Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless. Photo by Jenni Autry.
It’s been nearly one year since Kim Severson and her own Fernhill Fearless performed a dressage test at the highest level of the sport, but you wouldn’t have known it watching them today when they delivered a 26.2 to hold the lead after the first half of the big $10,000 Advanced division at Millbrook Horse Trials.
“Sparky,” a 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, has been rehabbing from an injury to his coffin bone that he sustained at last year’s World Equestrian Games, and he just came out for the first time two weeks ago in the Intermediate division at Maryland Horse Trials.
“He was pretty perfect,” Kim said after the test. “I have few complaints, especially since he’s just coming back.” As to whether she’ll be easing back into things or going for time over Tremaine Cooper’s cross country course on Saturday: “Sparky doesn’t go slow, even if I wanted him to!”
Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights led early this morning on 28.4 and ultimately sit in second place at the conclusion of the first day. Always a perfectionist, Colleen said she’s pleased with the score but still sees plenty of areas to improve, like keeping him more in front of her leg and on the vertical.
Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights. Photo by Jenni Autry.
“There are so many places that he could’ve been a little bit better — bobbles here and there,” Colleen said. “He is such a metronome; even if he’s wobbly somewhere else, he never loses his rhythm. He’s such a big, elastic mover that he kind of gets bonus points for that, but I want to know what his score would have been had it all come together.”
Colleen has a dressage lesson scheduled with Mara DePuy next Wednesday to work on those bobbles, and then she and CR, a 9-year-old homebred Clydesdale/Thoroughbred gelding she owns, will get on a plane next Friday to travel across the pond to prepare for his overseas debut at Burghley.
“The test we’re going to do at Burghley suits him a little more than this one because I can push him and use the movements to set him up, whereas in this one I don’t have anything to push him,” Colleen said. “I’m going to continue working to smooth out everything to see if I can keep him more animated.”
Holly Payne and Santino. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Holly Payne Caravello and Santino continued the good form they showed in their win at the Cosequin Stuart CIC2*, scoring 28.8 to round out the top three at the halfway point of the division. Holly said at Stuart that she hopes they have finally rounded the corner from the string of bad luck that has seemed to follow “Sonny,” a 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by Bethann Groblewski. Touch wood, but it looks like the stars are aligning for this pair!
Justine Dutton and Jollybo, an 11-year-old British Sport Horse mare she owns with Sport Ponies UK, really rose to the occasion today, delivering the best test of their Advanced career to sit in fourth place on 29.3. Justine said after the test that she worked through a lot of kinks in a lesson with Buck Davidson yesterday, and everything came together today for “the test of our life!”
Two-time defending winners Laine Ashker and Anthony Patch have some ground to make up if they went to taste victory for the third year running — they’re sitting in fifth place on 29.4 — but the scores are also very tightly bunched at the top of the leaderboard. Less than 4 penalties currently separate the top seven, and time is notoriously tough to make at Millbrook.
Justine Dutton and Jollybo. Photo by Jenni Autry.
This venue is also known for its rather spectacular summer storms, and we had several strong cells roll through this afternoon, causing a slight ring delay after the lunch break. Boyd Martin and his new ride Blackfoot Mystery were circling the ring to start their Intermediate test when the worst of the first storm hit (click here to watch a video on EN’s Instagram).
In other news, many of you have been sending us messages asking if the horse that escaped his stall yesterday has been located. Dromolin, an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Amy Kates and his junior rider Hailey Kates, was found around noon about 10 miles away from the grounds after being loose for 22 hours.
Thankfully, he was found without a scratch on him and just missing one shoe. His shoe has since been tacked back on, and a vet is scheduled to check him over this afternoon to decide if Hailey should continue on with her plans to compete in the Junior Novice division this weekend.
There is no wifi on the grounds, so I’ll be bringing you updates in the afternoon. Be sure to follow EN on Twitter and Instagram to see updates throughout the day at the venue. The rest of the Advanced division starts dressage at 9:30 a.m. EST, and I’ll be tweeting ringside. Special shout out to the Pony Clubber volunteers, who have been passing out delicious homemade cookie bars all day. Go Millbrook!
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