Surely John, and most of Eventing Nation know by now that maths, scores, anything remotely analytical, geographical or technical is way beyond me, so please do not wait up for lists of anything; instead I can give you lots of dogs, horses, random pictures and interviews, in no particular order, because that’s how my brain works – it’s a wonder I’m still here! Besides, all the scores are here.
Allison Springer rode another beautiful test on Arthur to take the lead, as expected, this afternoon in the CIC 3* at Rebecca Farm. Each time I see them compete, I second guess Allison in the warm up, think Arthur looks as if he’s going to lose it at any minute, and wonder if she’s miscalculated her warm-up, (because of course I know her horse far better than she does, ahem!), but every time she goes into that arena they just turn it on. Allison is an excellent, technical test rider, she doesn’t leave any marks behind and although she’s a subtle, quiet rider it’s also very obvious that she’s really riding the horse, being proactive about squeezing every mark possible out of each movement.
Carl Bouckaert was the unluckiest rider today on the lovely Cyrano Z: drawn to go immediately after the break, they watered and dragged the warm-up arenas for the 15 minutes before his test which left him very little space to work, not to mention having to avoid the somewhat cavalier drivers! Drawing on his considerable experience, he was able to get some nice moments out of Cyrano Z who was pretty upset on entering the arena, and finished with a decent score.
The cool temperatures, a brisk wind, and the cross country start close by all added up to an electric atmosphere which some horses coped with better than others. Allie Slusher did a lovely test on Last Call and I’m certainly not the only one who thinks she was rather hard done by on the marks.
Hawley also said that she’s been coming to Rebecca Farm since it started ten years ago, and that it’s the perfect prep event for the fall three-days. She also referenced the cold weather, and joked that this was perfect for acclimatising for England too.
Just in case you thought we were exaggerating!
Heather Gillette sits in second place, and was thrilled with Our Questionnaire’s test. She told us that Cassie Segal gave him a kiss at the barn before she got on and left a big lipstick mark on his nose, so from now on that will be her lucky routine! I had a brief chat with Heather at the end of the day, and hope to have that up for you soon. Sharon White got the section started with a very fit and strong looking Rafferty’s Rules. There were some flashes of brilliance, but he looked impatient to get on with tomorrow’s job, shaking his head and losing rhythm occasionally.
John Michael Durr on Warrick
Sara Kozumplik on Manolo Blahnik who has such a lovely, soft and yet springy looking canter. His test was really nice until the walk when Sara just couldn’t contain his enthusiasm any more and jogged for most of it which was a shame. She was another rider who brought him out to work earlier and he’d been pretty fresh then too.
Debbie Rosen and The Alchemyst
Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM who did a nice test but looked even better in the warm up. Buck made an error of course in the walk, and Reggie was swishing his tail and looked a bit tense in the arena. Buck told me he’s heading to Galway Downs with him this autumn – it’s easy to forget he’s only 11 years old and yet in the last twelve months has jumped clean round Burghley and Badminton.
Joe Meyer and Snip performed a businesslike test as you’d expect from a pair who’ve contested World Games, Badminton’s and Olympics together. Snip looks fantastic for nineteen years old, and is a credit to tough kiwi thoroughbreds!
Props to Katie Ruppel who handled Sir Donovan with extreme tact, and even managed to smile ruefully as she came out of the arena. He was beginning to act up in the warm-up, and sure enough did not want a bar of his dressage test, but she managed to get through it with grace, and I hope she has a super cross country, which surely won’t make up for it, but won’t add to the misery!
Cross country starts at 7:30am saturday morning, and I had a lovely chat earlier with Tamra Smith and Heather Gillette, who are both delightful, and which I hope to have uploaded soon. Bundle up warm if you’re in northwest Montana, see you in the morning and go eventing!
