He’s back
While much of the eventing community is focused on The Event at Rebecca Farm, some very cool things are happening this weekend at the Fitch’s Corner Horse Trials in Millbrook, New York. I called Boyd Martin to ask him how his clean preliminary cross-country ride with Neville Bardos felt today and all he wanted to talk about was the amazing job that the organizers of Fitch’s Corner have done putting on a to caliber event. Boyd called it a mini-Rolex type setting with a world class trade fair, including car companies like Mercedes, and tremendous activities such as a 600 person dinner tonight and a Friday night ‘meet the champions’ party. Boyd said that the organizers aeravated every inch of the cross-country and have done everything possible to make a wonderful event. Fitch’s Corner is hosting the Area I beginner novice through preliminary championships this weekend.
Another reason Fitch’s Corner feels a bit like Rolex is that two former Rolex horses are competing in the open preliminary, both ridden by Boyd. According to his vets, Neville Bardos’ recovery from smoke inhalation and burns in the tragic True Prospect fire has been nothing short of miraculous and today he finished his first cross-country course since the fire. Boyd said that he let Neville canter around the course, accelerating a bit over the best footing, and they finished about one minute over optimum. They are competing HC, so the scorers did not time them. Boyd said that Neville pulled up with ears pricked, barely breathing hard, and he trotted back to the barn. Announcer Brian O’Connor told Neville’s story as they were riding around the course. Boyd said the story nearly bright tears to Boyd’s eyes and brought loud cheers from the crowd. Up next for this pair is the advanced at Millbrook and then hopefully Burghley.
It was a great day all around for the True Prospect team. Abbie Golden, who lost Phantom Pursuit in the fire, had a great cross-country ride in the same division with Arundel and moved up from fourth to second. The Fitch’s Corner show jumping is on Sunday. Congrats Abbie and Arundel!
The second Rolex horse in action at Fitch’s Corner is Ying Yang Yo. Boyd flew on the cargo plane with Ying Yang Yo over to Rolex in 2006, which was Boyd’s first trip to the land of the free and the home of the brave. As a result of that trip, Boyd decided to move to America and work with Phillip. Ying Yang Yo is now owned by Faye Woolf, whose daughter has been campaigning him at novice and training for the last few years. Faye lost Call Me Ollie in the True Prospect fire and, since her daughter is busy focusing on school this year, she put Ying Yang Yo back in training with Boyd as a way to help with the recovery. Ying Yang Yo felt really strong today, according to Boyd, and the plan with him is to take one competition at a time. The next run will hopefully also be an advanced run at Millbrook for Neville’s old comrade. The last time Boyd rode Ying Yang Yo on the cross-country before today was in 2008 at Rolex, where Boyd took a tumble at the Head of the Lake and was knocked unconscious in the water. Boyd said he was really sitting back jumping into the first water today at Fitch’s corner.
Now, without further ado, here is video of Boyd being knocked out at Rolex. As the story goes, Boyd might have snuck out of the ambulance and tried to go get back on his horse, but Boyd will tell you that he doesn’t remember a lot from that day.
Go eventing.
