March 2010 Archives

45 of the 72 current Rolex entries are entered in the CIC3* or Advanced this weekend, which means we will get to see all but a couple US Rolex horses in action together.

And then there were two.  Nearly four weeks ago, we started this little game with 32 of the best event horses we could think of, and now we are down to the last ones standing: WINSOME ADANTE and CHARISMA. 

Charisma knocked out Murphy Himself yesterday; by Podge's standards, it was a real nailbiter!  Murphy made a strong showing, with over 30% of the vote, but Charisma was simply too much to overcome.  We'll see today if Charisma can dominate one final matchup...


THE FINAL
Winsome Adante or Charisma?  It's so hard to choose.  From two different eras, with two very different riders.  Dan doesn't have an individual gold to his credit, but his presence at a three-day almost meant everyone else was competing for "also-ran."  And Charisma...what more can we say?  Double gold-medallist, Badminton runner-up, and inspiration to all. 

Such a tough decision...maybe I can convince John to let us vote twice!

    1.  WINSOME ADANTE                                                    2.  CHARISMA
         




 

The WEG organizers have raised their economic impact projection figures.  By the numbers: over 460,000 individual tickets are being sold, attendeed are buying an average of 5 days worth of tickets, the average room rate is $273 per attendee, and 87 percent of spectators will be from out of state.  Read more.

One thing is clear: the Team is sending its riders to Rolex.  In the past, the USET has sometimes elected to send horses to spring 3*'s, but if you want to ride in Kentucky this fall, it looks like you're going to have to ride in Kentucky this spring.  Even though the WEG track will look very different from Rolex (except for a few shared elements), it makes sense to give the horses a feel for the environment and setting.  The WEG course will also be bigger than Rolex, so we might as well see who can handle 4* size and technicality now.

Will C. and Twizzel (5th Luhmuhlen CCI4* 09)
Buck and BallyNoe Castle RM (11th Burghley 09, 15th Rolex 09)

Boyd and Neville (9th Rolex 08)
Phillip and TruLuck (4th Burghley 09, 9th Rolex 07)
Phillip and Woodburn (12th Rolex 09, 9th Rolex 08)
Amy and Leyland (14th Burghley 09, 13th Rolex 09)

11 out of 14 B-listers are entered:

Stephen and Brandenburg's Joshua (10th Rolex 09, 4th Rolex 08)
Phillip and Waterfront (24th Rolex 07)
Buck and My Boy Bobby (3rd Rolex 09)
Phillip and Connaught (7th Rolex 09, DQ Olympics, 1st Rolex 08, 2nd Rolex 07)
Phillip and Kheops du Quesnay (none, unless he did one before PD got him)
Will F. and Pawlow (none)
Kristi Nunnink and R-Star (none)
Karen and Mandiba (E Burghley, 44th Olympics)
Allison and Arthur (E Burghley 09, 14th Rolex 09, 13th Rolex 08)
Amy and Coal Creek (none)
Jennifer Wooten-Dafoe and The Good Witch (31st Burghley 09, MR Rolex 09, 7th Rolex 08, 11th Pau 07) 

As a trivial experiment, taking the highest placed horses at 4*'s would yield a four horse team of Connaught (1st Rolex), My Boy Bobby (3rd Rolex), Brandenburg's Joshua (4th Rolex), Twizzel (5th Luhmuhlen) because PD isn't allowed to take 2 horses.  Thankfully, that's not how selection works...I think.

If riding around a four-star in front of tens of thousands of people isn't enough pressure, consider that a team spot is on the line, a position which represents an incredible personal achievement, big sponsorships, recognition for the horse, and, most of all, that red jacket.   The WEG selectors will take countless factors into consideration, but their memory of how each pair looked at Rolex, around the biggest course, on the biggest stage, on the WEG facilities, will surely have a huge impact on their selections.  

Good news from Courtney's site today, which reports that:

"While Courtney is no longer in a Coma she still needs more time to fully emerge. The Head of the Brain Injury Department has described her current phase as being at the higher end of a "Minimally Conscious State". She has some awareness of her surroundings and responds inconsistently to requests."  More from the Chronicle

That time in March with lots of basketball insanity but whose name is copyrighted by the NCAA March Madness is well underway at Eventing Nation and we continue our Final Four (also trademarked by the NCAA) matchups today.  Yesterday, Dan's three Rolex victories were just too much for the extraordinary Tailor, but the USA couldn't have a better horse in the finals than Dan.  

I recently took an interesting trip to Gulfport, MS to attend an event normally avoided by someone like myself.  I went to...cue shock and awe...a hunter/jumper show.  Now before you get your panties all in a wad, let it go and listen up.  

We are just over three weeks away from what Lauren deemed "The Three Day That Shall Not Be Named," are you getting excited?  While most competitors still have one last major obstacle waiting in North Carolina, the Rolex entries have closed and it's time to take an early look at the Rolex entries.

Notes: The entries are up from the starters of the three previous years.  2007 had 44 starters (33 USA), 2008 had 42 (32 USA), and last year 50 horses started Rolex. (28 US),   

Certainly, less than 69 horses will start Rolex for a variety of reasons.  Injuries are most likely in the last month before three-days; I have heard estimates from top vets that as many as 30% of horses withdraw due to injury in the last month before four-stars.  

Additionally, several of the horses are cross-entered at Badminton, inclusing WFP's Cool Mountain, Woodburn, and OT's Carousel Quest and Master Rose.  

Notes: 65% of 2010's entries are US pairs, which is right on the average percentage from the three previous years: 2007 (75% US riders), 2008 (76%), 2009 (56%).

Well, the end of March draws near and our Bracket Challenge is down to the very best, as voted by you.  Our Final Four has been determined: CUSTOM MADE, WINSOME ADANTE, MURPHY HIMSELF, and CHARISMA.  A truly deserving group of horses, each of whom really showed us what eventing is all about.  From here out, we will present only one matchup each day, as I'm sure it will be tough to decide!

COMMENT OF THE DAY:
"Kim" had a wonderful story about Charisma from last Friday's post.  It's amazing how these horses impact our lives, despite the fact that we may never even meet them in person.

The first time I ever even saw eventing was in 1984. I was 17, had longed for years to someday learn to ride a horse (I was still a few years away from it). On a summer afternoon I flipped on the tv to whatever the coverage was from the LA Olympics, and saw the most wonderful thing--gorgeous acres of green, huge solid jumps, horses galloping over things I'd never dreamed existed. It was cross country, and I was mesmerized, hooked from that moment on. A few days later I sat with my boyfriend and parents to watch the closing ceremonies, and into the LA Colisseum came two big horses and one little. Then the riders dismounted--two little and one big. Mark Todd and Charisma had won their first Olympic medal.

I started riding a little over a year later, but it wasn't until almost twenty years after that that I finally began to event. Charisma's photo hangs in my guest bathroom (my husband--that boyfriend of 25 years ago--won't let me hang it above our bed). I'll vote for Charisma first, last, and always. What a horse!

TODAY'S MATCHUP:  Best of the US

Who will earn the right to represent the Stars and Stripes in the final showdown?  Both (2) CUSTOM MADE and (1) WINSOME ADANTE proved their competitive greatness on the biggest of stages.  Tailor has an Individual Olympic Gold; Dan has an Individual Silver, Team Bronze, and WEG Team Gold.  Tailor won Badminton; Dan won Rolex three times.  Both excelled in all three phases, in the long format.  I would give a slight edge to Winsome Adante; David O'Connor was a very big name aside from Custom Made, but Dan really pushed Kim Severson to the top of the world scene.  I don't think you can go wrong selecting either horse!

1.  WINSOME ADANTE                                           2.  CUSTOM MADE

    

  

Galway CIC3* (CA): Homepage, Live Scores, Beautiful Weather

Notes: The CIC3* course ran extremely soft with 13/16 riders having clean rounds, zero eliminations, and only one rider having more than single digit time penalties.  If history is any sort of a guide, The Fork is going to ride much differently next weekend, and it's fair to ask if the Galway CIC3* is a strong enough Rolex prep.  The CIC2* rode differently, with 5 out of 9 starters having problems around the course, and Max McManamy winning on Beacon Hill and Tiana Coudray getting eliminated with overnight leader Master Hill.

Notes: Amy Tryon had a good round with Coal Creek, adding just 6.8 XC time penalties, but retired on XC with overnight leader Leyland.

Morven (VA): Homepage, Times, Scores

Notes: Sarah Cousins dominated the OI, taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd on The Robber Baron, Tsunami III, and Joule.  Jamie Lee French also had an impressive weekend in the JYOP, taking the top two spots with Drummer Boy and Speak of the Devil.

This week marks the start of a month-long project in which I will turn an average, "backyard" horse into a creature of beauty.  Or at least, that's the plan.  I considered using a horse that already looks good, but where's the fun in that?  I think it's a better learning experience to start with an "ugly duckling" and turn him into a lovely swan.  I've broken the transformation down into four phases, with a new procedure presented each week. 

Phase 1: Mane
Phase 2: Tail
Phase 3: Braids
Phase 4: Finishing touches, including quarter marks.

My innocent victim eager test subject is "Benny," a six-year-old OTTB.  Benny sustained a suspensory injury last spring, retired from the track, and hasn't done much in the last year except sit in a field and beat up on his pasture mates.  He's lives out 24/7, is healthy and well-fed, but hasn't seen a brush or comb in quite some time.  Fairy groom-mother better get to work with pixie dust and magic wand!



PHASE 1: MANE EVENT

We begin the journey with a very thorough grooming.  It's springtime, the birds are chirping, the grass is growing, and the horses are rolling in mud and shedding like crazy.  I curried for half an hour, and Benny lost enough hair to resemble a small dead goat on the floor.  Somewhere, though, a bit of shine lies deep in the fluff.  I can't see it yet, but I know it's in there! 

Ideally, Benny will get a good grooming (and hot-toweling) every day.  Given his living arrangements, though, it will probably only happen two or three times a week.  We'll have to make do with what we can.

After covering myself with dust and hair, it was time to tackle 12" of unruly mane.  More than anything else, shortening a mane can make a HUGE immediate improvement in a horse's appearance.  From cart-horse to sport-horse in the pull of a comb.  Some horses are not fond of the procedure, so be prepared: have a helper, a twitch on hand, and a chain shank if necessary.  In extreme cases, sedation may be the best route; always consult your vet, and plan well in advance of any upcoming show.

Coming from a hunter barn, I learned to pull manes with the standard 4" aluminum comb.  Tease the hair, wrap it around the comb, and pull.  It took a good bit of time, and it could be a little difficult getting the mane the length you wanted since you wrapped it around the comb.  When I started working with Thoroughbreds, I was taught "pulling combs" were completely unnecessary.  Any standard plastic mane comb will do.  Wear latex gloves for grip, and it is a whole lot faster!

Begin by combing or brushing the whole mane, to remove any knots.  Don't be gentle-- rip, tug, and tear at tangles, the more hair you get out now the better.  I usually start pulling at the withers and work toward the head; typically most horses are worst-behaved when you get near the ears, so I save that for last.  Starting near the withers, where the horse doesn't mind, allows you to set a good, accurate length to guide you for the rest of the mane.


To pull: grasp a small section of mane, perhaps 0.5" wide (depending on the mane's thickness).  Back-comb this section to near your desired length.  Grasp the remaining hair firmly with your left (latex-gloved) hand; pull downwards sharply with both hands (including the comb).  You don't have to pull the WHOLE section out at once-- you can pull downward only a few inches to rip about half of the hair, then tug again to remove the rest of it.  If you end up pulling the horse's whole neck on top of you, you took too much hair!  Try a smaller section.  VIDEO HERE.
 

Back-comb or "tease" to the desired length...          Grasp mane firmly with left hand...                Pull down sharply. 


When you've finished the whole neck, go back with your bare (or gloved) hands and neaten up any irregular areas.  Comb the mane down, run your fingers through it often to check its density.  You'll notice an occasional long wisp, or thick spot, just grab those few stray hairs between your fingers and rip them out firmly.

    
Halfway done!                                            Neatening up, pulling individual wisps without the comb

Take your time!  Most horses will object to ripping huge chunks out all at once; go slowly and they might learn to stand for it.  Generally, well-muscled necks tend to be the hardest to pull...a nice topline seems to have roots of iron and refuses to give up the flowing locks.  Babies and flabby broodmares, however, give up mane by the handful.  For very thick manes (draft crosses), you may need to pull a little bit every week, to get it thin enough for nice braids.  It is possible to "cheat" to some extent: some people half-roach the underside of the mane on extremely wide crests.  When pulling becomes impossible...a full roached mane looks just great! 

Tricks of the trade:
-Most of the "work" is done by your left hand, and you may develop blisters or cuts on your fingers after some really tough necks.  Bandaids, or duct-tape "rings" around your knuckles beneath the latex glove help a lot.    

-The goal of pulling isn't *just* to shorten the mane-- heck, scissors can do that a lot faster!  It is to produce a "natural" effect, of even length and desirable thickness throughout.  Your braids generally reflect the quality of the mane; an uneven mane makes for inconsistent-sized ugly braids.  Put in the effort with the pulling comb and you will thank yourself later.  A short, thin mane is much faster to braid than a long, thick one!

-Speaking of scissors: just say no.  Most cutting tools cannot reproduce the quality of a pulled mane.  It may LOOK sufficient, but when you go to braid it you will notice the difference.  "Manufactured manes" are often too thick, and areas where the hair has been cut will regrow with wild abandon, creating determined little stick-up pieces among your braids. 

-That doesn't mean I do it all by hand.  "Pulling" will always THIN a mane.  But what about a mane that is too thin?  Places like the withers are almost always wispy (thanks to blanket rubs), and often thinner near the poll since the crest isn't as wide.  For those areas, or for thin manes in general, I use an old, dull clipper blade to shorten the hair.  Angle the blade firmly into the hair at the desired length, and tease it back like you would with a pulling comb (about a half-inch above/below length).  This will frizz and shorten the hair irregularly within that area, looking very much "pulled" without removing the roots.  As with pulling, go slowly and work small sections at a time, to avoid a blunt cut.

       
"Blading" a thin section near the withers.                       The finished product!  (nevermind the battle scars)            

It just sounds crazy doesn't it?  Indoor Eventing...seems to me like it kind of defeats the whole purpose.  But what do I know?  Watch the videos and see for yourself.

Galway CIC3* (CA): Homepage, Live Scores, Beautiful Weather

Day 1 Recap Presser, Chronicle Day 1 Recap

Notes: So far, Tiana Coudray leads the CIC3* and CIC2* on Ringwood Magister and Master Hill respectively.  For those of you looking for the next big thing coming from California, Tiana is a name to keep your eye on.  El Primero and The Good Witch are also competing in the CIC3*.  Still no show for McKinlaigh this spring.

We have said that they do it right at Galway, and this promotional video is a great example of why.

Notes: Amy has entered in the OP on both Leyland and Coal Creek.  Best of luck to Amy this weekend as her quest for the WEGs starts up a little later than most, but she is still a clear front runner on Leylan

Morven (VA): Homepage, Times, Scores

Notes: Area II, the heartland of US eventing kicks off this weekend with Morven Park.

The Ram Tap T3DE has been canceled due to insufficient entries.  This is a setback for the Classic Series, but one that is overshadowed by the strong success of other T3DE's, such as Waredaca last fall.

Ashley Adams has withdrawn from The Fork.  Ashley has some of the best blog entries of any rider; she is open, straightforward, and honest with her fans.  She talks openly about soundness concerns which (shocker) nearly every 4* hopeful is dealing with right now, and she isn't afraid to let her emotions be known.  Ashley's blog today is a great representation of the problems/emotions/concerns that are racing through the mind of almost everyone entered at Rolex right now.

 

Wow, what an exciting night of basketball!  I'm writing this post at 12:46am after watching the end of UK-Cornell (suck it Big Red!) and Xavier-Kansas State (2OT, wow what a finish!).  As the Tournament rolls on, the matchups just get better. And the same is true for the ENCAA Bracket!


In the battle of O'Connors, (2) CUSTOM MADE prevailed over (1) BIKO.  I'm sure David will be bragging to Karen forever about this one...but gold medals do the talking.  MURPHY HIMSELF won the right to represent the British Isles region, and his battle with RINGWOOD COCKATOO was never really close.  Somewhere, a Scottsman is smiling. 

The Elite Eight finishes today to determine the winners of the Davidson Region and Aussie/Kiwi Region.  Get your voting trigger fingers ready, it's another big day!

[John's note: For our readers who have noticed some slight order to the madness that is Eventing Nation's posting schedule, we are working today's schedule slightly differently than normal.  Friday N&N will happen around lunch time, with Competitions this Weekend and probably something else this evening.]


DAVIDSON REGION

Bruce's steady teammate (2) EAGLE LION has nothing left to prove; a win at Badminton, and countless clean cross-country rounds made him a model of consistency.  His statue will stand forever at the Kentucky Horse Park, dropping into the Head of the Lake.  But then there's (1) WINSOME ADANTE.  Simply the most dominant event horse of the 2000s, winning Rolex each time he entered.  How can you beat that?  Your vote decides!

1.  WINSOME ADANTE                               2.  EAGLE LION  
      
photo by Anthony Trollope








AUSSIE/KIWI REGION

It's Kiwi vs. Kiwi in what could turn into an epic matchup.  Two double gold medallists who remained at the top of the sport for years, (1) READY TEDDY could have the upper hand simply because he stands out a bit more in recent memory.  But (2) CHARISMA has blitzed through the tournament like a buzz saw, winning 90% of the vote in his victories.  Two amazing horses, and a very difficult decision to choose one over the other.    

1.  READY TEDDY                                                          2.  CHARISMA
                  
Photo by Bernie Saunders





 

Picture this: Nike and I are out in the jump field this morning, we jump 6-7 jumps, turning either direction on landing and gallop a few strides then halt quickly and rein-back. Hop off, change bridles/bits and get back on to do the exact same thing. Rewind and play again and that was our workout today.           
     Horses, like people, are constantly changing. Last fall, Nike was light as a feather in the bridle in cross-country and show jumping, all I had to do was change my center of gravity and he would balance; add a bit of weight to the reins and he would change his length of stride and slow down. Since his recent success (he's starting to let it go to his head), Nike is starting to question whether I am always right about how fast/slow we should be going. Hence, the switching and experimenting with bits. Part of this change in my horse is encouraged. He is confident and wants to do his job. He is brave and bold and not a lot backs him off. I am not a big fan of "bitting-up" my horses because it often means there is a lack in training. But given my size and strength, sometimes it is unavoidable. Its always a good idea to keep your trainer informed when you feel like your horse is getting too strong or maybe the opposite, losing confidence and backing off because of too much bit.
    I'm sure by now you've guessed that Nike was strong last weekend at Southern Pines, and that once again I have work to do to regain communication with him. His first advanced went almost to plan: he was good on the flat, scored a 31.9 and his more difficult flying change was clean and quiet (which I was so excited about that I leaned down and patted him during the test lol) and he jumped around clean xc. We had 20 time penalties but I wasn't trying to go fast and he was pretty strong so it took a while to get him back in front of the more technical fences. 
    Show jumping was pretty interesting. He was very wound up on Sunday and I was trying a leverage bit with a running martingale to keep him rounder in front of the fences. He got a bit behind the vertical and didn't see an upright until the last stride and then put his head up and the running martingale put a lot of pressure on the bit and plowed we through it fence. Then he was pretty upset and hit the martingale at the next fence (the in of a double) and slid into that one too. Not a picture-perfect round to be sure. I rode a lot more forward after that and got out of his face and he jumped the rest of the round rub-free. 
    Were calling that round a "wardrobe-malfunction," but I know that I need to ride more forward and get his eye on the fences. For now, we've dropped the running martingale for the show-jumping and the winner is a jointed Pelham with double reins so I can change how much curb he needs for how he's feeling on the day. He's a red-head so he changes his mind a lot!! 
Hope to see you at the Fork at Nike's first CIC***  -HSB

Mark Todd's CHARISMA continues to turn back foes with utter disdain as he amassed 90% of the votes yesterday against TRUE BLUE GIRDWOOD.  Will his momentum carry him past READY TEDDY?  In the battle of Bruce's horses, EAGLE LION was clearly the best, sending HEYDAY back to retirement.


The bracket is really taking shape now as the field of 32 is down to the Elite Eight.  Today and tomorrow will determine the regional winners, with the Final Four beginning on Monday.  All these horses are great athletes and champions...but there can only be one winner in the end!  Who will it be?

       
O'CONNOR REGION FINAL

In a dream matchup, we find (arguably) Karen's best-known horse against David's best-known horse.  An individual gold-medal winner, versus a stalwart US team anchor.  They've both been honored by Breyer models (Biko, Tailor).  Which should move on to the Final Four?



1.  BIKO                                                2.  CUSTOM MADE

  vs.    
Photo from www.oconnoreventteam.com
 



BRITISH ISLES REGION FINAL

This could be known as the "upset region," as neither the one nor the two seeded horses made it to this point.  Instead, it is a battle between two fan-favorite grays, who could not be more different.  Bettina Hoy's RINGWOOD COCKATOO set new standards in eventing dressage, though he could be a bit tentative on cross-country at times.  MURPHY HIMSELF? Not so!  Exuberant and bold, Murphy attacked cross-country with sheer reckless abandon.  Both horses could make you hold your breath, though perhaps for different reasons.  Which gray will move on?  You decide!


4.  RINGWOOD COCKATOO                                   6.  MURPHY HIMSELF

  vs. 

From Lauren:

Poplar Place ran a great show this weekend, the weather was super and everything was organized really well.  It felt like a vacation because I sold two of my horses last week so I only had the three.

The Maggot put in one of his better dressage tests, a big improvement over Pine Top but unfortunately the score didn't reflect that.  Sometimes the judges don't like my little arab so we were about midpack after the day.  His trot work scored quite well but his walk and canter did not.  It's a fine line with him in the walk and canter going forward without letting him look lateral, because that is how he likes to go.  So going home I'm going to have to work on letting the judges see what I want them to see without crossing that line.

The Advanced cross country was a good track, they asked the right questions, although I would have liked the gallop fences to be a little bigger just so he would have held off them more.  I had to waste a lot of time bringing him back just because he wasn't impressed, but I guess that is kind of a good thing.  They had the burial mound on course as usual but after about the first seven horses, three had fallen, so they took it off just before I went out.  The jump judges ran out and were waving their arms in front of it so I would know not to jump it which nearly got me dumped, don't they k now arabs have never seen humans before?!  He also nearly took out my knee cap on the fence after the finish because he was spooking at a dressage letter.  Clearly after jumping around an advanced that is the scariest thing he has ever seen, riggggghhhtttt, I think he's fit enough if he has enough energy to worry about that.

Show jumping was proof that you can't always count on the scoreboard to know if a round was good or not.  He jumped clean but he was not very rideable, nothing disastrous but not much rhythm too it.  The unfortunate thing with losing your young rider status is you don't get to be excited just for jumping clean.  I'm working on a fake ID that says I'm 18, it's taking some work to find someone to make it, apparently there isn't a high demand for underage IDs.  Fortunately they are having an unrecognized three phase show at the Florida Horse Park this weekend so he is going to a few of the lower show jumping classes for a little refresher course.

We are off to The Fork next, one of my favorite events.  If that goes super well we will be headed to  "the  three day that shall not be named".  My life has turned into a Harry Potter Movie for the poor people around me, talking about Rolex is like talking about Lord Voldemort, under absolutely no circumstances are you allowed to say the word Rolex out loud.  Luckily Hannah has been through it all before so she is handling all the details and all I have to do is keep my head out of my butt and ride my horse well.

So until after The Fork, everyone enjoy the nicer weather and I'll talk to ya'll soon.

Oliver Towned has entered Carousel Quest in Kentucky as part of the final stage to win the Rolex Grand Slam and its $350,000 prize.  

If you have noticed a major decrease in new articles and content at TheHorse.com recently, it is because the website is undergoing a dramatic transition.  Eventing Nation has learned that 3 of TheHorse.com's 5 employees have decided to leave and pursue other opportunities.  Eventing Nation regularly links to articles on TheHorse.com, and many of our readers also frequent TheHorse.com.  

DAVIDSON REGION

2.  EAGLE LION


Eagle Lion wasn't the flashiest of horses, and he may not have earned the most blue ribbons, but he has an incredibly solid, if not stellar, record.  With him, Bruce Davidson became the first American to win Badminton, in 1995.  The bay gelding backs this up with other top-5 finishes at Burghley (1993), Badminton (1994 and 1998), and a win at Fair Hill CCI*** (1992).  He completed Badminton four times with double-clear cross-country rounds; he placed in the top 15 in ten three- or four-star events in all.


vs.


(3) HEYDAY


Heyday enjoyed a long, prosperous career, first competing at Advanced when he was six years old, and finishing 13 long-format three-day events in the top 20.  He was yet another plain, average bay with above-average talent for Bruce Davidson.  In 1995 they won the PanAms, and earned the team silver medal at the 1996 Olympics (9th individually).  The next year, he earned second at Blenheim CCI***.  An 8th place finish at Rolex in 1998 sent him to the WEG, as part of the bronze medal winning US team.  From 2000-2003, Heyday partnered with Young Rider Maisy Grassie.  Heyday's success continued as he showed her the ropes from prelim to advanced, winning the NAYRC CCI* championship along the way.




AUSSIE/KIWI REGION

2.  CHARISMA
 

(3) TRUE BLUE GIRDWOOD


True Blue Girdwood "Jug head" or just "Jug" was the only horse Phillip brought with him when he moved to the US in 1991.  Phillip says Jug the horse who really brought him onto the world stage.  True Blue Girdwood represented Australia in 1996 Olympics, winning team Gold in Atlanta, and also competed with Phillip at the '94 & '98 WEGs, Rolex, and Badminton (placing 6th in 1995).  After his career with Phillip, Jug mentored several of Phillip's students as a schoolmaster.
 

Zara and HRH Princess Royal talk about how eventing attracts big-name sponsors in England, among other things.

The CDCTA horse trials changed their date from Easter to April 3rd because of issues finding enough volunteers, which, frankly, says something nice about central VA that everyone will be busy celebrating Easter.

Jan is improving every day and in the last few days has begun speaking more and more words, at times stringing them together into short sentences...We're cautiously optimistic that Jan will continue to progress in her recovery, and are really encouraged by the improvements she's shown lately. Her thought processes are fine, the articulation of those thoughts will slowly return with time and therapy...Jan is fully independent and able to take care of herself and go about daily activities without much assistance at all. 

Anyone who walked up to one of Jan's many fine and talented students this weekend and asked "how's Jan?" knows this is old news, but since Jan's parents requested privacy, I left the story alone.  Because Jan's website has posted the information, I decided to pass it along.  Jan is home, active, teaching again, and looking great.  The only remaining issues, according to Jan's website, are the injured wrist and the side effect of the stroke which "affected her ability to speak but not her comprehension."  

No big surprises yesterday, as Winsome Adante and Ready Teddy move on to the Elite Eight.  They proved they're #1 seeds for a reason! 

COMMENT OF THE DAY:
Anon in Australia continues to bring it, and we appreciate her contributions.

I loved Ready Teddy and saw him in the flesh once - the epitome of a sparking, intense international eventer. But I suspect Bounce taught Vaughn as much as the other way round...and ya have to love Vaughn. So Bounce gets my vote.

TODAY'S MATCHUPS

The toughest pairings of the whole tournament could happen today.  The deserving 2-seed CUSTOM MADE faces fan-favorite (6) THEODORE O'CONNOR, in what could be a voting war.  Also not to be taken lightly, (6) MURPHY HIMSELF and (7) SUPREME ROCK will duke it out in the British Region.  Don't let your favorite horse get knocked out, make sure you vote and tell others to do so!



O'CONNOR REGION

2.  CUSTOM MADE



vs.



6.  THEODORE O'CONNOR


photo by Nowthatsatrot

Inspiring pint-sized athletes everywhere, the "Super Pony" took the event world by storm during his tragically-brief career.  Eventually paired with Karen O'Connor, Teddy finished 9th at his first three-star in 2006 at Jersey Fresh.  The next year would see him dominate the US scene, winning the Fork CIC***, finishing 3rd at Rolex, and winning individual and team gold at the 2007 PanAms.  The Pony ended up 6th at Rolex in '08, was short-listed for the Olympic team, when an unfortunate accident resulted in fatal injury.  His short glimpse of greatness proved to all that "pony power" was a force to be reckoned with.  





BRITISH ISLES REGION

We have the best readers ever!  We say it all the time, but we really want to get the point across.  One super duper fan was nice enough to send us some videos from the CIC** at Poplar Place Farm last weekend.  Thanks to Mary Kate Mallory (GA) for sharing them with us, and her mom for shooting the footage!  MK competed in her first CIC** competition at Poplar Place Farm this weekend aboard the experienced gelding, Kilaughton.  They jumped double clear in showjumping to finish 15th!  We appreciate you sending in these videos MK, and thanks for supporting Eventing Nation.  I also hear we might be getting a very special shout out this week.  Since we love getting to know our readers, we asked MK a few questions about her first two star competition.

The Sweet Sixteen headline: NUMBER 1 GOES DOWN!  Northern Iowa (who?) took out number 1 Kansas, just as (4) RINGWOOD COCKATOO rose above (1) TOYTOWN.  On the other side of the bracket, (1) BIKO walked over (4) PRINCE PANACHE into the Elite Eight.


COMMENT OF THE DAY:

Despite Cockatoo's resounding victory, Toytown still had his (anonymous) fans.

Hard one between Ringwood Cockatoo and Toytown but Toytown was the most generous horse I have ever seen go xc. Look at his WEG round how much he dragged his rider out of serious trouble when other horses said no. RC was not so generous and I have seen some cracking refusals by him (Euros)and Bettina always went slowly xc to try and not make a silly mistakes because it did not take much for him to throw the towel in. Luckily Bettina always had an amazing dressage to cushion it all a bit.

 
TODAY'S MATCHUPS:

The (1) vs (4) continues with the Davidson Region and the Aussie/Kiwi Region.  Will WINSOME ADANTE walk to the finals?  Will BOUNCE be bounced by READY TEDDY?  Your vote decides!


DAVIDSON REGION


1.  WINSOME ADANTE

photo by Anthony Trollope

If Biko was the American horse of the 90's, Dan is certainly the horse of the 00's.  Partnered with Kim Severson, he kicked off his domination with a win at Blenheim CCI***, then went on to win Rolex CCI**** a remarkable three times ('02, '04, and '05).  Winsome Adante was a member of the Gold Medal team at the 2002 WEG (6th individually), and won Individual Silver/Team Bronze at the Athens Olympics in 2004.  Once again he represented the U.S. in the 2006 WEG, and closed out his career with a third place finish at Badminton CCI**** in 2007.



vs.

4.  POGGIO (II)

Like something out of a Disney movie, Pogi worked in the mines as a trail horse in the Cascade Mountains before he was rescued discovered by a friend of Amy Tryon.  The bay Throroughbred was notoriously difficult to ride, but he and Amy managed to form a partnership that took them to two Olympics (2004 and 2008) and two WEG teams (2002, 2006).  There, they earned a Team Gold, Individual Bronze (WEG), plus Team Bronze from the Olympics (where I believe he was one of the very few horses to showjump double clear in *both* rounds).  Poggio was 3rd at Rolex in 2002, in awful wet conditions, where he was also named "Best Conditioned Horse."  Pogi was always a fan favorite to watch, even if his "RUN RUN RUN-chip-JUMP!!!!" style made you gasp a few times.

AUSSIE/KIWI REGION

1.  READY TEDDY

Photo by Bernie Saunders

Ridden by Blyth Tait, Ready Teddy represented New Zealand in the 1996 Olympics at the age of 8...and won Individual Gold, Team Bronze.  In 1998, Teddy did it again, winning Individual Gold and Team Gold at the WEG in Rome.  He also won Burghley CCI*** in 2001.   

vs.

4.  BOUNCE

Partnered with Vaughn Jefferis in 1994, Bounce would become a top competitor for New Zealand.  He won the Individual Gold medal at the 1994 WEG at the Hague, Team Bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and Team Gold at the 1998 WEG in Rome.  Bounce was third at Badminton in '94 (behind fellow NZ competitors Mark Todd and Blyth Tait).  

 

(1) In the advanced A, Becky Holder and Courageous Comet moved up to win after Kim and Tipperary Liadhnan pulled three rails.  Phillip and Woodburn remained in 3rd with just one rail.

Last week, a commenter asked about a good way to hang up a chain shank, so I thought that would be a suitable topic to discuss today.

First: what is a chain shank, aka stud chain?  It's a simple strap of leather, about seven feet long, with a smooth-link chain at one end.  It is used in several different configurations to give the handler more control over a difficult horse.  For most purposes, I like a 30" chain, as fits larger heads comfortably (and face it-- the larger heads are usually the ones that need some "help").

How to use a chain shank?  Like any tool, shanks can be abused.  The metal rests across sensitive areas of the horse's face, and it doesn't take much force to do damage.  Use as little pressure as necessary, in a "tug/release" fashion-- never just a constant dragging pull.  NEVER tie a horse in a chain shank!  And if you don't need it, do not use it.  I have seen several accidents where the chain is run through the chin ring and snapped back to itself, leaving a dangerous loop; the horse, grazing with his head down, puts a foot through the chain loop and it is a scary situation.  Use a plain lead rope, or put that chain around the nose-- just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use it.  Yes, I know you can twist the chain around its length and "eliminate" the dangerous loop...but the swivel on the chain eyelet can easily untwist the chain and expose the open loop.  Simply clipping the snap directly to the chin ring leaves 30" of chain to swing around, and forces your bare hand to hold onto it (ouch).  Wrap it around the nose, or leave it in the tack box.

So, how do you put the chain on?  There are several possibilities: over the nose, under the chin, through the mouth, or over the gums.  Under the chin is primarily stock horse at halter style, and serves little functional purpose...it tends to raise the horse's head, usually not what you want when leading a difficult animal.  Through the mouth is standard for most (TB) breeding stallions; it gives some control and something to chew on (besides your arm).  A lip chain is very severe, generally only used in "do or die" type situations where human and horse safety is in jeopardy.  It can be as effective as a twitch for some horses.  Others may react violently, so be very careful!

         
   Over the nose                          Under the chin                                    Through the mouth


Under the lip: notice how the chain is run through the upper ring, and snapped back to itself.  This takes up extra slack in the chain, keeping a constant gentle pressure on the gums and preventing the chain from slipping over the teeth.  This allows the handler to hold the leather part of the shank lightly, instead of having one hand on the extra chain in a death-grip to keep the chain from slipping down.  It is a very effective method of restraint.  NOTE: only use this technique if you know the horse is accustomed to a lip chain.  Rarely, a lip chain can cause a horse to fight or panic, and you will WANT that chain to slip down off the gum, to calm the horse.    



Over the nose is the most common, useful method for a bully, dragger, or full-of-beans horse.  A good snap of the chain, with proper timing, can correct most antics.  Typically, the chain is run through the near-side ring on the nose of the halter, through the off-side nose ring, and snapped to the off-side cheek ring.  However, in this fashion, it is very easy to twist the halter into the horse's eye.  Instead, I prefer around the jowl (if the chain is long enough) or completely encircling the nose (if the chain is shorter).  Neither of these configurations will twist the halter into the eye.  Around the jowl begins on the near-side nose, to the off-side nose, under the chin, and clipped to the upper near-side cheek ring.  Around-the-nose begins and ends under the chin, and may also be clipped back to the chain itself, preventing "choke-chain tightening" if you so desire.  Any way you wrap it around the nose, make sure it is twisted around the noseband once, to prevent the chain from slipping down the bridge of the nose, or tightening excessively.  I prefer to take up as much chain as possible on the halter; if you've ever been hit in the face by the swinging eyelet on a long slack chain, you know it hurts!  If the chain is pulled fully through the halter, there is no slack to worry about.

                                                       
Typical over-the-nose style:                                                              Around-the-jowl technique: notice the wrap
No wrap around noseband,                                                              around the noseband, through the side ring,
Too-tight chain pulls halter into eye,                                                through the chin ring, and clipped back on    
 as chain is clipped to off-side cheek ring.                                         the near-side cheek ring.  No twisting into eye.


As mentioned in the Odds & Ends, I always have a chain shank in my trailer.  You never know when a horse may need it; a super-fit three-day horse can sometimes feel a little high on himself, especially in the vet box.  Perhaps your normally-placid horse at home grows three hands at his first horseshow and drags you everywhere.  Or maybe you HAVE to load a horse in the trailer immediately in an emergency-- maybe a lip chain could help if he is extremely belligerent (in such a situation I would always have a second lead rope snapped to the halter chin).

So, on to the reader's question.  With plain braided cotton or nylon lead ropes (I prefer cotton, less burning the hands when a horse goes moby dick), it is common to twist them up into a neat, condensed spiral to hang on the bridle rack.  But, what about leather chain shanks?  You may simply hang them with the end looped through the chain eye.  Or, to keep them off the ground, I prefer to coil it as taught my by grooming sensei:




Step 1: insert leather end of shank through the chain eyelet, with the leather "inside-out" (rough side up).


Step 2: pull the shank all the way through the eyelet until a circle about 4" in diameter is left.


Step 3: Start at the leather end, and coil the shank very tightly RIGHT SIDE UP (smooth side out).


Step 4:  Continue coiling the shank tightly until the roll is about the same size, slightly smaller than the leftover loop.  Notice the linear figure-8 shape, with the open loop rough-side out, and the coiled loop smooth-side out.



Step 5:  While holding on to the coiled roll, flip the open loop "right-side-out" (vertically) and wrap it over your coil.  Obviously this takes two hands, but I had to hold the camera with my left hand.  Fiddle with the size of the loop so that it fits snugly around the coil.  It holds itself together!  Once you get the hang of this technique, it takes about 30 seconds.  Of course while you're learning, you may fumble around a bit. 






Snap the chain back to itself, and it's ready to hang on a bridle hook.  Neat and tidy!  To undo it, pop out the center and pull the leather through the eyelet...very easy.  Sometimes with very dry, badly abused leather, I will coil the shank like this and then pour oil on it.  All rolled up, the leather absorbs the oil very well, and comes out a lot more supple.        

SoPo Live Scores, Poplar Live Scores

Let's take a little break from Rolex hype and March Madness, with another introspective look at the readers of EN.  So far we've met Holly, McKenna, and today we will be acquainted with Chrissy.

If you would like to be featured in an upcoming profile, please fill out the Questionnaire and email it to VisionaireEN@gmail.com.  Thanks again to all our participants...there are many profiles to post, and hopefully we will get to yours soon!



Name: Chrissy

Age: 19

Location: Highland, MD

Primary horse's name: One More for the Road (Martini)

Age, breed, pertinent info:
15, OTTB, was a multiple stakes race winner on the track and earned over $680K before being abandoned in a field and then rescued by New Vocations


Level currently competing: Training

Short term goals this spring/summer:
Qualify for USPC Champs in Training level eventing.

Year-end goals:
Training 3 Day at Waredaca!

Overall goals?
For Martini, to successfully complete a CCI* and maybe even a 1* at Fair Hill.


What's the best thing you've learned recently?
 My biggest epiphany with Martini was to learn to open your thighs while not taking your leg off. He has a lot of trouble lifting through his back because of the way he's built and the difference between his movement when I'm focusing on my thighs and not focusing on them is enormous. A Dutch Warmblood creatively named Dutch helped me to realize this.

That being said my biggest weakness is that and focusing too much on my hands when I ride. When I'm always thinking about them is when they tend to move around and accidentally jab Martini in the mouth but if I just let things be they stay quiet and steady which helps Martini to stay quiet and steady.

Favorite eventing moment/story? 
I am a proud Pony Clubber and I always try and attend the D level rallies to support the kids in my club and to help coach them. At an eventing rally a couple of years ago I was walking the cross-country course with one of the kids during the competition and we saw two competitors riding within 100ft of each other go towards the jump. The first girl fell off and hurt her arm so she was caught laying in front of the jump with the other girl coming towards her. I was readying myself to jump in front of the horse when the the little girl riding, who had been pulling the whole time, turned her horse to the left, did a perfect games dismount and landed almost right in front of the girl who was hurt the whole time asking her if she was okay.


Photo(s) or videos:

It's closer to Saturday than Friday now, but I have a few notes from the first day of competition here at SoPo:  

This week's show has a British flavor with reigning World Champion, Zara Phillips, Rolex Grand Slam Challenger, Oliver Townend, British Eventing Chief Executive Mike Etherington-Smith plus Karen Dixon pays tribute to he multi-medal partner Get Smart. Listen in. Eventing Radio Episode 68 - British Eventing:

• Show Hosts: Chris Stafford & Lucinda Fredericks
• Guest: Karen Dixon
• Guest: Mike Etherington-Smith
• Guest: Zara Phillips
• Guest: Oliver Townend
• News: Chris Hunnable has taken over chairing British Eventing's Sports Committee from Chief Executive, Mike Etherington-Smith. Chris ran the Towerlands Equestrian Centre and also a number of successful Horse Trials. He also served on the Sport Horse of Great Britain board for four years. The Sports Committee is responsible for Rules, Training, Performance, Safety and Fixtures. The move also allows Mike to concentrate on developing the Business Plan and direction of British Eventing as well as realigning the structures and operating procedures that were started in 2009.
• News: The intrepid British based New Zealander, Andrew Nicholson, won two of the three OI sections along with an Intermediate for a great start to his season. Stephen Way took the remaining OI on Secret Picnic.
• News: Oliver Townend & Piggy French dominated the big classes, with Oliver taking the AI and Intermediate, Piggy finishing 1st and 3rd in the OI and runner up in the AI.
• News: Dirk Grouwels, a 48 year-old Belgian rider, who was described as "an experienced amateur", was killed in a rotational fall on the cross-country at the Zutendaal unaffiliated one-day event in Belgium on March 14th. According to Tony McPherson, the FEI Safety Officer for Belgium, Mr. Grouwels' horse refused at a simple fence -- the first part of a combination -- the rider urged the horse on and it somersaulted over the fence. A doctor standing by the fence was at the scene immediately, but said Mr. Grouwels was killed instantly. Our sympathies go out to his family and friends.
• Please visit our sponsors as they make this show possible:

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Listen Now, Download or Subscribe:

Well I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a bit giddy.  Partly because I'm done researching Bracket Battle horses-- which has been an incredibly educational but a very tedious process-- and partly (ok, mostly) because I my beloved 'Cats made a statement in their first NCAA Tournament game.  It was a Charisma / Kibah Tic Toc style beatdown against ETSU, and I loved every second of it.  My sympathies to East TN State, and thanks for being the sacrificial lamb to a deserving #1 seed team.

Moving on, the ENCAA challenge is down to the top 16 horses.  The Round 2 matchup today features Karen's best horses against each other: (1) Biko vs (4) Prince Panache.  From the British Isles, (1) Toytown takes on (4) Ringwood Cockatoo.

COMMENT OF THE DAY:
From Anon in Australia

I had to vote for Bounce. Love love love Vaughn - great horseman and trainer. Don't feel nearly as warm towards Gill - she runs a great event, though (Adelaide 4****). Peppermint Grove was a nice horse, not a great horse. Bounce was a great horse.

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS:

It was extremely close between (4) Poggio and (5) JJ Babu, but somehow Poggio managed to squeak out the win.  Both great horses, it's a shame only one gets to move on to face the daunting Dan.  In the Aussie/Kiwi side, (4) Bounce handled (5) Peppermint Grove with relative ease and will try to take down fellow Kiwi, Ready Teddy.  

O'CONNOR REGION

1. BIKO


Photo from www.oconnoreventteam.com

 
With 17.3 hands of bright bayness, his splashy blazed face became the most recognizable feature of American Eventing in the 1990s.  Ridden by Karen O'Connor, Biko represented the US at the 1994 WEG (finishing 11th) and was a member of the 1996 Silver medal team at the Athens Olympics.  Also among his numerous highlights are a third at Badminton (1995), 8th at the European Championships (1995), and fifth at the first Rolex CCI**** (1998). Along with being made into a Breyer model, Biko was given the ultimate honor as being named the USCTA Horse of the Century in 2000.

vs.

4.  PRINCE PANACHE

4. RINGWOOD COCKATOO



Considered by some to be the most successful German event horse of all time, "Cocky" was certainly one of the most talented.  When you combined one of the best eventing dressage riders on the planet with the best eventing dressage horse on the planet, the team regularly entered the weekends with leads exceeding five points.  Cocky won ten CCI and CIC 3*'s in his career, finished second at Kentucky in 2009, and won the Pau CCI4* in 2008.  Except for the controversial start/finish line ruling at Athens, Ringwood Cockatoo would have won individual and team Olympic gold.   

For our many readers that have been added since Lindsay's last post, Lindsay is a Canadian rider who is training in England with Lucy Wiegersma.  As an aside, Lucy leads 2010's British Eventing Top 20 Riders List.  Thanks for writing Lindsay, and thank you for reading.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

From Lindsay: 

Warren Farm is clearly the place to be. There are new horses arriving here almost daily. I guess math doesn't work the same here as it does in North America. We have 4 empty stalls at the moment. There are 5 horses scheduled to return from Portugal this week. There are also 3 other horses coming in around that time. I have a feeling things are going to get "interesting". The good news is I get to ride more and more each day. We currently have about 50 horses in work, and about 10 broodmares and young horses.

The week before Lucy left for Portugal, Yogi Breisner was here to give her lessons on a few of her Advanced horses. Yogi travels to the top riders as opposed to the riders travelling to him. Things seem to work a little bit differently here than in North America. In England there is lottery funding for the Senior team members, but also for some of the Junior and Young Riders, obviously to a lesser extent. There is currently a working student here that is a Junior and he receives some funding to help pay for his competitions and training. Hmmmm, wouldn't that be nice...

While Yogi was here teaching, the school had representatives from all over the world. We had a Canadian, a Frenchman, a Brazilian, a Swede, and obviously some British as well all in the school together. As I was trotting around on my own horse, Sneaky, Yogi calls me into the middle and asks me my name. I told him, and Lucy explained to him that I was Canadian, perhaps as some sort of explanation for my craziness? It was then decided on the spot that I was to blame for the lack of snow in Vancouver for the Olympics, and also some sort of problem with the buses. I told him I would see what I could do. But anyways, he asked me if the horse I was riding was mine and that she was nice, and proceeded to tell me something to correct my position. I thought it was very nice of the British Chef d'Equipe to take the time to help a random Canadian rider he had never met before.

The first event of the season for all the horses that haven't been to Portugal is this coming weekend. I can hardly wait! We are going to Aldon which is about 3 hours away. I am entered in the Novice, the equivalent to Preliminary in the US and Canada, as Miss Lindsay Pearce. Rather more formal here. To prepare we have been to some jumper and dressage shows, and also been cross country schooling. I was feeling a little bit rusty with the cross country since my last event was at Richland Park last August, but luckily I got to school my own horse as well as a couple others so I got a lot of practice in. We have a lot of horses competing at Aldon this weekend. Something like 10 on Friday, 6 others on Saturday, and 6 more on Sunday. Sounds like a lot of braiding! Or should I say "plaiting". Apparently braiding involves extensions and beads!!

Here's to hoping (think happy thoughts for me!) my first British event goes well and that we have all kept Lucy's horses going well enough in her absence that she has a successful weekend!

This week the 2010 Radio Show has a mission; not just to entertain and inform, but to please help three outstanding and inspiring, young para-equestrians ride at this year's World Equestrian Games. Listen in as dressage legend Robert Dover explains how he got involved in helping these athletes find partners for the 2010 World Equestrian Games... 2010 Radio Show Episode 82 - Robert Dover, and Please Help 3 Para-Equestrians:

• Hosts: Samantha Clark and Glenn the Geek
• Guest: Robert Dover
• Guests: Becca Hart, Holly Bergay, and Jonathan Wentz
• News: Alltech FEI 2010 World Equestrian Games hopefuls are getting busy in all disciplines all over the world, and especially here in the United States, the competition is really beginning to heat up.
• News: Alltech unveiled another initiative last week, this time to encourage Kentucky school children to become involved in the World Equestrian Games. Dr Lyons himself was on hand at Squires Elementary School here in Lexington to explain what the World Equestrian Games are all about and also the Alltech Creative Scholar Programme, which will award free general admission tickets to the Games, to roughly one in every 25 students in participating schools.
• News: The United States Eventing Association is excited to welcome back Merial as a sponsor of the American Eventing Championships and the USEF Mandatory Outing for the Alltech FEI 2010 World Equestrian Games. With Merial's generous support, $25,000 will be awarded to the winner of the Advanced Class at the 2010 AEC.
• News: The Rolex Kentucky Four Star Event, and of course the Test Event for the Alltech FEI 2010 World Equestrian Games, which is not far away now, coming up in the third week of April. British Eventer Oli Townend, who of course won Badminton and then Burghley last year has confirmed that he's coming to Lexington to try and win Rolex and the third leg of the Grand Slam.
• News: Equestrian Australia has been fortunate once again to receive this additional funding for international travel," commented Brett Mace Equestrian Australia High Performance Manager. "The cost of competing overseas for Equestrian athletes is extremely high and any additional support is greatly appreciated. Taking the riders and vets to this event would not have been possible without the support of the Australian Sports Commission.
• News: EMC Corporation, the world's leading developer of information infrastructure technology and solutions, will be the official Physical Security Solutions Provider of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
• News: With less than 200 days to go, we now know who will be singing My Old Kentucky Home at the Opening Ceremonies, and that will be Wynonna Judd. A native Kentuckian, Wynonna will sing in front of an expected crowd of about 30,000 in the outdoor stadium. Wynonna will be a major highlight in the programme that will feature more than 200 horses and a symphony orchestra, and more acts and entertainment still to be announced.
• News: The American Saddlebred Association has announced a partnership with the Alltech FEI 2010 World Equestrian Games which will launch next week. The ASHA will be working with the World Games 2010 Foundation Inc, to make a designated website where members can buy tickets and a portion of the proceeds will go back to the breed organisation to assist the ASHA's continuing effort to promote the American Saddlebred.
• Please support our sponsors because we would not be here without them:

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Guess what?  Round 1 is almost over!  Tomorrow we will move on to the Sweet Sixteen, but first we have to close out the final pairings with (4) POGGIO vs (5) JJ BABU, and (4) BOUNCE vs (5) PEPPERMINT GROVE.  We give you horses, you give us votes and comments, we all enjoy the discussion. 

The comments were a little thin yesterday; perhaps everyone was busy filling out a REAL bracket on espn.com, yahoo.com, cnnsi.com, rivals.com, cbssports.com, nbcsports.com, ncaasux.com, and iluvbrackets.com in preparation for the beginning of some other tournament or something.  Isn't there like a basketball thingy starting soon?  Today?  Really?  I hadn't heard.

Comment of the day: our Duke fan reveals her(him?)self.  A Maryland fan, I should have known...one of the most creative fanbases on the planet, at least when it comes to hating Duke.  Terps, I salute you (though I think Michigan St will be tough to beat in the second round).

From OneMoreForTheRoad:

It was me who said Duke sucks. But I mainly hate their basketball team and their funny looking coach AND their funny looking mascot (who my sister is still convinced is an elf and not a devil).
As a University of Maryland legacy and student I find it extremely hard to be nice to anyone who has a Duke shirt on.
[Also my mom would like to agree with John in that mainly ugly people go there]

Rat-face coach and ugly people.  Indeed.  [ed note: EN would like to apologize to our Duke readers.  Visionaire still carries a grudge from 1992.  For the record, EN recognizes Duke people as intelligent and well-educated members of society.]

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS  

(4) Prince Panache rolls on to face his longtime stablemate (1) Biko in the Sweet Sixteen.  (4)Ringwood Cockatoo ran circles (even through the start flags) around (5) Get Smart, but will face more of a challenge in (1) Toytown.  Are you ready for the Sweet 16?  I am!  But first...

DAVIDSON REGION

4.  POGGIO (II)

Like something out of a Disney movie, Pogi worked in the mines as a trail horse in the Cascade Mountains before he was rescued discovered by a friend of Amy Tryon.  The bay Throroughbred was notoriously difficult to ride, but he and Amy managed to form a partnership that took them to two Olympics (2004 and 2008) and two WEG teams (2002, 2006).  There, they earned a Team Gold, Individual Bronze (WEG), plus Team Bronze from the Olympics (where I believe he was one of the very few horses to showjump double clear in *both* rounds).  Poggio was 3rd at Rolex in 2002, in awful wet conditions, where he was also named "Best Conditioned Horse."  Pogi was always a fan favorite to watch, even if his "RUN RUN RUN-chip-JUMP!!!!" style made you gasp a few times.  

vs.

5.  JJ BABU

I couldn't find a photo of JJ Babu, but My Babu was his sire (and a very influential one at that).  JJ looked much like his daddy.

JJ Babu was one of the many reasons Bruce Davidson dominated US eventing throughout the 1980s.  Bruce bought him as a yearling, and developed him into a superstar.  In 1982, JJ was 3rd at Badminton; he followed this by winning Rolex CCI***, and finishing 11th at Burghley the next year.  He earned a spot on the 1984 Olympic team (Gold), finishing 13th individually.  He completed Badminton two more times, finishing 11th and 6th in '85 and '86.  He would also be second again at Burghley and Rolex, after winning a CCI*** in Stockholm in 1987.  Sadly, JJ Babu was destroyed at age 15 when he fractured a pastern bone at Fair Hill Horse Trials.  Nine seasons of advanced, and 12 CCIs was still a good, long, successful career.

AUSSIE/KIWI REGION

4.  BOUNCE

Partnered with Vaughn Jefferis in 1994, Bounce would become a top competitor for New Zealand.  He won the Individual Gold medal at the 1994 WEG at the Hague, Team Bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and Team Gold at the 1998 WEG in Rome.  Bounce was third at Badminton in '94 (behind fellow NZ competitors Mark Todd and Blyth Tait). 

vs.

5. PEPPERMINT GROVE

With Gillian Rolton, Peppermint Grove ("Fred") was a member of two Australian gold medal Olympic teams (1992 and 1996), as well as the 1994 WEG.  He earned a very solid international record, including 4th at a CCI*** in New Zealand, and twice 7th at Saumur CCI*** (France) in 1993 and 1994.  Fred also finished first and second in '95 and '96 at the Australian Lochinvar CCI***.

Thursday is a travel day for me, so I leave Eventing Nation in the capable hands of our team of writers and our commenters who, I might add, have been absolutely on fire lately.  From the many funny comments on the Golf post (LisaB's made me really laugh), to the law student's comment on Need to Know about always reading contracts that you sign (I suggest asking for copies of anything you sign as well), to lec's several great comments, to the many many more, it's great to have so many wonderful contributors to the fun here on Eventing Nation.  Thanks guys!

Notes: SoPo 2 is one of two really packed events left on the path to Rolex (The Fork being #2) and this field is absolutely loaded.  Phillip, Boyd, Karen, and Will all have their aces going this weekend.  Also, we get our first look at Amy Tryon's A-Listed Leyland and B-Listed Coal Creek.  Lot's of B-Listers and many other Rolex hopefuls are also competing this weekend, including The Godfather on the amazing Cruise Lion.  

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

So I suppose if every rider needs a 'throw away' event, it's better to get it out of the way early on in the season, right? That's kind of how this past weekend at Southern Pines went. Though I wasn't even planning on competing there, we had some really awesome lessons the week before, and decided to see if we could somehow get in. So I must give many thanks to Abbey Dondanville, the show secretary, for doing all she could to squeeze us in at the last minute.

      I wasn't really sure what to expect going into the event, but didn't really care because I was just so excited to finally be out competing again. Dressage warm up felt great, and Duke felt spot on and relaxed. Then we got called into the separate warm up where the riders go when they are 'on deck', and Duke suddenly woke up. After many squealing and bucking canter transitions, he relaxed a bit and it was our turn to go in. I felt like I was sitting on a loaded gun as we entered the arena. I actually just had to laugh because I could tell Duke was enjoying every minute of it. It ended up being a decent test, and I was impressed with how well Duke contained his excitement.

      Duke was ready to go on cross-country, it's just been too long since I've been out on course because I definitely was cruising along with little regard for the time. I realized I was a minute away from optimum when I still had many more jumps to go. I figured instead of pushing him and rushing, I would focus on riding the rest of the course correctly, and settling for a couple time penalties. 

      I was totally pumped and ready to have an awesome stadium round on Sunday, and Duke jumped like a dream in warm up. The course was pretty straight forward, and I just wanted to have a smooth, clean round. We got about ¾ of the way through the course, and it was most likely the best round of my life until this point. Duke came around the corner to our next jump and we're heading towards the stands with the crowd, into the wind, with the jump crew sitting on a wagon previously hidden from view outside the rail.  Duke can be a bit spooky, and I think all of it at once just was a bit too much, and he spooked the opposite direction. I tried to get him straight so we wouldn't have to circle, but it was too little too late and he wasn't even focused on the jump. So we came around again and he jumped through the line beautifully, along with the remainder of the course. Oh well, can't have it all I suppose! I can forgive Duke his momentary lapse of concentration because the rest of it was so awesome.

      So,  many carrots and miles later, we are back home in Virginia ready to get back out there and redeem ourselves a bit. Next stop is Preliminary at Morven Park in a couple weeks.  I'm thinking maybe Duke just wanted something a bit more challenging to keep his attention.  And hey, we're all allowed to have a show that we later say, "what the heck was that about!?" Next time will be better, and at least it makes for a good story! 

      Thanks for keeping up, until next time,

      Carrie and Duke

OK, I think you get the hang of this bracket thing, and I'm running on fumes from foal-watching, so we'll keep it short.  Today: (4) Prince Panache vs. (5) Mr. Maxwell, and (4) Ringwood Cockatoo vs. (5) Get Smart.  Vote.  Comment.  Enjoy.

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS:

It was all chalk again, with both (3) seeds defeating the (6)s.  Out and About fought bravely, but Heyday moves on to meet his stablemate Eagle Lion in the Sweet Sixteen.  True Blue Girdwood dispatched Messiah, and will face a daunting challenge in Charisma next round.     


Comment of the day:

   From the valued poster "lec," who knows anything and everything from the International side of the bracket.  Always insightful and worth reading her comments!

Messiah was an incredible horse. He was last after the dressage on 78.8 at Barcelona Olympics as he was lame and only had a shoe on mins before. A fantastic xc round and clear showjumping catapulted him into bronze medal and team silver. Messiah was terrified of water and it was only patience that sorted out this issue. Helso influence Blyth's style in water jumps of very exagerated sitting back. The horse photographed is Ricochet.  Click here, Messiah is top left.

And, I just had to include this one from Anonymous:

By the way... DUKE really does suck.

(Anonymous, if you reveal yourself and are sincere in your agreement, I hereby award 50 votes to any horse of your choice!!)  [Ed note: I'm not sure we can do this legally, is that fair???] [John's note: Sorry, Vis., but seeing as how Duke pumps out legions of highly ugly trained lawyers and investment bankers each year, I'm afraid of EN making too many enemies in high places.  Also, Duke really has nothing to do with horses, unless we are back to talking about the coeds... Ok, but really, Duke is a great school, I encourage all of our young readers to get good grades and join the chess club so that you can apply to Duke someday, and I might even apply to the Duke law school eventually, so I don't really hate Duke.  Just their basketball team and their funny looking coach.] [Ed note: John, that's horrible and completely irrelevant to eventing] [John's note: get your own website Ed]


O'CONNOR REGION

4.  PRINCE PANACHE [Photo coming soon to a browser near you]

A stranded horse was rescued from an Arizona sandbar after its idiot rider failed fully to cross a river.

Darren Chiacchia spoke with a local Buffalo, NY news station about the charges that he had sex with a partner without disclosing that he was HIV positive.  *Warning: accident video included*

Read Darren's full interview.

Today we bring you the Davidson Region (3) Heyday against (6) Out and About, with another classic Aussie/Kiwi battle between (3) True Blue Girdwood and (6) Messiah.  Virginia Tech is still complaining about being excluded from our tournament, but the selection committee is satisfied with the participants they have chosen; VT simply didn't have the FEI record to justify their inclusion. 

You know the deal.  Vote for your favorite, then discuss your pick in the comment section, we love hearing stories!  Or complaints and whining, if you so choose.  By the way, Duke Sucks.  [Ed. note: sorry for that comment, it was entirely unnecessary.]  [Writer note: but it's true!]

Highlighted comments from Monday:

From Jo:
I voted for Teddy for all the reasons Amanda and Kim gave, but I have to admit to more than a twinge of disappointment for Tex.....he, once again, has the bad luck to be the bridesmaid and overshadowed by his flashier competition. Hardly fair to a good horse.

From the Anonymous:

I HAD to vote for Giltedge. 6 medals for the US team? How many horses win even one? It is not his fault that he was overshadowed and ended up on 2 Olympic teams with no chance of individual glory. The pony will probably win because he was memorable and had a fan club, but as another poster noted above, Giltedge had an AMAZING career which few will equal.

Anonymous also had more to say....

Murphy Himself needs to win this entire bracket. Best. Event Horse. Ever.

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS:

As the bracketologists predicted, poor (3)Giltedge once again faded into the background as the (6)Super Pony stole the spotlight and advances on to the Sweet Sixteen to face (2) Custom Made.  On the other side, (6) Murphy Himself bested (3) King William, proving that the legacy of a dazzling cross-country horse will always live on.  Murphy will face (7) Supreme Rock in the next round; the experts say Murphy will leave a two strides out on his way past Supreme Rock into the Elite 8.


DAVIDSON REGION

(3) HEYDAY


Heyday enjoyed a long, prosperous career, first competing at Advanced when he was six years old, and finishing 13 long-format three-day events in the top 20.  He was yet another plain, average bay with above-average talent for Bruce Davidson.  In 1995 they won the PanAms, and earned the team silver medal at the 1996 Olympics (9th individually).  The next year, he earned second at Blenheim CCI***.  An 8th place finish at Rolex in 1998 sent him to the WEG, as part of the bronze medal winning US team.  From 2000-2003, Heyday partnered with Young Rider Maisy Grassie.  Heyday's success continued as he showed her the ropes from prelim to advanced, winning the NAYRC CCI* championship along the way.

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(6) OUT AND ABOUT



At only 8 years old, "Outie" won the individual bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta with Kerry Milliken.  A classic American thoroughbred, running and jumping was definitely his forte.  In 1997, the pair placed 7th at Burghley and won team bronze in the 1998 WEG as the highest-placed Americans on the team.  Finishing up his career, Out and About was 3rd at Badminton in 1999.   





AUSSIE/KIWI REGION

(3) TRUE BLUE GIRDWOOD

True Blue Girdwood "Jug head" or just "Jug" was the only horse Phillip brought with him when he moved to the US in 1991.  Phillip says Jug the horse who really brought him onto the world stage.  True Blue Girdwood represented Australia in 1996 Olympics, winning team Gold in Atlanta, and also competed with Phillip at the '94 & '98 WEGs, Rolex, and Badminton (placing 6th in 1995).  After his career with Phillip, Jug mentored several of Phillip's students as a schoolmaster.


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(6) MESSIAH

...one of three Olympic equestrian sports...triathlon...dressage...no jumping...cross-country...solid jumps...timed...show jumping...arena...penalties for knocking rails...lowest score wins...like golf.

...horses (I like horses)...dress-odge (?) sounds boring, did I forget to set the dishwasher?...on the flat...cross-country now I'm confused, is that where they do the dress-whatever?...solid jumps...show jumping oh no, not another funny name...its like golf oh, ok.

It is my distinct pleasure to introduce Eventing Nation to our latest guest writer; event organizer Katie Lindsay.  One of the many great suggestions we received in our EN Census, and through emails, is that our readers would like us to showcase the different perspectives of the countless separate entities that come together to make our great sport happen each weekend.  Today I am grateful that Katie has taken the time to give us an organizer's perspective, and I am pleased to share that perspective with all of you.  Thanks Katie, and thank you for reading.  Go eventing.

After a weekend break, the Bracket Battle resumes today with the 3 vs 6 seeds from the O'Connor Region and the British Isles Region.  A major popularity contest is expected between Giltedge and Theodore O'Connor, though I would encourage you to judge them on their merit not just rabid fanaticism.  Across the pond, the successful stoic King William faces Murphy Himself and his crazy athleticism.  Vote for your favorite to send them on!  Sing your praises or grunt your grumbles in the comment section...noteworthy comments may be rewarded with extra votes toward a horse of your choice.

An anonymous commenter left a lovely note about Molokai, earning him an additional 10 votes.
 
RESULTS FROM FRIDAY: 

Despite the 10 bonus votes, (7) Molokai could not overcome the greatness of (2)Eagle Lion, falling by the score of 154-75.  (2) Charisma completely smashed (7) Kibah Tic Toc in by far the most lopsided battle of the tournament, 226-5.


O'CONNOR REGION

3.  GILTEDGE

© Nancy Jaffer

For most of his stellar career with David O'Connor, Giltedge suffered from the "always a bridesmaid, never the bride" syndrome.  He was a steady, successful horse in his own right, but "Tex" was a bit overshadowed by the glory of Custom Made and his flashy victories.  Finally, Tex achieved that elusive Big Win at Rolex in 2001.  Aside from that crowning moment, he was a constant presence on the US eventing team: Olympics in 1996 (team silver) and 2000 (team gold), WEG 1998 (team bronze) and 2002 (team gold).  He also won team gold and individual silver in the PanAm Games in 1999.  In 2002, he was named Horse of the Year by Chronicle of the Horse.   



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6.  THEODORE O'CONNOR

photo by Nowthatsatrot

Inspiring pint-sized athletes everywhere, the "Super Pony" took the event world by storm during his tragically-brief career.  Eventually paired with Karen O'Connor, Teddy finished 9th at his first three-star in 2006 at Jersey Fresh.  The next year would see him dominate the US scene, winning the Fork CIC***, finishing 3rd at Rolex, and winning individual and team gold at the 2007 PanAms.  The Pony ended up 6th at Rolex in '08, was short-listed for the Olympic team, when an unfortunate accident resulted in fatal injury.  His short glimpse of greatness proved to all that "pony power" was a force to be reckoned with.  




BRITISH ISLES REGION


3.  KING WILLIAM

Scores: Rocking Horse, Full Gallop, Southern Pines, 3 Day Ranch, Meadow Creek

 

Do you ever stare in awe at the sleek shiny horses, the glistening brass, perfect braids, and dazzling white marks at a CCI trot up?  Do you ever wonder how they get that way?  (LOTS of hard work is the correct answer!)  Each Sunday morning we will bring you a little insider info on how the big-time grooms manage an upper level event horse.  Feel free to email or comment with specific grooming questions if you have a topic in mind!

Previous entries:  Know Your Rules

Safety First  

Odds & Ends

What About Tack? Part I , Part II

                          Shining, Shimmering, Splendid

                          A Close Shave

                          Get those white legs white!

                          Hoofcare

 

We all know competition is a stressful environment.  Many things are out of your control-- ride times, course design, which side of the stall the horse wakes up on.  But there are things you can do to make your life a little easier: being well-prepared and organized can allow you to focus on your horse, your ride, and enjoy the moment.

It all starts with packing.  You know that sinking feeling, the pit of fear in your stomach when you realize you forgot something really important, like a girth, or your vest?  It's not a pleasant sensation!  Hopefully you can borrow equipment from a generous neighbor, and you will probably never forget that particular item again.  Good organizational skills will save you from such panic to begin with.

In general, it all starts with a list.  Obviously, you'll have the basics: saddles, bridles, girths, pads, etc.  Write down everything you could POSSIBLY need, and bring it all unless it simply will not fit anywhere in the truck or trailer.  It is far, far better to "have and not need" than "need and not have."  Speaking for myself, and professionals I have worked for, it is a huge help to have a set of Show Stuff that lives permanently in the trailer.  Not only is it good to have "nice" things that are protected from everyday use; but it's just less equipment that you have to remember to physically add to the trailer.  I keep a show bridle, show halter/shank, buckets, bathing supplies, trunk, water jugs (filled), horse blankets, and muck stuff in the trailer permanently, along with my show apparel (coat, vest, helmet, shirts, stock ties, etc).  I also have extra equipment, like girths, just in case.  It's very nice not to worry about these things the night before a 10-hour trip to an event.

When packing your trailer, try to plan ahead: what things do you need immediately on arrival?  Pack such items last, so they end up on top of the heap and easy to access.  Things like water buckets, stall guards, bedding, "set up" materials you need to make your horse comfortable.  Carry on this plan as you go.  I like to pack my tack trunk with saddle pads, horse boots, towels, rags, and miscellaneous things.  As I'm packing the trunk, I have a very specific layering system:  show jumping pad on the bottom, show jumping boots on that; then cross-country pad, with cross-country boots on that; then dressage pad, with any half-pads on that; then schooling pads and boots (if applicable) on top.  Packed in this manner, whatever you need is always on top, neatly arranged.  If cross-country is the last phase, I pack that stuff beneath the show-jumping stuff.  I research such things in the Omnibus beforehand.

I bring PLENTY of extra towels and rags, though I try to use the bare minimum actually at the show.  The rest of my tack trunk holds schooling gear (helmet/half chaps), braiding kit, and stall equipment (bridle hooks, snaps, chains, etc).  Again, I try to pack in the order of necessity, with important items on top in easy reach.  The top tray of my trunk holds some certain easily-to-find-when-you-need-it additions: current rule book (!!), permanent markers, tape, scissors, etc.  When I was a full-time groom, working with several other helpers, I labeled the tray very specifically so that every item had an exact proper location to find it very quickly.  I actually papered the bottom of the tray, traced the items onto their location on the paper, and labeled that location.  Thus, anytime something was removed, you could read exactly where it was to be returned.  Obsessively anal?  Yes.  But effective when many hands are handling objects and not always knowing where to put them away.

I like knowing where each and every item is at all times.  "Oh, it's somewhere in there" [pointing vaguely to an overflowing box] is not a really useful direction when someone else is trying to find something.  Have you ever been on your horse, left the barn, and realized you forgot your armband or whip?  Ever had some kind, unmounted person help retrieve it for you?  Being able to tell that someone, "It's in the blue box, left hand corner, between the spray bottle and the white towel" will greatly help them assist you.  It takes time to be organized, but it pays off in future time saved, and reduced stress. 

Trust me, I know things get hectic in the heat of the moment when you're competing.  But it usually takes only a few seconds more to accurately replace an object to it's proper place, than to just throw it "near" your pile of stuff.  In its proper place, the object is less likely to be knocked over, dirtied, spilled, lost, or "borrowed."  And it will take you far less time to find it!  Keep your stall area neat and tidy to make your job easier, not to mention safer!  A messy, sprawling stall front inhibits horses from passing in a narrow aisle (can you say Tent Stalls?!), and just begs some unwanted neighbor (equine or canine) to chew on your stuff.  Maintaining organization is also extremely important when showing out of your trailer, and space is limited and stacked-- this importance multiplies exponentially if more than one person is working out of the same dressing room.  Save your friendship--stay organized and share!

Speaking of stall areas...ESPECIALLY in tight situations, please be courteous of your neighbors.  I know many of us aren't fortunate enough to afford tack stalls to keep the aisleway clear, so be very aware of how much space you occupy.  Condense your equipment into as few boxes/trunks as possible, store bulky items (like hay bales and bedding) around the end of the barn, fold up your saddle rack or use one of those compact over-the-door hanging ones to maximize vertical space.  If you have a dog, please do not tie it on a lengthy leash and leave it unattended in a crowded aisle!  Trying to lead a big horse down a narrow path, avoiding trunks, boxes, piles of grooming gear, *and* yapping dogs trying to wind their leashes around horses' legs is not fun.  If at all possible, try to get together with your stablemates at entry time and share the cost of a tack stall between your group.  Split three or four ways, the cost becomes do-able, and will give you a safe, dry place to store your feed (or dog), among other things.

Unlike random equipment items, feed is something that you likely can't borrow from neighboring strangers.  Be sure you pack enough grain and hay for your horse to survive the weekend-- I usually like to bring a little extra, just in case something unexpected happens and we're laid over somewhere.  Unless your horse eats a lot of food (or you have multiple horses), packing an entire bag of grain and buckets of supplements (if applicable) is usually not the most efficient method.  In my experience, it's best to do the Pony Club way: packaging grain into individual feedings, with supps included.  This way, you can easily count how many feedings to prepare (plus extra one or two), without worrying about running out.  It also makes it easy for a friend to feed your horse if you are otherwise occupied (sleeping in, or walking the course).  As far as hay goes...the amount you pack can vary widely, from half a bale to a full bale per horse per day, depending on the horse and the size of your bales.  Some horses absolutely hoover it down, as they are bored in stalls with nothing to do but nibble.  Others react to the stress, don't eat as much, and tend to waste half their allotment.  It's always safer to overestimate hay consumption and pack extra, just in case.  Also remember to have some hay to fill your haynets on the drive home.

There is one inevitable result of any event you will attend: dirty tack and dirty laundry.  In both cases, try to clean the items as soon as possible.  Clean your tack between phases, and at least wipe it down after you finish.  Forgetting wet, muddy tack or boots weeks later in the trailer is not ideal!  Give it a thorough cleaning and conditioning when you get home.  Similarly, wash show laundry as soon as possible and then immediately re-pack it in the trailer.  You will thank yourself many times over next time you begin packing, and all your things are neat, clean, and ready to go.

Maintaining my packing system, and doing some work AFTER the last event, it takes very little time and effort for me to pack prior to leaving for an event.  Basically, I make up feed, throw my tack in, my grooming box, and my trailer is ready to go!  Arriving at the event knowing you have everything you need will start you off with confidence, and from there it's up to you.  

 

The two super Thoroughbred females return to the track today in preparation for their upcoming match in the Apple Blossom April 9th.  Zenyatta runs in the Santa Margarita Handicap (G1) at Santa Anita, while Rachel Alexandra is entered in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes at Fair Grounds this afternoon.  You can watch both races on HRTV.  Good luck to both!

UPDATE 6:22pm
Rachel is beaten!  Zardana, trained by John Sherrifs (Zenyatta's trainer!) edged Rachel Alexandra by about a length.  No excuses-- she had a good clean trip, but she perhaps was a little rusty after 6 months off.  Let's hope she can improve off this race to meet the big Z next month.

The Santa Margarita starts in about 15 minutes...let's see what Zenyatta has to show this year.


UPDATE 6:55pm
Zenyatta wins handily!  It was another trademark come-from-behind win, and she had plenty of gas left.  The undefeated Queen looks more than ready to take on Rachel next month! 

Four In Sack: Talk about coordination and teamwork.  The crowd loves it!


Old Hats Out, Old Socks In: The "Sock Race" requires riders to run halfway down the line, drop an old sock in the bucket, run to the end, dismount and pick up a new old sock, vault back on the pony while galloping home to hand the new old sock to a teammate, and repeat.  I wonder who donates all the old socks?


Human Agility Class: Agility requires riders to dismount and quick-step across a few buckets before vaulting back on quick as possible.  Miss a step or fall off the bucket and you have to start again.

Yesterday it was announced that Wynonna Judd will give a special performance during the opening ceremonies of the Alltech WEG. A Kentucky native, it is fitting she will sing the state song "My Old Kentucky Home." Judd is a five-time GRAMMY award winning artist and a best-selling author. The WEG showcases the collective skills of eight equestrian disciplines. Similarly, Judd represents just one musical genre to be celebrated during the Games. If you have never heard Wynonna's pipes, check out the music video for "No One Else On Earth." Musical and entertainment performances for the opening and closing ceremonies will continue to be announced throughout the spring. Tickets for the opening ceremonies are going for $120-$150. Get yours!

 

The ENCAA Bracket Battle gallops on with the 2 vs 7 seeds from the Davidson Region and the Aussie/Kiwi Region.  Eagle Lion meets his 1994 WEG teammate Molokai, in what could be a challenging duel.  On the other side, little powerhouse Charisma takes on Kibah Tic Toc.  The battles will be getting a little tougher as we work into the bracket, so choose wisely.  Vote for your favorite to send them on!  Sing your praises or grunt your grumbles in the comment section...noteworthy comments may be rewarded with extra votes toward a horse of your choice.


RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY: 

The Bracket met its first huge upset with (7) Supreme Rock knocking off (2) Tamarillo in a supreme beat-down.  We'll see if he can keep this momentum when he meets the winner of (3) King William / (6) Murphy Himself.  On the American side, it was another ho-hum blow-out win for (2) Custom Made over (7) The Optimist.  Tailor will face (3) Giltege or (6) The Super Pony in the next round.


DAVIDSON REGION

2.  EAGLE LION


Eagle Lion wasn't the flashiest of horses, and he may not have earned the most blue ribbons, but he has an incredibly solid, if not stellar, record.  With him, Bruce Davidson became the first American to win Badminton, in 1995.  The bay gelding backs this up with other top-5 finishes at Burghley (1993), Badminton (1994 and 1998), and a win at Fair Hill CCI*** (1992).  He completed Badminton four times with double-clear cross-country rounds; he placed in the top 15 in ten three- or four-star events in all.


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7.  MOLOKAI


A classic American Thoroughbred, Molokai was a force to be reckoned with on cross-country.  With Dorothy (Trapp) Crowell, he finished 4th at Radnor, was an alternate in the 1992 Olympics, and was selected for the 1996 team (but did not compete).  Mo's biggest achievement is probably the Individual Silver medal at the 1994 WEG, where unfortunate time penalties on steeplechase (due to a sprung shoe) cost him the gold.  Mo closed out his career with a second-place finish in the first Rolex CCI**** in 1998; not a bad showing in front of his hometown crowd.
 



AUSSIE/KIWI REGION

2.  CHARISMA
 

It's been a quiet couple of weeks on the Road to the Roses challenge, but that all changes Saturday, March 13.  The San Felipe, Rebel Stakes, and Tampa Bay Derby all offer big names and chances for big points.  Lookin At Lucky, Dublin, American Lion, and Super Saver are among some of the entrants.  Don't forget to set your power picks before noon on race day!

The first supplemental draft (choose 3 more horses) is coming up March 15-19, so keep your eye out for upcoming runners.  In other words, check out the winning stables in the League and "steal" their best performers.  Whatever works! 

Good luck to the EN League members, we're up to 25 participants now.  Still anyone's race!

EVENTING NATION League
Identification #  2211565550
Activation code: 976127638  

You want Lower Level Rider Profiles?  You get Lower Level Rider Profiles!  Last week we met Holly, a 52-year-old from Delaware competing training level.  This week, we feature a rider of slightly-less years, on an absolutely adorable pony.  Can we get an  "awwwwww"??

If you would like to be featured in an upcoming profile, please fill out the Questionnaire and email it to VisionaireEN@gmail.com.  Thanks again to all our participants...there are many profiles to post, and hopefully we will get to yours soon!


Name: McKenna

Age: 13

Location: Columbia, MD

Primary horse's name: Dorito Cooler Ranch  "Dorito"

Age, breed, pertinent info: 10 years old, 13.3h  Breed: "Pony" (it says it on his coggins! :)  Bay/white pinto


Level currently competing: Beginner Novice

Short term goals this spring/summer:
Improve Dressage and get better with spotting the optimum time.

Year-end goals:
Go Novice successfully and to get a dressage score in the 30's

Overall goals?
Kind of the same as the others, Stay in the lower 40's (and maybe get any score in the 30's!), get better with the optimum time, go Novice, and have at least one double clear! I know it's a lot! :)


What's the best thing you've learned recently?
Lateral work really helps with getting Dorito loose which helps him get round :)

Favorite eventing moment/story?
That's tough.....there's just so many!!  Well I would probably say at our last event of the season, Full Moon ( It's a kind of a "tradition" at our barn to do it...) I had a great Dressage test (even though the score didn't reflect it) and an awesome stadium despite one dumb rail.  And XC was amazing, Dorito responded so well and came back to me wonderfully! And if I was to say another eventing experience that wasn't riding related I would say going to Rolex, it's the best thing ever!

The ENCAA Bracket Battle gallops on with the 2 vs 7 seeds from the O'Connor Region and the British Isles Region.  Custom Made seems confident in his match-up with The Optimist, while the spunky Anglo-Arab Tamarillo takes on Pippa Funnell's Supreme Rock.  The battles will be getting a little tougher as we work into the bracket, so choose wisely.  Vote for your favorite to send them on!  Sing your praises or grunt your grumbles in the comment section...noteworthy comments may be rewarded with extra votes toward a horse of your choice.

Here's a great comment from Polly about Bally Mar, the daughter of yesterday's challenger, Bally Cor:
 
RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY: 

Despite the 10 bonus votes, (8) Bally Cor still fell victim to (1)Dan Domination by the score of 177-103 (as of 12:00 PM).  (1) Ready Teddy handled (8) Darien Powers fairly easily, winning 177-74 .  Winsome Adante will face either (4) Poggio or (5) JJ Babu in the Sweet Sixteen.  Ready Teddy moves on to meet (4) Bounce or (5) Peppermint Grove.


O'CONNOR REGION

2.  CUSTOM MADE
The Anglo-Arab Tamarillo "Tam" got his start as a show horse (go figure) and actually won Part Bred Championship at the National Arabian Horse Show in 1995 at age 3.  Fortunately for us all, the insanely athletic Tam found his way to Wiliiam Fox-Pitt and the pair had a successful career, including 2nd at Badminton twice, a victory at Badminton in 2004, a victory at Burghley in 2008, and 2nd at the European Championships in 2005.  Tamarillo had several untimely injuries that prevented him from fulfilling William's Olympic goals, including having to withdraw from Athens after a stifle injury.

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7.  SUPREME ROCK

Notes: Another great Rocking Horse spring season concludes this weekend.  Buck's My Boy Bobby is entered in the OP-A, and David is entered on one ride.  Also, if you will be at the event look out for EN, rumor has it that we might get a special shout-out.

Notes: Brandenburg's Joshua, Connought, and The Foreman are all entered at Full Gallop this weekend.  This should be a good early look at Brandenburg's Joshua and Connaught this spring.  If Connaught and The Foreman keep competing through the spring, Phillip will have one of the strongest arsenals in the history of US eventing going into the spring 3-days.

Notes: Remember competitors, the stalls don't come with bedding so pack your own.  This is a warmup for SoPo 2, which will have some big horses going in the Advanced.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

This is Hannah Burnett coming to you poolside from David and Karen's house--Lauren and I are having a little after work snack O'Connor style (cheese and crackers) and stealing some internet. Just don't tell them cause they're out golfing ;-) 

The ENCAA Bracket Battle continues today with the 1 vs 8 seeds from the Davidson Region and the Aussie/Kiwi Region.  Winsome Adante seems nearly unbeatable, as dominant as he was during his career.  Ready Teddy stands to have a tough challenge as well if he makes it to the Elite 8.  Vote for your favorite to send them on!  Sing your praises or grunt your grumbles in the comment section...noteworthy comments may be rewarded with extra votes toward a horse of your choice.


RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY: 
No surprise, (1) Biko rolled over (8) Wilton Fair 192-37.  Commenters had a good point, that Biko's legacy may be overrated...but the USCTA named him "Horse of the Century" for a reason, and most EN voters agreed.  Biko advances to face the winner of (4) Prince Panache vs. (5) Mr. Maxwell.  It's not going to be easy!

(1) Toytown survived a strong rally from (8) Glenburnie to escape the first round 122-104.  There must be some loyal Ian Stark fans on here!  Good to see Glenburnie get some support he deserves, even if it came up a bit short.  Toytown moves on to meet either (4) Ringwood Cockatoo or (5) Get Smart.


DAVIDSON REGION

1.  WINSOME ADANTE

photo by Anthony Trollope

If Biko was the American horse of the 90's, Dan is certainly the horse of the 00's.  Partnered with Kim Severson, he kicked off his domination with a win at Blenheim CCI***, then went on to win Rolex CCI**** a remarkable three times ('02, '04, and '05).  Winsome Adante was a member of the Gold Medal team at the 2002 WEG (6th individually), and won Individual Silver/Team Bronze at the Athens Olympics in 2004.  Once again he represented the U.S. in the 2006 WEG, and closed out his career with a third place finish at Badminton CCI**** in 2007.

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8. BALLY COR



Ridden by Tad Coffin, the extraordinary mare Bally Cor was a key piece in the USET's eventing success in the 1970s.  She won Team and Individual gold at the 1975 PanAms, Team and Individual gold at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, and Team bronze at the 1978 World Championships at Lexington.  As if her own record weren't enough, Bally Cor produced Jim Stamets' Bally Mar, the 2001 USEA Mare of the Year (later ridden by Karen O'Connor).  In 2004 Bally Mar was inducted into USEA's Hall of Fame.



AUSSIE/KIWI REGION

1.  READY TEDDY

Photo by Bernie Saunders

Ridden by Blyth Tait, Ready Teddy represented New Zealand in the 1996 Olympics at the age of 8...and won Individual Gold, Team Bronze.  In 1998, Teddy did it again, winning Individual Gold and Team Gold at the WEG in Rome.  He also won Burghley CCI*** in 2001.   



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8.  DARIEN POWERS

Photo from www.theage.com.au
A beautiful gray who always seemed to go round with his ears up, Darien Powers was a powerhouse on the Australian Olympic Team.  Darien won two Olympic gold medals as part of the Australian teams in 1996 and 2000, and broke the Olympic eventing dressage score record at Sydney.


 

Oliver Townend had a 'fireside chat' with the media.  Full interview, H&H recap

From Surfireeventing.com:

As a result of her accident, Jan's carotid artery was dissected, resulting in a minor stroke that caused damage to the language area of her brain. This has affected her ability to speak but not her comprehension, so that she is fully aware of what is going on around her and communicates with her doctors and us using a variety of non-verbal methods. You can imagine how frustrating this is for her! 

On Monday, she underwent surgery to repair her fractured arm, which required lots of screws to hold everything together. She'll be in a cast for about six weeks. Jan's working hard at speech and physical therapy, and will be moving to Walton Rehab for the week before heading home to Virginia and outpatient therapy.

The good news is that Jan is in peak physical and mental condition, which will undoubtedly increase the speed of her recovery.  As always, Eventing Nation will keep Jan and her family in our thoughts and prayers, and we look forward to seeing her back in the saddle soon.