Jennie Brannigan and Twilightslastgleam. Photo by Abby Powell.

“I’m just proud of yesterday and I’m proud of how hard the horse always tries. As I get older, I realize it’s not always about being perfect. It’s about enjoying it when it goes your way.”

Wise words were spoken today by Jennie Brannigan, who clinched the CCI4*-L victory at this year’s MARS Bromont CCI Three Day Event aboard Tim and Nina Gardner’s Twilightslastgleam (National Anthem — Royal Child, by Northern Baby). Despite lowering two rails, they leave Canada with a first FEI win for the 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding on a final score of 42.2.

“I knew that he would be pretty tired, but he was trying his heart out. Obviously you want to jump a clear round but that horse deserves to have a win and I’m really proud of him,” she said. “And the Gardners — they deserve this.”

Jennie Brannigan and Twilightslastgleam. Photo by Abby Powell.

The road back to the upper levels after diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease and other setbacks was not a smooth one for “Comic”, as we detailed in yesterday’s cross country report, but Jennie and the Gardners’ careful care and belief in the horse are reaping the rewards and the future looks, dare we say, gleamingly bright for this pair.

After Liz Halliday-Sharp withdrew Cooley Moonshine ahead of this morning’s horse inspection, Canada’s Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit had slotted into second place ahead of today’s action. However, a costly round moved them down the leaderboard and left the door open for compatriot Lindsay Traisnel and Bacyrouge to overtake them. Lindsay and “Dreamy” jumped a clear round just two seconds over time and finish with a score of 43.6, ultimately jumping from ninth after dressage to finishing their weekend in second place.

Lindsay Traisnel and Bacyrouge. Photo By Abby Powell.

A native and current resident of Windsor-Essex County in Ontario, Canada, Lindsay originally purchased Bacyrouge as a resale project while she was living and training France. She and her husband (a fellow rider and trainer, to whom she also credits her and Dreamy’s success) ultimately sold everything else they had in order to keep the Selle Francis gelding (Mylord Carthago*HN – Leila, by Clyde de la Combe) and he is now owned by Lindsay’s parents, who have also played a large role in helping the couple develop their business in Canada and balance their family life with two daughters.

Windsor-Essex County, by the way, its just under the “thumb” of Michigan, if you need a geography lesson — they are actually closer to the Kentucky Horse Park than they are to Bromont! Even though other spring long format options may have been tempting, Lindsay insisted up bringing in Dreamy to Bromont for his spring season finale and they had no problem tacking yesterday’s cross country test.

“He’s got a lot of blood, he loves to gallop, he’s really scopey. As long as I’m on it, he does it,” Lindsay said. “So it’s good for him when the cross country is really tough and a real endurance test. He didn’t feel the mud … it didn’t tired him out. I got to the finish thinking I should have gone faster.”

While Lindsay was originally aiming for potential team selection for next year’s Pan America Games, she’s now eyeballing a trip to Italy this fall as a possibility if the stars align.

“I feel ready. If I get chosen, I’m ready to go!”

Boyd Martin and Contessa. Photo by Abby Powell.

Third place belongs to the pair that delivered the only double clear show jumping round in the division: Boyd Martin and 13-year-old Contessa. The pair originally sat in fifth after dressage, gathered some time across country yesterday, and finishes their weekend on a score of 43.9.

The Holsteiner mare (Contender — Veritas, by Esteban) was bred in Germany and imported for Boyd thanks four long-time supporters — Fernanda Kellog, Gloria Callen, Kelly Morgan, and Densey Juvonen — and was one of the first horses that Boyd was able to pick out for himself after establishing himself in the U.S.

“She’s everything you dream of,” said Boyd. “She looks like a Thoroughbred, but she’s got sixty-percent blood and she’s a hell of a galloper, careful jumper, and she’s got a big canter, which makes the dressage flying changes tough at the moment, but you know, after yesterday I think she’s for sure a five-star horse.”

Boyd Martin and Miss LuLu Herself. Photo by Abby Powell.

It was another young up-and-comer in Boyd Martin‘s stable who ended up taking the crown in the CCI3*-L division.

At the beginning of the competition, nine-year-old Hanoverian Miss LuLu Herself (Stozenfels — Noisette, by Nobre XX) had sat just 0.2 marks off of Liz Halliday-Sharp’s lead. The mare added a bit of time on cross country, dropping the pair to third place after two phases, but emerges at the top of the leaderboard this afternoon thanks to a double clear show jumping round which sees her finish on a score of 31.9.

Bred by Sandra Konig, Boyd also found this mare in Germany and had the help from another great supporter, Bonnie Stedt, in bringing her stateside as a four-year-old.

“She was the only one crazy enough to buy her sight unseen,” Boyd recollected. “She’s a rocket, mate. She’s a hot, spicy little number and fantastic, real careful jumper and it’s been a good journey to get her to this stage. It’s very, very impressive how she went [across country] yesterday.”

Boyd says he plans for the mare to spend the rest of the year becoming more established at the three-star level before continuing her upward trajectory since she’s a bit of a careful, spooky horse and as such as taken his time producing her.

Valerie Pride and Favian. Photo by Abby Powell.

Just four horses remained to show jump in the CCI4*-S division today. All took at least one rail, but Valerie Pride and her own Favian (French Kiss – Risiko, by Relevant) retained their lead and earned the win, adding just a touch of time in addition to the rail. They finish the weekend with a score of 56.1.

“I’m so thrilled for him,” Valerie said. “He just shows up for work every day and the fact that he could be one of the last men standing at this challenging four star, I’m really proud of him.”

We’re wishing Valerie and Favian (and hopefully Theodore, too) well as they look towards putting best hooves forward in England this fall, where they’ll be basing in William Fox-Pitt’s yard in preparation for Blenheim in September .

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C. Photo by Joan Davis/ FlatlandsFoto.

Liz Halliday-Sharp intended for this weekend at Bromont to be more of a “get to know you” experience for Miks Master C (Mighty Magic – Qui Luma CBF, by Flyinge Quite Easy 958), who only just joined her string with owners Ocala Horse Properties and Debby Palmer. A win in the 2*-L is icing on the cake.

“He’s an experienced horse, so this was more just an education round for all of us,” Liz explained. “This was his first run of the year as well. But he was super, I had a great time.”

Miks Master C has prior experience through the 4* level with former pilot Maya Black, so Liz plans to up the ante a bit as the year progresses, naming Boekelo as a potential fall goal for the 10-year-old gelding.

Beyond that, the remainder of the top four in the 2*-L remained unaltered after the final phase of competition: Phillip Dutton finishes second with Denim (owned by Ann Lapides, Caroline Moran, and Neil Sites), Allison Springer in third with No May Moon (owned by Nancy Winter), Jennie Brannigan fourth with Kismet (owned by Nina Gardner) — a half-sibling, sharing a sire, with Twilightslastgleam.

Liz now jets straight from Canada to Germany to meet up with Cooley Quicksilver and contest the Luhmühlen CCI5* and we’re wishing them all the best.

Cassie Sanger and Fernhill Zoro. Photo by Joan Davis/ FlatlandsFoto.

Cassie Sanger stalked the leaderboard of the young riders’ CCI2*-L all weekend with one of two rides in the division: Fernhill Zoro. Their double clear round today clinched them the win with a score of 30.6 after two phase leaders Ayden Schain and Fernhill Hole Shot tipped two poles to leave them on a 35.5 at the end of the weekend.

Fresh out of her junior year, this is 17-year-old Cassie’s first trip to Bromont and she’s here with her trainer, Darrah Alexander, with whom she’s been riding since she was 12, of Pine Plains, New York.

“It’s gorgeous, and for show jumping and dressage, it was definitely a lot of atmosphere,” Cassie reflected. “On cross country, the course was definitely tough and up to the level so I was definitely paying attention the whole way around.”

Fernhill Zoro is a 14-year-old Anglo-Arab gelding (Verdi — Oronia 2, by Voltaire) who was ridden through the Advanced by Cassie’s barn mate Alice Roosevelt. Once Alice decided to pursue law school, she handed the reins to Cassie.

“He’s very special and it worked out really, really well.”

We’ve enjoyed a weekend in Quebec and thank you for following along with our coverage! Time to hit the road home — Go Eventing!

MARS Bromont International (Quebec, Canada): [Website] [Final Scores] [EN’s Coverage] [EN’s Instagram]

Jennie Brannigan and Twilightslastgleam. Photo by Abby Powell.

As predicted, the cross country tracks shuffled the standings across all divisions today at the MARS Bromont International Horse Trials here in Quebec, Canada.

First off — we have a new leader of the marquee CCI4*-L division, Jennie Brannigan and 12-year-old Thoroughbred Twilightslastgleam (National Anthem — Royal Child, by Northern Baby), who turned in the fastest round of the day in this division.

With the wet ground and constantly changing terrain, Jennie was particularly happy to sat aboard a blood horse over this course. No riders were able to catch the optimum time of 10 minutes 5 seconds, but this pair came the closest as they crossed the finish flags just three seconds over. The addition of only 1.6 time penalties lifts them into the lead from their eighth place position after dressage. They’ll enter the show jumping arena tomorrow on a score of 34.3.

Jennie was especially thrilled to have such a great day aboard a horse that she’s ridden throughout it’s life and up the levels. She’s had the ride on “Comic”, a homebred of owners Tim and Nina Gardner, since he was four years old after he was deemed too dangerous for the racetrack. Now age 12, the gelding has battled physical ailments throughout his career. A hot leg and concerns about possible brewing injury kept him them from contesting the FEI World Young Horse Championships at Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers in France after having received the Holekamp/Turner YEH Grant, and then Lyme Disease diagnosis dampened his return to form.

Jennie Brannigan and Twilightslastgleam. Photo by Joan Davis/Flatlandsfoto.

“For a while, to be honest, we weren’t sure if he was going to be a five-star horse because he really gives it all and he felt a little bit maxed out just because I think of his physical issues,” said Jennie. “But this spring was the first time he’s ever tested negative for Lyme and I think he’s in really good form.”

“This is his third four-star long now and he just keeps getting better and better. The Gardners love him. I love him. Erik [Duvander] has really believed in him and has helped me so much with him. I ran him at Tryon, I ran him at Rebecca, and now I’ve ran him here and we’re thinking more and more of him,” Jennie continued. “I’ve always thought the world of him, I just think he’s had physical problems. We specifically brought him [to Bromont], because if they can jump around this, that’s a good sign. Besides Morven [Park] I don’t really know of anything else on the continent that’s like this [terrain].”

“I could have gone faster. But, you know, you want to bring him home safe. And yeah, it’s pretty devastating to come back and hear about Allie’s horse. She’s a very good friend of ours.”

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Moonshine. Photo by Abby Powell.

Dressage leaders Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Moonshine garnered 11.2 time penalties and will move on to show jumping tomorrow with a score of 37.0 —- not quite leaving a rail in hand for Jennie.

In his first 4*-L, the 10-year-old Cooley Moonshine (Cobra – Kilpatrick Duchess, Kings Master), owned by The Monster Partnership showed up in every way that Liz hoped.

“Honestly, I think I could have gone faster by a little bit,” she told us. “But I just thought, I don’t know what horse I’m going to have with how bad the ground was in the morning. But he really was still pulling me all the way up to about nine and a half minutes, which is pretty cool.”

Liz taps this horse to be, hopefully, a future “real deal” 5* horse. “He’s kind of a freak of a horse, anyway — he’s strong and a little bit crazy, which is probably what you need!”

Jessican Phoenix and Wabbit. Photo by Abby Powell.

Home country favorites Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit (Line of Departure – No Kissing, by Great Gladiator), owned by Jim Phillips, jumped up the leaderboard from 13th position overnight to third place, thanks to the second-fastest round of the day. They addd 4.8 time penalties and will be within less than a rail of second tomorrow.

The CCI4*-S, meanwhile, saw a lions share of the trouble today, seeing just five of 12 starters finish the track that shared multiple questions with its Long counterpart.

Valerie Pride and Favian. Photo by Abby Powell.

Overnight leaders Sara Kozumplik took a tumble from Rubens d’Ysieux — the result, Sara wrote later on, of trying to add an additional stride and prompting Rubens to slide down onto his hocks to pat the ground. “Hindsight is 20/20 but I should have just kept going in four,” she wrote.

In fact, just one of the original top five after dressage finished, leaving Valerie Pride and Favian (French Kiss – Risiko, by Relevant) to sit atop the board with 19.2 time penalties collected. In total, five pairs opted to retire after trouble and two parted ways. No injuries to horses or riders have been reported at the time of publication.

Valerie jokes that the front half of the season has been “warm-up” for the fall. Come August, she’s planning to fly to England with Favian to base with William Fox-Pitt, do a little judging to get the skinny on just why the heck the Brits are so good, and prepare for the prestigious Blenheim CCI4*-L in mid-September (the same week as eventing at World Championships, incidentally).

“This was maybe the universe’s way of telling me that I need to buy some different studs and get ready,” Valerie said this afternoon. “I think Favian just really showed our partnership. You warm up on footing. And you don’t really have an idea until you’re going down to the first jump, and then you realize what the conditions are. And he just he felt great. He dug in so deep.”

Asked about the trouble for many riders, Valerie noted that this would have been a vastly different question than Kentucky, where the going was fast. The testing conditions got the best of multiple riders, but the preparation from the grounds crew and organizer Sue Ockendon was commended by many for its horses-first motivation. “To move those chevrons at our last water [the crew moved the C element prior to the start of competition] you can’t use a machine for that, it was so wet. So thank you to literally every man and woman who picked that thing up and moved it so that our horses could have better grounds. That does not go unnoticed.”

Ultimately, this run gives Valerie a fresh boost of confidence as her early August departure races closer. “I love him. He owes me nothing. But he’s such a cross country horse. And I’m really glad that he had kind of a moment to shine because there was no wavering, it was just go and get it done. And I’m sure it’s going to be hard to show jump tomorrow after the effort that they put in today, but that’s why you come here, to test those skills and figure out what you need to work on at home.”

Dom Schramm brought Bolytair B here this weekend to work on rideability. He’s making a bid to make the Australian squad for the World Championships, so figuring out the very confident Bolytair B has put him to task. “I definitely had a lot better throttle control,” Dom commented. “The steering wasn’t quite as good as I would have liked, but at least we’re taking steps. That’s what matters.”

One of the more influential questions today came early, at the first combination for both the 4*-L and 4*-S. The question consisted of an oxer to a curving brush, and Dom noted that the early galloping combined with the deep footing might have caused some horses to feel different on landing from the oxer.

“It’s a real big combination,” he explained. “They basically went galloping, and then they were in deep going and then it was big. So I think a few people that kind of jumped in there, and maybe the horse has felt a bit different. And then all of a sudden, we’re thinking maybe five or four. And it got a little sketchy.”

Four pairs in the 4*-S and two in the 4*-L had trouble at fence 5; fence 12 on the 4*-S (a related line of brush chevrons coming out of the water) also caused trouble for two pairs in the division.

Liz Halliday and Cooley HHS Calmaria. Photo by Abby Powell.

Liz Halliday-Sharp will keep the CCI3*-L lead, though her rides will swap places in the standings as Cooley HHS Calmaria (Cyrano 145 – Chester Lass) steps up from third after dressage with one of two clear rounds inside the time.

“I was thrilled with her round,” Liz said of the nine-year-old mare owned by The Calmaria Partnership. “She’s such a princess, but I absolutely love that mare. She’s quirky as hell, she’s strong as hell, but she’s hardy as well.”

Lis was particularly impressed with the mare after coming from Virginia Horse Trials two weeks ago where she said she got a bit tired over the ground, but today she put the pieces together.

“She was like, I’ll figure this out,” she explained. “She just pulled me through it. And she was like, I got this. It was amazing. I was just really proud of her and I’m excited for her future.”

Dressage leader Shanroe Cooley (Dallas VDL – Shanroe Sapphire), owned by Ocala Horse Properties, dropped into third with some time, but this was never to be the end goal for the seven-year-old, who is next headed to Le Lion in the fall as the big end of year goal. “I wouldn’t say the horse had time for lack of the gallop,” Liz explained. “It was more I got a little behind time early on and didn’t quite make it up. And then I wanted to make sure I gave him a really good ride because our main goal for him is [Le Lion d’Angers]. And that’s the big picture. Not you know, blasting around in the mud inside the time here. I was trying to sort of hold that in mind and just give him a really good round.

Ariel Grald and Isla de Coco. Photo by Joan Davis/Flatlandsfoto.

Ariel Grald moved from fifth into second with Annie Eldridge’s eight-year-old Holsteiner mare Isla de Coco (Cascadello I – U-Lotti, by Limbus), adding one second of time for a two-day score of 30.8. This is the second 3*-L for the mare, who’s been the picture of consistency throughout her international career to date: she’s finished outside the top three only once in six starts at this level.

Boyd Martin and Miss Lulu Herself. Photo by Joan Davis/Flatlandsfoto.

Boyd Martin picked up a few time to drop from second into third on Miss Lulu Herself (Stolzenfels – Noisette, by Nobre xx), who is owned by a longtime supporter and friend, Bonnie Stedt. This was the nine-year-old mare’s first Long format at this level.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C. Photo by Joan Davis/Flatlandsfoto.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and newly-acquired Miks Master C (owned by Ocala Horse Properties and Debby Palmer) will take a tie in for the lead with Phillip Dutton and Denim (owned by Ann Lapides, Caroline Moran, and Neil Sites) into tomorrow in the CCI2*-L. Liz added one second of time while Phillip delivered a clear inside the time to be on an equal score of 24.7.

Information was to be the name of the game for Liz and Miks Master C, who was formerly piloted through the 4* level by Maya Black. “It was perfect for both of us just be able to get to know each other a little bit,” she said. “He loves his job, my goodness. He was so excited to be on cross country.”

Liz noted the gallop on the 10-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding by Mighty Magic was one of his best assets. “He just needs to learn to, you know, keep himself in a slightly more upward frame and just be a little straighter to things,” she said.

Phillip Dutton and Denim. Photo by Joan Davis/Flatlandsfoto.

Denim is a horse originally produced by Merel Blom and spotted with Phillip in mind by longtime friend Carol Gee of Fernhill Sport Horses. “Carol saw the horse and thought he was the perfect event type: sixty percent Thoroughbred, a good brain, and he moves and jumps,” Phillip explained. As a six-year-old in 2021, Denim competed at the FEI World Young Horse Breeding Championships in Le Lion d’Angers with Merel, finishing 35th.

“This is his fourth event that I’ve done with him,” Phillip said. Denim came over to the U.S. in January and had a light start with Phillip, competing in National events prior to this weekend. “He’s a big time galloper and handles the conditions well. He’s a gutsy little horse and he wants to go. He still has a lot to learn and he’s still green, but we’re pretty exited about his future.”

Ayden Schain and Fernhill Hole Shot keep their U25CCI2*-L lead. Photo by Joan Davis/Flatlandsfoto.

Looking to the U252*-L, 20-year-old first time attendee and Vermont resident, Ayden Schain on Fernhill Hole Shot (Entertainer – Coriander Z, by Coriall Z) remains in first place. Just 1.2 times penalties keep the pair 3.1 or not quite a single rail ahead going in to show jumping.

The horses for all divisions will be trotted for the veterinary delegate and ground jury tomorrow at 8 a.m., and show jumping will begin at 10 a.m. with the 2*-L divisions, working up to the 4*-L in the afternoon.

Stay tuned for the final report to come tomorrow from Bromont and as always, thanks for following along.

MARS Bromont International (Quebec, Canada): [Website] [Entries] [Volunteers] [Scoring] [EN’s Coverage] [EN’s Instagram]

Final fence with a view. Photo by Abby Powell.

Nestled into a scenic valley beneath the ski-trail striped Mont Brome is, you guessed it, the MARS Bromont CCI Three Day Event, which takes place at the Bromont Olympic Equestrian Centre, host to the equestrian portion of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. Organizers, volunteers and competitors alike are thrilled to be back in the first post-COVID running of their beloved long format spring event, even if the start of the event has been a bit, for lack of a better adjective, wet.

The courses at Bromont are a true test of endurance across all the levels, as the naturally undulating terrain found throughout the cross country tracks mimic the rolling landscape of this ski town. While the ground in this area is generally good and drains well, the extremely rainy week has heralded what will likely be a muddy (though thankfully sunny) day of cross country. Since the ground in a number of places can only can only be described using the very technical term “squelchy”, horses’ endurance will be tested even more than usual over this course.

We were fortunate to a join a course walk led by French rider and trainer Rodolphe Scherer, who is taking over coaching duties for the Bromont Rising program from Andrew Nicholson, who was unfortunately unable to attend due to a family emergency. However, a very capable substitute is present in Rodolphe, whose resume includes the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 1998 World Equestrian Games in Rome, the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy. Oh, not to mention he was recently named the cross country coach for the German National Team.

Rodolphe Scherer and Makara de Montiege at Luhmühlen. Photo by Jenni Autry.

This is Rodolphe’s first trip to Bromont — and first trip to North America since the Atlanta Olympics — and he was very complementary of the Derek di Grazia-designed courses, citing them as equally challenging as any of the same level in Europe. 

“I’m very impressed. It’s a very nice course — beautifully built and a beautiful place — and it’s very interesting because it’s very up and down,” he told us. “The level is a strong level, but very fair for horses. It’s a good course because of the questions for the rider. The horse needs to jump, but the rider needs to drive. You need to make decisions, choose where you’re going, and ride with the mind.”

“Another point is the weather. With lots of rain, the ground is a little bit more deep and for that the rider needs to ride much more with her head too.”

While the sun mercifully made an appearance yesterday afternoon in time for our course walk, the grounds crews have been working nonstop to prepare the footing across all tracks for the best possible going.

Organizer Sue Ockendon and her team have been hard at work on the footing. Pictured is the C element of 15 ABC. Photo by Abby Powell.

Now, let’s get to that course walk. Since there’s no live stream, we’ll be doing our best to set the scene for you here though truthfully, no photos can really do the terrain (or the beauty of the venue) justice — you’ll just have to come experience it for yourself someday!

The course follows the same track as previous years, with plenty of jumping efforts throughout the first half, which runs out to the northernmost point of the track and across the fairway — which served as the parking lot for the Olympic events — and then back parallel to the first quarter of the track before riders jump through the main arena. After exiting the arena, competitors are in for a long gallop around the far side of the lake, out to the top of the course again, and then back across the fairway once again before jumping the final horseshoe fence and crossing through the finish flags.

Screenshot via CrossCountry App.

The first three fences gives the riders a chance to establish a nice rhythm and forward ride over the the undulating terrain before encountering their first more challenging obstacle at fence 4. While fence 4 is a single jumping effort, riders will need to navigate an unflagged edge of a larger water complex with a steep entry and exit in order to get a straight shot to skinny “turtle” fence.

Rodolphe Scherer explains the positive ride needed on the approach to fence 4. Photo by Abby Powell.

Fence 5AB, an oxer to a curved brush set on a bending line to the right, is the first related distance on the course and requires a good jump in over the oxer and maintenance of a nice forward rhythm out over the brush, though Rodolphe thought it would be natural enough to add in an extra stride here if needed.

The course then dives downwards, taking competitors through a tunnel of trees and over over a small mountain stream before emerging into the fairway where fence 6, the Tiger Trap, is set to the right around a tree. Rodolphe cautioned the riders to make sure they give their horses enough time to see the MIM-clipped triple bar around the tree, but not too much time to see the ditch underneath! 

Riders will then reach the northern most point on the course and will need to gallop up an acute hill to the left to reach the coffin complex at fence 7ABC, the Fairway Question. The A element is a MIM-clipped set of upright rails at the zenith of the aforementioned hill and in order to safely navigate the entire complex riders will need to collect their horses quickly after their effort up the incline, which is steep enough that horses will likely not be able to get their eye on the coffin until they’re in the air over the A element.

Fence 7ABC, the Fairway Question. Photo by Abby Powell.

The course then takes competitors back in the direction they came and they’ll only have moment to breathe before next portion of the course where, as the great Smash Mouth once said, the fences start coming and don’t stop coming (or something like that) and they’ll have to navigate the crests and troughs of the terrain (and the wetter footing at the lower points) throughout. 

The first flagged water on the course comes at 11ABC, the Spring Water. Horses will be galloping somewhat downhill to the A element log that drops into the water and rider’s will need to keep a positive ride so as not to lose momentum to the B element, a house set in the water, and then out over a brush arrowhead at the C element — which, due to the wet ground, the ground jury made the call to move from it’s original positioning at a slight left angle to a straighter line in order to give the horses better ground upon takeoff. 

A few more single fences in the form of various of rails and hanging logs stand in the competitor’s path on their way to the next question: 15ABC, the Owl Hole Moguls. Here, horses will be asked to jump through the large owl hole, stay steady to the B element, and jump out accurately over a shiny brush at C. Rodolphe noted that riders would need to take care to maintain their horse’s balance throughout this downhill complex.

Looking back towards the A and B elements of fence 15. Photo by Abby Powell.

The track will now lead the competitors down to the main arena where they’ll tackle a large table in the shadow of the iconic Bromont sign and then loop to the left to their next question: fence 17AB a brush oxer to a brush corner.Rodolphe thought that riders might be tempted to take a more direct line from the A element to the B corner to shave some time, but observed that a slightly less aggressive wider line would actually point the horse nicely in the direction of the arena exit.

Fence 17 A and B. Photo by Abby Powell.

The longest gallop stretch now comes between the arena exit and fence 18, which should wake the horses and riders right up again as it comes after a small downhill slope that points directly towards the now very nearby lake. 

You better have control or you risk an unplanned splash! Photo by Abby Powell.

While riders may have visions of flying straight into the lake, they’ll actually take a left turn and then head to the last water complex of the course at 19ABC, the Trackside Pond, which consists of a jump into the water over a log pile, a smaller log on the way out of the water, and then uphill to an angled brush C. 

Another weather-related modification to the course was made at what would have been fence 23AB. Horse and rider would have needed to navigate a set of upright rails on an angle and then find their line to a left-handed corner, but the A element has been removed from the course, so now competitors will only have to contend with the corner. After this, they head south again across the fairway and the last major question in the home stretch is asked at fence 25AB.

This question — a log at A and then downhill and to the right over a stump at B – might seem like a simple enough bending line at first glance, but it will be tricky for a tired horse and rider. The bulbous little stump of a B element could easily cause a glance off for a pair too tired to maintain straightness.

“When a horse is tired like that, a nice turn is in your dreams,” Rodolphe cautioned the group. “As soon as possible: straight line, two legs, two reins.”

Fence 25 AB. Photo by Abby Powell.

In total, CCI4*-L horses and riders will navigate 39 jumping efforts over 5748 meters. While the track distance is only slightly over the minimum required for the level (4*-L must be between 5700 and 6270 meters), no-one is overlooking the fitness it will take tackle this course within the optimum time of 10 minutes, 5 seconds.

The action being at 9 AM ET with Canada’s own Jessica Phoenix and Mighty Mouse first out of the box in the 4*-L. (Find ride times here!) We’re looking forward to a beautiful day for sport today and while there is no live stream available, we’ll be bringing you a detailed report and loads of photos from all divisions at the end of the day.

In the meantime, you can take a walk though all the divisions’ courses via CrossCountry App (the other divisions are nothing to sniff at but hey, there’s only so much time ton the day to walk courses and then write about them) and catch up on how the dressage played out here.

MARS Bromont International (Quebec, Canada): [Website] [Entries] [XC Ride Times] [Volunteers] [Scoring] [EN’s Coverage] [EN’s Instagram]