conference. Lauren smiled when asked to name her favorite rider. “Schuyler Riley! She’s a really good rider.” Lauren’s a pretty good rider herself, having won the championship at last year’s Myopia Horse Show, held just the week before the Jumper Classic.
It’s fans like Lauren and Sadie, their families, and the local fans as well as the fans who travel from Canada, Connecticut, Florida, and Europe, that make the event fun for the riders, the course designer, and the people who work hard to bring the Jumper Classic to Boston’s North Shore. The star status of the riders was evidence by the turnout for the press conference, and the number of fans who approached the riders to autograph their posters.
The excitement of the Jumper Classic has begun. The five-day event will culminate in the $75,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix on Sunday, when the top riders and horses will go for the prize, but also for the applause and enthusiasm of the thousands of spectators anticipated for the event.
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