Originally from San Diego, Jenni discovered eventing thanks to the Bedford Hunt Pony Club in Virginia. After working in both newspapers and magazines, she joined the EN team in 2012. She travels extensively covering the U.S. Eventing Team and has reported at the Olympic Games, World Equestrian Games, Pan American Games, Badminton, Burghley, Kentucky, Luhmühlen and Pau. As for her favorite event, it’s a toss-up between Aachen and Boekelo. When she isn’t on the road, she’s busy competing her heart horse, Imperial Striker, better known as Derry.
Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister
Bruce Davidson and Park Trader
Bruce Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM
Will Faudree and Pawlow
Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere
Boyd Martin and Shamwari 4
Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen
Clark Montgomery and Universe
Considering the American contingent had to nervously wait last year for Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen and Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz to make it off the wait list, it’s a relief to see all eight pairs be accepted right away.
All the Americans — sans Clark with Glen and Buzz — are also cross-entered at Rolex, so now we’ll wait to see where the riders will ultimately choose to go. Boyd Martin might not have a choice considering he just had a rod put in his broken leg yesterday, but it’s still very much up in the air for the other pairs.
As for other EN favorites that have been accepted, Henny fans will be thrilled to see that Peter Atkins and Henry Jota Hampton have entered — Henny Badminton helmet cam anyone? — and Canadian superstars Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master are also on the list.
William Fox-Pitt has entered Cool Mountain, Bay My Hero, Chilli Morning and Parklane Hawk, while Andrew Nicholson has entered Quimbo, Avebury and Nereo. They’ll each have to pick just two ultimately. Bay My Hero is also cross-entered at Rolex, as are Quimbo and Avebury.
Interestingly, reigning WEG champions Michael Jung and La Biosthetique Sam FBW — and the whole of the Germany contingent sans Kai-Steffen Meier — have chosen to forgo Badminton. I imagine that means they’ll be going to Luhmuhlen instead.
When Samantha Lendl, head honcho at the Professional Riders Organization, told me Josh Walker, now with Bright Horse Communications, was coming in to shoot a lengthy promotional video of the Carolina International CIC3* for the USEF Network, I knew it was going to be good. But Samantha and Josh have really outdone themselves here with a fantastic 40-minute video complete with Karen O’Connor’s commentary on the top two dressage rides, beautiful footage from the show jumping, interviews with the riders, a full-course preview complete with designer Hugh Lochore’s thoughts on key questions, and a play-by-play on cross country of the riders navigating each fence. We need more videos like these on the USEF Network to promote our sport to the masses. Thank you to the Carolina International organizing committee for bringing in PRO and Josh to shoot this fantastic video, and thank you USEF Network for carrying it. Go eventing.
Here’s Liz Halliday-Sharp and HHS Cooley’s dressage test from Fontainebleau CICO3*, the first leg of the FEI Nations Cup series, which kicked off this past weekend in France. I posted this video on my Across the Pond update earlier today, but it’s worth calling your attention to again here since Cooley is a pretty cool dude. Liz told me the dressage has been a challenge for this horse because he’s quite long through his back, so he’s had to overcome strength issues. But it’s slowly coming together, and Liz said on her Facebook page she was very happy with Cooley’s score of 47.6. This horse has only been eventing since he was 7, and he finished third in his first CCI3* at Galway Downs as a 9-year-old last fall, so he’s definitely going to be an exciting one to watch in the future.
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Across the Pond is our new weekly update series on what our North American riders based in Europe are up to. Have a tip on an American or Canadian competing in Europe? Send it to [email protected]. We’re also always on the lookout for photos and videos. Go USA and Canada!
Tiana and Finn at the UK Training Sessions earlier this month. Photo by Samantha Clark for PRO.
Tiana Coudray: Tiana’s fans will be thrilled to learn we might see her on home soil this year for Kentucky, as she hasn’t yet decided whether Ringwood Magister will run there or at Badminton. Seeing pictures of him from Samantha Clark’s UK training session reports on the PRO blog is almost shocking, as he’s starting to lose much of that dark steel grey color in his coat. Of course, he’s still stunning to look at! Finn had his first run of the season earlier this month at Isleham in Intermediate, where he jumped clear and had an easy trip across the country. He did the Advanced/Intermediate division this past weekend at Great Witchingham, placing ninth with a dressage score of 25.7 and adding just time penalties in both jumping phases.
As we’ve seen on the PRO blog, Tiana has an exciting new horse she’s campaigning this year in Sambuca F, another stunning grey new to her yard as of just a couple weeks ago. Tiana had the 8-year-old mare out for the first time this season at Great Witchingham this past weekend, where she ran HC at Novice. Tiana told Samantha: “She’s struggled a bit last year in the dressage. She’s a beautiful mover and she’s done some very good tests as a six year old, but last year as a seven year old the wheels were coming off the cart a little bit. I’ve just let her have it really easy so far, no pressure, I’m just trying to make friends with her before I start to ask much of her because I know she has a history.”
Liz, Blackie, Cooley and super groom Gemma Jelinska at Barroca. Photo via Liz’s Facebook page.
Liz Halliday-Sharp: Liz has been having a bang-up season so far with her upper-level mounts Fernhill By Night and HHS Cooley. She abandoned the soggy weather in England early in the year and headed to Portugal with both horses, where Fernhill By Night (Blackie) won the CIC2* at Vale Soboroso CIC2* — winning a Harley Davidson motorcycle in the process — before winning again the following week in the CIC2* at Barroca, where Cooley also finished third. Not a bad way to start the season, right?
Sadly, she had to return to chilly England soon after, but for a good reason — to ride with David O’Connor in the UK training sessions, as both Blackie and Cooley were listed following strong performances in the second half of 2013. We reported over the weekend that Liz was the sole American competing in the Nations Cup at Fontainebleau CICO3* this past weekend. Both horses had very competitive dressage tests before picking up unfortunate stops on cross country.
Liz posted the following update on Facebook: “We had an educational week in Fontainebleau with a mixture of results, but all in all I am pleased with my horses! In the CICO3*, HHS Cooley and Fernhill By Night did good dressage tests for 47, then sadly both horses had a run out at different places on the seriously strong xc track. Cooley had miscommunication in new bit early on, and Blackie just jumped too big into last water, and we made the turn too tight to next element. They both jumped really well today around a huge SJ course‚ Cooley one rail and Blackie clear. Disappointing result after xc, but still pleased with my horses around a really difficult track early season!”
Rebecca and a very keen Rupert at Aldon. Photo courtesy Uptown Eventing.
Rebecca Howard: Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master are coming off a fantastic season in 2013, in which they were named Canadian Rider and Horse of the Year, as well as landed a spot on British Eventing’s top 20 pairs list. Rupert hadn’t been out since his 12th place finish at Burghley last fall until this month, when he romped around the Open Intermediate at Aldon for his first event back. I love the photo above from Uptown Eventing — doesn’t he look so excited to be out again?
Rebecca took Rupert to Gatcombe this past weekend, where they just did the Intermediate combined test. They had a good dressage test and a rail down, but Samantha reported over on the PRO blog that the going was very tacky. “The horse has got super quality work,” Rebecca told Samantha. “He has the ability to go in and be up there with the best in the world, but he struggles with nerves in the arena and anticipation, and then he overreacts to my aids. He’s a bit of a mission for me.” Rupert heads to Belton CIC3* next as a prep run for Badminton.
Clark and Glen at Gatcombe this past weekend. Photo by Samantha Clark for PRO.
Clark Montgomery: Clark and Jess have been settled into the UK for over a year, with Loughan Glen and Universe boasting numerous impressive finishes in big classes this past season. Both horses are preparing for Badminton, and Samantha has done a wonderful job keeping us apprised of their prep over on the PRO blog. Glen and Universe were both out at Gatcombe this past weekend, where they ran the Advanced/Intermediate division. Glen scored 29.6 on the flat, with Buzz scoring 31, and they each pulled a rail in show jumping before having clear trips across the country at an easy pace.
Clark told Samantha: “The cross country felt fine actually, even being here over a year I still come here and look at all this mud and think, ‘Holy crap! I don’t want to run in it!’ but then you start going and the horses get on with it just fine. Glenn felt really good, super. He didn’t have a great run at Isleham so I was a bit worried about that but he’s been schooling a few more times and he came out like himself today, I was really pleased.”
Clark and Buzz at Gatcombe. Photo by Samantha Clark for PRO.
And about Buzz: “He was just a little monster on cross country, he loves it! He’s definitely feeling really good, if anything a little overly confident, we just need to keep him under control, but he did relax as he went around, I think he just needed to blow some energy off so I think it was really good that he got to have the run. He loves it, it’s awesome, he’s really blossomed over here and it’s just fantastic to feel.”
Samantha reports that both Glen and Buzz will head to Belton CIC3* next, where they’ll see Mark Phillip’s course, which Clark expects to be “big and galloping but technical at the same time with a few combinations.” Click over to the PRO blog to see Samantha’s Gatcombe dressage report here and show jumping and cross country reports here. Many thanks to Samantha for the video of Glen’s dressage test, as well as the lovely photos.
Jules and Chwupdiwup. Photo used with permission from Lulu Kyriacou.
Jules Stiller: Jules is another rider with some really fantastic horses she’s acquired recently that will be exciting to watch this year. Sintra BK came to Jules last summer from Andrew Nicholson, who took the now 9-year-old mare to a 14th place finish at Saumur CCI3* just before she got the ride. Jules and Sintra BK completed both Hartpury CIC3* and Blenheim Palace CCI3* last season, and Jules had her out in the Intermediate at Oabsy earlier this month as their first run of 2014.
Pandora X is another of Jules’ exciting upper-level mares who came to her following the 2012 season from Giovanni Ugolotti, who campaigned the horse from the one-star level. Jules capped the 2013 season by moving the mare up to her first CIC3* at Barbury, where they finished 24th. They retired at Blenheim in their first crack at a CCI3*, and Jules hasn’t yet had her out this season, so it will be exciting to see how she looks coming off her break.
In addition to her two upper-level mares, Jules also has a number of lovely young up-and-coming horses, including Chwupdiwup, a 7-year-old mare who did her first CCI* last fall at Ballindenisk, where she placed third. Jules had her out for the first time this season in Novice at Isleham, where they were eighth, and the mare was 10th a week later at Oabsy, also in Novice. Do we have any other mare fans out there? I’ve only ever owned mares, so I love that Jules is all about girl power too.
Other riders: I’ll also be following along with Americans Brianne Staley, Logan Rawlings, Jacob Fletcher, Mary-Francis Cargile, Katherine Coleman and Cindy Rawson, as well Canadians Shandiss and Jordan McDonald, Kathryn Robinson and Mike Winter in these regular updates, so stay tuned for much more on our North American riders based in Europe. Go USA!
Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville. Photo by Jenni Autry.
On this day last year, just 37 pairs had entered Rolex, so it’s exciting we already have 64 pairs on the list before today’s closing date. I’m sure I’m not the only one waiting on pins and needles to see the Badminton entry list. We normally have access to that list before Rolex entries close, so I can only imagine Badminton is dealing with a massive number of entries to sort through. With this being a WEG year, many UK-based riders hoping to qualify for the Games will likely go through Badminton, so it’s expected to be a very heavily contested event.
Just 46 pairs ultimately competed at Rolex last year. With entries already up to 64 — and many more expected to be added over the next few days now that we’re at the deadline — we should see a much stronger field this year. For the Americans, the USEF Selection Committee has made it clear Rolex is not the only way to land a spot on the team — Badminton, Jersey Fresh, Bromont and Luhmühlen will also factor into the selection process — but it’s certainly a key event for riders based in the States. And with the entire Selection Committee slated to be in attendance at Kentucky, there’s no question it’s the best chance for visibility.
Once Badminton entries go live, we’ll likely see a number of these pairs cross-listed. Last I heard, Tiana Coudray has not yet decided whether she’ll take Ringwood Magister to Rolex or Badminton. Many of the British riders — like Sarah Bullimore, Alice Dunsdon and Izzy Taylor — have likely entered Rolex as a back-up plan in case they can’t make it off the wait list at Badminton. So all that is to say we’ll have a much clearer picture of who we might see in Kentucky this year after Badminton publishes that wait list.
Since our last entry update, we have some exciting new additions to the list. As expected, Boyd Martin has entered his four horses, though his plans are very up in the air right now due to breaking his right tibia in a fall at Southern Pines on Sunday. Boyd said yesterday he’s also entered these horses at Badminton and Luhmühlen as a back-up plan, as you can’t take any chances in a WEG year. Phillip Dutton isn’t yet on the list, but he announced on Facebook yesterday that he’ll be entering Mr. Medicott and Mighty Nice.
Fan favorites Peter Atkins and HJ Hampton are now on the list. Peter and Henny’s Rolex helmet cam is always one of the most-watched videos posted on EN each year, and I know I’m not the only one anxiously awaiting to see it. Peter Barry and Kilrodan Abbott are also now on the list, as are Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda. Kate and I went into stalking mode last night when we saw “Monaco” on the list under Kyle Carter’s came. After failing to find any existence of such a horse that could compete at Rolex, we’re guessing this is just a typo, and the entry is actually Madison Park, whose sire’s name is Monaco Magic.
Daniel Clasing and Houston will return to Rolex for their second consecutive appearance, and cross-country machine Tsunami is sure to delight spectators with Sally Cousins in the irons. Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville will enter at A as one of the undisputed favorites — after Tate shows off his infamous antics at the Wednesday trot up, of course — and I’m very much looking forward to watching a 2012 Burghley rematch with Andrew Nicholson and Avebury should the Silver Fox ultimately decide to bring the horse to Kentucky.
Bobby Meyerhoff and Dunlavin’s Token are also now entered in their first Rolex appearance together, and Caitlin Silliman and Catch A Star will be back for a second year in a row. Fans of the scrappy chestnut mare Expedience will be excited to see her entered along with rider Kaitlin Spurlock, who is another Rolex first-timer this year. And Erin Sylvester and No Boundaries will be back for the third consecutive year to romp across the Kentucky bluegrass. We’ll likely see many more entries come in over the next few days. Stay tuned to EN for more updates.
Boyd Martin smiles through the pain. Photo via Boyd's blog.
Boyd Martin is heading into surgery this afternoon at Christiana Hospital to have a rod inserted into his broken right tibia, which he cracked straight through following a mishap on cross country at Southern Pines Horse Trials yesterday. While piloting Steady Eddie around the horse’s third Advanced, the horse ducked out of the big corner in the new Stonehenge complex at the last second, smashing Boyd’s leg into the jump in the process.
“Steady Eddie is a great little horse,” Boyd said. “It’s only his third Advanced, and I made the mistake of trying to be a little too quick on him. In hindsight, I wish I’d ridden him a little more like I did at Pine Top and Red Hills and really taken my time setting him up for the fences rather than taking tight turns to fences that required a little bit more to set up.”
After doctors put a splint on the leg yesterday in Southern Pines, Boyd drove straight through the night back home to Pennsylvania, where his orthopedic surgeon immediately recommended surgery. “Because there’s a laceration on it, they’re worried about infection,” Boyd said. “So they sent me to the emergency room, and I’ll be getting an operation this afternoon. My orthopedic surgeon said they’ll insert a rod down the length of my shin, and he said I should be able to walk out of the hospital after this is done, and he thinks that by doing this, I’ll be back riding a lot quicker than I first feared.”
But when exactly he’ll be back in the irons is still a big unknown. “I’m on a tear at the moment to try to get on the team (for the World Equestrian Games in Normandy),” Boyd said. “Top four-star performances are needed, and I have three chances at Rolex, Badminton and Luhmühlen, so I’ve basically entered all the horses for all the competitions. Usually I’m more worried about the horses and getting them to the event, but this time, I’m the one struggling with the unsoundness.”
While Silva is usually the one who steps up to school the horses in dressage while Boyd is sidelined, she’s dealing with her own health challenges right now following the freak accident on March 5 that resulted in bleeding on her brain. “I’m in a bit of a pickle, since my usual dressage rider is out of commission,” Boyd sad. “Caitlin (Silliman) will be doing the dressage, and Phillip (Dutton) will potentially step in and compete them if that looks like the plan.” Michael Walton — who has been coaching Will Coleman in show jumping and helped jump Boyd’s horses while he was with Silva in the hospital — will also likely step in to help.
This accident now extends Boyd’s string of bad luck at Southern Pines to three years and counting, meaning he’ll likely be cocooned in bubble wrap when he returns to the Carolina Horse Park next year. “I’m absolutely cursed at Southern Pines,” Boyd said. “The year before, I fell of Last Monarch. Then the next, I fell off a scooter and Crackerjack (tearing six tendons and ligaments in his right ankle in the process), and this year, I fell off Steady Eddie. At least this time it wasn’t a scooter at the Saturday night party.”
Always in good spirits no matter which part of his body he’s managed to break, Boyd is no stranger to injuries, and having surgery is just part of being an upper-level event rider — though Boyd has probably had more surgeries than most at this point in his career. “It’s actually a bit scary when you come into Christiana Hospital and everyone recognizes you,” Boyd said. “Everyone was having a bit of a laugh. I’m starting to lose count as to how many surgeries I’ve had.”
Boyd and Silva make quite the pair right now in separate hospitals — she’s at Bryn Mawr while he’s at Christiana — with him preparing for his umpteenth surgery and her undergoing six hours of therapy each day. “She’s getting better and better,” Boyd said. “I saw her this morning for the first time in a couple of weeks, and her balance is still very wobbly, and she’s still struggling to open her eyelids. Her vision is not so good, but her speech is better and much sharper. Her mum is over from Germany acting as the Windurra team nurse.”
As for Rolex, Boyd isn’t making a definitive call on that yet. “I’m treating myself as a bit of a horse at the moment,” Boyd said. “I’ll see how I feel and make a plan after that rather than getting too many goals set up. The good thing is I’ve got a great group of staff and owners ready to help however they can.”
Company Raylyn Farms’ RF Demeter had back-to-back second-place finishes at Schenefeld and Breda during her European campaign last fall, and Marilyn Little is thrilled she clinched a win today in the Carolina International CIC3* — the mare’s first event back on U.S. soil — thanks to a double clear trip across the country. Marilyn said Demi came out of the box feeling strong, and aside from a sticky moment at the second water, the trip was everything she hoped it would be.
Demi has actually been back in the States since December, but she spent two months in quarantine due to falling ill after Pau. It took awhile to get their season going as a result, and Marilyn said Red Hills was just coming up a bit too quickly considering their delayed start this year. But Demi came out swinging this weekend, especially when you consider the mare has been down in Wellington, where hills for conditioning aren’t exactly plentiful.
The course proved to ride a bit tough from a fitness standpoint, as the hilly terrain and lots of turning took its toll on the horses. Demi is the type of horse who gets right to work on course, Marilyn said, meaning she doesn’t lose time setting up or rating her, which allows them to make the time more often than not. Like the rest of the horses preparing for Rolex, Demi heads to The Fork next, and Marilyn will plan on an easy prep run there.
As you’ll hear in the interview, Marilyn said her team has had great luck keeping Demi on EquiOtic, which has helped her develop a more girlish figure. Marilyn said the mare lost about 100 pounds while recovering from her sickness, and they’re working to put those back on. She also keeps her on straw now after a recommendation from Dr. Mark Koene, one of the Team USA vets, and that has also played a big role in solving the mare’s weight issues.
Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Buck Davidson was another rider very happy with his horse following the CIC3* cross country, as Carl and Cassie Segal’s Ballynoe Castle RM continues to romp around with ease on his comeback tour. They jumped double clear with just 2.4 time penalties to finish in second place. Buck said he brought Reggie in too fast to the bending tables at 5A, blowing past his line to 5B. He got Reggie to 5B on an off stride, gave him a little tap, and the horse scrambled over in true Reggie form.
The vet box crew told Buck that Reggie had the best heart rate and recovery time they’d seen all day, which has to be reassuring heading into their final prep run for Rolex at The Fork. Buck said he always feels like he didn’t do his job when Reggie finishes anywhere but first, as he thinks the horse is good enough to win anywhere — and I’m sure Reggie’s legions of fans agree. But he’s thrilled the horse is looking fantastic in the lead up to Kentucky.
Many thanks to Marilyn and Buck for taking the time to chat. It’s always a relief to be able to say the course rode smoothly with relatively few problems and no major injuries, and Hugh Lochore’s track offered beautifully presented jumping efforts with appropriate questions the horses will come away better for having answered. Congratulations to the organizing committee and officials for a wildly successful weekend in the inaugural Carolina International CIC3. Go eventing.
PRO will be streaming live radio commentary on Ustream starting at 9 a.m. EST from Carolina International. The action kicks off first with the CIC*, and CIC3* cross country starts at 12:15 p.m. EST. This is a wonderful way to follow along with the live scores, and we’ll also be running our live updates on EN for the CIC3*. Don’t forget to check out our course preview here and Kate’s bike cam of the CIC3* course here for a tour of the track. Go eventing!
Jan Byyny and Inmidair at the Carolina International CIC3*. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Michael Pollard put the pressure on overnight leader Will Coleman early in the day by jumping double clear in the CIC3* show jumping, moving into first place provisionally before an hour-break in the division. Taking a break at the halfway mark of show jumping is certainly different, and you have to wonder how that impacted Will’s mental game with Conair, a horse he admits isn’t strong in this phase. Whether that break played a role or not, two rails came down for Will when he finally did jump, giving Michael the overnight lead on 42.3 heading into cross country tomorrow.
The fact that Michael got a bit lost after the first jump on Marc Donovan’s course — and was able to re-route and still jump clear and make the time — says a lot about Ballingowan Pizazz’s strength in this phase. Michael said he had to turn the rest of the round into something of a jump off, and Mango’s penchant for the show jumping meant he could go for it and let the horse take care of the rest. But that’s not necessarily the strategy he’ll take on Hugh Lochore’s course tomorrow. “I need to look at the big picture,” Michael said. “If I feel like he’s not jumping fantastic, then I’m not going to make this into the Olympics.”
Michael’s ultimate goal for the spring is to get Mango to the CCI3* at Jersey Fresh, a destination that thus far has eluded them since their partnership began two years ago. “I’ve had him ready to do that a couple times and have had something come up,” Michael said. “He feels really good right now. We’ll go to The Fork and then Jersey and see where we end up after that.” Mango has recovered beautifully from a tendon strain that cropped up about 18 months ago, and he was also out for a month last fall, which prevented Michael from aiming toward Fair Hill. But — knock on wood — he’s healthy so far this season.
Crown Talisman was almost comical to watch in the show jumping today due to the way he effortlessly rocked back on his hocks and practically stepped over the jumps with Doug Payne in the irons. Doug and Tali jumped double clear to move into second place on 44.1. “He’s an incredible horse, but in the grand scheme of things, his prime will be in the next couple of years to come. You’re not going to do anything jeopardize his future,” Doug said in regards to his strategy on course tomorrow. But that doesn’t mean he won’t try to up the ante for Tali, who he’s aiming at Rolex — though he’s also applied for a grant to Saumur.
Since Tali just moved up to Advanced last year at Millbrook, Doug spent the fall taking the easy routes around courses to further the horse’s education. But now that he has enough runs at this level under his belt, Doug is looking to step things up, meaning he’ll be taking more direct routes tomorrow. “The mound to the corner (at Zoe’s Bank Complex) — I would probably bend that out in five in the past,” Doug said. But he’ll plan on taking the direct route in four tomorrow. He also likes that the second water is more forward thinking, and he plans to kick on through there, whereas in the past he might have backed off to let Tali process what was happening.
Jan Byyny’s Inmidair — in stark contrast — is not a horse that needs to process what’s happening at this point in his career, or at least he thinks he doesn’t. “Normally at my expense, he enjoys himself,” Jan said. The overnight leaders after dressage, Jan and JR fell victim to the natural oxer at fence four, which rode a bit tough due to its placement right next to the new Stonehenge complex. That rail drops them to third place on a score of 44.5 heading into cross country. “I think he barely hit it, to be honest,” Jan said. “My horse wants to be careful, and he can be quite spooky, but I didn’t feel that there at all.”
Jan said she might go for it a bit tomorrow — as the horse needs a good gallop — but this is not her end goal. “I have one horse at this level right now, and that’s it,” Jan said. “I’ll work him in places. He’s a naturally quick horse. He’s a fast cross-country course, and this kind of course normally suits him as long as I show him where he’s going.” Jan plans to head to The Fork next to run Advanced as their final preparation for Rolex Kentucky, and she again echoed her mantra of one day at a time. “The horse doesn’t need the runs,” Jan said. “I probably need them more than he does. So we’ll see what happens tomorrow first. He would like to think he’s a professional.”
Sharon White and Under Suspection. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Sharon White has to be on Cloud 9 right now. With Rafferty’s Rules well on his way back to the top following his 2012 injury at Burghley, Wundermaske looking confident and in good form following a mishap at Millbrook that kept him home from Blenheim, and a brand new ride in super talented and up-and-coming Under Suspection, Sharon’s season is looking bright indeed. We’re thrilled for her good luck so far, and I caught up with Sharon and Reggie in the barns for an interview this afternoon.
Under Suspection — who is contesting her first three-star this weekend at Carolina International — is in fourth place in the CIC3* on a score of 45.0 thanks to jumping double clear today. Rafferty’s Rules came bouncing into the show jumping and pulled two rails in boisterous fashion to sit in 18th place overnight on 56.9. Wundermaske jumped beautifully with one rail down to sit in 25th on 60.7. Best of luck to Sharon tomorrow as she tackles Hugh Lochore’s cross-country course with Reggie, Pippy and Patch.
EN loves photos shot between the ears! If you happen to be out for a hack, are riding in some obscure place or just take some cool photos aboard your mount, send them to [email protected] with a quick blurb about the photo’s story. This week’s View comes to us from Paula in Pennsylvania.
From Paula:
This is the view from the back of my 25-year-old semi-retired event horse, Samson. He is an Anglo-Arabian, and I board him at the gorgeous and peaceful Schocharie Ridge Farm (Sandy Kantor) in New Tripoli, Pa. Samson was a lesson horse for most of his life at the famously awesome Pleasant Hollow Farm (Jane Cory) in Coopersburg, Pa., and literally taught dozens of people over the years not only how to ride, but also how to event. Those who remember him will recall he was also very good at teaching you not to get ahead while jumping. 🙂
I think we all know how hard it is to find a barn with good school horses, but to find a barn that has good school horses that you can also learn to event and compete on is indeed rare. Pleasant Hollow was one of those rare places. Samson became mine for his retirement. I’ve had him for almost seven years, and we have been having a great time together. He may be 25 but acts half his age and is still quite a spicy character. He is still very lively and loves a good gallop and would much rather be out hacking cross country than in the ring (as do I)!
Michael Pollard and Ballingown Pizazz. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Happy Friday from Carolina International! We have a lunch break at the halfway point of CIC3* show jumping, which works out beautifully to bring you a quick update. As always, Marc Donovan’s course is top notch, and we’ve seen a good number of clears so far in the division. Overnight leaders Jan Byyny and Inmidair will slip down the standings a bit after pulling a rail at fence 4, which will give Will Coleman and Conair a chance to take the lead if they jump clear after the break. Will said yesterday show jumping is not Joey’s strong suit, so the pressure is on to produce a clear.
Doug Payne and Crown Talisman. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Michael Pollard and Ballingowan Pizazz were one of the pairs to jump double clear later in the morning, which is particularly impressive considering Michael got a bit lost after the first fence. After turning to the right by mistake, he quickly re-routed in the correct direction back to the left and produced a lovely clear without time penalties. Michael and Mango move into second place provisionally, and they’ll hold the overnight lead should Will and Joey have a rail. Doug Payne and Crown Talisman and Sharon White and Under Suspection will stay inside the top five overnight thanks to jumping clear.
Sharon White and Under Suspection. Photo by Jenni Autry.
We’ve seen a lot of hard rubs at fence two and the final fence — both verticals — and the natural oxer off a bend at fence four is proving to be an interesting question due to its placement right next to the brand new Stonehenge combination. We saw rails fall there quite a bit this morning. Marc usually provides an option in his courses, and he did so again today at fences seven and eight. Riders could either go right over a vertical to an oxer in five strides or to the left over a liverpool oxer to oxer combination in five strides. In addition to requiring horses to jump the liverpool, the line to left also meant jumping right toward spooky Stonehenge, so it came as no surprise that riders chose to go to the right.
Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM. Photo by Jenni Autry.
We also saw double clear trips from Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM, Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Fugitive, and Jon Holling and Downtown Harrison. Hallie Coon and Namaste jumped clear but had three time penalties. The live scores are running a bit behind, so I apologize to anyone else who had a double clear and isn’t mentioned, as I’m going off my memory here. Sharon White and Rafferty’s Rules are the first out after the break at 12:13 p.m., and CIC3* show jumping will continue running through 1:20 p.m. We’ll be back then with the conclusion of CIC3* show jumping at Carolina International, as well as more videos. Go Eventing.
Canadian coach Clayton Fredericks. Photo by Denya Massey.
Clayton Fredericks is a busy guy. Between flying back and forth from the States to Europe to coach the Canadian eventing team, he’s also found the time to run a business importing quality young horses from across the pond — and a very successful one at that. But that doesn’t really come as a surprise when you consider all the top horses Clayton has sourced over the years.
Clayton has long been finding top horses all over the world — both for other riders and his own personal sales business — with a prime example being his work with Chinese Olympian Alex Hua Tin. “Alex came to me two years before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and said he wanted to qualify,” Clayton said. “He’d only ever ridden up to the Novice level in the UK, but we found horses for him that were suitable.”
Under Clayton’s tutelage, Alex qualified four of those horses for the Olympics between October 2007 and May 2008, becoming the youngest rider in Olympic eventing history when he contested the Beijing Games at just 18 years of age. “It was an impressive feat given the time we had to get him to the Olympics, and it all came down to finding the right horses,” Clayton said.
Most of the horses are coming from Germany, where Clayton’s business parter, Eckart Siewert, lives full-time. “He is a big part of the reason we can find so many great horses,” Clayton said. “He spends many hours looking at hundreds of young horses, pre-selecting so that when I am in Germany, I have access to the elite selection. This firsthand knowledge is a great asset to the business.”
Together, Clayton and Eckart have sourced or sold numerous horses that have gone on to compete at the Advanced and four-star level. Clayton competed RF Smoke on the Water through the one-star level before ultimately selling the horse to Marilyn Little. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Clayton has also been involved in finding Lucinda Fredericks’ Flying Finish, Michael Jung’s Leopin FST, Emily King’s Brookleigh and his own Olympic horse Bendigo.
“We really specialize in finding horses for people,” Clayton said. “We’ve got a constant flow of young horses coming from Europe. They’re all warmbloods, but they have a lot of Thoroughbred blood, which I know is quite important for the Americans. They’ve all been chosen for their movement, jumping and trainability of the brain.”
And Clayton’s sourcing services aren’t just for professionals, as amateur Frankie Thieriot discovered when she recently purchased Chatwin, who Clayton imported and competed through Preliminary before the sale. Frankie wrote about her experience in this post, explaining how easy Clayton made the process. Clayton has also recently sold horses to Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Elinor MacPhail, one of which is Rendezvous With Charly, who just placed third in the CIC2* at Red Hills.
“I think people underestimate how much it costs and how difficult it can be going to Europe,” Clayton said. “When you’re looking for horses, you spend hours in a car. Everyone thinks locations in the UK and Europe are close together. But by the time you add up a three-hour journey to one horse and two hours to another horse, you’re lucky if you can see three horses in a day. There’s no sort of guarantee pre-selection unless you’re dealing with an agent, and that’s adding extra fees to the purchase.”
As Clayton explains it, there’s no use bringing horses over to the States that only he can ride, which is why he makes an effort to find horses with the right mindset for the job: “They have brilliant brains and very rideable temperaments, which makes them suitable for amateurs too.” And because Clayton has traveled the world during his competitive career and continues to do so now that five of the Canadians he coaches are based in Europe, he’s able to bring a global perspective to his business.
We wrapped up the first day of competition here at Carolina International with a press conference with the top riders in the CIC3* and CIC2*. Jan Byyny was all smiles this afternoon, though still cautiously optimistic about the good luck she’s had in the past six months with Inmidair. After clinching the win in the Fair Hill CCI3* last fall, Jan and JR came out swinging this season, winning their first outing at Pine Top and sitting in 10th place after show jumping at Red Hills before falling victim to the bogey Arena Complex on cross country.
But you can’t deny Jan and JR have found their groove, and they looked fantastic once again today as they cruised to the lead in the CIC3* on a score of 40.5. “I think you have to live life one day at a time,” Jan said. “Any given day it can be your day, and the next day you’re on the floor. The horse is so capable, and you know I’m not always the luckiest person, but who is?” Jan wanted to give a big shout out to Jess Hampf, who helped her warm up in dressage today. Well done, Jess!
Like many of the riders have been commenting over the past two days, Jan praised the Carolina International organizing committee for putting on such a fantastic event so far. “These are great people who really care about the sport, and it shows in a big way. They really have gone above and beyond to get the prize money together and answer everything that the riders wanted. I think it says so much about the people who are putting it on.”
Will Coleman, who is sitting in second place in the CIC3* with Conair, agreed, saying the event is “a step beyond,” and he’s hoping Joey will rise to the occasion. “I’m still trying to get to know the horse,” Will said. “I finally had a whole season with him this spring. I always thought the dressage would be his strength. He’s not the scopiest or flashiest jumper. The show jumping is a bigger question mark on the horse, but it’s one of my strengths. We’ll see how it plays out.”
There’s no denying Joey looks like an entirely different horse this year. He looks fantastic through his body and seems to have really come into his own. But, like Jan, Will said he’s taking things one day at a time. “Tomorrow I’ll show jump here. Saturday I’ll go cross country here. I do plan on taking the horse to Kentucky. Beyond that, I haven’t really looked past the last weekend in April.”
Emily Beshear is leading the CIC2* after dressage with her new ride Shame on the Moon, a horse she just bought at the beginning of December. Amanda Wilson produced the horse through the two-star level, successfully piloting her around the mare’s first CCI2* at Fair Hill last fall. “She’s a fantastic mare with a good temperament,” Emily said. “She can be easily distracted, so I was pleased she stayed focused and listened. Our communication is better than it was even a few weeks ago.”
Leslie Law and Fernhill Whatever are in third place in the two-star on a score of 49.4. Like Shame on the Moon, Winston is also a brand new ride that came to Leslie in December, and he’s been working to build the partnership. “We’re still getting to know each other,” Leslie said. “The goal is to do the CCI2* at Ocala.” And if all goes well, Leslie is eyeing a move up to Advanced later this year.
Many thanks to our good friend Thehorsepesterer for HD video of Jan and JR’s winning test! Check out his full Carolina International YouTube playlist here.
Will Coleman and Conair came closest to catching early morning leaders Jan Byyny and Inmidair as one of the last riders to go in the Carolina International CIC3* dressage, with Joey looking very impressive for a score of 42.0 for second place overnight. This horse just gets better and better, and Will really seems to have the partnership dialed in nicely. Michael and Ballingowan Pizazz will hold third place overnight on 42.3, with Doug Payne and Crown Talisman in fourth on 44.1, and Sharon White and Under Suspection and Allison Springer and Arthur in equal fifth place on 45.0.
Marilyn Little and RF Demeter. Photo by Jenni Autry.
We saw three other riders crack the top 10 this afternoon, with Michael Pollard and Mensa leading the way on a score of 45.9 for seventh place. Mensa spooked badly at the judges box at C right after the first halt, which is a real bummer since it leaves a bad impression for the judges right off the bat. The fact they still scored so well despite that disobedience shows you just how nice the test was. Sally shot video of Michael and Mensa, and we’ll have that online for you later this afternoon.
Michael Pollard and Mensa. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Marilyn Little and RF Demeter are sitting just behind in eighth place on a 46.2. Just back from spending the past year in Europe, this is Marilyn and Demi’s first event in the States, and they started their U.S. tour off right with a very nice test today. I can’t say enough about how much Demi has blossomed in the last year. She always resembled a gazelle until Marilyn put her on EquiOtic, and she’s looked fantastic ever since. Their dressage is really starting to come together, and Demi — who can be a bit spooky — looked very focused and obedient today.
Buck Davidson and Petite Flower. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Buck Davidson and Petite Flower scored 47.4 for ninth place, and Flower really tried her heart, which is one of the really wonderful things about this mare. She’s so lovely on the flat and is quickly become one of my own personal favorites. Flower is still gaining experience at this level — and the cross country sometimes proves a challenge — but she’s poised to rise to the occasion and step up here this weekend. Flower is one of the five Buck has entered at Rolex, and I’m really hoping we’ll see her tackle her first four-star next month.
Sharon White and Wundermaske. Photo by Jenni Autry.
We had one mishap in the final group when Tracey Beinemann and Zara were eliminated after the mare lost it coming out of the reinback. The judge had to excuse her, though not before coming out to give her an encouraging chat. Chin up, Tracey! We’re waiting now for the press conference to start, and we’ll be bringing you the scoop on what Jan, Will and Michael have to say about their rides. We’ll also be hearing from the top three in the CIC2: Emily Beshear with Shame on the Moon, Elinor MacPhail with Rendezvous With Charley, and Leslie Law with Fernhill Whatever. Stay tuned for much more from Southern Pines.
Kate and I went on a dirt bike tour of the Carolina International CIC3* course during the lunch break while Sally madly typed away on her lunchtime update, which you should check out here. I snapped all the preview photos of the course from the back of the bike while trying not to punch Kate in the face. As we hinted this morning, Kate wore her helmet cam for the first ever EN helmet cam cross-country course preview video. We have to give a big shout out to the organizers here at Southern Pines, who were totally on board with the idea to strap a helmet cam on Kate and send her around the course. Thanks for being #fabulous, SoPo organizers! The chinchillas applaud your awesomeness.
Hugh Lochore has been a busy guy, designing the brand new course at Red Hills that debuted just two weeks ago before coming to Southern Pines to put his finishing touches on the three-star course here. There are several new elements on course this year, including the much anticipated Stonehenge complex — which looks fantastic — and Zoe’s Bank Complex, built in memory of eventer Zoe Di Giovanni. I have to apologize to Pam, as it seems I missed fence 16 — Pam’s Pole Spread — while snapping photos from the back of the bike. The good news is Pam will be making an appearance in Kate’s helmet cam tour of the course, which we’ll have uploaded for your viewing pleasure later today.
There are 26 jumping efforts in all, with two water complex and no ditches — much to Nyls’ delight. He’s not exactly a fan of the ditches since, you know, monsters live in there. The first real question comes at the Fox Lake Trellis Turn at fences 5ab, which requires an accurate line to two skinny tables, which are quite large. Lizzie’s Leap once again makes an appearance on course this year at fence 11, and it’s a spooky, big uphill ask that might surprise some of the first-time three-star horses. The Cloud Eleven Tidal Pool is a good question at this point in the season as many horses prepare for Rolex, and the big corner in the water at 21c will require a committed ride. And Tallwoods Tobacco Barn at 25a is a fun throwback to the golden days of eventing.
It’s a very fair course with some great questions, and it looks like we’ll have beautiful weather over the next few days, meaning good galloping come cross-country day. It’s an absolutely gorgeous day today, with temperatures climbing into the mid-60s and the sun shining brightly, and it’s great to see a lot of spectators out enjoying the dressage. If you’re here at Southern Pines throughout the weekend, be sure to snap photos and tag us via our brand new Instagram account — goeventing. Or tag us anyways no matter where you are in the world. Go Eventing.
DOC the Horse Whisperer with Will Faudree and Pawlow. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Hello from Southern Pines! Sally and I will be here all weekend bringing you the action from the Carolina Horse Park and the inaugural Carolina International CIC3*. I arrived early enough this afternoon to catch the last part of the final training session at Will Faudree’s lovely Gavilan Farm in nearby Hoffman, N.C. David O’Connor was in the process of working with Will to help Pawlow relax into and stay steady in the contact.
Following a similar theme we’ve seen in the other winter training sessions, David had Will and Ernie work on their halts, both from the walk and canter. David emphasized “quick feet and then stop your seat” to achieve a proper halt. David has really emphasized halts over the past few months — and for good reason. It’s the first impression a judge has of a dressage test. If the halt goes well, the subsequent marks will follow suit. If it goes poorly, a judge isn’t likely to show mercy.
Buck Davidson, Phillip Dutton and Will Faudree in warm up. Photo by Jenni Autry.
After the final session at Gavilan Farm, the High Performance crew headed over to the Carolina Horse Park, where David worked with Allie Sacksen and Sparrow’s Nio. Coming off a win in the Fair Hill CCI2* — which landed them a spot on the High Performance Winter/Spring Training List — Allie and Neo are on a quest to show this Connemara-cross porse can run with the big dogs. And they certainly looked the part today, with David asking Allie to send Neo forward and not be afraid to push for more, especially in their canter work. Neo responded beautifully by engaging his hind end, which led to some really lovely work toward the end of the lesson.
Allie Sacksen and Sparrow’s Nio. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Sharon White and Wundermaske, who also worked this afternoon in a session with David, have been on a comeback tour since an unfortunate crash at Millbrook last year, and it really seems like they’ve put that behind them. After a top-10 finish at Fair Hill, Patch is back, and he looked focused and on the job today in the lesson with David. Lauren Kieffer said she jumped this horse for Sharon last summer, and she wanted to tuck him in her pocket and bring him home after. He just has such a lovely attitude and approach to his work.
Sharon White and Wundermaske. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Lauren and I agreed that we’d love for this to be Sharon’s year, and Team Orange is certainly poised for a big season. With Patch being back on his game, her lovely new ride Under Suspection — who is doing her first three-star this weekend — blossoming more and more during each event, and fan favorite and old partner Rafferty’s Rules making a comeback of his own, Sharon has all the horse power she needs to really bring the house down this year. Go Team Orange!
Will Coleman and Conair. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Lauren said she feels like she’s surrounded by estrogen these days, as her barn is packed with quality mares in Veronica, RF Cosima and Meadowbrook’s Scarlett. She’s been trying for the past year to get little super babies from Veronica and RF Cosima via embryo transfer, but competing at Bromont foiled those plans. The embryo transfer was successful with Scarlett, and the baby — by Mighty Magic — is due any day now. Lauren said they’ll be trying again soon with Veronica and Big Mama. EN Baby Watch, anyone? Don’t even tell me you wouldn’t watch that live foal cam for hours.
Doug Payne and Crown Talisman. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Conair continues to look smashing in the early part of the season, and he looked all business today in his warm up with Will Coleman. It’s still much too early to make any WEG predictions — especially considering the torrential downpour during the dressage at Pine Top Advanced and the equally bad conditions in dressage and blips at fence 5 on cross country at Red Hills — but this is definitely a horse that is turned heads right now. He has all the pieces to be a superstar.
Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Crown Talisman was auditioning for the Spanish Riding School today, and Doug Payne did a valiant job of getting him to settle and get to work. Incredibly athletic and game, Tali also creates a lovely picture on the flat, and it’s going to be a blast to see him go at Rolex. Manoir de Carneville continued his notorious ways in the trot up at the CIC vet inspection today, and Sinead Halpin said she’s going to have to find a way to get him to behave. But if his spunk means he’ll keep performing the way he has been, I say let him play. It’s a big year, and the French Princess has his eyes on the prize.
Allison Springer and Arthur. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Also, cross your fingers bikes are allowed on cross country. Because our plan for tomorrow is to strap a helmet cam on Kate and send her on a tour of the three-star course. This idea is chinchilla approved.
Park Trader getting some DOC love. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Buck Davidson and Park Trader at Fair Hill. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Eleven more pairs have been added to the Rolex entry list in the past 24 hours, with the most notable appearance being Buck Davidson and his five — FIVE! — mounts: Ballynoe Castle RM, Mar de Amor, Petite Flower, The Apprentice and Park Trader. Buck has already achieved superhuman status as far as the chinchillas are concerned, and this valiant attempt gives him even more street cred.
But he’ll ultimately have to choose three of the five to ride under the three-horse maximum per rider restriction imposed by Rolex. According to the Rolex Omnibus listing: “Competitors may ride at the most three (3) horses. Consideration may be given for four (4), but request must be made in writing with reasons.” I’m envisioning Buck’s request in writing with the following reasons: “This is just WHAT I DO.”
Kate and I were texting back and forth last night about whether there is an automatic cap on the number of horses a rider can have at a four-star — yes, these are in fact the riveting things we discuss late at night — and since we were both unsure, I dove into the rulebooks to investigate. Here’s the scoop:
Under rule 504, there is no set limit on the number of horses a rider can have in an individual competition like Rolex, but, of course, there are exceptions. The event’s Organizing Committee can impose a balloting procedure for any reason, which has to be listed in the official schedule. You can see on page 8 of the official Rolex schedule that the event has imposed a three-horse maximum per rider.
Restrictions can also be imposed if the event has more entries than it can accommodate. Under rule 543.2, FEI judges are allowed to see a maximum of 50 horses per day in the dressage, though the Technical Delegate and President of the Ground Jury can agree to increase that maximum by 10 percent, leading to 55 horses per day. So Rolex could technically see up to 110 horses entered before imposing additional mount restrictions.
It’s common to see entries restricted to two per rider at heavily contested events like Badminton and Burghley, but Rolex is generally much lighter on entries, hence the allowance of three horses per rider. So all that is to say that Buck will ultimately have to choose three horses from the five he’s entered. But it’s still pretty impressive he has five that could compete were it not for the entry limit.
As for which three Buck will choose, I’ll put my money on Balleynoe Castle RM — who is making a steady comeback since the bone bruise on his stifle that kept him home from Aachen last year — and Park Trader, who rallied to a second-place finish at Fair Hill CCI3* last fall after a freak spill at Burghley. And I’d selfishly love to see Petite Flower contest her first four-star this spring. That little mare is a blast to watch.
Will Coleman and his still relatively new ride Conair are also now on the Rolex entry list, along with fan favorites Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz. Julie Norman and Consensus, Dana Widstrand and Relentless Pursuit, and Canadian Rachel McDonough and Irish Rhythm also appeared in this most recent update, bringing this morning’s total entries to 47.
Horse Nation posted this video yesterday in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. If you love watching helmet cams, you’ll LOVE this video of foxhunting with the Galway Blazers. Have you ever dreamed of galloping madly across clover-green Irish fields, hanging on for dear life over stonewalls and ditches in hot pursuit of fox and hound? Just click play.
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Kira Young and Rhodie. Photo by GRC via the Horseware Ireland blog.
Big news, EN! Remember the Horseware Grassroots Rider contest that will award one lucky rider a one-year €10,000 sponsorship deal? Well the finalists have been announced, and our own Kira Young is the ONLY American in the top seven out of thousands of entries. The contest is won through popular vote, and Kira needs our help! “Great Britain has three riders as finalists … Three! We can’t let them have all the glory. They already have William Fox-Pitt.” Well said, Kira. A vote for Kira is a vote for America, not to mention eventing!
Click HERE to vote for Kira. Share with your friends! Spread the word!
Kira and her 15 year old TB, Rhodes Point (Rhodie) compete up to Intermediate level in eventing. Kira has been riding since she was ten, and describes her first horse as “a fire-breathing dragon! She was the epitome of a moody mare! While she did NOT want to be an eventer (galloping was out of the question), she helped me learn how to interact with horses and understand the importance of being a confident leader in a horse-rider partnership.”
One of Kira’s highlights was achieving one star level with Rhodie last year, and they are looking forward to competing at Intermediate level this year, aiming for Plantation Field CIC2* later in the year.
Kira and Rhodie have a wonderful partnership and we love how far they have come together: “We have been through many obstacles together, and I am thrilled that he and I have come as far as we have. It is incredibly validating because our journey was not an easy one. There were days when I wanted to give up on him, and yet, he taught me the importance of perseverance. He is sensitive, finicky, and can be hot-headed, but he has been one of my greatest teachers. In return for my patience, he rewards me with the incredible thrill of flying through our cross country courses effortlessly!”
Maren Foster sent us this great read about her retired three-star horse Luke, who has lived a very full life … or lives, as Maren says. His latest reincarnation is caring for the wild pig in the photo below, who has since been domesticated and named the Notorious P.I.G. Many thanks to Maren for writing!
Luke and the Notorious P.I.G. Photo courtesy Maren Foster.
From Maren:
A client said to me the other day, “Horses have nine lives.” I thought, “Are you crazy? They aren’t cats … And they don’t always land on their feet!”
But I think what she meant was horses have nine jobs in life. And the more I thought about it, the more I thought she was right.
My last three-star horse was a quirky little gelding named Luke and showed under the name Star Wars. He occasionally put his head down for dressage, ran like the dickens cross country and couldn’t care less about punching out every rail in the show jumping. And at FEI competitions, the chance if he would pass the jog was a coin toss.
But upper-level eventing was just one of Luke’s lives. Before I bought Luke, come to find out he was a racehorse in New Zealand. His race comments read something like this …
“Started at the back, never made a move.”
“Never showed up.”
“Broke late. Kept falling back.”
And these comments were regarding the horse that always made time at Advanced. I used to joke with my students that he only jumped because it got in the way of his gallop.
After a couple years at Advanced, Luke moved on to take my sister to her first Preliminary horse trials, commencing the start of job number three. He continued to compete in his own style … tearing up the cross country and making sure the jump crew in the show jumping ring wasn’t snoozing.
Luke suffered a minor tendon injury at 16 years old, and we decided to retire him, but he would have none of it. Segway into his next life, aka Beginner Novice champion.
A student of mine was willing to put up with Luke’s quirks and was rewarded with an amazing cross-country horse that took her to the AECs in Texas last year. He ran cross country in a deluge and had his typical rail to finish just outside the top 10 at age 17.
At age 18, we decided Luke should live outside, and we trusted him with the care of our weanlings. With the care of a cranky uncle, Luke has taught them manners and space, and I can only hope his lack of spookiness will wear off on these babies. (Life number 5)
And now, possibly life number 6, a new and unexpected chapter to Luke’s life … I came out to the pasture one night and there was a wild piglet running around Luke’s pasture. By the next morning, the piglet had decided that Luke was his mother. Together, they pace the fence, stomp for grain and march to the water trough.
So, if you see a pig galloping cross country never batting an eye at the scariest of jumps, but a little careless in the show jumping, just know that Luke has moved into his next life as a trainer, possibly life number seven — and watch out because he still has a few more lives left.
“The team was my life for 20 years: the first 10 as a competitor and the second 10 as Chairman of Selectors,” Karen said in a press release. “I wanted to give back to the organization that had given me so much, as well as inspire our young riders to excel and bring back the gold.”
Karen is a well-known name in American eventing. Named USCTA Rider of Year in 1981, 1987 and 1988, she represented the United States at the Luhmuhlen World Championships. In 1984 she anchored the team that won the gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics, while also winning Individual Silver. Following her retirement from international competition, she became an FEI judge and was the chairman of the USET Three-Day Event Selectors’ Committee for many years.
Karen hopes the donation will help Team USA in the quest to become more competitive on the international stage in Europe. “The International Championship CCI competitions are a key part of the international scene,” Karen said. “We have the talent, the horsepower and the coaches, and if this can help us win, then that is great.”
“I don’t think I am alone in saying it’s great to watch show jumping and dressage because those horses are so amazing at what they do, but to work with a horse and do both of those disciplines at a lower level and add in the cross country that is so challenging makes eventing very special. Not every horse can do that.”
Many thanks to Karen for making this incredible donation.
Laurie Allred sent in this video of her daughter Jeanine Allred on her first cross-country outing of the season with Snap Decision II. They ended up winning the Intermediate division at Copper Meadows this weekend despite being holed up all winter in their indoor arena in Idaho. “Fuzzy” hadn’t seen a cross-country jump since last October!
Clark Montgomery and Universe at Badminton in 2012. Photo by Jenni Autry.
