Plantation Field CIC3* Cross-Country Course Preview

Mike Etherington-Smith makes his glorious return to U.S. course design with this year’s Plantation Field International Horse Trials CIC3* course. He takes over for Tremaine Cooper, who is still designing the courses at all the other levels, and Mike has made a number of changes from last year’s course, which you can see here.

As the final prep track before many of these CIC3* riders face Derek di Grazia’s notoriously challenging Dutta Corp Fair Hill International CCI3* course, it’s important that Plantation Field get horses and riders on their toes. Mike’s course certainly does that, and it’s challenging but fair.

Two key combinations to note come at fences 12 and 20, both set on a forward two strides, with fence 12 having the door wide open to the right, and fence 20 leaving plenty of room for error with two skinnies. The course is going to reward aggressive, forward riding, which is exactly the type of momentum riders will need to carry forward to Fair Hill.

The final water complex, which caused quite a bit of trouble last year, has been totally overhauled since last year’s debacle, and while I’m not a huge fan of up banks out of water, I think this one is presented well, with a comfortable one-stride distance out of the water and up and over the arrowhead.

The course will make for a very exciting day on Sunday, especially for spectators, as the coffin complex at fences 8 and 9 and the first water complex at 10 are clustered close together, making for a great viewing experience. What do you think of Mike’s new CIC3* course, EN? Weigh in with a comment below.

Plantation Field International CIC & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Times] [Live Scores]

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