Jessica Howington's Cavalia Retired from Sport

Dressage

U.S.A.

U.S. Grand Prix rider Jessica Howington has decided to retire her number one and career starting Grand Prix horse, Cavalia.

Cavalia is a 17-year old Dutch warmblood mare by Sir Donnerhall out of Pearlia (by Gribaldi x Nimmerdor). She is bred by M. Aerts in The Netherlands and is one of 15 foals that Pearlia produced.

Jessica Greelish

The chestnut mare came into the spotlight as a young horse under Australian Jessica Greelish, who moved to Denmark in August 2011 to ride for Andreas Helgstrand in Denmark.

They were 9th in the consolation finals for 5-year olds at the 2012 Danish Young Horse Championships and a year later represented Australia at the 2013 World Young Horse Championships in Verden, where they finished 8th in the consolation finals. At the 2013 Danish Young Horse Championships they finished third in the consolation finals for 6-year olds.

At the 2013 World Young Horse Championships

In 2014 Greelish moved to the U.K. to train with Emile Faurie in the Cotswolds in pursuit of an Australian team spot for the 2014 World Equestrian Games with Lancaster (by Solos Landtinus x Pablo). She also cited that the language barrier in Denmark after 2.5 years as well as being closer to top sport were the reasons for her move across the Channel. Both she and Emile competed Cavalia at Advanced Medium and small tour level at national shows in the UK until November 2014.

Greelish then moved her horses to The Netherlands where she worked with Alex and Diederik van Silfhout, as well as with Laurens van Lieren. She also continued training with Australian horse dealer Bennet Conn, who also worked briefly for Helgstrand before he moved south to begin his own business at various barns in Holland and Germany.

In the summer of 2017 Greelish moved back to Australia but left Cavalia in Europe. In 2018 Greelish added Conn to the ownership line on Cavalia's FEI passport and offered her for sale. Conn competed Cavalia once at Silberberghof in Wipperfurth (GER), winning an Intermediaire II class on 1 May 2019.

Jessica Howington

With Howington at the 2021 CDI Ocala
(Photo © Q2 photography)

In the winter of 2019 Cavalia sold to Jessica Howington in the U.S.A.

Howington grew up on her parents' 1,800-acre farm in South Georgia where they raised horses and cattle. She started in eventing before switching to dressage. She was based in Wellington and trained with Andrea Woodard. She bought her own 150-acre property, CrownView Dressage, in Ocala, FL in the spring of 2021 to begin a professional dressage business, which she combines with being a realtor and nurse practitioner.

She premiered Cavalia internationally at small tour level in Wellington in March 2020 and moved her up Amateur Grand Prix level by the end of the year. They had a strong 2021 season at the Global Dressage Festival and scored a double victory at the CDI Ocala, which made her get short listed for the 2021 U.S. Olympic team. In 2022 the pair showed in three more CDI's in the spring but did not get considered for the team for Herning. Their last CDI was in February 2023 in Wellington.

Retirement

At the start of January 2024 Howington announced Cavalia's retirement from sport.

"It’s been a very emotional and very bittersweet start of the season for me for many reasons," Howington stated. "One of those reasons was the decision to officially retire Cavalia. What Cavalia gave me is irreplaceable on so many levels. I had never ridden a Grand Prix test until Cavalia. She had never shown Grand Prix. Somehow together in less than a year we formed a bond and relationship that was incredible enough to get us short listed for the Olympics."

She continued, "did we have our fair share of major mistakes, miscommunications, mishaps, etc…YES!!!…and way more than I can count. However, that is life and that is relationships…but never once did I ever want to give up on her or us. Never once did I question her heart of gold. I always believed in us and wanted to keep going strong until mid season we tried one last time in the show ring but she told me she just could not do it anymore. I guess this was the lesson I had to learn of letting go."

Cavalia will be retired to a life of luxury at Howington's barn.

"Cavalia has given me so much…words could never express the gratitude and respect I have for her," said Jessica. "I will never sell her. She will live out her days with me. The only fair, kind and right thing to do for her now is to let her enjoy a wonderful life of retirement without pain….long walks in fields, lots of grooming, tons of treats and letting her touch noses with her babies."

Aside from a barn full of horses from young horse to FEI level, Howington also has two 2-year old embryotransfers out of Cavalia for the future. They are both chestnut and named Savalia and Sylvano and both are by Five Star.