The World Equestrian Games are less than a month away and it’s crunch time for the US and Canadian team hopefuls at Richland. Between Richland and the AECs, short listers have less than 30 minutes of competition time left to impress the selectors and one momentary bad decision will leave them waiting till next year. We got a feel on Thursday for which riders have developed the most over the past few months. We’ll examine the advanced dressage results from Thursday division by division.
Link: Richland Scores
CIC3*: Nate Chambers leads after the dressage–again
1. Nate Chambers and Rolling Stone II 45.9
2. Boyd Martin and Remington XXV 47.6
3. Selena O’Hanlon and Colombo 50.8
4. Karen O’Connor and Mandiba 50.8
5. Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos 51.1
Nate and “Roly” took on 7 short listers in their division and numerous other excellent dressage horses and still took the lead by nearly two points–not a bad day of work. Nate has been working with David recently and the improvement in the dressage shows. A few weeks ago, Nate also led his Millbrook advanced division after the dressage and held onto the lead up until the show jumping.
The word on Boyd is that he has really bought into the USET’s coaching staff and philosophy this year. I know Boyd has been working really hard and the results show it. 2nd on Remington and 5th on Neville is absurdly good riding. It’s time to stop thinking about Boyd as just a XC specialist–he’s bringing it in all three phases these days. Neville has to feel Remi breathing down his neck. It’s no surprise to see Selena and Karen round out the top 5. Mandiba won the CIC3* at Rebecca Farms and I don’t really see a reason why he won’t win this one.
Link: Leslie Mintz Photos
Advanced-A: Short listers galore
1. Allison Springer and Arthur 29.1
2. Phillip and The Foreman 30.6
3. Phillip and Woodburn 32.8
4. Amy and Leyland 33.1
When the Richland entries first came out, Woodburn was in the CIC3* and “Chip” was in the OI, but Phillip moved both of them into the advanced. In my mind, it’s Woodburn all the way for Phillip unless something crazy happens. The one other US short listed pair in this division aside from the top 4, Holly Hudspeth and Last Monarch, are looking to move up over the weekend. Amy’s other ride, Coal Creek, is in fifth place after the dressage.
While the two advance divisions were doing dressage, two horses reportedly got loose and galloped around the dressage area and apparently even into the specator area. The two horses conveniently got their pre-XC wind sprints and Point Two Airjackets will be dispensed to spectators for the rest of the weekend.
Advanced-B: Comet, Joshua, and Tipperary tie for the lead
1. Becky Holder and Courageous Comet 29.3
1. Stephen Bradley and Brandenburg’s Joshua 29.3
1. Kim and Tipperary Liadhnan 29.3
4. Diana Burnett and Manny 31.0
Whoever the organizer is who decided to put those three horses in the same division has a twisted sense of humor. And the good news is that I can finally spell “Tipperary Liadhnan” without looking it up.
Stephen and Joshua are one of the most interesting pairs this weekend. Joshua’s record looks like Stephen has been saving the horse over the past two years for this coming month. Is Joshua good enough to do a couple of events a year and then show up at Richland looking WEG ready? I’d bet yes.
Buck placed 11th in the advanced on Bobby on 37.7 and 6th with Titanium. With an 8th in the CIC3* on Ballynoecastle, Buck has some ground to make up on his short list counterparts over the weekend.
I haven’t mentioned the Canadians much in this recap because I wasn’t blown away with their placings. Colombo, Port Authority, and Manny were the only three Canadian horses to finish in the top halves of their divisions on Thursday. That said, the weekend is young. After being originally entered in the CIC3* a few weeks ago, Amistand and Gin & Juice did not start the event.
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Other random news and notes from Thursday:
Jane Forbes Clark is the first owner to have horses in 3 different sports qualify for the WEGs
Ecogold’s WEG saddle pads look pretty sweet
This weekend is the last chance for Kiwi WEG selection
