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.
Of course I had to track down Forrest Nymph at Pine Top this weekend, as the fan club for this super pony continues to grow — as it should! This is her second Preliminary with Sinead Halpin in the irons, and she threw down a 33 in the dressage and jumped double clear today in the show jumping to sit tied for seventh place overnight.
I shot the top photo of Manoir de Carneville in the Intermediate show jumping this morning and the bottom photo of Farrah in her Preliminary show jumping trip this afternoon at the exact same turn on the course, and I love how they both have their game faces on. Both Sinead and Farrah chatted with me after their ride, and you’ll have to watch the interview for a hint of what’s next for Farrah. Go Super Pony!
Jessica Phoenix and Exponential. Photo by Jenni Autry.
The Open Intermediate divisions show jumped this morning, and Jessica Phoenix and Exponential and Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville are leading their respective divisions on scores of 31.3 and 26.3. In Open Intermediate 2, Jessie and Tucker jumped one of six double clear rounds in the division to slip past Will Coleman and Conair to take the lead. Will and Joey dropped a rail to lose their overnight lead after the dressage; they’re currently sitting in second place on 31.4. Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Fugitive jumped double clear to move up one spot to third place on their dressage score of 31.5. We saw fast rounds in this division, with just five riders picking up time penalties.
Will Coleman and Conair. Photo by Jenni Autry.
In the Open Intermediate 3 division, Sinead and Tate held their overnight lead thanks to a double clear show jumping trip. Meg Kep has been reporting via Facebook that Tate has been screaming in his stall all weekend; he’s clearly excited to be back out competing. Syd Kent is making his triumphant return to competition after a freak accident at Millbrook left him with a severe hoof injury last year. It’s a miracle he recovered so well given the severity of the injury, and he jumped beautifully today with Jan Byyny in the irons to remain in second place on their dressage score of 28.2. Colleen Loach and Long Island T round out the top three with a score of 28.9; they also jumped double clear, one of 10 pairs to do so. The entire top eight jumped double clear rounds in this division.
Jan Byyny and Syd Kent. Photo by Jenni Autry.
We also saw Phillip Dutton and Mr. Medicott in Open Intermediate 3. Phillip said yesterday that Cave was quite excited in their dressage test to have his season underway, and he had to do some creative riding to keep the lid on in the little white box. Cave looked equally elated today, but he listened well to Phillip and they jumped a lovely double clear for fifth place. The Open Intermediate divisions run cross country tomorrow, and I’ll be on the grounds again to bring you the exciting conclusion. I have tons of photos from both the CIC2* and Open Intermediate show jumping, and I’ll be uploading those to Facebook today. Also, don’t forget to check out Thehorsepesterer’s YouTube playlist. He has a ton of Advanced videos up from yesterday!
Ashley Adams and Da Vinci Code. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Ashley Adams and Da Vinci Code held their overnight lead in the Pine Top CIC2* with a double clear show jumping trip; they’ll take their dressage score of 42.2 into the cross country tomorrow. Will Faudrew and Pawlow are in second place on their dressage score of 44.0, with Leslie Law and Fernhill Whatever in third place on 45.3. All the horse-and-rider pairs in the top three jumped double clear show jumping rounds, joining Emily Beshear and Here’s To You, Ariel Grald and Fernhill Cove, and Kristen Bond and I’m Sew Ready, and Ashley Kehoe and D.A. Vittoria as the only CIC2* riders not to add any penalties to their dressage scores.
Will Faudree and Pawlow. Photo by Jenni Autry.
We saw two more clear rounds from Ashley Adams and OBOS Pepperpot and Emily Beshear and Shame on the Moon, but they also added time penalties. Numerous rails fell all throughout the course, with the bright sun seeming to cause problems for some of the riders. Alexandra Willoughby and Flash Gordon were eliminated after two stops at a big oxer about midway through the course that required riders to jump directly into the sun. Peter Barry and Qorry Blue d’Argouges had a surprising stop at fence 2, a big blue oxer, that was also jumped directly into the sun. But I imagine riders would rather have blinding sunlight than the torrential downpours we had yesterday, so it’s a tradeoff.
Courtney Cooper and R Star. Photo by Jenni Autry.
In all, 10 horses and riders in the division had time penalties, and 21 horses and riders had rails; that’s 68 percent of the division. The rolling terrain in the show jumping arena has been playing a significant role this weekend, and the course requires a confident, forward ride in order to make the time. Riders who spent too much time in the hilly corners setting up for the next line found themselves pushing to make the distances, and that often meant rails came down. It’s a brisk day here in Georgia, but the sun is out and temperatures are slowly climbing. Stay tuned for a full report on the jumping in the Open Intermediate divisions! Also, I have to give a special birthday shoutout to Pine Top Farm owner Glenn Wilson, who has been working tirelessly this weekend to put on a great event.
Did I mention their morning started like this? Congrats to Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless! Photo by Jenni Autry.
Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless snuck by Allison Springer and Arthur to take the win in Pine Top Advanced Test A on a final score of 38.4. Kim and Sparky rode their dressage test this morning in the worst of the rain, and they pushed through some moments of tension for a score of 35, which put them in 11th place. They then jumped one of six clear show jumping rounds in the division, picking up one time penalty to move up to fourth place. A fast, clear trip across the country brought them home with just 2.4 time penalties — the second fastest trip in the division — to clinch the win. Kim had already left the grounds when scores were official, but I’ll catch up with her tomorrow to bring you an interview about her day with Sparky.
Allison Springer and Arthur. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Allison Springer and Arthur almost led wire to wire in this division, finishing just .3 penalties behind Kim and Sparky for second place on a score of 38.7. Arthur looked fantastic all day, staying relaxed in a rainy, tense atmosphere to lead after dressage on 26.3. They jumped clear in show jumping with two time penalties. It’s worth noting here that only Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice and Colleen Loach and Freespirit jumped double clear in show jumping in this division, but they were one of the pairs to withdraw before cross country. Erin Sylvester and No Boundaries stayed in third place all day. After scoring 30.6 in dressage, they pulled one rail in show jumping and jumped clear across the country with 10.4 time penalties.
Will Faudree DHI Colour Candy. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Will Faudree and DHI Colour Candy won Test B Section A on 41.4. Tied for seventh after dressage on a score of 39.4, they jumped double clear in show jumping — one of just two pairs to do so — and also jumped clear on cross country, picking up just two time penalties. This horse has been in the shadow of his stablemates Andromaque and Pawlow in recent years, as he competed in Advanced when Will imported him from Ireland but actually ended up dropping down a level because he felt like “Andy” needed more time to mature and develop as an event horse. As Will discusses in our interview, the extra time has really paid off, and the horse really rose to the occasion today.
Michael Pollard and Ballingowan Pizazz finished second in this division on a score of 46.0. Sitting second after both dressage and stadium jumping behind Boyd Martin and Shamwari 4 — who withdrew before cross country — Michael and Mango had an easy trip across the country to jump clear with 10.4 time penalties. Michael told me after his ride that he didn’t intend to go any faster than that, so he was pleased to finish in second place. Erin Renfroe and De Cordova round out the top three on a score of 50.3, moving all the way up from 15th after dressage.
Doug Payne and Crown Talisman. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Doug Payne and Crown Talisman won Test B Section 2 on a score of 37.3, leading wire-to-wire all day. They started off the morning with a score of 28.5 in the dressage, and there’s only room to improve here, as Tali showed some tension in the test and had a bobble in the medium canter. To put it simply, this horse is an athletic freak of nature, and Doug said it’s challenging to channel his powerful movement in the right direction right now, as Tali is still learning and developing the strength he needs. Watch out for this pair this spring, as Tali is looking in wonderful form to make his Rolex debut in April.
Michael Pollard and Mensa G finished in second in this division on a score of 39.4; they jumped one of three double clear rounds in this division, with the others being Doug and Tali and Sally Cousins and Westerly. Allison Springer and Copycat Chloe rounded out the top three on a score of 46. They jumped clear in show jumping but picked up four time penalties; they also were clear across the country, oddly adding 8.8 time penalties — the exact same number of time penalties as Doug and Tali and Michael and Mensa.
Michael Pollard and Mensa G. Photo by Jenni Autry.
New show jumping coach Silvio Mazzoni seems to have been hired at just the right time, as a few too many rails fell for my comfort today. I’m not as worried about the time penalties in the show jumping, and I’m actually surprised the time allowed wasn’t adjusted. Caitlin Silliman and Catch A Star had a very forward ride that didn’t waste much time in the corners, and even she picked up two time penalties. We saw plenty of good cross-country trips today, and time penalties in this phase are expected at this point in the season as riders prep their horses for the bigger events coming up.
Congrats to Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair on completing their first Advanced! Photo by Jenni Autry.
The organizers and volunteers had a lot on their plate today, with three Advanced divisions running alongside CIC2* dressage and two divisions of Intermediate dressage. There was much celebrating back in the office after the final horse came home on cross country. Thank you to the volunteers who braved the heavy rains this morning and stuck around all day to bring the last horse home. I still have more videos I’ll be uploading, and I’ll also be uploading a full photo gallery from all the Advanced divisions to Facebook, so check back later tonight. Stay tuned for much more from Pine Top tomorrow!
Michael Pollard and Mensa G. Photo by Jenni Autry.
The volunteers are working in overdrive to get all the scores calculated from the Advanced divisions at Pine Top while simultaneously running the Intermediate divisions, so we’re still waiting to see the final results here at Pine Top. In the meantime, here’s a video of horses and riders coming through the first water complex, as well as a photo gallery from all three divisions. I’ll keep adding to the photo gallery, and keep checking back for the full report, which will be up just as soon as scores come in. [I’m uploading the full photo gallery to Facebook, so check there later tonight!]
Update 5:36 p.m. EST: Scores have just now been finalized. Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless won Test A on 38.4, Doug Payne and Crown Talisman won Test B Section 1 on 37.3, and Will Faudree and DHI Colour Candy won Test B Section 2 on 41.4. Stay tuned for interviews with Doug and Will, as well as the full report, more photos and more videos. Go eventing!
Caitlin Silliman and Remington XXV. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Doug Payne and Crown Talisman. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Allison Springer and Arthur. Photo by Jenni Autry.
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 Joanne Murphy in Connecticut.
From Joanne Murphy: “This is between the ears of my competition horse Wildwood Skier (Tucker) at Fairfield Beach in Fairfield, Conn. I ride there all winter. So far this year, we have managed to log in 35 days at the beach since Dec. 1. I don’t have an indoor to go to (my choice) because I can get a good gallop in at the beach at least once a week. My racehorse friend Tucker wouldn’t have it any other way. There is 2 feet of snow on the beach above the high tide line, but we made a trail along with the dog people. I don’t go anywhere now without my shovel!”
Here are other ears photos from EN readers taken this past week:
From Christi Barnes: “Enjoying a Valentine’s Day sunset in Maryland with my Valentine, my 18-year-old OTTB Reilly.”
From Jamie Oakman in Pittsburgh, Pa.: “It was Valentine’s Day and one of the few days that was nice enough for a ride, and I picked our Tennessee Walking Horse mare Sierra that day. My husband and I don’t do gifts for each other, but try to find other ways to show our appreciation for each other. So I made this heart for him in the snow in our backyard via horseback.”
From Erin Sloan: “This photo is looking between the ears of my horse Morning Glory at my first pony from 20 years ago, Ben, with his rider Gracie Field. We’re out enjoying a sunny afternoon in between snowstorms in Nova Scotia, Canada.”
Doug Payne and Crown Talisman. Photo by Jenni Autry.
All the Advanced divisions were mashed together for show jumping, and scores are just coming in just as I need to head out to catch all the cross-country action. So this is your very quick show jumping report with highlights. Allison Springer and Arthur still lead Test A after jumping clear with two time penalties. Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice moved up to second thanks to a double clear trip. Erin Sylvester and No Boundaries pulled a rail but still stay in third place on their score of 34.6. Scores still aren’t in for Test B Section 1, but Boyd Martin and Shamwari 4 will hold their lead thanks to jumping clear. In Test B Section 2, Doug Payne and Crown Talisman still lead thanks to jumping clear. Courtney Cooper and Who’s A Star picked up one time penalty to drop to third, swapping places with Michael Pollard and Mensa G, who move up to second place after jumping double clear.
Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz. Photo by Jenni Autry.
The course definitely shook up the leaderboard, with numerous rails coming down and time penalties stacking up. Riders either seemed to jump clear or go bowling for poles with little middle ground. Boyd Martin seems to be developing a good partnership with his new ride Shamwari 4, and they jumped a lovely clear round with time. Will Faudree and DHI Colour Candy put in the first double clear of the Advanced pairs, soon followed by Michael Pollard and Ballingowan Pizzazz. As horses and riders continued to accumulate a lot of time penalties, spectators at the rail wondered if the time would be adjusted, but that didn’t happen.
Will Faudree and DHI Colour Candy. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Colleen Rutledge definitely needed her grab strap today with Shiraz, who is very happy to be back to competing following his long hiatus after Badminton, and he let her know this by jumping out of his skin over each fence. He looked like he probably could have benefited from a bigger bit to help contain his exuberance, and they unfortunately picked up two rails as Colleen struggled for control, but it was still a lot of fun to see them back out jumping again. Hang on during cross country, Colleen! The following pairs withdrew before show jumping: Will Faudree and Andromaque, Becky Holder and Can’t Fire Me, Mary Macklin and Mahogany Beauteo.
Michael Pollard and Ballingown Pizzazz. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Caitlin Silliman received a big round of applause for a beautiful clear trip with Catch A Star, who has faced show jumping demons on and off during her career. After tough luck at Richland and Plantation Field last season, everyone is really rooting for Caitlin this year. She gave Hoku a very confident, forward ride, and it seemed to really work well for them. Well done, Caitlin! The sun is out and temperatures have warmed back up. It’s turned into a really lovely day in Georgia — perfect cross-country weather! Stay tuned for much more from Pine Top!
Allison Springer and Arthur. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Hello from Pine Top! The day is running an hour behind schedule due to a series of severe storms that came through this area this morning. Officials decided around 7:03 a.m. to delay the 7:30 a.m. start time to 8:30 a.m. to avoid the storms. Unfortunately, heavy rains and wind continued well past the new start time, and the horses and riders that rode toward the beginning of their divisions had to suffer through some pretty miserable conditions. All three Advanced divisions rode dressage at the same time, and I primarily watched the Test A division, which, as the name implies, rode Advanced Test A, the harder of the two new Advanced tests released this year.
Caitlin Silliman and Remington. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Allison Springer and Arthur won their Open Intermediate division here two weeks ago, and they put in a dominant performance here at the Advanced today as well, winning the dressage on a score of 26.3. While he showed some of his characteristic tension in warmup, Arthur was relaxed and all business upon entering the ring. I have video of their ride I’ll be uploading later today. Caitlin Silliman and Remington XXV also had a lovely test to sit in second place on 29.7 after dressage. Remi has been acting up a bit with his flying changes lately, and Caitlin said that he was so quiet about his changes during the test that it caught her a bit off guard, and they missed a bit on one of them. No Boundaries performed a very relaxed, workmanlike test for Erin Sylvester, which puts them in third place after dressage on a score of 30.6.
Doug Payne and Crown Talisman. Photo by Jenni Autry.
You’ll notice Boyd Martin and Trading Aces toward the bottom of the Advanced A leaderboard. Oscar came undone during the flying changes, first bucking and then anticipating badly. Boyd didn’t have much of a choice but to just try to get through it. Silva Martin has worked a lot with Oscar on his changes, and it just didn’t come together today, unfortunately. Colleen Rutledge also ran into trouble with Covert Rights in the flying changes when he got very change happy. Colleen said after exiting the ring that CR has now lost flying change schooling privileges in warmup.
Caitlin Silliman smiles through the rain with Catch A Star. Photo by Jenni Autry.
In the other Advanced divisions, Boyd Martin and Shamwari 4 lead the way in Test B Section 1 with a score of 30, followed by Michael Pollard and Ballingowan Pizazz on 35.6, and Kristin Schmolze and Ballylaffin Bracken in third place on 35.9. Our own Kate Samuels and Nyls du Terroir are close behind in fourth place on 36.2. I pulled Nyls’ tail wrap before his test; EN karma works, people! Shamwari 4 was a perfect gentleman in the pouring rain, and Michael and Mango would be sitting much closer to Boyd’s score had the horse’s tongue not flopped out during the test. That kills a score, since points must be deducted from each movement in which the tongue is out.
Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Doug Payne and Crown Talisman lead Test B Section 2 on a score of 28.5. This score could have been freaky good had Tali not shown some tension early in the test and swapped in the canter work. Courtney Cooper and Who’s A Star are in second place on 29.7, followed by Michael Pollard and Mensa G on a score of 30.6. And I have to give a special shout out to Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair, who are just behind in fourth place on 31.2. She was nervous about making sure Cody didn’t swap in the canter half pass, and she worked on it in her lesson with David O’Connor yesterday. I’m pleased to report they nailed it today.
Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Show jumping is actually going right now as I type this, as it started before dressage ended. I’ll be bringing you a report on that next, and then we’ll be underway with cross country around 1 p.m. I also have plenty of videos to bring you, and our good friend Theorsepesterer is also here shooting video today. The sun is finally starting to peek through the clouds, so it looks like it should be a beautiful rest of the day here in Georgia. Stay tuned for much more from Pine Top!
Hello from Aiken! I flew in to Georgia this afternoon and made it to Stable View Farm just in time to catch the final three rides of the day. Last year’s Fair Hill CCI3* winners Jan Byyny and Inmidair were the last of the listed pairs to go today, and Coach David O’Connor worked with them on several of the movements they’ll need for tomorrow in Advanced Test A, which the USEA clarified last week is meant to prepare horses for a four-star, while test B is geared toward three-star. The shoulder-in down centerline has been giving a lot of riders trouble in schooling, and when I asked David about it between rides, he agreed it’s difficult, but he’s seeing improvement.
David first helped Jan work in the extended trot, as JR broke to canter several times as she pushed for more out of the movement. Jan felt she needed to push more because JR started to fall behind her leg, but David said that extra push was causing JR to break because he started to feel out of balance. He had Jan and JR work across the diagonal, with Jan pushing in the first third of the diagonal to build the trot and then holding the extension by bracing her back across the remainder of the diagonal. “You don’t have to push him to get the bigger score,” David said. “Push and then support him.” As Jan worked on the extended trot, JR became visibly tense and hotter, and David had her work back and forth between transitions within the trot to soften him and help him relax.
Jan and JR won their section of Intermediate at Pine Top earlier this month, and he looks excellent at this point in the season. This is the first time I’ve seen him since Fair Hill last fall, and even with the tension he showed at certain points throughout the lesson, he had numerous show-stopping moments in his trot work, especially in the medium. Remember that this pair has a free flight overseas to the competition of their choice courtesy of the Dutta Corp thanks to winning Fair Hill, so it’s going to be very exciting to follow along with their 2014 season.
I also have to give a special shout out to Jan Byyny’s other well-known upper-level ride Syd Kent, who suffered a very serious hoof injury last year at Millbrook. His situation was looking very dire for a long time — and it seemed likely he might never compete again — but Caitlin Calder told me today that he’s not only healed but flourishing, and he looks better in his body and flatwork than he even did before the injury. Syd will be making his triumphant return to competition this weekend in Open Intermediate at Pine Top, and I’m sure I speak for all of Eventing Nation when I say we’re so relieved he recovered!
Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Jan stayed after her lesson to watch Maya Black — who is working for her this winter here in Aiken — and Doesn’t Play Fair, the quirky gelding we’ve profiled here on EN in the past. One of the stars of Pacific Northwest eventing, Maya was one of the riders invited to train with David this winter, and she said she felt like she got a lot out of this lesson, which comes on the eve of her very first Advanced at Pine Top. It’s also Cody’s first event at this level, and they’re certainly ready for the move up after placing second in the Galway Downs CCI2* last fall. Poor Maya is still lamenting that pesky rail that kept her from taking home a blue ribbon!
Maya just recently started teaching flying changes to Cody, and she said he’s become a little change happy as a result. David told her she needs an aid for no change, which is opening the inside rein. David had them school the half pass in counter canter to centerline, then proceeding straight while keeping the inside rein open. Once Maya adjusted her seat to ride the inside of the canter, Cody stopped changing and they conquered this movement beautifully. She said she could feel herself shifting her weight in the wrong direction, and David had her ride haunches in so she could memorize the seat position she needed for the half pass to prevent that flying change.
David finished the lesson with coaching Maya on the shoulder-in down centerline, where she initially overshot the proper place to start her turn, as marked by David’s trademark cones. “There’s only a one-stride difference between finishing the turn and starting shoulder-in,” David said. Riders get in trouble when they start the shoulder-in before completing the turn, and David emphasized it’s critical to wait. David said he’s impressed with little Cody, who might look like a pony but has an incredible jump on him. Jan commented she thinks this horse is going to go all the way; with a very determined Maya in the irons, I don’t doubt he will!
Kurt Martin and Anna Bella. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Kurt Martin and Anna Bella, a lovely mare we’ve also featured here on EN, had the final lesson of the day. David said she looks much more fit even since last fall when she stole the show in the Fair Hill CCI2*, and Kurt said he had a cross-country school on her recently that “was so good it was almost scary.” Indeed, she looks incredible and very ready to tackle Open Intermediate this weekend at Pine Top. Kurt adores this mare, and it’s easy to say why. She’s incredibly feminine while still exuding a certain self confidence. She’s like Beyonce in horse form! David also had Kurt work on making Anna Bella work in counter canter and wait to change by holding the outside rein, and they schooled many of the same movements Maya and Cody did in preparation for tomorrow.
All three horses looked fantastic, and it was a real treat to see all of them have a quiet afternoon with David, who said he’s pleased with the progress the listed riders have made through the winter. In particular, he said he’s seen a significant improvement in the straightness riders are achieving in their flatwork, which he said absolutely had to improve in his sessions at last year’s USEA Convention. The weekend festivities kick off tomorrow morning at Pine Top at 7:30 a.m. I’ll be primarily covering Advanced Test A and Open Intermediate 3 tomorrow, but, as always, I’ll try to see as much as I can to bring you all the action.
Liz Halliday-Sharp on the Nations Cup team at Boekelo last year. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Horse Sport Ireland announced this morning that the FEI has awarded a round of the FEI Nations Cup series to Ballindenisk in Co. Cork, Ireland, on April 11-14 this year. With nine legs in all, the Nations Cup begins with Fontainebleau in France on March 19-23 and ends with Boekelo in the Netherlands on Oct. 19-22.
“Ballindenisk is delighted to be chosen to be part of the FEI Nations Cup Eventing series for 2014,” Peter Fell of Ballindenisk said in a statement. “This is a great opportunity to have a leg in Ireland and for our riders to compete on home soil.”
Nick Turner, Horse Sport Ireland’s Eventing High Performance manager, welcomed the addition of an Irish leg to the series. “The Nations Cup series is something we will be focusing more on this year as a way of developing combinations and the Irish team,” Nick said. “We hope to have a strong team at the first round in France and it is great to have the second round in Ireland.”
The U.S. fielded Nations Cup teams at Aachen and Boekolo last year, and Coach David O’Connor said at the USEA Convention he will continue to make it a priority to send teams to these competitions based on support received from the U.S. Olympic Committee.
David said we might see U.S. riders at Aachen again this year: “For horses based in Europe, that could be a place where a final trial (for the World Equestrian Games) could happen. We’ll talk to the course designer to see if the Germans are using it as a final trial. It might be a little too aggressive for a final trial. But if the Germans are using it as a trial, it could be an option.”
He also said Boekelo will continue to play a major role in the USEF High Performance calendar: “Boekelo is still very strong in the dressage. It’s almost the 8-/9-year-old Championships in some ways. The cross country is not as strong as Blenheim. It has a different feel to it when you get there. It’s a great part of your education to show where you are.”
EventingTrainingOnline.com has a lengthy video clip of William Fox-Pitt teaching at Morningside Training Farm last November. Watch Allison Springer, Jan Byyny, Sharon White and Kate Samuels navigate stadium exercises with guidance from William on how to improve their rounds. Many thanks to EventingTrainingOnline.com for posting the video and to the USEA for sharing it this morning. Go eventing!
We keep hearing from readers raving about how flawlessly the event ran this past weekend at Paradise Farm Horse Trials despite no power due to last week’s ice storm in Aiken. Kristen Wiley sent in this nice thank-you message on behalf of all the riders from Champagne Run Farm in Lexington, Ky. Thank you to all the Paradise Farm officials and volunteers for your hard work!
Barb Arnold on Zak’s In Town and Cosby Green on Buckaroo celebrate their stadium rounds. Photo via Kristen Wiley.
From Kristen:
The riders at Champagne Run Farm wanted to send a GIANT, MASSIVE, HUMONGOUS thank you to all the staff and volunteers at Paradise Farm Horse Trials this past weekend. Even though the conditions in the week leading up to the event were basically the opposite of paradise — what with the ice storm, power outages and earthquake — the event went on, and we riders really appreciated it! I am still not sure how the one-day was combined into the two-day in three days from a cell phone, but I’m assuming superpowers were involved.
Our group consisted of 10 horses and eight riders from Champagne Run Farm in Lexington, Ky. We traveled down the Monday before the ice storm, our little heads full of visions of schooling cross country in the sun and warmth. Even though our plans were somewhat thwarted by the ice storm, we were able to ride every day but Wednesday. We eagerly awaited the good weather coming on the weekend, and we were not disappointed.
William Robertson and his horse Harley Goldsmith leaving the startbox on their first preliminary (they finished second!). Photo via Kristen Wiley.
Two of our riders were entered in the one day, and one of them had done so because he had three horses to show (one at Preliminary and two at Training), so he was trying to spread them out a bit. He was really worried about how they were all going to be fit in, but throughout both days, he gushed and was very complimentary of the scheduling and how easy it was for him to not only get his rides in, but to care properly for each one of his horses.
Throughout the weekend, ALL of the volunteers and staff that I interacted with were unfailingly polite and cheery. They were full of smiles despite what I imagine was a very stressful week leading up to the weekend. Everyone in our group was thankful for the opportunity to show. Maybe things are not always perfect, but we all have to remember how incredibly privileged we are to ride and show at all. The sun shone on my fabulous cross-country round, and really, that’s what it is all about in the end.
Jessica Phoenix and A Little Romance at Rocking Horse. Photo by Ivegotyourpicture.com.
The frangible pins at 8A on the Rocking Horse Advanced course received a good workout this past weekend as horses jumped over the first element before bouncing into the water complex at 8B. Our good friend Thehorsepesterer said there was some confusion at the water complex — even amongst the Advanced riders — as to whether penalties should have been assessed for breaking the pin, so the chinchillas set out to do some investigative research. Here’s one of the incidents in question:
If you’ve never had the pleasure of digging through the rulebooks for information on frangible pins, here’s what you’ll find. In the 2014 edition of the FEI rulebook, information on scoring in the case of a broken frangible pin can be found on page 68:
Note the all-important clarification that the 21 penalties for breaking a frangible pin are not assessed automatically; rather, the Ground Jury must determine whether or not the horse and rider properly answered the question when navigating the obstacle. If the Ground Jury believes horse and rider did properly answer the question despite breaking the pin, penalties are unlikely to be assessed.
So what about at national horse trials like Rocking Horse? The USEF rulebook only mentions frangible pins in regards to when and how this technology should be used in competitions. Since the incident in question happened at Rocking Horse, I called in the big guns to get some clarification.
Malcolm Hook, who currently chairs the Rules sub-committee of the USEF Eventing Committee and chaired the Technical Committee at the time the decisions regarding frangible pins were made, was kind enough to explain: “Twice over the past several years, the Eventing Technical Committee has addressed the FEI rule providing for a 21 point penalty for activating (or breaking) a frangible device. For various reasons, the committee has made a decision not to include this rule in the National rules for Eventing.
“Although EV101.3.a allows Officials to refer to the FEI rules for “…circumstances not specifically covered in these rules…,” they are not at liberty to apply the FEI rule regarding broken frangibles because the USEF rules provide a list of penalties for various things that may happen during a cross-country round. In other words, the circumstances are covered in the National rules.
“In the specific instance that you provide, the broken frangible pin did not cause the refusal. Rather, it prevented, in likelihood, the horse from falling. Had the first element not been equipped with a frangible pin, then it is almost certain that A Little Romance would have fallen, if not between elements, then when it failed to recover from a bad jump and attempted to jump the second element.
“With regards to possible additional penalties for breaking the device, it is unnecessary, as the rider received 20 penalties for the refusal. Had the device been on a single obstacle e.g. an oxer in the open field, then the Ground Jury has the flexibility under our rules to penalize the rider 25 penalties for Dangerous Riding. So, at the moment, there seems to be no reason to adopt the FEI rule, as the USEF rules contain sufficient avenues for the Officials to act and penalize appropriately under a variety of circumstances,” Malcolm said.
Jennie Jamstrom and Cape Town also broke the frangible pin jumping into this same combination, but the horse did not refuse at the water. In this case, horse and rider both seemed to answer the jumping question well, as you can see in the video above, and we can look at the pin breaking as an example of the technology at work. If the horse had jumped poorly or dangerously over the first element — breaking the frangible pin before bouncing into the water — the Ground Jury would have the option to asses 25 penalties for Dangerous Riding, under Malcolm’s explanation.
Another interesting question Thehorsepesterer raised — and Malcolm addressed in his comments — is whether the frangible pin breaking prevented a rotational fall or caused a stop in the case of Jessica Phoenix and A Little Romance. Here’s a series of screenshots taken from the video:
The answer could be both — the pin breaking could have prevented a rotational fall and distracted the horse enough that she stopped at the water. Of course, it’s open to debate. What do you think, EN? Regardless, we’re lucky to have this type of technology at work keeping us and our horses safe. Many thanks to Thehorsepesterer for providing the videos for this post and to Malcolm for his excellent clarification on frangible penalties.
Go eventing.
Update: Here’s footage of all the Advanced horses going through the water complex in question courtesy of RNS Video. Thank you!
EN Business Academy helps eventers learn how to turn their love for horses into a viable business. Margaret Rizzo McKelvy, president of equine marketing and management company Mythic Landing Enterprises, writes this weekly series. Have a business question for the column? Email [email protected], and be sure to visit www.mythiclanding.com.
From Margaret:
Do you have a website? If the answer is yes, are you utilizing your website to its full potential? As you can imagine, a growing portion of the population is turning to Google and other search engines for help when shopping for most anything these days. Need a new farrier? New feed store? New vet? Simply type in your keyword and location into Google and pages of results will pop up. But how do you get YOUR web site to pop up on the first page? This is where Search Engine Marketing comes in!
Search Engine Marketing’s purpose is to boost your online presence. To be more specific, “SEM” is the process of doing certain tasks to try and gain more traffic from the “free” or “organic” listings on search engines to your web site. SEM also utilizes paid tools like Google AdWords and Pay-Per-Click advertising when necessary.
SEM can be a long-term process to reach the top access on the search pages, as the “Google robots” are constantly searching for new content. Once a top listing is attained, it also takes consistency to maintain that position, as Google is constantly changing. Time to reach that position varies depending on the keywords targeted and the size of the market.
So does your business need to invest in Search Engine Marketing? If you’re in a service related sector of the horse world, I would definitely recommend it. We have had a lot of success with SEM for boarding stables, farriers, trailer dealers and even a therapist/life coach. If you’re trying to get people to sign up for your local schooling show series, I would recommend utilizing some of the tools of SEM along with a variety of other marketing tools that we can talk about in the future.
The Google Analytics interface
If you decide that Search Engine Marketing will help build your business, you have two choices. You can either hire a professional, or you can do the research and try to do it on your own. Given the time commitment that proper SEM takes, my best guess is that you will want to find a professional to help you out. My only word of caution is to make sure that whatever company you go with not only understands your business model, but also understands that SEM is an ongoing process. There are a lot of companies out there that charge a large amount of money to integrate SEM into your website, but SEM isn’t just a one-time thing.
Once you have settled on a SEM company, you will want to work with them to come up with the best keywords that make sense for your business. Are you a boarding business with an open-door policy? Or are you more of a training facility where boarders need to be in a training program? This makes a huge difference in your choice of keywords. “Horse boarding Montgomery County” would be very appropriate for the first facility, but may attract a lot of unsuitable people for the second facility. “Eventing trainer Montgomery County” would be a more appropriate keyword for the second facility.
Just keep in mind that the more specific your keyword choices are, the smaller your audience will be. However, on the flip side, the more open-ended key word categories are often the most difficult ones to climb onto the first page of Google. By keeping a close watch on your Google Analytics, you will be able to gauge how well your key word choices are working.
So what exactly is Google Analytics? In layman’s terms, Google Analytics is a tool that allows you to see how many people have visited your website on any given day. And, more importantly, it shows you how many are unique visitors. While you may have had 137 visits to your web site, only 105 may have been unique visitors, meaning that some visitors viewed your site multiple times in one day.
And even more exciting, it will show you how many people are brand new visitors to your site versus how many people are repeat visitors. It goes into even further detail by telling you the average visit duration and how many pages each visitor opens before leaving your website. And, most importantly, Google Analytics will be able to tell you what keywords visitors are typing in to make their way to your website, as well as what web sites they clicked on that linked directly to your website (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
Pretty cool, right?
Special thanks to Tara Shegogue, MLE’s SEM guru, for her help with this week’s column!
Paradise Farm pulled off running 280 horses across two days in its horse trials this past weekend despite having no power following the ice storm in Aiken. Everyone from the competitors to the photographers agreed the event went off without a hitch. Major props to the organizers! Brant Gamma was kind enough to send in these wonderful photos from the event. Be sure to check out her website at www.brantgamma.com.
Pretty much the greatest thing since sliced bread.
We received so many cute photos of you kissing your ponies for our Smooch Your Horse Contest Presented by Hamilton BioVet. But only one EN reader can win the $50 Hamilton BioVet gift card. We need your help! Check out our favorite 10 smooch photos below and vote in the poll at the bottom of the post. The EN reader with the most votes when the poll closes at 10 p.m. EST tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 19, will win the gift card! Go vote, and go check out all the amazing products in the STAYONS Instant Poultice line on Hamilton BioVet’s website.
1. Cynthia Bales
“This is me kissing my horse Alouette. Photo taken by Tais Kulish.”
2. Claire Parker
“This is Hope Cove aka Henry.”
3. Jeanne Wallace
“I had to submit this photo taken of my trainer Chelsey and horse Wally because it’s cute and they are both winners to me!”
4. Allie Sacksen
“This picture is from my wedding day back in May 2013. Neo got the true first kiss ;)”
5. Tess Lesesne
“Good luck kisses before cross country at VAHT!”
6. Jeanne Shearer
7. Brooke Petkovsek
“When I kiss my horse, he kisses back.”
8. Samantha Stewart
“This is a picture of me and my 4-month-old colt, the love of my life! This picture is one of the rare moments that he isn’t galloping around the pasture.”
9. Shawneen Stephens
“Sophie and Seirian!”
10. Lindsey Burns
“The femme fatale meets a dashing young Frenchman on a rainy day in Paris, and of course there were pictures.”
Investigators are now wondering if Michael Schumacher’s helmet cam caused his helmet to shatter into pieces during the skiing accident that’s left him in a medically induced coma, The Telegraph reported earlier this week. Michael, a former Formula One racecar driver who friends and family describe as an experienced skier, was wearing a helmet cam to record his son while they were skiing in the French Alps in December.
Good Morning America picked up the story yesterday, interviewing Dr. Farbod Asgarzadie, a neurosurgeon at Loma Linda University (Calif.) Medical Center. “If a hole were drilled into the helmet and that were the method for mounting a camera, then potentially it could cause a problem with the integrity of the helmet,” Asgarzadie said in the interview. Of course, that statement doesn’t come as a surprise to any athletes who wear a helmet in their sport. Clearly drilling a hole in the helmet would have affected its ability to properly protect Michael.
Assuming the helmet cam was attached via normal means — i.e. using the mounting system provided with the product and not by drilling a hole — the investigation’s findings could impact whether or not riders are allowed to wear helmet cams on cross country in the future. Do you think the helmet cam could have caused Michael’s helmet to shatter on impact? Does this story make you reconsider wearing a helmet cam on cross country? Thanks to EN reader Pamela Nunn for the tip.
Tredstep Ireland rider Elisa Wallace and Simply Priceless teamed up for their first Advanced event as a pair at Rocking Horse Winter II Horse Trials this past weekend. They jumped clear on cross country with just two time penalties, finishing in eighth place in their division. Thanks to Elisa for strapping on a helmet cam!
Kim Keppick, who worked for Karen O’Connor for 10 years, had a special bond with Biko, as she competed him through Preliminary in the early days of his career. Many thanks to Kim for sending in this touching tribute. (Editor’s Note: Kim apologizes for both her throwback hairstyle and lack of helmet. EN recommends wearing helmets at all times when mounted!)
Snapshot of Kim and Biko in 1991. Photo courtesy of Kim Keppick.
From Kim:
What a wonderful horse Biko was. I can’t thank Karen enough for the opportunity to ride/train and compete him through the Preliminary level. Karen Lende (now O’Connor) was wonderful to work for, and what a fantastic education I received during the 10 years I was with her.
As Karen has said, it took Biko a while to trust his American life and the people around him. But William Micklem knew Biko had Olympic potential, and he was right. I may be incorrect, but I don’t think Biko EVER fell or caused a rider to fall (other than bucking them off early in his life!), either in training or all the competitions he did in his lifetime.
While we are sad he is gone, he had a wonderful life and a happy retirement and made it to 30 years old! It is a tribute to Karen for doing such a fantastic job with Biko in competition, management and his retirement.
Biko was truly bug eyed when he arrived at Jimmy Wofford’s barn where Karen was training at the time. He did not care that he was in a stall once occupied by former stars Carawich and Castlewellen. My job was to start him like a complete baby, not because he knew nothing but because he felt so insecure in his new surroundings. It was difficult even to put a blanket on him at first. So I took my time and was allowed all I wanted by Karen. I did earn his trust, and he never bucked me off.
Kim and Biko in 1991. Photo by V.J. Zabek.
Loading him on the gooseneck trailer was not an easy task. I did not know about the tap-tap method from John Lyons that I use now. Nevertheless, I got it done, and for a long time, I was the only one that could load him. So much so that when Karen decided to ship her young horses to England, she asked me to come to New York with him to make sure we could load him safely on the plane. I had worked with him for four years, and he was a solid Preliminary horse and ready to move up. The loading went smoothly.
Once Biko did trust you, he was a treat to work with. Very easy to jump, never spooky, careful but not in excess for an event horse; he was a simple point and jump. When Karen left for England with her older horses, she moved Biko and other the young ones to Longbranch. I would play in the fields where they had cut hay, making a “course” out of the hay bales. I always searched for natural ditches, natural water, etc. It was not official cross-country schooling, just simple fun — the way I played with ponies and horses in Ireland before coming here.
I loved Biko, and he knew it. If I did not win a competition on him, it was due to my lack of skills. He had so much talent, was so willing and a joy to ride.
It was wonderful to see him go on with such huge success with Karen here and abroad. I have not forgotten that he earned the title of USCTA Horse of the Century. I hope you haven’t either.
Fresno County Horse Park wrapped up its inaugural international event yesterday. Many thanks to Shannon Lilley and Sherry Stewart for bringing us this final report and photos from the event. Go West Coast eventing! [Final Results]
Matt Brown and Happenstance won the Open Intermediate division. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
From Shannon:
Not many of us know what it is like to take over a venue that hosted quality events for many years and try to rejuvenate it to be a prominent spot on the West Coast eventing calendar. John Marshall is doing that with Fresno County Horse Park. Marshall hired Jay Hambly as the new course designer, Bert Wood and crew to build the cross-country course and maintain the footing, as well as Gray Area Events to manage the horse trials. Additionally, Marshall launched a fundraising campaign to help fund all the improvements to the courses, arenas, stabling, footing and more.
At the competitor’s party under a beautiful tent at FCHP, the awards ceremony for the CIC divisions took place with many happy faces receiving their ribbons and prizes. Throughout the weekend, a silent auction ran that concluded on Saturday evening. Many trainers in the area as well as other horse show venues donated lessons, coaching and entries to raise funds. The second part of the ongoing fundraising campaign is a cross-county jump sponsorship, where people can sponsor a jump for as little as $100 for Intro to $1,000 for two-star. The support has been incredible! The silent auction alone raised $3,500, and so far, the cross-country jump sponsorship has raised $4,000. Fundraising will continue until the $25,000 goal is met. To support this fundraiser, go to the FCHP website for more information at www.fresnohorsepark.com.
The horse trials completed yesterday with show jumping and cross country for the final day of competition. The day started with the lower levels and finished with the Intermediate division. Matt Brown aboard one of his many rides, Happenstance, won the Intermediate division after jumping one of the few clean rounds. Brown is excited about Happenstance: “That horse was so good on the course — just ate it up yesterday.”
Robyn Fisher also had a stellar weekend with her various rides, one of which was With Class, who won the Open Preliminary division finishing on their dressage score of a 28.6. While With Class lived up to the horse’s name with their performance throughout the weekend, Fisher also finished second in the one-star on Vanity, behind Tamra Smith and Fleur de Lis.
After a successful weekend, FCHP looks forward to the next competition in April, where the new dressage arenas will be completed, as well as more changes to the lower level cross-country courses. FCHP wishes to extend a thank you to all who have played such a pivotal role in making this first international event one to remember and build on in the future.
More than 10,000 people are still without power in Aiken this morning. That’s a lot of horse people who haven’t had a shower since before the historic ice storm struck last week.
At first, it’s funny that you all smell like helmet stank and horse poop.
Then you realize people are starting to notice how badly you need a shower.
And they aren’t even trying to hide their reactions anymore.
Even the dogs aren’t turning a blind eye anymore.
So you finally use a friend’s shower, which is pretty much the best moment of your life.
Like literally one of the best moments of your life.
Then you smell one of your unclean friends, and you’re not sure what horrifies you more: the stench or the fact that you know you also smelled like that for five days.
Just celebrate the fact that you’re finally clean.
EN’s own Kate Samuels turns 26 today! Please join me in sending HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes to Kate. A familiar face on the Advanced circuit with Nyls du Terroir, Kate brings a fantastic upper-level voice to the EN team.
Kate and Nyls keepin’ it real at Plantation Field.
She’s also straight-up hilarious and an all-around cool cat. I got us lost every day driving around Pau last fall, and she didn’t punch me in the face once. NOR did she mock me mercilessly when she found out I couldn’t (and still can’t) properly pronounce Neuf Des Coeurs. This is the face of a true friend:
Pretty much the best picture of all time.
Kate, I’m sure you didn’t plan to be spending your birthday with no power in the icy wasteland that is Aiken, so grab the last six pack left on the shelves at the Walmart and enjoy your day. Cheers to you, friend!
