Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Plantation Field is known for its stiff reputation as a difficult CIC3*, and Mike Etherington-Smith’s course certainly didn’t prove easy for the 58 horses and riders that ultimately left the start box today. After a dramatic afternoon of thrills and spills — and plenty of holds on course as a result — Tamie Smith and Mai Baum triumphed as the final combination on course, jumping clear with 1.2 time penalties to win on 39.4.

How does a rider mentally handle seeing the course shake things up like that? “It was definitely hard because there were so many people falling off and having running outs,” Tamie said. “I watched the beginning, which was tough because the course wasn’t really riding like I expected. I’m using to having five people in the division at Advanced being from the West Coast, so we don’t even know how the course is riding — we just go out and run.

“I went almost an hour later than I was supposed to go because of the holds, but I know the horse, and I have a great partnership with him,” Tamie continued. “He’s got a fabulous jump, and cross country is actually his strong suit, so I kept telling myself: ‘You ride great. He’s great. You’re going to be fine.’ And it went great. He was foot perfect.”

Tamie and “Lexus,” 9-year-old German Sport Horse gelding owned by the Ahearn family, clinched their fourth international win of the season today, and they haven’t finished lower than fourth in any of their FEI starts this season. After besting the top three-star horses in the country this weekend, it’s safe to say Tamie and Lexus are on a hot streak.

They next head to Maryland for the horse’s first CCI3*, and Tamie said yesterday that this was the most terrain she’s ever seen at an event, so she was wondering how Lexus would handle the hills with Fair Hill’s own rolling course in mind. But it’s all good news after the fact: “He felt very fit; that’s actually the fittest I’ve ever felt him. I’m thrilled.”

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Marilyn Little is also thrilled with RF Scandalous, a 10-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Raylyn Farms and Phoebe and Michael Manders, after cross country. “Kitty” completed her first CIC3* in fine form this weekend, jumping clear with 4 time penalties to finish in second place on 45.1. It was also a long day for Marilyn as she also watched the course cause trouble, but she said it didn’t affect her mental game going into the start box.

“I woke up this morning, and I had a great feeling about the day. I felt very positively about the course walking it. There were a lot of questions that caused some problems, and although it was her first CIC3* cross country, I thought it was something she could handle, and she handled it exactly the way I hoped she would,” Marilyn said.

“She gave me a beautiful ride around out there and answered all the questions before I even realized I was asking them. She took me to the jumps the way you hope an older horse would. She gave me a confident run, and I’m thrilled with her. It was enough out there that I feel great about aiming for Boekelo, and I feel like she came off the course confidently. I feel great about going to Europe with her, and she’s ready to go for it.”

While all the trouble on course had many riders nervous, Phillip Dutton said it didn’t bother him — like any good Aussie would. “I was relishing it,” Phillip said. “I like it when there’s a a bit of trouble out there. That’s what it’s meant to be about. I think you get a bit complacement if you go out there and nothing is happening.”

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Phillip didn’t take anything for granted, attacking the course to ultimately be the only rider to make the time aboard Tom Tierney and Simon Roosevelt’s Fernhill Cubalawn. That cracking round moved the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding up from 11th place after show jumping to ultimately finish in third place on a final score of 48.3.

“I went quite fast on him at Aachen,  so I wasn’t quite sure if he might be a little bit frazzled after that, but it’s actually made him event better,” Phillip said. “He’s naturally a very quiet horse, and now he is coming out and taking me to the jumps. Aachen turned out to be a good trip for him because I think he’s gone to another level on his cross country.”

“Cuba” is also aiming for the CCI3* at Fair Hill, and Phillip is planning to do the combined test at Morven Park as their final preparation for the event. Phillip said Plantation Field’s strategic date on the calendar serves as an ideal run for horses heading to Fair Hill — or Galway Downs, which is where he’ll go with Mr. Candyman on a USEF Land Rover Competition Grant.

“I think the horses feel it; you’ve got to go quick. Mike (Etherington-Smith) did a good job of not running us up and down the hills too much,” Phillip said. “All credit goes to to Jamie Hicks; he’s doing a great job on the footing. In five years, this will be like a cushion. He’s fertilizing and putting mushroom compost down and aerating, and all that takes a few years to see the benefits.”

It’s been a busy weekend for Phillip, as he also sits on the organizing committee for the event, which is part of the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series. So what are his thoughts on how the weekend went? “There’s always things you can do to improve, but I do think the course is riding well. We’ve got two really exciting designers in Mike E-S and Nina Fout, who I think could be a big-time designer for America. I think it could be as good an event as any in the country.”

Marilyn agreed that the event is a special one: “It raises the sights of the up and coming riders, and it gives professionals a great gauge of their special future horses coming up. It’s a real preparatory event, not just for our U.S. CCIs, but for CCIs on the international scene. We’re grateful as a group of riders to have an event like this.”

Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Looking to the rest of the CIC3* leaderboard, Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration finished as ths highest placed Canadian combination in fourth place on 49.5 after delivering the second fastest round in the division to come home with 0.8 time penalties. That’s the best CIC3* finishing score of their FEI career by 28 penalty points!

Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda round out the top five in the CIC3* on a score of 50.0 after jumping clear with 3.2 time penalties. They’ll head to France for Pau next along with Lillian Heard and Share Option, who finished sixed in the Advanced division today. His stablemate LCC Barnaby ultimately took the win with a clear round and 3.2 time penalties.

We have to give a huge shout out to the officials for working hard to keep things running smoothly all day. As Marilyn pointed out: “There was a lot of chaos out there today, and it was handled really well. You can plan all you want, but how things are handled in the heat of the moment is all very tell-tale, and the report card is incredible today.”

While there were a number of falls, we’re relieved to report tonight that there were no serious injuries in the CIC3*. Allie Knowles and The Dark Mark fell at the Arch Spread at fence 19, but both were OK, and she returned later in the afternoon to ride Sound Prospect. Cody Sturgess was transported to Christiana Hospital as a precaution after falling from Imperial Melody at the Brush Corners at fence 12b, and we will update you on his condition as we have more information.

Thank you so much for following along with all of EN’s coverage this weekend. Our newest reporter Dave Taylor did a super job of covering the CIC* divisions — click here to see his final report — and Samantha Clark has been across the pond in England covering Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen’s incredible win at Blenheim CCI3*.

It’s been a super weekend across the board, and we have to thank all of the organizers, officials, volunteers, riders, owners, grooms, spectators and everyone who supported the Best. Event. Ever. It’s been a weekend we won’t soon forget. Go Plantation Field. Go Eventing.

Plantation Field: Website, Final Scores, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram, @jenniautry

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Mai Baum jumped out of his skin today for Tamie Smith in the late afternoon sun at Plantation Field International Horse Trials to deliver a clear show jumping round inside the time and hold his lead in the big CIC3* division on 38.2. Tamie said yesterday after their winning dressage test that she’s been working hard to solidify her partnership with the 9-year-old German Sport Horse gelding owned by the Ahearn family, and she said “Lexus” was fantastic again today.

Fifteen horses and riders jumped clear in the 63-horse division, which is about 24 percent of the field, and Marc Donovan’s show jumping course definitely shook things up. With the time proving tough to make, riders had the choice of taking the more direct route at a white plank fence jumping into a combination about halfway around the course, or taking the outside line over a white vertical and using up precious seconds on the clock.

“The time was hard to make,” Tamie said, “and it didn’t look like the horses were reading the white plank fence very well, and in order to make the time you needed to do the inside line. I still went more forward and went to the plank anyway, but he’s careful and he was great. I actually put seven strides in the last line instead of eight to make sure I didn’t have time penalties.”

The white plank fence definitely caused its fair share of grief, though rails fell throughout the course, as we typically see with Marc’s courses. Marilyn Little was equally pleased with how RF Scandalous jumped, leaving all the rails in the cups to hold second place on their dressage score of 41.1.

“Marc Donovan always does a wonderful job designing the courses,” Marilyn said. “There was so much to do out there. The time was very tight; it was definitely a factor. With a green horse, I had certain goals. I wanted her to have a great round, but I also wanted to make the time, and that put plenty of pressure on. I definitely had to push for it, especially because I wanted to take the easier option.”

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Marilyn opted to skip the imposing white plank fence and jump the white vertical on the outside line instead with “Kitty,” a 10-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Raylyn Farms and Phoebe and Michael Manders. She said she thought the show jumping course favored a steady, confident ride, and that’s the same strategy she plans to use on Mike Etherington-Smith’s cross country course tomorrow.

“The course looks very typical for Plantation Field. There are plenty of accuracy questions. We all know it’s going to be hard to make the time. The pressure is a little bit off of me for tomorrow because I am here for a qualifying score, and that is my number one goal. My goal is to have a nice round, and I’d really love for her to go to Boekelo. If she comes in (after cross country) the way I hope she will, then that’s definitely on the table given her performance today.”

Tamie also doesn’t plan to specifically set out for the time with Lexus, as her priority is to get in a good fitness plan as they look ahead to running the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International CCI2* next month.

“I’ve never competed at Plantation, but it’s probably the most terrain I’ve ever seen on a course being from the West Coast,” Tamie said. “It looks like a very good course. It will be interesting to see how the double of corners rides; that right side looks pretty difficult. It looks like it’s a really good prep for Fair Hill.”

Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM entered show jumping in a three-way tie for third place and now sit on their own in that position after jumping double clear. Kim Severson and Cooley Cross Border jumped clear with 1 time penalty to slot into fourth place, and Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High jumped clear with 4 time penalties to drop to sixth place.

“In my opinion, Marc is definitely he best course designer we have,” Buck said. “He used the ring really well, including the little bit of a slope in the ring up and down and across. It was technical enough, and the time kept you honest. You really hard to keep your pace. Reggie was perfect.”

Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM. Photo by Jenni Autry.

This event will be the final one of the season for Reggie, a 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Carl and Cassie Segal. “The last few years his last event has been around this time,” Buck said. “We’re planning to give him a break and bring him back a little earlier than the other others horses to get him started slowly and geared up for Kentucky, if that’s in the card. With him it’s always one event at a time.”

So will Buck kick on for time with this being the finale to Reggie season? “The ground is a bit firm, and I’m just going to cruise like I always do,” Buck said. If him cruising is fast enough, then it’s fast enough, and if not it’s not.”

In addition to those already named, the following horse and riders jumped clear inside the time: Caroline Martin and Center Stage (12T), Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration (12T), Mara DePuy and Coolcorron Kinsale (15), Boyd Martin and Crackerjack (16T), Holly Payne Caravella and Santino (16T), Kurt Martin and Delux Z (16T), Allie Knowles and Sound Prospect (20), Jessica Phoenix and A Little Romance (23), Jennie Brannigan and Catalina (26), Ryan Wood and McLovin (27), and Sally Cousins and Abecca GS (28).

Jessica Phoenix has three horses in the top 15, with Abbey GS in fifth, Bentleys Best in 10th, and this year’s Pan Ams individual silver medalist Pavarotti in 14th. Buck Davidson has a second horse in the top 10 with Carlevo sitting in seventh.

Looking to the Advanced division, Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby jumped one of the five clear show jumping rounds to move up to first place on 31.2. She’s also sitting in second place with Share Option, who jumped double clear to sit in second place on 31.3. Waylon Roberts and Bill Owen sit in third place on 32.5 after also jumping double clear.

CIC2* cross country starts at 8:30 a.m. EST tomorrow morning, followed by CIC3* cross country at 12:20 p.m. EST and Advanced cross country at 2:40 p.m. EST. Click here to catch up on all of EN’s coverage from the Best. Event. Ever., and stay tuned for much more from Plantation Field.

Plantation Field: Website, Ride Times, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram, @jenniautry

Doug Payne and Lysander. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Doug Payne and Lysander were early to jump in the order of go on a very foggy morning at Plantation Field International Horse Trials, and maybe we could blame the fog for the fact that he nearly missed a vertical after the triple combination on Marc Donovan’s course. But “Big Leo” didn’t miss a beat when Doug re-directed about two strides before the fence, ultimately leaving all the rails in the cups to hold their overnight lead in the CIC2* on 31.7.

That’s the second clear FEI show jumping round in a row for this horse, as the 8-year-old Thoroughbred/Holsteiner gelding Doug owns with Kristin Michaloski also jumped clear at Richland Park last month to finish ninth in the CIC2* there. With show jumping being the horse’s greenest phase at this point in his career, Doug said he’s been really pleased with Big Leo’s progress.

“He’s 18.1 hands, so I think it’s just going to take him time before he’s able to maintain his balance and ultimately have good control of where his legs are,” Doug said. “He’s only 8, and it’s coming along. Because of his size, we’re trying to give him as much experience as we can, and I have no doubt that going forward he’ll have it.”

With the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International CCI2* being the ultimate goal for the horse’s fall season, Doug said he indeeds to set out at a good pace on cross country tomorrow to give Big Leo a good final prep run. He has a 4.4-penalty margin to play with when it comes to making the optimum time of 5 minutes, 52 seconds.

“I’m not going to go crazy fast, but I’ll certainly give it a shot. I’ve been trying to get better with setting him up less for every fence and allowing him to have a little but more control,” Doug said. “He’s responded really well to having more freedom, and that allows me to be more efficient and save a few seconds at every fence we jump.”

Alex O’Neal and Rendezvous With Charly. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Alex O’Neal and Rendezvous With Charly also jumped a lovely round clear inside the time to remain in second place on 36.1. It’s been about four months since Alex took over the ride on “Rudy,” a 9-year-old German Sport Horse gelding, from his fiancé, Ellie MacPhail.

“He had some confidence issues last year, so we ran into a situation where we were thinking maybe we should sell him. But the timing worked out well for me to take the ride, and Ellie was gracious to let me ride him and get his confidence going. Tomorrow on cross country will be a true test to see if we have his confidence where it needs to be.”

Alex said their mutual strengths and weaknesses have thus far complimented each other well and helped the partnership to continue moving in the right direction. “He’s really good on the flat, which is my weaker phase, so he’s given me confidence in dressage,” Alex said. “Jumping is his weakness, but that’s my strength.”

Alex and Rudy are coming off a win in the CIC* at Richland Park last month, which was their first FEI event together, and they need to get their qualifier this weekend at Plantation Field to run the CCI2* at Fair Hill next month.

“I think the first few fences on cross country are nice and inviting and give a good chance to get his confidence going early,” Alex said. “I think halfway around you need to have it together, so I’m hoping I can create that confidence after the first few jumps and get him raring to go and have a shot at going quickly.”

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Tamie Smith and Dempsey moved up from fifth to third place with a clear round after Hannah Sue Burnett and Cooley Dream had one rail down and Peter Barry and Long Island T were eliminated for going off course. Dempsey, a 7-year-old Dutch gelding owned by the Dempsey Syndicate, finished second in his first CCI2* at Rebecca Farm in July, and Tamie said she’s thrilled he seems to get better and better with each outing.

“He was really, really good in dressage yesterday — the best he’s actually been. He’s a young horse that I got as a 5-year-old, and he hadn’t done anything before that,” Tamie said. “We’ve been working to channel his excitement, and I was really happy with how he handled everything in his test.”

While Tamie said Dempsey is much more rideable in show jumping when the phase is held after cross country, the horse was very well behaved today. “He’s very careful and loves to jump high,” she said. “Even though he had some extra energy, he was still very good and not spooky in the ring.”

Dempsey is yet another horse using Plantation Field as a prep run before taking on the CCI2* at Fair Hill, a course Tamie thinks will suit the horse well. “He really could probably do the three-star there, but he’s only 7. He’s just a jumping machine, and I feel like I have a horse that is going to be really cool for the future. I’m really excited about doing Fair Hill because the hills and terrain will create a more rideable horse.”

Phillip Dutton and Z and Caroline Martin and Effervescent moved up to fourth and fifth places, respectively, after jumping clear rounds inside the time. Live scores are not yet finalized, but you can click here to see the order in which everyone is currently sitting after show jumping.

We’re on the lunch break now, with CIC3* show jumping set to start at 12:32 p.m. EST. CIC* cross country is wrapping up now, and Dave will have the full report and photos from that shortly. Keep checking back for much more from Plantation Field.

Plantation Field: Website, Ride Times, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram, @jenniautry

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum sailed into the CIC3* lead this afternoon at Plantation Field International Horse Trials, scoring 38.2 in the second to last group to go and ultimately remaining the only combination in the 63-horse division to crack the 30s threshold.

“Lexus,” a 9-year-old German Sport Horse gelding owned by the Ahearn family, made the trek from Southern California to contest the Best. Event. Ever. before tackling his first CCI3* at the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International next month, and Tamie said after the test that she’s thrilled with how the test came together.

“He felt pretty tight right before I went into the ring. On his right canter lead he can get tight, and he’ll do a flying change easily because of that. I went in and did some canter work and he settled right in, which I was really proud of because that ring is pretty electric,” Tamie said.

“I’ve really been working hard on developing a partnership and getting to know him and learning about the best warm-up strategy for him. We’ve been working with my dressage trainer Niki Clarke, and I’ve also been riding with Steffen Peters. I’ve been really happy with how he’s progressing.”

Now Tamie and Lexus look ahead to Marc Donovan’s show jumping course tomorrow. Their last CIC3* show jumping round on the East Coast saw Lexus uncharacteristically pull two rails. Since then, Tamie and the “Black Stallion,” as he’s affectionately known, have been diligently working to polish their performance in that phase.

“I think we learned a lot from that. We’ve had more months to get to know each other since then, and and I think we have a real partnership now. I have worked a lot with Susie Hutchison on getting the show jumping right. He is a phenomenal show jumper, so I am really hoping for a good round tomorrow. He’s still green, but he’s more than capable of jumping clean,” Tamie said.

“Every day I ride him, it’s just really remarkable. He tries really hard, and I’m so grateful to the Ahearns for the opportunity and allowing me to ride him. He’s a special creature. That’s why I call him the Black Stallion. He’s my dream horse.”

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous, a 10-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Raylyn Farms and Phoebe and Michael Manders, are sitting in second place in this big CIC3* class on a score of 41.1. “Kitty” wasn’t mean to compete here at Plantation Field this weekend, but an unplanned dismount for Marilyn in the show jumping at Poplar Place last weekend altered their schedule.

“I’m not sure if she stumbled in the footing or overreached and caught herself, but unfortunately it happened two strides in front of the triple combination, and we were already committed,” Marilyn said. “I was already a little bit loose in the tack from when she righted herself, and I just flew. Basically, I was a human bullet. I own some territory down in Georgia now.”

It’s been a swift turnaround for the mare as a result, with a pit stop at a Swan Lake jumper show on Wednesday to take a spin around a 1.35-meter class before shipping in to Unionville late last night. Marilyn didn’t have a chance to take Kitty to yesterday’s ring familiarization due to shipping in so late, and the mare definitely made her feelings about that known as they started the first movement in the test after their first halt and salute.

Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM. Photo by Jenni Autry.

“She just wasn’t focused at first. But then she switched back, and she was very good. We’ve been working on being able to ask for more in the movements and ask for another level, and I thought she was very steady in the movements and in the extensions. The right shoulder-in is her weak one, so it’s hard to start off on that, and we went off on our weak entrance, but other than that, I was very pleased with her.”

Kitty settled very nicely after that initial bobble to start the test, which continued to improve with each movement. “It’s very much two steps forward, one step back with a horse that’s very sensitive, very careful and so smart. She always wants to be a little bit ahead of you, so it’s not easy. You also have to make her feel like she’s confident, but you also need to keep her respectful, so there’s a very fine line. We’ve been trying to find that,” Marilyn said.

“We’re a year and a little bit into building our partnership, and I think we’re getting closer and closer. In the meantime, she’s changing so fast. When a horse changes so much in one season, it’s a challenge. And when they change as much as she has in three seasons — going from the Training level to the three-star level — at the end of the season you look back and see the progression. She’s progressed exponentially.”

Marilyn will be looking to secure Kitty’s qualification for a CCI3* this weekend; if she gets it, she’s tentatively thinking of shipping the mare to the Netherlands to compete at the Boekelo CCIO3*, but she also said those plans are still up in the air. “It depends on the feeling I have — not just getting the qualifying score — but the way she does it,” Marilyn said. “I want to feel like she’s really confident.”

Scores are super packed at the top of the leaderboard, with Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM, Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High, and Kim Severson and Cooley Cross Border all sharing a three-way tie for third place on a score of 41.3. Selena and “Woody” led yesterday in the early going of this division yesterday, and she gave a wonderful interview that you can read at this link.

Looking to the rest of the leaderboard, Jessica Phoenix is dominating the top 10, with Pavarotti, Abbey GS and Patras VR sitting in sixth, seventh and 10th, respectively. With Selena and Woody sitting tied for third, that gives the Canadians four of the top 10 slots in this star-studded division. As a cherry on top, Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration delivered the best test of their career to sit in equal 18th place on a score of 48.7. Go Canada!

Kim Severson and Cooley Cross Border. Photo by Jenni Autry.

In other news, Doug Payne is still a total rockstar after scoring 31.7 with his own and Kristin Michaloski’s Lysander yesterday to lead the CIC2*. No one could touch that score today (click here for his comments on the test), so he once again holds the overnight lead with “Big Leo.” In fact, the entire top three remains unchanged from yesterday, with Alex O’Neal and Rendezvous With Charley sitting in second on 36.1 and Peter Barry and Long Island T in third on 38.6.

Dave “The Man” Taylor is madly typing away at the CIC1*-B division report currently, so he’ll have much more to bring you on that shortly. For a quick spoiler alert, DeAnna Burke and Davinci lead on 34.6, followed by Ellie MacPhail and RF Panamera in second on 38.4, and Jorgen Olijslager and Northern Quest Lady’s Man in third on 40.4. Click here if you missed the CIC1*-A dressage recap from yesterday.

We still have much more to bring you from Plantation Field, including the much-anticipated CIC3* course preview video from drone pilots Alec Thayer and Jamie Rees. (Did we mention Chinch also took a spin on the drone?) In the meantime, there’s currently a giant vat of mac n’ cheese at the party by stabling that Chinch fully intends to dive into headfirst, so I’m out.

Don’t forget that Samantha Clark is doing a superb job over in England covering the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials, where Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen are leading after dressage on a super score of 33.8. We have a total of four Americans in the top 20 at Blenheim, so there’s a lot to be excited about tonight! Click here to catch up on all of Samantha’s coverage from Blenheim. Go Eventing.

Plantation Field: Website, Ride Times, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram, @jenniautry

Selena O'Hanlon and Foxwood High. Photo by Jenni Autry.

The first 12 horses did their dressage this afternoon in the star-studded CIC3* division at Plantation Field International Horse Trials, with Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High leading the way in the early going on 41.3. We’ve seen dressage scores for “Woody,” a 12-year-old Canadian Sport Horse gelding owned by John and Judy Rumble, drop nearly 20 points in the past year, and they delivered yet another personal best score today here in Unionville.

“I’m really excited about how he’s done this year, especially since Bromont onward, as I’ve been trying to get to the 30s to be competitive in Europe. I’ve gotten a personal best every time out. Jacquie Brooks helped me a lot when I broke my collarbone last November, and I’ve continued to work with her a lot. I’m staying across the street at Bruce (Davidson’s), who I’ve been training with since I was 7. He knows me inside and out, and I’ve been working with him since Monday,” Selena said.

“Woody has also been getting more confident, and that really makes a difference. Starting with Bromont, I felt like I got the score that I deserved, and it became more about going in there to win it instead of being timid and worried about how we looked as a pair. He’s also way more rideable now in the ring, so I can bring a little bit of Colombo to Woody.”

The super performance in the little white box is made all the more special by the fact that Woody’s owner, John Rumble, was sitting ringside to cheer him on during the test — as he always is for this horse’s events. John has his own storied history in eventing, having won a team bronze medal in eventing for Canada at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, where he also placed 16th individually. It’s wonderful to have top riders like John go on to be owners in the sport.

“John never misses a beat,” Selena said. “He’s very understanding whether you have a good day or bad one. He says, ‘We’ll drink to commiserate or drink to congratulate, but either way, we’ll have a drink and dinner.’ He’s been very happy with the work Woody has been doing with both Jacquie and Clayton (Fredericks). The fact that John is so supportive as an owner means there’s only the pressure I put on myself.”

Canada is well positioned at the top of the CIC3* leaderboard currently, as Jessica Phoenix and Abbey GS are holding second place on 42.3 after being first into the ring in this 67-horse division. This 14-year-old Trakehner mare owned by Charlotte Schickedanz floats across the ground and really delivered a lovely performance today; she’s also a stellar jumper and one you will absolutely want to watch go on Saturday and Sunday if you’re planning to be here at the Best. Event. Ever.

Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice are holding third place on 43.8 in the horse’s first FEI competition since Rolex Kentucky CCI4*, where the horse 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Caroline Moran, Annie Jones, Michael Bombar, Kevin Keane and Evie Dutton chipped a stifle on cross country. “Happy” looked in good form today and is on track to compete in the CCI3* at the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International next month.

Doug Payne and Lysander. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Looking to the CIC2*, Doug Payne has a lot to be celebrating tonight after throwing down the best dressage score of his FEI career to handily lead with Lysander on 31.7. EN readers should be very familiar with “Big Leo” by now, as we’ve been following his career for the past three years since he was featured in EN’s Got Talent. The 8-year-old Thoroughbred/Holsteiner gelding owned by Doug and Kristin Michaloski and bred in the U.S. by Elizabeth Callahan, just keeps getting better and better.

“He’s not that great of a mover, but he always seems to pull out these amazing dressage scores. He scored a 13 in a Training level test once. He’s so consistent,” Doug said. But he’s actually giving the credit for the test to his super groom Michelle Novak, who gave him some pointers before the test that ultimately helped seal the deal.

“She told me that I needed to watch when I was coming out of my corners and preparing for the next movement, like a half pass, because she said I was throwing my body to the inside,” Doug said. “Sure enough, I kept my weight in the stirrup in the corners, and there you go.”

While he’s thrilled to be leading the CIC2* at the end of the first day — with 17 horses still to come tomorrow — Doug said the goal this weekend definitely isn’t about winning. “I’m trying to get him as much experience as I can,” he said. “I’ll move out at a good pace on cross country, but I won’t go full out. Show jumping is the greenest of his phases. Marc (Donovan) always creates clever courses that require you to be on the ball. Hopefully we can pull it off.”

Alex O’Neal and Rendezvous With Charly are sitting about five points behind Doug and Big Leo in second place on 36.1, with Peter Barry and Long Island T rounding out the top three on 38.6.

The remainder of CIC3* and CIC2* dressage will start at 8 a.m. EST tomorrow, with the two-star wrapping up around 11 a.m. EST and the three-star continuing all the way through until 4:30 p.m. EST. Stay tuned for a full report on the leaders in the CIC* A division after dressage.

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