112 SIDELINES SEPTEMBER 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
e
The Bottom Line
By Jan Westmark-Allan
The buzz created around American dressage rider Jan Ebeling’s
quest for the 2012 Olympics aboard Rafalca, a horse owned in
part by Jan’s wife, Amy Ebeling, has rocked the equestrian world.
Jan and Rafalca have become quite the sensation thanks to the
fact that the horse is also owned by Beth Meyer and Ann Romney,
wife of politician Mitt Romney. Thanks to the mainstream media
excitement, Rafalca, Jan, Amy, Beth and Ann are the new
American Dressage Dream Team.
In case you missed the hoopla that turned dressage into the
“Sport of the Summer,” head over to YouTube and watch The
Colbert Report with political satirist Stephen Colbert. In the Colbert
Report entitled “Mitt Romney’s Blue Collar Equestrian Pastime,”
Stephen pokes fun at dressage, which he refers to by its “street
name” of Horse Ballet.
Jan, who moved to the U.S. from Germany and received his
American citizenship in 1998, is an accomplished international
dressage rider who has competed in three World Cups and the
2003 Pan American Games. We caught up with Jan at his farm,
The Acres, in Moorpark, California just outside of Los Angeles,
before he left for London and the 2012 Olympic Games to fnd out
his take on being part of the Dream Team.
What did you think of Stephen Colbert’s spoof on dressage?
Dressage doesn’t usually get much attention so it’s been very
exciting and wonderful for the sport. I like to look at things from the
lighter side and I really laughed at the horse being strapped to the
top of the station wagon on The Colbert Report.
Have you always wanted to be an Olympian?
Yes, being an Olympian is my dream. When I was a child I
wanted to play soccer but my family wanted me to ride, so I started
riding. It turned into a passion and I feel lucky that I have a lifestyle
that lets me pursue my passion.
What advice did Mitt Romney give you when you became the
center of all the media attention?
He told me to enjoy the attention. Mitt and Ann had the same
reaction to The Colbert Report that I did – we thought it was funny.
The attention wasn’t anticipated, but we are enjoying it.
How is Rafalca handling the attention?
She doesn’t understand what is going on; but when we are
competing I stay focused and shut everything else out. We’ve
had Rafalca for six years and she wasn’t a grand prix horse
when we got her. It has taken a lot of work to get her to the
grand prix level; but she is an honest and sweet horse with an
amazing character.
The Dressage Dream Team
The Bottom Line -
It looks like the last laugh is on Stephen Colbert and we need to thank him for catapulting the
dressage community into the spotlight. We wish Jan and Rafalca the best in London and thank
goodness Rafalca didn’t have to travel to London strapped on the top of a station wagon!
Jan Ebeling and Rafalca taking part in a dressage class –
otherwise known as “Horse Ballet”
Photo by Kim MacMillan
The American Dressage Dream Team: (left to right) Jan and
Amy Ebeling, Beth Meyer and Ann Romney
Photo courtesy of Amy Ebeling