Clark Montgomery savoring the moment after his win at Blenheim. Photo via Facebook.
It was a couple of years ago that the brand new U.S. Team Coach David O’Connor was specifically outlining the steps it would take to get the USA back on the international podium, and we have slowly but surely seen the efforts of DOC, the horses, riders, owners and everyone else in between, make monumental strides towards that goal. The fact that Clark Montgomery won the massive CCI3* division at Blenheim in England and another three American riders finished in the top twelve all while a class field of competitors impressed at Plantation Field this weekend seems to drive that reality home. Success certainly isn’t something that happens overnight, especially not in the horse world. Here’s to hard work paying off!
Blenheim Links: Website, Ride Times & Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram, @samanthalclark
Plantation Field Links: Website, Schedule & Ride Times, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram, @jenniautry
U.S. Weekend Action:
Stoneleigh-Burnham School Fall H.T. [Website]
Marlborough H.T. [Website]
Tryon Riding & Hunt Club H.T. [Results]
Fleur de Leap H.T. [Website]
Otter Creek Fall H.T. [Results]
Twin Rivers Fall H.T. [Results]
Stanton Farms H.T. [Results]
Stone Gate Farm H.T. [Results]
Monday News and Notes:
Lynn Symansky will be coming to Area 1 November 7 and 8 for a 2-day clinic at Thunder Crest Performance Horses in Tivoli, NY. The cost for the weekend is $400, or to ride a single day is $250. Stabling is available for $30/night. Each rider gets one auditor free, and auditing will be $20/person. Snacks and light refreshments will be provided. Anyone interested can email [email protected] for entry info! [Clinic with Lynn]
After she was diagnosed with cancer in May of this year, 17-year-old Hannah Francis and her trusty sidekick Willberry the Wonder Pony started documenting her journey back to good health through social media. Many people have come together to support Hannah and inspired others to fundraise for cancer research and other important causes. [Event for teenage cancer patient raised nearly £15,000]
Sally Ike was honored with the 2016 Spirit of the Horse Award by the Rutgers University Equine Science Center. Sally is a lifelong horsewoman whose contributions to the sport through her work with the USET and USEF have not gone unnoticed. But she humbly states that the award does not recognize how she has changed the horse world, but how horses have changed her. [Sally Ike honored]
Six horses in North Carolina have died after ingesting alfalfa contaminated with blister beetles. Officials have narrowed the source of poisoning down to 500 bales from Kansas that were sold through Murphy Farm Hay and Feed in Louisburg and Jones Farm Hay and Feed in Middlesex on or after August 11. [Blister beetles contamination]
Jennifer McFall is coming home from Blenheim with a new horse. Be Real is a 4-year-old Irish Event Horse prospect by Ramiro B out of a Puissance mare. He was the top priced horse at the Brightwells Blenheim Elite Event Horse Auction, selling for £23,000. [Irish horse tops eventing sale]
