Carolina International CIC3* Cross Country Course Preview

Cloud 11 Watership Down complex.

Cloud 11 Watership Down complex.

I had the chance to zoom around the Cloud 11-Gavilan Farm Carolina International CIC3* cross country course yesterday morning, thanks to the expert golf cart driving of press officer Allie Conrad, and was delighted to check out Hugh Lochore’s challenge for this year. The CIC3* starts on cross country at 12:40 p.m. EST, so let’s take a look at the course.

There was rain Thursday during the day and at night, which made the footing sloppy around the barns and in the warm-up for dressage, but it works perfectly for the cross country. This event usually has excellent turf, and the sandy footing is one of the best, but the little bit of rain was a great addition.

The course runs along a similar path as it did last year for the inaugural CIC3*, and Hugh has changed a few key elements but kept a lot of the classic Carolina obstacles. It starts out in a very inviting way, with four good fences to get you going and into a rhythm.

The first complex comes at 5AB at the Fox Lake Trellis Turn, which uses one of the enormous skinny trellis tables that we saw last year, but the B element is a fairly inviting corner. The table is deceivingly wide and has quite a skinny front, so I expect that it will ride awkwardly for a few combinations, but there’s a good turn to set you up, and it shouldn’t cause any serious trouble.

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8ABC: Zoe’s Bank

The first real question is 8ABC, which is at Zoe’s Bank, a great complex named in honor of Zoe di Giovanni. This jump is tricky, as the A element is a skinny house up on a mound, as it was last year, and that alone sometimes rides a bit awkwardly as you try to get the horse’s eye on the top.

The good news is that the striding is lovely, and it is a perfect four to a very nice roll top, one stride angled to another skinnier roll top. You can see a little bit of the angle in the picture above, but standing next to it makes you realize that it is a lot sharper angle than you thought. I expect a few run-outs here, but it should ride smoothly for the majority of the competitors.

The next complex is Stonehenge, which looks intimidating, but it worked beautifully last year. There is a skinny jump in, and then you can just push for a good forward three over a great corner — unless you are Boyd Martin, and then you break your leg for the second year running at Carolina International.

SPEA War Horse Complex

SPEA War Horse Complex

After that, there are a few more gallop fences and a few tables on a turn before we get to 16ABC, the SPEA War Horse Complex. This was on the course last year as a similar but slightly different question, and it is another jump that seems more difficult than it rides. The turn from A to B gives you plenty of time to set up, and while the B is a bit large with the brush, the C element is a pretty inviting chevron that you can ride down to in a perfect two strides.

The big Cloud 11 Watership Down complex is at the end of the course at 20AB and 21AB, and this is where I see the most issues coming. The A element is a brush bouncing to a log drop into the water. While it measures as a bounce, I definitely see a lot of horses taking a shuffle step, especially as the B and the water aren’t completely visible on entrance.

The riders then must turn to a pretty inviting 21A, a raised log in the water, which then has a slight S bend to a fairly decent sized corner at 21B. The placement of 21B might be a bit awkward for some riders, as they struggle to get their horses’ eyes up on the last question, but there is plenty of room to bow out and have a more extensive approach if one chooses to do that.

You can watch riders tackle the course thanks to the USEF live stream. Tune in to this link at 12:30 p.m. EST.

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