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Jenni Autry

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About Jenni Autry

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.

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Wednesday Morning at Aachen: Team USA Ready to Go

By Jenni Autry on Aug 12, 2015 9:00 am -

Lynn Symansky and Donner in their lesson with David O'Connor, with super groom Kendyl Tracy filming in the background! Photo by Jenni Autry.

All the horses are officially moved in here at Aachen as we look ahead to this afternoon’s horse inspection for the FEI Eventing Nations Cup. Three of the four U.S. team members had their first rides at the venue this morning in flat schools with Coach David O’Connor. Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights, who were named to the team about 24 hours ago, arrived in Germany early this morning and will have their first ride during ring familiarization this afternoon.

Phillip Dutton, Lauren Kieffer and Lynn Symansky spent the past two days at Reed Kessler’s facility in Holland before vanning over to Germany yesterday afternoon, and David said the horses did well at the Kesslers’ farm. “It’s a fabulous place, and the Kesslers were very hospitable,” he said. “When you come over in these first couple days, you’re just trying to get the horses to be happy with the travel, so it’s not high pressure yet. The horses have done the trip well.”

Now with the horses settled in, David has turned his attention to fine-tuning things on the flat with Veronica, Donner and Fernhill Cubalawn, who did their lessons in that order this morning, with Donner having a second ride after. “I think the horses feel comfortable and they all look good,” David said. “I think they feel ready for this. The horses aren’t CCI fit, but this is a CIC. We jumped them all once (in Holland), and they all jumped well.”

The warm-up rings for dressage have been set up in the same grass field where all the riders were hacking yesterday, with is adjacent to where the new dressage stadium has been erected for the CICO. The U.S. riders don’t get a chance to do dressage on grass very often, so having the dressage for eventing on grass at this year’s CICO is good practice.

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn in their lesson with Coach David O'Connor this morning. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn in their lesson with Coach David O’Connor in the covered arena this morning. Photo by Jenni Autry.

“The horses with larger trots that are not really comfortable on the grass will be a little bit more conservative, but the footing here is good,” David said. “Certainly we’re talking about using studs for dressage and things like that. It’s hard to get the horses to let go as much in there on the grass footing as you could on a difference surface.”

Covert Rights — definitely one of those horses with a larger trot who will need to adjust to the different surface — will take his first spin in the grass dressage arena this afternoon in ring familiarization, and Colleen Rutledge will make her U.S. team debut when she makes her way down centerline tomorrow.

It’s been a whirlwind week for Colleen, CR and her groom Alex Ambelang. While CR flew overseas on the same flight as fellow team horses Donner and Fernhill Cubalawn, he then made his way on to England to settle in for Burghley. The USEF only received word around 11 a.m. local time yesterday that there would be room after all to add a fourth squad member, so Alex and Colleen packed up and caught the ferry last night.

“Colleen is a real professional, and the horse has really come into his own in the last year,” David said. “She obviously didn’t have the best preparation for Aachen going to multiple different countries in the last week, but she’s a cool customer. I think mentally it’s not going to affect her at all. She’ll go in and do her best job and a good job.”

Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration in their lesson with Penny Rowland. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Having a drop score now definitely leaves a little more breathing room as the U.S. looks to complete a team for the first time at the Aachen CICO. The U.S. first sent a team in 2013, and only Tiana Coudray and Clark Montgomery completed the event. That was the very first team trip for David, who had been team coach for a little over six months then, and he said he thinks a lot has changed since then.

“We were still developing the program in a lot of ways. It was our first trip, and we had some developing horses, which we likely wouldn’t do again at this event,” David said. “We also made a mistake with the shoeing with running in bar shoes on cross country. We didn’t know the horses as much as we do now, and you didn’t know programs at that point. This is an experienced group, and they’re good cross country horses, so the experience level of the team will make more of a difference than anything else.

The weather is also significantly different this week than in 2013 when the wheels fell off the cart for Team USA. It was pouring rain and freezing cold for cross country — conditions we’re all glad not to be reliving. This week it’s pleasant and warm, and tomorrow will be quite hot for dressage and show jumping. Friday’s forecast for cross country is currently predicting mostly dry conditions.

Niklas Bschorer and Tom Tom Go 3. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Getting teams to Nations Cup events like Aachen continues to be a big priority for David, who made the very good point that you’re unlikely to find an atmosphere like this anywhere else in the world. With the CICO running alongside the European Championships for dressage, show jumping, vaulting, reining and driving, the event feels more like a big rock concert than a horse show.

“It feels like a major games, and we don’t get to come to shows like this very often. How we approach the technical side of the competition — what you’re going to do in the ring and what you’re going to do out on the cross country — all stays the same. But the different feel here with all of the disciplines makes it feel like a games,” David said.

“It has a lot of atmosphere, and you feel like you’re in Europe. Aachen is one of the best horse shows in the world. So to be able to come here; you feel like you’re part of the big wheel. It feels very international here. It goes back to the fact that we need to get off our island; we have to keep coming back here to get used to events like this.”

Michael Jung (in a Hollister T-shirt, ya’ll) and fischerTakinou FST. Photo by Jenni Autry.

In addition to Team USA taking advantage of the morning for lessons and hacks, I also saw members of the Canadian, Kiwi, German and British teams out and about. Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration had another dressage lesson with Penny Rowland this morning, in which they kept nailing their flying changes. Clean changes haven’t come easy to Morris, Holly said, so to have those come together just in time for Aachen is pretty fantastic.

Check out a photo gallery below of everyone who was out hacking late this morning: Michael Jung, Tim and Jonelle Price, Mark Todd, Niklas Bschorer, and Gemma Tattersall. The chef d’equipes just wrapped up their meeting, so Rüdiger Schwarz’s cross country course is now open to walking.

I’m off to go check out the course and snap photos ahead of the 5 p.m. horse inspection (noon EST), which is expected to last about one hour. Stay tuned for a full report from the horse inspection, and don’t forget to keep checking Instagram for photos and follow @eventingnation on Twitter for by-the-minute updates from #Aachen2015.

#Aachen2015: Website, Entries, Schedule, Aachen Preview, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram

: Tim Price and Wesko. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Team GBR dressage coach Tracie Robinson and Irish Eventing High Performance Manager Nick Turner.

: Lynn Symansky and Donner in their lesson with David O’Connor, with super groom Kendyl Tracy filming in the background! Photo by Jenni Autry.

: More Inspiration’s super groom Uli Paulischta watches Holly Jacks-Smither’s lesson. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Penny Rowland talks flying changes in her lesson with Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Niklas Bschorer and Tom Tom Go 3. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Mark Todd and NZB Campino. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Jonelle Price and Faerie Dianamo with the Kiwi contingent. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Niklas Bschorer and Tom Tom Go 3 with Chris Bartle after their flat school. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Michael Jung (in a Hollister T-shirt, ya’ll) and fischerTakinou FST. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration in their lesson with Penny Rowland. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Gemma Tattersall and Quicklook V in a lesson with Team GBR dressage coach Tracie Robinson. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn in their lesson with Coach David O’Connor. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Super groom Emma Ford on the move! Her parents are here visiting at Aachen this weekend. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Gemma Tattersall stops to chat with German team coach Chris Bartle. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Welcome to Aachen: Tuesday Sights & Sounds from Germany

By Jenni Autry on Aug 11, 2015 1:30 pm -

Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration in their flat school with Penny Rowland today at Aachen. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Guten tag from Germany! It’s been a mind-blowing first day here at Aachen, and tonight’s highly anticipated Opening Ceremony hasn’t even started yet. This year’s FEI Eventing Nations Cup at Aachen feels decidedly different right off the bat, as the CICO3* is running in conjunction with the 2015 FEI European Championships for dressage, show jumping, vaulting, reining and driving.

Move-in for the competition started today, so a slew of world class horses patrolled the grounds this afternoon as riders went out for a first stroll and look at the venue. A big grassy field clustered in the middle of all the stadiums serves as a nice place for the riders to hack, and Canadian team members Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration had a good school there this afternoon with Penny Rowland, who is here coaching her this weekend.

Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration in their flat school with Jane Rowland. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration in their flat school with Penny Rowland. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Holly and “Morris,” a 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding that raced at Woodbine and Fort Erie until she pulled him off the track, are tackling their first overseas competition and first team competition for Canada this weekend, having decided to compete at Aachen on the Nations Cup team instead of aiming for Blenheim CCI3* next month.

With it being such a sudden trip across the pond, Holly’s usual coaches Tom Dvorak and Jon Holling were unable to accompany her, and she said this afternoon that she’s grateful to have Penny help her out. She also has super groom Uli Paulischta here pampering Morris, as well as a fabulous team therapist and veterinarian in Usha Knabe.

Dressage is still a work in progress for Morris, and Holly said she’s aiming for a score in the mid- to low-50s when they enter the little white box come Thursday. The eventers normally do their dressage for the CICO3* on footing in the Deutsche Bank Stadium, but with the Euros monopolizing that stadium for reining and vaulting, the eventing dressage is now taking place in a grass field that is typically only used for the driving here at Aachen.

The dressage stadium set up and ready for #Aachen2015 eventing! Show jumping will also be held here

A photo posted by Eventing Nation (@goeventing) on Aug 11, 2015 at 5:47am PDT

Temporary bleachers have been erected in the field, and while it’s not as intimidating as the big Deutsche Bank Stadium, there is still plenty of atmosphere here for dressage. The eventers will also do their show jumping in this field, which is a big change from the huge main stadium where this phase is normally held. But everything is a bit different this year with the Euros running concurrently, and only pure dressage and show jumping are in the main stadium this year.

After Holly’s lesson with Penny, I hung around the same grassy field where a few more of the eventers were beginning to get out on their first hacks after settling into stabling. Austin O’Connor and Kilpatrick Knight, Mark Kyle and Jemilla, Padraig McCarthy and Simon Porloe, Caroline Powell and Onwards and Upwards, and Ingrid Klimke and Horseware Hale Bob were all out letting their horses stretch their legs.

: Austin O’Connor and Kilpatrick Knight and Padraig McCarthy and Simon Porloe. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Caroline Powell and Onwards and Upwards. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Mark Kyle and Jemilla. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Then, it happened. I was snapping photos of some of the side saddle pairs, who were preparing to practice for tonight’s Opening Ceremony, when I spotted dressage superstars Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, who are here at Aachen to compete in the Euros. “Blueberry” was casually strolling across the grassy field to the adjacent covered indoor arena — walking along like he owned the place — with the Team GBR dressage contingent and super groom Alan Davies in tow behind.

Charlotte and Blueberry schooled for the better part of an hour, separating the work into four separate sections, with each one building perfectly on the last. First: A session of long and low work to get Blueberry loose and limber. Second: Lateral work, with a particular focus on the canter half pass. Third: A focus on piaffe, passage and one-tempi changes. Fourth: Transitions between collected, medium and extended trot, as well as halt transitions.

Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Between each of these sections, Charlotte would give Blueberry a pat and let him have a brief break at the walk and then halt, during which Alan would swoop in to feed him several treats (I couldn’t see exactly what they were, but I know Blueberry has a penchant for sugar cubes) and sponge the horse down on his face and between his hind legs if needed.

Then after each break, Charlotte and Blueberry would pick back up with the next piece of their flat school. It was a fascinating process to watch how Charlotte built the suspension and power throughout each session, which culminated in a crescendo in that fourth and final part of the school, with Blueberry’s now world-famous, explosive extended trot simply wowing everyone who happened to be nearby at the time to watch.

: Blueberry on his way to his flat school. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: That world famous trot! Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Blueberry looking very pleased with himself during one of his breaks. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Blueberry’s groom Alan Davies wipes him down during the workout. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: All smiles after their school. Photo by Jenni Autry.

By the end of the hour, a sizable crowd had gathered around the covered indoor to watch Charlotte and Blueberry work their magic. While there are a variety of languages being spoken here at Aachen this weekend, the phrase “That’s Charlotte and Valegro!” seems to transcend all language barriers. People were materializing out of the bushes to watch them school. Even Ingrid Klimke watched from Horseware Hale Bob’s back while she hacked him around the adjacent field.

Ingrid Klimke watches Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro while riding Horseware Hale Bob. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Stay tuned for much more from Aachen, as I’ll be catching up with the remaining Canadian team riders and the U.S. team tomorrow. Holly and Morris were holding down the fort for Canada by themselves in stabling earlier today, with teammates Kathryn Robinson and Let It Bee arriving later tonight and Rebecca Howard coming in with Mark Todd this afternoon.

Phillip Dutton, Lauren Kieffer and Lynn Symansky have been based at Reed Kessler’s farm in nearby Holland for the past few days, and they vanned over to the venue late this afternoon. They didn’t go out for a hack after arriving, so I’ll plan to catch up with them tomorrow. If you missed the good news from this morning, fourth Team USA members Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights get on their transport from England tonight.

We’ve been receiving a lot of questions about whether the eventing at Aachen will be live streamed, and it looks like ClipMyHorse.tv will be at least be live streaming cross country to viewers in all countries on Friday. I am still trying to verify if dressage and show jumping will also be live streamed. The horse inspection is tomorrow afternoon here at Aachen, so keep checking back as I take you behind the scenes, and be sure to check Instagram for more photos.

Go Eventing.

#Aachen2015: Website, Entries, Schedule, Aachen Preview, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram

3 Former Upper-Level Horses Loving Life with New Junior Riders

By Jenni Autry on Aug 6, 2015 1:00 pm -

Three former upper-level stars competed in the Junior Training divisions at Millbrook Horse Trials last weekend, and it’s clear they are loving life with their new riders at the lower levels of the sport, not to mention being absolutely doted on and spoiled rotten in this latest chapter of their lives.

Read on about Annie Jones’ The Foreman, who is now campaigning with Alice Roosevelt after a successful four-star career with Phillip Dutton; Amy Ruth Borun’s former Rolex mount Santa’s Playboy, who is now competing with Phillip’s daughter, Olivia; and Indie, who previously competed at the two-star level with Jennie Brannigan and is now aiming for Young Riders with Sloane Pierpont.

Alice Roosevelt and The Foreman at Millbrook. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Alice Roosevelt and The Foreman

The Foreman hardly needs an introduction. The 1996 American Thoroughbred gelding is a legend in U.S. eventing, having placed second at both Rolex CCI4* and Burghley CCI4* in 2005, won Fair Hill CCI3* in 2007, and finished sixth at Rolex CCI4* in 2010. He popped a splint in 2008, which Phillip said always made him tough to manage for the upper levels after that.

“Chip” officially retired from the upper levels in 2012 at 16 years old. Still sound for the lower levels, Phillip’s stepdaughter Lee Lee Jones took over the ride that year at Training and Preliminary level. Lee Lee and Chip competed together successfully for two seasons in 2012 and 2013 before the horse reluctantly settled in to start his retirement — or so they thought.

When 14-year-old Alice Roosevelt was searching for an experienced partner to gain some Training mileage this past winter in Aiken, owner Annie Jones thought Chip, 19 years old this year but still full of spunk, might be the perfect horse for a job. Alice competed him once at Novice at Sporting Days in February before they stepped up to Training level in March at Pine Top. They’ve been having a blast together ever since.

“It’s been really fun and educational to get to ride him, especially in dressage because he knows all the different movements,” Alice said. “It’s also been really cool to compete him because he saves you a lot over the jumps. When you make a mistake, it’s not game over. He really takes care of you on course.”

Chip is still keen as ever on cross country at 19 years old, and Alice has to have a helper lead him into the start box because he won’t walk in on his own. But once they leave the start box, Chip is all business. “He’s really good on cross country and knows his job,” Alice said. “Sometimes he’ll lock onto Advanced jumps, and he pricks his ears like he’s saying, ‘Let’s go there!'”

Alice and Chip have completed five Training level events together now, placing in the top five each time. They most recently placed fourth in the Junior Training A division at Millbrook Horse Trials this past weekend, finishing on their dressage score of 37.5.

Alice said there’s no big goal for the rest of this season with Chip. She is just enjoying the ride and trying to soak up every ounce of wisdom she can, adding that she is incredibly grateful to Annie for the opportunity to compete such an incredible horse.

: Big pats for The Foreman after his clear show jumping round at Millbrook Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Chip gets some love from owner Annie Jones and former rider Lee Lee Jones after show jumping at Millbrook. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Alice Roosevelt and The Foreman at Millbrook. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Former four-star horse The Foreman with his new rider Alice Roosevelt, former rider Phillip Dutton and owner Annie Jones. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: The Foreman gets a treat after his clear show jumping round. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Alice Roosevelt and The Foreman at Millbrook. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Olivia Dutton and Santa’s Playboy

Olivia Dutton, 13, successfully completed her first Training level event in March of this year with The Dude, better known as “Dougal,” the 15-year-old Connemara/Irish Cob gelding she has leased from Cathy Schaffer for the past two years since competing in her very first Beginner Novice.

Amy Ruth Borun, who Phillip Dutton has coached for many years, retired her Rolex partner Santa’s Playboy from the upper levels in 2013. But Amy Ruth knew the off-track Thoroughbred gelding, who is 17 years old this year, wasn’t ready to fully retire. With Olivia ready to gain some experience on bigger horses, the timing seemed right this past winter to see if Olivia and “Santa” might be a good match.

“He’s very different from my pony, and he was a lot easier to get round and go forward,” Olivia said. “He just felt like a horse. He jumps bigger than Dougal, and he’s forward to the fences, but I can keep him patient to jumps, and I don’t have to kick him forward to get over fences like I do with Dougal.”

Olivia and Santa completed their first competition together at Plantation Field’s April horse trials in the Junior Novice division, where they finished second. Then they moved up to Training at Fair Hill in May, finishing 16th. They recorded their first double clear on cross country at Surefire in June to finish fifth in their division.

Olivia Dutton and Santa’s Playboy at Millbrook. Photo by Jenni Autry.

“Amy Ruth has helped me a lot with taking care of him and letting me know what he needs,” Olivia said, adding that having Phillip coach her is also very helpful because he knows the horse so well. “My dad knows how Santa is and what I need to do to get him to be good and look good. He helps me a lot with jumping, especially in show jumping and helping me keep Santa collected.”

Olivia and Santa completed their third event at Training level this past weekend at Millbrook, where they finished second in the Junior Training B division on their dressage score of 30.9. “Millbrook was my favorite event with him so far because we had our best show jumping round, and I had a lot of fun on cross country,” Olivia said. “He gets excited in the start box, but then when he gets out there, I can tell that he’s having fun, and he listens to what I want him to do.”

As Phillip puts it: “Olivia is very at home on a horse. There’s no tension, no fear at all with her. She and Santa just gel so well together.” Olivia said she’s hoping to aim for some Preliminary/Training events later this year with her eye on an eventual move up to Prelim with Santa. In the meantime, she’s looking forward to continuing to getting to know him better.

“He’s very sweet, and he always likes to give hugs. He’ll snuggle up right next to you,” Olivia said. “Every time before I put on his bridle, he tries to give me a hug so he can get out of putting his bridle on. He’s very smart about that. He’s really fun to ride, and I’m so thankful to Amy Ruth for letting me compete him.”

: Olivia Dutton and Santa’s Playboy at Surefire. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Big pats for Santa after his clear show jumping round at Millbrook. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Olivia Dutton and Santa’s Playboy at Millbrook. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Evie, Olivia and Phillip Dutton with Santa at Millbrook. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Olivia Dutton and Santa’s Playboy at Millbrook. Photo by Jenni Autry.

: Olivia Dutton and Santa’s Playboy at Surefire. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Sloane Pierpont and Indie

You’ll remember Indie as Jennie Brannigan’s standout two-star partner who dominated at that level a couple years ago, placing third in the Fair Hill CCI2* in 2012 and winning the Red Hills CIC2* and Poplar Place CIC2* in 2013. But when it seemed like the 10-year-old Dutch gelding wasn’t destined for the upper levels, Jennie and his owners Tim and Nina Gardner decided to find him a home with a lower-level rider.

“I didn’t think he was going to be able to compete at the top level of the sport, and the Gardners and I really loved him and wanted him to stay sound and happy for a long time,” Jennie said. “Michael Matz’s daughter Michelle texted me out of the blue staying she had a friend looking for a horse to do the one-star at Young Riders and asked if I might know of a suitable horse. I told her, ‘I might have the perfect horse!'”

Sloane Pierpont, 15, from Connecticut had been searching unsuccessfully for the right horse for two months, but things seemed to click right away when she tried Indie. “After just doing flat work on him, I knew that we had a real connection that I hadn’t felt with other horses, and after trying him the second time, it was a no-brainer that he was the right horse,” Sloane said.

Sloane Pierpont and Indie with Jennie Brannigan and Twilightslastgleam at Millbrook. Photo by Jenni Autry.

The Pierpont family purchased Indie three weeks ago, and he has since been renamed Christmas in July — since Christmas came early for Sloane this year! — though they have kept Indie as his barn name. Sloane competed him in Novice at the Horse Park of New Jersey the week before Millbrook and then competed in the Junior Training B division at Millbrook, where they finished fourth on their dressage score of 31.1.

“Indie has surprised me at both competitions that we have been to,” Sloane said. “Once in the start box, he is instantly in the zone. The cross country was the best part for us because of his willingness and need for speed he brings on out on the course. He is constantly surprising me in the best ways possible.”

Now Sloane and Indie will be working toward obtaining their qualifying scores at the Preliminary and one-star level in order to compete at the 2016 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships. Jennie said she would love nothing more than to see Sloane and Indie compete at Young Riders and will be cheering them on the whole way.

“I think he would have kept doing what I wanted him to do at the highest level, but I don’t think he would have been doing it for his own love of the game,” Jennie said. “I really wanted him to go to a home where he would be loved, and now I show up to the horse show and the whole family is petting him and loving on him. It’s pretty special how it all worked out.”

Zach Brandt On Selling Cavallino Cocktail: ‘I Wouldn’t Be Who I Am Without Her’

By Jenni Autry on Aug 6, 2015 9:30 am -

Zach Brandt and Cavallino Cocktail. Photo by Jenni Autry.

It’s an emotional day for USEF Eventing 25 rider Zach Brandt as he says goodbye to Cavallino Cocktail, his three-star partner of five years. As so many young professionals must do when getting started in this sport, Zach, 22, made the difficult decision to sell “Skotty” to Benita Strini in order to launch his business and fund a string of young prospects.

“It honestly comes down to the fact that I’m trying to start developing a string of horses, which is something I’ve known I needed to do,” Zach said. “I’ve had conversations with David (O’Connor) and Jon (Holling) about it. Jon’s my coach, but he’s also a mentor to me. It’s all part of getting started, and I’ve got to get started somehow.”

Zach takes comfort in the fact that he essentially handpicked the 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare’s new home, as he called Benita early on and asked if she would be interested in buying Skotty. “I’ve known Benita for awhile, and the Strinis are the most amazing family, and I honestly could not be happier that Skotty is going there,” Zach said.

“One of the things I struggled with was the idea of selling her and not being sure where she was going or what their setup was like and how they cared for their horses. But the Strinis just go above and beyond with their horses. I called Benita early on before anyone even knew about it because I wanted her to have the first right of refusal. That’s where I wanted her to go. Benita is the only person who tried her, and that was that.”

Zachary Brandt & Cavallino Cocktail. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Zach Brandt and Cavallino Cocktail at Bromont. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

The right match

Benita returned late last year from a six-month stint in Banbury, England, working for Kate Rocher at Dassett Eventing, and said she had been focused on producing her young horses at this point in her career. But when Zach called to tell her he was selling Skotty, Benita said she knew she had to at least go sit on the mare.

“I actually knew Skotty and adored Skotty before I even knew Zach. We were both at Young Riders in 2011, and I saw her go there and thought she was incredible. I had no idea who Zach was since he was based in California at the time. Then we became friends when he moved to the East Coast,” Benita said.

“Skotty is the ideal event horse — great in all three phases — but I hadn’t really thought of getting an upper-level horse. I completed my first two-star in 2011 and have struggled to get back to that level ever since. Last year I found two 5-year-olds in England, and I decided that I was going to go up the levels with them. When Zach called, I was in shock, but the thought of having an upper-level horse show me the ropes and help me get that experience seemed amazing.”

Benita went to Florida to try Skotty, knowing that it needed to be the right match if she was going to buy an upper-level horse, but everything seemed to fall into place. “The moment I sat on her, I loved her,” Benita said. “She’s so well trained and has been beautifully produced. We clicked way more than I thought we would right off the bat. We schooled all three phases, and there was no question after that. I was beyond excited.”

Zach Brandt and Cavallino Cocktail at Rebecca Farm. Photo by Samantha Clark.

Looking to the future

Zach, too, is excited at the prospect of now being able to develop a talented string of young horses. He already has Vasiliev, an 8-year-old Holsteiner gelding he purchased last year that is doing his first Intermediate/Preliminary next weekend at Full Gallop. He and Jon will fly to England next week to start the search for new prospects.

“We’ll look for something young that’s maybe done a little bit but that’s still relatively green,” Zach said. “I like the idea of starting them early on.” A new young horse is just part of what’s next for Zach. He’s been based at Jon and Jenn Holling’s in Ocala for the last year, and with their help and encouragement, he’s hoping to move on to his own facility this winter.

“With the help of Jon and Jenn both, I’m going to try to go out on my own this winter and get something started — get some horses in training and start working with clients,” Zach said. “That’s all part of this, too. I’m trying to get my own business started. Jon and Jenn have been an extremely good influence in helping me to grow, not only as a rider but as someone who hopes to be a successful businessman in the sport.”

Zach isn’t sure where he’ll ultimately end up basing his business — whether he’ll stay in Florida or move further up the East Coast — but what he does know is that he only has this opportunity because of Skotty.

“I honestly can’t even put into words what she has meant to me. I wouldn’t be who I am without her and all the experiences I’ve had on her over the past five years. She’s taken me to a medal at Young Riders, to my first two-star and my first three-star, and to the East Coast. If I hadn’t had her, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this,” Zach said.

“She has taught me so much, and I’ve learned so much from her. Because of all that I’ve been able to learn on her and that she’s been able to teach me, I can now take all those tools and use them with the young horses. Now that I know I’ve had the experience of riding at the Advanced level and a couple three-stars, I have an idea of the type of horse that I like. I know I’ll never get another one like her, but I’ll try.”

Zach Brandt had a great round on Cavallino Cocktail adding 6.8 time penalties to move up to 2nd place in the Advanced Division. Photo by Bill Olson.

Zach Brandt and Cavallino Cocktail at Copper Meadows. Photo by Bill Olson.

What’s next for Skotty?

Skotty arrives at the Strinis’ Plain Dealing Farm in Scottsville, Virginia, late tonight, and Benita said she plans to take her time in getting to know the mare. “I definitely want to take it really slow and build a partnership this fall,” she said. “I’ll likely aim for the Prelim at Five Points and then the CIC1* at Plantation Field, and I’ll keep her at the Prelim and one-star level this fall to really form that partnership. Then we’ll look at moving up to the Intermediate and two-star level in the spring.”

With Zach planning to compete Vasiliev at the same level next spring, he and Benita realized that their competition schedules will likely overlap, so he will get to see Skotty regularly at competitions. “I am really looking forward to watch them go together,” Zach said. “I will always be their biggest fan and cheerleader.”

“Zach has seem me struggle not having the right horse at the two-star level, and I think it will be a special thing and a big group effort as I work to get back there with Skotty,” Benita said. “There are a lot of people who love Skotty, and I feel incredibly blessed that I’m going to be her next partner. She will always have a home at Plain Dealing Farm, and Zach will always be a big part of her life.”

Who Jumped It Best? Millbrook Junior Training Rider Edition

By Jenni Autry on Aug 5, 2015 1:30 pm -

It’s time to play Who Jumped It Best? Millbrook Junior Training Rider Edition! The Junior Training Rider divisions did their show jumping early Saturday at Millbrook Horse Trials, so I was able to watch some of them go before Advanced cross country started. Madeline Foley and Avoca Bravado won the Junior Training A division on 32.7, and Mia Colman and Downtown Getdown won Junior Training B on 26.1.

This was a very talented group of junior riders, as you’ll see from looking at the photos. Check out the photos below and then vote in the poll at the bottom of this post for which horse and rider you think present the best overall picture. Then check out the rest of EN’s Millbrook coverage (and many more rounds of Who Jumped It Best) at this link. Go Millbrook. Go Eventing!

#MillbrookHT: Website, Final Scores, EN’s Coverage, Instagram

Gabrielle Ciccone and Some Kind of Wonderful. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Hannah Daneker and Peace Proposal. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Olivia Dutton and Santa’s Playboy. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Natasha Knight and Harbour The Truth. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Jessica Kyzer and Harmonicat. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Angela Martin and Metropolitan. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Grace Pilkington and Fidelis Argentum GS. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Alice Roosevelt and The Foreman. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Keara Schmidt and Full Moon Rising. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Everything You Need to Know About Aachen CICO3*

By Jenni Autry on Aug 5, 2015 10:30 am -

Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister at Aachen in 2013. Photo by Jenni Autry.

We’re just one week away from the horse inspection at Aachen CICO3* in Germany, and this year’s competition will be made all the more exciting by the fact that the U.S. has fielded a team for just the second time in the history of the event, and Canada is sending a team for the very first time.

What’s so special about Aachen? While eventing has only run as a part of the CHIO Aachen World Equestrian Festival since 2007, Aachen has existed as a horse show since 1924. The pure dressage and show jumping at Aachen are considered to be among the most prestigious competitions in Europe, and today the event simultaneously hosts team events for five separate disciplines: show jumping, dressage, eventing, vaulting and driving.

This year is a bit different in that the 2015 FEI European Championships are being hosted at Aachen starting next week for show jumping, dressage, driving, vaulting and reining. The FEI Eventing European Championships are next month at Blair Castle, but the Aachen CICO3* will still run next week in conjunction with the Euros in those other disciplines, so it’s going to be a smorgasbord of fantastic horse sport.

Being at Aachen is a feast for the eyes and something every horse enthusiast should do at least once in a lifetime. If you can’t make it to Aachen next week, I’ll be your ears and eyes on the ground as we follow the U.S. and Canadian teams (and Chinch tries to get Michael Jung’s autograph). So without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about Aachen.

Sandra Auffarth and Opgun Louvo at Aachen in 2013. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Who’s going to Aachen?

The U.S. announced its team on Monday: Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Fugitive, Lauren Kieffer and Veronica, and Lynn Symansky and Donner. It came down to the wire as to whether the U.S. would be able to field a full team, as we did not receive an automatic invite due to not placing in the top six at either the 2012 Olympics or 2014 World Equestrian Games. (The U.S. finished seventh in London and did not complete a team in Normandy.)

The good news is we’re sending a very strong team of horses and riders that are consistent across all three phases, including the past two USEF National CCI4* Champions and one super off-track Thoroughbred that goes by the nickname of Flying Deer. Veronica is already in Europe, having stayed after Bramham CCI3* for Lauren’s three-month stint in Europe this fall. Fernhill Cubalawn and Donner will ship up to New York on Thursday and fly across the pond on Friday.

Canada has also fielded a strong team in Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master (who are coming off a 10th-place finish at Luhmühlen CCI4*), Kathryn Robinson and Let It Bee, and Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration. Kathryn and “Bee,” an experienced four-star combination, will be hungry for redemption after Bee left a leg at the second fence on cross country at last month’s Pan American Games, leading to early elimination.

Holly is ecstatic to be competing in her first overseas competition and first team competition for Canada with her own More Inspiration, an off-track Thoroughbred that just had a strong final prep run this past weekend in the Advanced division at Millbrook Horse Trials. (Click here for a photo of Holly, “Morris” and Chinch celebrating their clear cross country trip at Millbrook.)

Since sending a team to Aachen wasn’t in Canada’s initial plans for the season, no funding is available for this team, and Holly has the most expensive trip having to fly from North America. She plans to host a fundraiser when she returns home, and we’ll be sure to post a link to that. Canadian Coach Clayton Fredericks will not be at Aachen due to prior obligations elsewhere, so good friend of EN Jacky Green has stepped in as team chef d’equipe.

As for who else is competing, click here to view the full start list. Nine teams in all are competing in the Nations Cup, with 11 total countries represented. Last year’s winner’s Sandra Auffarth and Opgun Louvo will defend their title. This year’s Luhmühlen CCI4* winners Ingrid Klimke and FRH Escada JS will also compete, as will last year’s Luhmühlen winners Tim Price and Wesko (who were also second at Rolex this year). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg; this is an extremely talented, stacked field.

The ground jury is Martin Plewa (GER), Sue Baxter (GBR) and Sandor Fülöp (HUN). The dressage test is FEI 2015 3* B. Rüdiger Schwarz is once again the cross country course designer. Here’s EN’s fence-by-fence preview of the 2013 course, and you can click here for a virtual tour of the 2015 course. (EN will post course photos next week.)

Completing a team at this event is important for the U.S. for a number of reasons. Aside from the Pan Ams, the U.S. last completed a major team competition at Boekelo CCIO3* in 2012. It’s time to show we can complete teams at competitions other than two-stars. Additionally, a good showing here is critical from the standpoint of the prestige and quality of the competition. Aachen has always been a very special event. To put that into perspective, read on for a ~~not so~~ brief history.

Team USA at Aachen in 2013. Photo by Jenni Autry.

A ~~not so~~ brief history of Aachen CICO

A cross country course first came to the hallowed show grounds of Aachen in 2005 in order to run the CIC2* test event for the following year’s 2006 World Equestrian Games. You could say Bettina Hoy was Aachen’s first ever winner in eventing, as she took first place in the 2005 WEG test event with Woodsides Ashby on a score of 35.0.

After the success and popularity of cross country day at the 2006 WEG, German eventing fans wanted the sport to return to Aachen as part of the World Equestrian Festival. A large contingent of riders, largely led by Ingrid Klimke, appealed to Frank Kemperman, Aachen’s director and chairman, to allow eventing to stay, and he ultimately said yes.

The following year in 2007 saw the very first Aachen CICO3*, with Germany winning the team competition — which attracted seven different countries — and Frank Ostholt and Air Jordan 2 winning the individual competition. Frank Ostholt and Air Jordan 2 then won it again the following year in 2008, with Germany once again winning the team competition. (Frank rode Mr. Medicott for the team competition, who finished third individually.)

Germany again won the team competition in 2009, with Andreas Dibowski and FRH Serve Well taking the individual win. With Germany’s monopoly of both the team and individual competition now going on three years, the pressure was on for another country to shake up the leaderboard. That’s exactly what Andrew Nicholson and Nereo did in 2010, besting Andreas Dibowski and FRH Butts Leon by less than 1 penalty point to take the win for New Zealand. Germany recorded their fourth consecutive team win in 2010.

Then came 2011. Michael Jung and La Biosthetique Sam FBW had already won Luhmühlen CCI4* in 2009 and clinched individual gold at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, so why not add an Aachen victory to their growing list of accolades? They crushed the competition to win on a score of 34.7, about 7 penalty points ahead of second placed Stefano Brecciaroli and Apollo VD Wendi Kurt Hoeve (who are competing once again in 2015).

While it certainly wasn’t surprising to see a German taking the individual win again in 2011, the team competition saw its first shake up that year when Great Britain took first place, becoming the first nation ever to beat the host country in the team competition. Not only did Team GBR take the win, but Germany finished well down the team leaderboard in fifth place — can’t imagine the German fans were pleased with that result at all!

The following year in 2012 saw Aachen join the new FEI Nations Cup format and started Chris Burton’s two-year domination of the event for Australia. He won it in 2012 with Underdiscussion (Michael and Sam finished second less than 2 penalties behind), and then Chris won it again in 2013 with Holstein Park Leilani, the first and only mare to win Aachen to date. Germany won the team competition in both 2012 and 2013 — are you noticing a pattern yet?

The 2013 competition is an important one to note for the U.S., as it was the first time Team USA sent riders to Aachen in the history of the CICO. While we sent a strong group (Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister, Will Faudree and Pawlow, Marilyn Little and RF Smoke on the Water, and Clark Montgomery and Universe), the team ultimately did not complete. Tiana and Finn placed 10th and Clark and Buzz placed 35th as the only two combinations to finish.

Last year the U.S. did not send a team to Aachen due to the focus on preparing for the 2014 WEG, though Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen competed as individuals. They retired on cross country after sitting high up the leaderboard following the first two phases. Sandra Auffarth and Opgun Louvo won in 2014, a precursor to their individual gold medal in Normandy, with Germany taking their seventh team win.

Now as we look ahead to the ninth running of the competition, eventing has become a much-loved part of the summer CHIO Aachen festival every year. Tens of thousands of eventing fans flock in from all across Europe to watch the horses go. The final fences on cross country run through the massive Aachen main stadium, and the applause is overwhelming as the fans cheer their riders home. That’s what our U.S. and Canadian riders will be experiencing next week.

The amazing main stadium at Aachen. Photo by M.Strauch/Aachen 2015.

Numbers to remember

8: number of times the Aachen CICO has run (2015 will be the ninth year!)

7: number of times Germany has won the team competition (#overachievers)

2: number of times Chris Burton has won individually (He’s competing again this year on Graf Liberty.)

2: number of times Frank Ostholt won individually (He won in 2007 and 2008, both times with Air Jordan 2.)

2: number of times the U.S. has sent a team (2013 and again this year in 2015)

1: number of times another country beat Germany in the team competition (Great Britain did it in 2011.)

1: number of times Canada has sent a team (This is the first year. Go Canada!)

Keep it locked on EN next week for up-to-the minute coverage of Aachen. The competition starts Wednesday with the horse inspection. Dressage is Thursday morning, with show jumping held that afternoon. Cross country will be held Friday morning. Go Aachen. Go Eventing.

Aachen Links: Website, Entries, Schedule, Virtual Course Tour

Who Jumped It Best? Millbrook Advanced Cross Country Edition

By Jenni Autry on Aug 4, 2015 3:00 pm -

An aerial view of cross country day at Millbrook! You can see the water complex and WaterView tent in the lower right corner. Photo by Daniel Cohen © Undara Productions.

An EN reader requested more coverage of the eight international riders who completed the Advanced division at Millbrook Horse Trials, so I thought it would be a fun idea to play an all-international round of Who Jumped It Best. Check out these photos of Australian, Brazilian, British, Canadian and Irish riders on cross country and then vote in the poll at the bottom of the post for which horse and rider you think present the best overall picture.

Here’s a look at how the international riders and their horses that completed the event finished:

Tim Bourke and his own Luckaun Quality (IRL), 13th place, 41.5
Ryan Wood and Bennett Creek Farm’s Woodstock Bennett (AUS), 16th place, 46.6
Lisa Marie Fergusson and her own Honor Me (CAN), 17th place, 46.9
Ryan Wood and Steve and Kari Guy’s Frankie (AUS), 19th place, 47.6
Sean McIntosh and Robert McIntosh’s Wild T’Mater (CAN), 23rd place, 51.8
Nilson Moreira da Silva and The Phoenix Syndicate’s Muggle (BRA), 27th place, 55.4
Justine Dutton and Sport Ponies UK’s Jollybo (GBR), 28th place, 55.8
Kate Chadderton and Patrick McCuan’s VS McCuan Civil Liberty (AUS), 32nd place, 57.5
Ryan Wood and Summit Sporthorses’ Powell (AUS), 35th place, 61.2
Holly Jacks-Smith and her own More Inspiration (CAN), 36th place, 61.8
Kate Chadderton and Beth Sokohl’s Buckharo (AUS), 37th place, 63.1
Kate Chadderton and Rege Dvorsky’s Collection Pass (AUS), 46th place, 79.7

#MillbrookHT: Website, Final Scores, EN’s Coverage, Instagram

Tim Bourke and Luckaun Quality (IRL). Photo by Jenni Autry.

Kate Chadderton and Collection Pass (AUS). Photo by Jenni Autry.

Justine Dutton and Jollybo (GBR). Photo by Jenni Autry.

Lisa Marie Fergusson and Honor Me (CAN). Photo by Jenni Autry.

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

Sean McIntosh and Wild T’Mater (CAN). Photo by Jenni Autry.

Nilson Moreira da Silva and Muggle (BRA). Photo by Jenni Autry.

Ryan Wood and Powell (AUS). Photo by Jenni Autry.

USEF Names Nations Cup Team for Aachen CICO3*

By Jenni Autry on Aug 3, 2015 5:58 pm -

Lynn Symansky and Donner at Great Meadow 2015. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Hot off the presses! The USEF just named the horses and riders that will ride on the U.S. Nations Cup team at Aachen CICO3* next week. The U.S. was ultimately invited to send a team of three combinations, and the following horses and riders will compete (listed in ranked order):

Phillip Dutton and Tom Tierney and Simon Roosevelt’s Fernhill Cubalawn, a 2003 Holsteiner gelding

Lauren Kieffer and Team Rebecca’s Veronica, a 2002 Dutch Warmblood mare

Lynn Symansky and The Donner Syndicate’s Donner, a 2003 Thoroughbred gelding

Phillip and Lauren will make the trip thanks to Karen E. Stives Endowment Fund for High Performance Eventing Competition Grants, while Lynn will go on a Land Rover USEF Competition Grant. All fall grants were detailed in this USEF press release.

It truly came down to the wire as to whether the U.S. would be able to send a team to Aachen, and Joanie Morris deserves a lot of credit for working out the logistics to make this happen.

EN will be on the grounds in Aachen next week to bring you up-to-the minute news on the U.S. and Canadian teams. While an official start list has not yet been published, the Canadian team is Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master, Holly Jacks-Smith and More Inspiration, and Kathryn Robinson and Let It Bee.

We’ll publish the full list of entries as soon as it’s released to the public. Stay tuned for much more on Aachen!

[USEF Names Combinations for CICO3* Aachen]

Jennie Brannigan Jumps to Victory in PRO 4-Bar at Millbrook

By Jenni Autry on Aug 3, 2015 3:00 pm -

2015 Millbrook PRO 4-Bar winners Jennie Brannigan and Cunotaire V. Photo by Jenni Autry.

The PRO 4-Bar Challenge has become a highlight of show jumping day at Millbrook Horse Trials, and this year proved to be no different. Jennie Brannigan and C.J. Towers Inc.’s Cunotaire V ultimately cleared 1.46 meters to secure the $1,500 prize sponsored by Triple Crown Nutrition.

But first they had to best three other very talented riders in Will Coleman, who represented the pro eventers along with Jennie, and Booli Selmayr and Richard Daley, who represented the Millbrook Hunt. A large number of hunt members packed the patron’s tent to cheer on their riders, and Boyd Martin once again provided color commentary (and made up the rules as he went along).

Booli Selmayr and Amber Sky. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Richard Daley, first whipper-in of the Millbrook Hunt, was the first to go out of the competition after pulling a rail with the jumps set at 1.26 meters. Boyd pointed out that his mount, Clermont, an 8-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by Tatra Farm, was likely a bit tired considering he had also competed in the Open Novice A division with Patricia Garthwaite Towle.

Then the rails went up to 1.36 meters, and Will, Booli and Jennie all cleared the fences. So up the poles went once more to 1.46 meters. Will Coleman was the next to be eliminated on David Hopper’s Storm Warning, last year’s winning horse with Ryan Wood, after the 8-year-old Selle Francais gelding pulled a rail at the second fence. Will did have the distraction of Boyd declaring him the prettiest guy in U.S. eventing while he was jumping, so a break in concentration here is understandable.

Will Coleman and Storm Warning. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Then when Booli’s horse Amber Sky, a 9-year-old Holsteiner-cross mare owned by Tatra Farm, slammed on the brakes at the third fence and dumped her on the ground, Boyd called for someone to give her a leg up so she could go through again for a second try. The members of the Millbrook Hunt all thought this was a fantastic idea and cheered loudly as Booli attempted 1.36 meters once more.

Booli and Amber Sky, the same horse she rode in last year’s PRO 4-Bar, cleared all the fences on their second try to huge applause from the crowd. Then Jennie and Cunotaire V, a striking 8-year-old Dutch gelding, also cleared 1.36 meters. So the poles went up one final time to the tops of the standards, measuring 1.46 meters.

Richard Daley and Clermont. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Though Booli’s horse tried valiantly, she pulled a rail at the final fence. With the chance to clinch the win, Jennie circled the arena as the spectators sat on the edge of their seats. Clear at the first, clear at the second, clear at the third and CLEAR over the fourth! Jennie gave the horse big pats and was all smiles as she later accepted her prize from Michelle Mulcahy of Triple Crown Nutrition.

The $1,500 prize was split three ways, with $500 going to Jennie; $500 going to the horse’s owner, C.J. Towers Inc.; and $500 going to the Dutchess Land Conservancy, which seeks to preserve the rural character, resources and open lands of beautiful Dutchess County in New York.

Michelle Mulcahy of Triple Crown Nutrition congratulates Jennie Brannigan on the win. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Many thanks to Samantha Lendl and the Professional Riders Organization for organizing and to show jumping course designer Marc Donovan for being so gracious in accommodating the 4-Bar in the day’s festivities. Advanced show jumping took place immediately after. If you missed EN’s coverage of the exciting Millbrook finale — in which Buck Davidson’s and Ballynoe Castle RM clinched their fourth win at this event — click here.

All four of the horses used in the 4-Bar are for sale (Cunotaire V is super nice and will almost certainly be snatched up quickly!). You can take a look at them in the video below courtesy of PRO, and scroll down for contact information if you’re interested in learning more about any of these horses. Go PRO. Go Millbrook. Go Eventing.

#Millbrook: Website, Final Scores, EN’s Coverage, Instagram

Interested in any of these horses?

Amber Sky: 9-year-old Holsteiner-cross mare sired by Magnum. Owned by Tatra Farm. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Clermont: 8-year-old Thoroughbred gelding by Matt G out of Brilliant Success. Currently competing at Novice level. Owned by Tatra Farm. Contact for more information [email protected].

Cunotaire V: 8-year-old Dutch gelding by Numero Uno out of Lottaire. Owned by C.J. Towers Inc. Contact Judy Torres at [email protected] for more information.

Storm Warning: 8-year-old Selle Francais gelding by Coconut Grove out of a Jus de Pomme mare. Owned by David Hopper. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Who Jumped It Best? Millbrook Intermediate Cross Country Edition

By Jenni Autry on Aug 3, 2015 11:30 am -

It’s time to play Who Jumped It Best? Millbrook Intermediate Cross Country Edition! I did a lot of wandering and snapping photos from different divisions this past weekend at Millbrook, so get ready to channel your inner George Morris all week long and vote for which horses and riders you think present the best overall picture.

First up is Intermediate cross country, which ran early Saturday morning. Matt Flynn and Flynn Sport Horses’ Get Lucky, a 7-year-old Dutch gelding, ultimately won Open Intermediate A on 30.8. Matt imported this horse about two years ago and has produced him from the Novice level. He’s bred to be a super jumper — by Van Gogh out of a Wagenaar mare — and has lovely form over fences.

Ryan Wood and Linda Ledray’s Woodstock Wallaby, an 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse Gelding, finished in second place in the A division on a final score of 34.3, with Buck Davidson and Ann Clements’ Quasar, an 8-year-old Oldenburg gelding, finishing in third place on a final score of 36.5.

Buck also had a good weekend in the Open Intermediate B division, winning with Carlevo LLC’s Carlevo, an 8-year-old Holsteiner gelding, on 29.7 — the best final score from both Intermediate classes. He also finished second in the B division with Amy Tunney’s Approved Power, a 7-year-old Hanoverian/Thoroughbred gelding, on 35.9.

Doug Payne and Debi Crowley’s Vandiver made a splash in their first competition since he took over the ride from Werner Geven earlier this summer. The 11-year-old Trakehner gelding finished in third place in the B division on 35.9. Click here to read all of EN’s coverage from Millbrook and here to view final scores. Now on to the photos!

#Millbrook: Website, Final Scores, EN’s Coverage, Instagram

Amy Ruth Borun and Casarino. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Matt Flynn and Get Lucky. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Sinead Halpin and Forest Nymph. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Sinead Halpin and Forrest Nymph. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Leonor Munoz and Checkout The Charmer. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Kelly Prather and D.A. Duras. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Jimmie Schramm and Bellamy. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Allison Springer and Cascani. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Erin Sylvester and Paddy The Caddy. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Fab Freebie: Ice-Vibe Knee & Hock Boots from Horseware

By Jenni Autry on Aug 3, 2015 9:30 am -

Ice-Vibe Knee Boots. Photo courtesy of Horseware Ireland.

Happy Monday, EN! For this week’s Fab Freebie, we’ve teamed up with our awesome sponsor Horseware Ireland to give away a pair of Ice-Vibe Knee AND Hock Boots! Ice-Vibe boots have long been trusted by top eventers to combine the effects of cooling and massage therapy on a horse’s legs — both to treat injuries like tendon and ligament damage and to combat everyday wear and tear on joints.

While Ice-Vibe boots are ideal for rehabilitating a leg injury, they are also a fantastic tool to promote circulation both before rides (without the cold packs) and after rides (with the cold packs). We all know icing legs helps prevent inflammation, but the massaging effect of the boots helps ensure blood flow is not completely restricted, which allows oxygen to reach tired and damaged tissue to promote better recovery.

Ice-Vibe Hock Boots. Photo courtesy of Horseware Ireland.

The boots have gained so much popularity that horse owners started requesting that Horseware Ireland, expand the Ice-Vibe line to include more products, so that’s exactly what they did. The company recently released Extra Full boots, which are designed for bigger-boned horses and give a better fit on hind legs, as well as hock and knee boots. Click here to check out EN’s product review on the new Extra Full boots.

Now go enter to win a pair of the Ice-Vibe Knee or Hock Boots, which retail at $279.99! We’ll draw two names on Friday morning, and the first winner will have their choice of the hock or knee boots, with the second winner receiving the other pair. Enter to win using the Rafflecopter widget below.

Want to learn more about Ice-Vibe? Check out the FAQs here, browse the testimonials here, and view the full line of new products here. You can purchase the full line of Ice-Vibe products at Dover Saddlery. Good luck! Go Ice-Vibe. Go Eventing.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Information given in the Rafflecopter widget, including email addresses, may be shared with the corresponding sponsor at their request. You will also be signed up for our weekly EN eNews email newsletter, if you aren’t already. Don’t worry — you’ll just wonder what you’ve been missing out on — and you can unsubscribe if you don’t want it.

Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM Crowned Kings of Millbrook

By Jenni Autry on Aug 2, 2015 7:33 pm -

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

Today’s Advanced show jumping finale at Millbrook Horse Trials proved firsthand that this sport will keep you guessing down to the wire. While we had predicted Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM to clinch their fourth Millbrook win today, that victory seemed like it might be out of reach considering they were sitting in fourth place after cross country.

But we also said that every cross country time penalty and show jumping rail would prove costly with the leaderboard so tightly bunched after dressage. Less than a rail separated the top four going into today’s show jumping, and once poles started dropping on Marc Donovan’s course, the entire top 10 found itself scrambled.

Interestingly, the horses sitting in fourth through 10th places after cross country all jumped double clear rounds over Marc’s course. The trouble only came once we cracked the top three in the reverse order of go. Third-placed Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair took a rail at the first fence of an in-and-out of two verticals that were placed immediately after a big triple bar.

Then Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless, sitting in second place overnight, also pulled a rail, but that didn’t give overnight leaders Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights a rail in hand. Instead, three-time winners Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM kept creeping up the leaderboard after jumping double clear.

Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless. Photo by Jenni Autry.

With just 3.7 penalties separating Colleen from Buck, she couldn’t afford a single rail down in order to win. She and CR ultimately pulled one rail at the first fence (and a second one later on the course) to give Buck and Reggie an incredible fourth victory in the Advanced division at Millbrook.

“I said to (super groom) Kathleen (Blauth-Murray) in the warm up, ‘He’s jumping good, but we’re not going to win anyways,’” Buck said. “You feel bad for those guys (that had rails down), and that’s not how you like to win, but Reggie was really good in all three phases.”

We’re officially crowning Buck and Reggie as the Kings of Millbrook. They’ve now won the Advanced division every time they’ve competed in it: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015. And this victory was hard fought. We saw it all today at Millbrook: poles flying, refusals, multiple riders turning the wrong way and nearly crossing their tracks. Today’s show jumping track proved to be as much of a mental test as a physical one.

“I really like Marc’s courses,” Buck said. “You always see rails down and that it’s influential. The lines were all good lines, and everything rides smooth and even.” Though he added: “If you have a horse like Reggie that jumps like that, it really doesn’t matter how you set the jumps.”

Lynn Symansky and Donner. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Like a fine wine, Reggie just seems to get better at age. The 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Carl and Cassie Segal logged the first CCI3* win of his career at Jersey Fresh in May, and how he’s won Millbrook Advanced for an unprecedented fourth time.

But while you might think the U.S. All-Time Highest Scoring Horse has seen and done it all, there’s still one box Reggie hasn’t checked on the U.S. Eventing Bucket List: Fair Hill. It’s surprising to think the horse has never competed there in his 41 FEI starts, but there just always been an overseas event or major championships that has kept him away.

Reggie will have his usual post-event check-up with Dr. Brendan Furlong on Tuesday, and then Buck said he plans to buckle down on the fitness with Fair Hill in mind. The horse will target Richland Park and Plantation Field in the lead-up to the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International CCI3*. As Buck put it, “We’ll just keep taking it one event at a time.”

Kim Severson and her own Fernhill Fearless ultimately remained in second place on a final score of 33.4 after pulling one rail. Lynn Symansky and the Donner Syndicate’s Donner moved up from fifth to third place thanks to a double clear round to finish on 33.9. Maya Black and Jon and Dawn Dofelmier’s Doesn’t Play Fair finished fourth with one rail down for a final score of 35.5.

Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Buck Davidson had a bang-up day all around, finishing three of his four horses in the top 10 and jumping double clear rounds on all four. And here’s a fun fact: Buck jumped seven double clear show jumping rounds in all today, with four in the Advanced division and three double clears in the Open Intermediate divisions. (He won the B division with Carlevo.)

Buck and Debbie Adams’ D.A. Adirmo jumped double clear to finish fifth on 35.7, recording his first Advanced completion in more than two years after a lengthy rehabilitation period from an injury he sustained in 2013. Buck and Lisa Darden’s Be Mine also jumped double clear in the horse’s Advanced debut to finish 10th on 39.9.

Phillip Dutton also finished multiple rides in the top 10. Tom Tierney and Simon Roosevelt’s Fernhill Cubalawn, who finished second in this event last year, jumped double clear to place sixth on 35.9. His new ride Mr. Canydman, owned by Caroline Moran, Annie Jones and Bridget Colman, finished ninth on 39.5. (Phil also won both Open Preliminary divisions today with Z and Fernhill Singapore.)

Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights pulled two rails in total — that’s their average over Marc’s courses — to drop from first to seventh place. She said yesterday that if she had rails down today, it would send her overseas with homework to do, and she’ll continue to work to keep the poles in the cups with her talented 9-year-old Clydesdale/Thoroughbred gelding.

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Holly Payne finished two rides in the top 15. Bethann Groblewski’s Santino placed 11th on a score of 40.0 after jumping double clear. Never OutFoxed, owned by The Fox Syndicate, finshed just behind “Sonny” in 12th place on 41.5 after also jumping double clear; the 9-year-old Thoroughbred gelding moved up an impressive 28 places after dressage.

Sara Kozumplik Murphy also finished two rides in the top 105 Debbie Foote’s Fly Me Courageous jumped clear to place eighth on 36.4, moving up from 26th place after dressage. Edy Rameika’s Catchascatchcan had one rail down to round out the top 15 on a final score of 46.3.

We ultimately saw 23 horse-and-rider combinations jump double clear over Marc’s course, which is 46 percent of the division. The time of 86 seconds proved difficult to make, which many riders racking up time penalties. Buck Davidson took a gutsy inside line with his horses to shave valuable seconds off the clock.

I still have much more to bring you to from #MillbrookHT, including lots of photos, a bazillion editions of Who Jumped It Best, and additional analysis and factoids. In the meantime, be sure to check out more photos from the day on EN’s Instagram (including this shot of Buck giving Chinch some love). Thank you to the organizers, volunteers, riders, owners, spectators and everyone who made this such a fantastic weekend.

Millbrook saw record entries this year, and it’s easy to see why. From the beautiful scenery to the quality of the competition and the hospitality to the support of the local community, Millbrook is an event everyone should attend at least once. Or, if you’re like me, you keep coming back year after year. Go Milbrook. Go Eventing.

#Millbrook: Website, Final Scores, EN’s Coverage, Instagram

Product Review: Hampshire Breeches by Irideon

By Jenni Autry on Aug 2, 2015 11:00 am -

The Hampshire Breeches from Irideon feature a flattering cut that looks great in and out of the saddle. Photo by Josh Autry.

I am a creature of habit when it comes to buying breeches. Once I find a pair I like, I usually end up buying them in every color and then wearing them until they inevitably fall apart. I conveniently had the chance to try a pair of Irideon’s new Hampshire Breeches when my last go-to breeches bit the dust, and they’ve quickly become my new favorites.

This is actually the first time I’d ever tried breeches from Irideon, one of Toklat’s flagship brands, and I’ve clearly been missing out. The Hampshire Breeches have proven to be extremely comfortable, extremely durable and look great in the tack. Did I mention they’re super affordable at a retail price of just $119.95? Let’s break down the key features.

The Hampshire breeches feature a tailored Euro design and technical fabrics to marry fashion and function. The materials used are breathable, stretchy and feel extremely comfortable against your skin. Usually I ditch my breeches as soon as I get home from the barn, but I’ve found myself sitting down at my laptop to catch up on emails after riding. You forget you’re wearing breeches!

No sagging, gapping or bulging in the tack — just a great fit that's super comfortable. Photo by Josh Autry.

No sagging or gapping in the tack — just a great fit that’s super comfortable. Photo by Josh Autry.

The cut is also really flattering and seems to fit correctly in all the right places. I hate the way some breeches slip down and don’t fit right in the crotch once you swing your leg into the saddle, but that’s not an issue at all with the Hampshires. These also don’t gap in the back and fit very smoothly at the waistband. I’m wearing a belt in the photos, but I wear them without a belt, too, and have had no issues with gapping.

The breeches have a front zipper with a hook-and-loop closure, which I personally prefer to a side zipper. The knee patches are made of Chamisoft, which is just grippy enough and doesn’t get bogged down in the summer after a long, sweaty ride. (The seat on the full seat Hampshires is also made of Chamisoft.)

There are two angled pockets on the front, which give a flattering look but are too shallow to hold something like a cell phone. I use a cell phone holder when I wear these, or I shove my phone in the pocket and pray it doesn’t fall out. If a Hampshire II model is ever released, I’d love to see deeper front pockets — just a humble request, Irideon!

I only wear breeches with ventilated calves nowadays, both for breathability but also because I find that to be much more comfortable under tall boots. The Hampshires feature a great ventilated calf with elastic around the ankles that’s tight enough to hold the breeches in place but not too tight to dig in to your ankles.

Denver the barn cat gives two paws up to Irideon’s Hampshire Breeches. Photo by Josh Autry.

And now we come to my favorite feature: These breeches are SO easy to keep clean. Every stain that I think will surely still be there once I take them out of the washing machine disappears with just a few spritzes of stain remover before I toss them in. And if I find myself covered in dirt at the barn, I can just wipe the breeches down with a damp cloth, and they look perfectly clean again.

The Hampshire breeches are made of 79% nylon, 16% polyester and 5% spandex, but I’m pretty positive there’s 1% magic thrown in there, too. No matter what I do to these breeches, they still look brand new after every wash. I even spilled Neatsfoot oil on them once, and the stain came out in the washing machine.

I’ve worn the Hampshire Breeches countless times since I started testing them this spring, and I definitely give them two thumbs up. They’re high quality enough for shows, breathable enough for cross country (I especially love the graphite color for XC!) and affordable enough for everyday riding.

The Hampshire Breeches from Irideon are available in white, black, graphite and classic tan. The knee patch breeches retail at $119.95, and the full seats retail at $139.95. Click here to view the sizing chart. (I am wearing a 28 in graphite in the photos and found them to be very true to size). Click here for more information on the Hampshire Breeches and to order your own pair. Go Irideon!

Advanced Leaders Talk Cross Country Day at Millbrook

By Jenni Autry on Aug 1, 2015 5:53 pm -

Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights. Photo by Jenni Autry.

An EN reader commented this afternoon that “Colleen is on fire!” — an accurate assessment of our overnight leader considering all the success she’s had this year with Covert Rights, her 9-year-old homebred Clydesdale/Thoroughbred gelding. After Colleen Rutledge and “CR” made an impressive four-star debut at this year’s Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, they went on to place third in the inaugural Land Rover Great Meadow International CIC3* in July.

Winning this hefty Millbrook Advanced division isn’t the big goal for CR at this point in his season, but it would be a nice cherry on top to what has been a stellar past few months for this pair. The big dance will come next month at Burghley, where CR will make his overseas debut over one of the toughest courses in the world. Considering the big ask that’s ahead of them, Colleen said she couldn’t have asked for a better cross country trip today (one of just two that made the optimum time).

“He was spot on. It’s great when you run a course that looks big when you walk it but then doesn’t feel big at all when you ride it,” Colleen said. “I wasn’t kicking for time. I went out thinking I would see how he’s feeling and let him gallop around. He just has such a ground-covering gallop. He reads questions so quickly now, so we wasted very little time. He feels fantastic, and I’m thrilled with him.”

Now Colleen and CR look ahead to Marc Donovan’s show jumping course tomorrow. The fact that he averages two rails down over Marc’s courses dropped him outside the top 10 in EN data analyst Maggie Deatrick’s predictions (Maggie and Divine Comedy also jumped clear around Advanced today!), and Colleen said she has been diligently working on the show jumping with U.S. team show jumping coach Silvio Mazzoni — valuable training she can now access thanks to being named to her first USEF training list.

“I’m trying to get CR to take a bit of a different shape in the air,” Colleen said. “I had a lesson with Silvio last week where he gave me some good suggestions. Whatever happens tomorrow happens. I’m just going to go ride what I can ride. I want to see if I can leave him alone to do his job and see if he does it better without my help. Then I go overseas and keep practicing my homework so he can continue to be better.”

Colleen does not have a rail in hand — just 1 penalty separates her from second-placed Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless — so any poles will prove costly. We’d like to think EN karma has helped Colleen and CR get this far — remember EN talent spotted this horse as a 6-year-old three years ago — and we’re sending them all the karma once again for a clear round over Marc’s course in tomorrow’s finale.

Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Maya Black, sitting in third place after a double clear round with Jon and Dawn Dofelmier’s Doesn’t Play Fair (another horse EN talent spotted!), has also been diligently working on delivering consistency across all three phases and said she thinks the fact that “Cody” ran cross country today will help him be less spooky and more rideable in show jumping tomorrow.

“I’m going to go in there and try to ride him the best that I can and try to stay out of his way,” Maya said. “I’ve heard that it can be a little spooky in that ring for show jumping, and spooking is his MO in the show jumping. After running cross country today, I think he’ll be a little bit more settled.”

This is Maya’s first trip to Millbrook, and she said the entire experience has been a wonderful one. “It’s absolutely beautiful and a really gorgeous area,” Maya said. “The type of grass reminds me of being home in Washington a little bit. I’ve ridden some of Tremaine’s courses on the West Coast (at Aspen Farms and Inavale), and you could see his stamp on the course in the construction and how it’s laid out.”

Maya said she wasn’t sure how Cody would handle the hills — and fitness has been a work in progress with this 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding — but they ultimately emerged as the only other combination to make the time aside from Colleen and CR. That’s particularly noteworthy considering no one has made the time in the Advanced division at this event since 2011.

“My goal this year has been trusting him and letting him jump out of stride, especially to the galloping fences,” Maya said. “For me, I’ve been needing to improve on that to make his job easier. I wasn’t necessarily going out to make time by any means, but my goal was to try to ride the best I could while also work on trusting him and letting him jump out of stride as much as possible.”

The culmination of bolstering Cody’s fitness and trusting him to jump out of stride will come at this year’s Dutta Corp Fair Hill International, which Maya plans to target to settle unfinished businesses after falling on cross country last year. “I was careful down the hills, but I let him gallop up the hills to see where we were fitness-wise,” she said. “I’m always looking to improve his fitness, and I know I need to trust him and be more efficient in my pace.”

Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless. Photo by Jenni Autry.

We’re in the Land of No Cell Reception here at Millbrook, so I’m still trying to catch up with Kim Severson, who is sitting in second place after picking up 3.2 time penalties in Fernhill Fearless’s cracking return to the Advanced level following his coffin bone injury at the World Equestrian Games last year. If the Reception Gods smile down on us, I’ll update this post with Kim’s comments.

In the meantime, read the full report on all the action from this afternoon’s Advanced cross country at this link. Then stay tuned for much more from #MillbrookHT. I watched a large chunk of the competition across multiple divisions today — from Intermediate cross country and Junior Training show jumping to Advanced and Preliminary cross country — so a smorgasbord of Who Jumped It Best? is coming your way next.

But for now I need to head to the Competitors’ Party to congratulate the riders on a great day here in New York. Thank you to super secretary Sharyn Antico; scoring wizard Rick Dunkerton; czar of all things Steve Blauner; hostess with the mostess Gloria Callen; and all the wonderful volunteers, riders, owners and horses who made this day possible. Go Millbrook. Go Eventing.

#Millbrook: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Entries, EN’s Coverage, Instagram

Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights Take Millbrook Advanced Lead

By Jenni Autry on Aug 1, 2015 3:35 pm -

Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights. Photo by Jenni Autry.

The three-year dry spell during which no horses and riders made the Advanced optimum time at Millbrook Horse Trials has officially come to an end. Colleen Rutledge and her homebred Covert Rights were the first combination to clock in under the optimum time of 5 minutes, 54 seconds, which moved the 9-year-old Clydesdale/Thoroughbred gelding from fourth place into the lead on 28.4.

Overnight leaders Kim Severson and her own Fernhill Fearless picked up 3.2 time penalties in the 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding’s triumphant return to the Advanced level to slip into second place by 1 penalty point on 29.4. Small but mighty Doesn’t Play Fair, a 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Jon and Dawn Dofelmier, became the second horse to make the optimum time with Maya Black in the irons to jump up the leaderboard from 13th to third on 31.5.

Colleen and CR and Maya and Cody were ultimately the only two horse-and-rider combinations to jump double clear in the Advanced division, and, as is always the case at Millbrook, time penalties proved to be extremely influential. Just one rail separates the top four, which means tomorrow’s show jumping finale is going to be an absolute nail-biter.

Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Three-time Millbrook winners Buck Davidson and Carl and Cassie Segal’s Ballynoe Castle RM are sitting in that fourth-place slot on 32.1 after the 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding jumped clear with 4.0 time penalties. Lynn Symansky and The Donner Syndicate’s Donner, a 12-year-old off-track Thoroughbred gelding, sat in second place after dressage and picked up 6.0 time penalties to now round out the top five on 33.9.

Buck has an impressive three rides in the top 10 of this big division. He’s also sitting in sixth place on 35.7 with D.A. Adirmo, a 10-year-old Dutch gelding owned by Debbie Adams, after jumping clear with 4.4 time penalties. He’s also in 10th place on 39.9 with Lisa Darden’s Be Mine; the 9-year-old Rheinlander gelding jumped out of his skin today in his Advanced cross country debut to finish clear with 6.8 time.

Phillip Dutton is also enjoying multiple rides in the top 10, with Tom Tierney and Simon Roosevelt’s Fernhill Cubalawn, a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding, in seventh on 35.9 thanks to a clear trip with 6.0 time penalties. His new ride Mr. Candyman, an 8-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Caroline Moran, Annie Jones and Bridget Colman, is in ninth on 38.5 after a clear round and 8.8 time penalties. A total of 11.5 time penalties separate the top 10; every rail will prove expensive tomorrow.

Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Sara Kozumplik-Murphy and Debbie Foote’s Fly Me Courageous win the Big Mover Award after rocketing up the leaderboard from 26th to eighth place thanks to the 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding delivering one of the fastest trips in the division. Their clear round and 1.2 time penalties has them on a score of 36.4.

Holly Payne Caravella and Never OutFoxed, a 9-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by the Fox Syndicate, also jumped clear with 1.2 time to move from 40th all the way up to equal 13th place. That gives Holly two rides in the top 15, as she’s also in 11th on a score of 40.0 with Bethann Groblewski’s Santino, a 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, thanks to a clear trip and 11.2 time penalties.

Tremaine Cooper’s course rode very smoothly overall, with 91 percent of the starters jumping clear — though 96 percent had time penalties. Scoring wizard Rick Dunkerton kindly sent EN the detailed fence report, so here’s a breakdown of what happened wear. Problems cropped up at five fences on course: the new hanging log and ditch at fence 4, the big table at fence 7, the infamous tree trunk skinny at fence 9, the water complex at fence 14, and the coffin at fence 18.

Lynn Symansky and Donner. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Laine Ashker and Anthony Patch, who were sitting tied for seventh place after dressage, picked up 20 jumping penalties after a runout at the tree trunk skinny at fence 9b. Daryl Kinney and Union Station also recorded their 20 at that fence. Sara Gumbiner and Polaris had a runout at fence 9 and then another at the coffin at fence 18 for a total of 40 jumping penalties.

Andrea Davidson and Mystic had two refusals at fence 4 and then picked up a third at 14b in the water, which sadly eliminated them. Diana Burnett was the only rider to part ways with her horse, Bonner’s Cheif II; their fall occurred at fence 7. Kim Severson withdrew Cooley Cross Border before cross country, as did Eliza Farren with MYSUGAMAMA. That gives us 51 horses that will move forward to tackle Marc Donovan’s show jumping course tomorrow.

Stay tuned for comments from your Millbrook Advanced top three — Colleen Rutledge, Kim Severson and Maya Black — as well as more photos and new editions of Who Jumped It Best? You can relive the cross country action in EN’s open thread here, and be sure to check out photos from the day on EN’s Instagram. Go Millbrook. Go Eventing.

#Millbrook: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Entries, EN’s Coverage, Instagram

Who Jumped It Best? Millbrook Novice Rider Edition

By Jenni Autry on Jul 31, 2015 5:51 pm -

It’s time to play Who Jumped It Best? Millbrook Novice Rider Edition! Take a look at these photos of Novice horses and riders going cross country this afternoon at Millbrook Horse Trials and vote in the poll at the bottom of this post for which combination you think presents the best overall picture. Catch up on all of EN’s coverage of #MillbrookHT here, and stay tuned for much more!

#Millbrook: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Entries, EN’s Coverage, Instagram

Abigale Adams and Midas. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Karen Earle and Sundance Kid IV. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Fernanda Kellogg and Atlee. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Meghan Licata and Willougby. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Whitney Pierpont and Diamond Jim. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Alysabeth Simon and Brondell. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Sarah Tompkins and Hypnotiq. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Kim Severson Holds Millbrook Lead, Lynn Symansky Close Behind

By Jenni Autry on Jul 31, 2015 4:21 pm -

Lynn Symansky and Donner. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless held onto their day one lead in the Millbrook Horse Trials Advanced division at the conclusion of dressage, but their winning score of 26.2 doesn’t give them much breathing room. Less than a rail separates the entire top 10 in this 55-horse division, and every second is going to count on cross country tomorrow.

That’s good news for “Sparky,” a 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Kim owns, as she said after her test yesterday that she couldn’t ease around the course tomorrow even if she wanted to, as the horse only has one gear on cross country — fast. “I just try to bring him in for the jump, and then he does rest,” she said.

Aside from her halts — “I couldn’t halt straight to save my life!” — Kim said she was very pleased with yesterday’s test: “He was happy and relaxed and content and rideable.” And, of course, she’s thrilled to have him back out at this level after his lengthy rehabilitation period following a coffin bone injury at last year’s World Equestrian Games.

Overnight leaders Kim Severson and Sparky enjoy a morning hack. Photo via EN’s Instagram.

“I tried bringing him back at Southern Pines earlier this year, and we withdrew because he just wasn’t quite right,” Kim said. “I’m very glad to have him back out now. It’s taken a long time. Some horses at that age after a long layoff will tell you they don’t want to go on, but I believe that Sparky has every intention of going on.”

With that in mind, Kim said Sparky will target the CIC events at Richland Park and Plantation Field for the rest of his fall season, so tomorrow’s cross country is an important prep to get the horse on his toes. “I think the course is certainly big enough. I like how Tremaine turned around the first part, and I like the new combination at fence 4. It would have been nice to have more rain, but I’ve seen them aerating, and they’re doing what they can.”

Lynn Symansky and Donner are sitting in second place on 27.9 after delivering a polished test. A lot of horses have struggled with the atmosphere in the ring at Millbrook over these past two days — with the sides of the white VIP tent flapping and a strong breeze blowing — and while Donner did spook at a sprinkler head during the test, he held it together very nicely overall.

“This year he has really impressed me,” Lynn said. “Last year I don’t think he would’ve handled the atmosphere as well. Now I think he goes in and accepts it, and I’m starting to be able to trust him more, so I can push for a bit more. He always puts in an accurate test now. Last year I was trying not to give points away on accuracy, and now I can focus on his gaits. He’s stronger and starting to understand his job, so now we’re putting polish on the actual quality of the work.”

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

Lynn has been working with both dressage coach extraordinaire Jacquie Brooks and Team USA coach David O’Connor in regards to polishing Donner’s performance in the little white box. “We’ve focused on getting him to be more in self carriage so he’s not hiding and holding himself,” she said. “We also have been working on having him take me a bit more. I think he’s getting a lot better on taking me. It’s getting him to a point where he can be more confident in his work.”

The 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by The Donner Syndicate will face the biggest test of his career at Burghley CCI4* in September, and Millbrook will service as his penultimate prep run, with his final prep event coming next month at Richland Park Horse Trials. With that in mind, Lynn said she intends to set out tomorrow to give him a good run. (Click here for a fence-by-fence preview of the course.)

“I’m not planning to go out for the win, but I’m not planning to canter around,” she said. “I want to save his legs for when it’s going to count in another month or so, but for him to have a good run, he needs to go somewhat quick. It’s a good course and will suit him well. A lot of people think it’s a move-up course. I think it’s a good test and will be good prep for Burghley.”

Ryan Wood and Woodstock Bennett. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM sit in third place on 28.1, which is the best dressage score they’ve ever had at this event. “Reggie,” a 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Carl and Cassie Segal, has won Millbrook three times — in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and now the U.S. All-Time Highest Scoring Horse returns to see if he can do it once more.

Aside from a small bobble when Reggie was late behind on the first change, this combination delivered their usual consistent performance. “He was definitely more up today in warm-up with all the cross country going combined with the fact that he hadn’t been doing anything for awhile,” Buck said. “When he went in the ring he perked up, and then before we went down centerline he was back to normal.”

Reggie has never had more than 4 time penalties on cross country at this event, and he made the time in 2011. But no horse has made the time in the past two years at Millbrook, though Buck and Reggie didn’t compete here either of those two years. As to whether he plans to go for the optimum time of 5 minutes, 54 seconds tomorrow, Buck said he’ll leave that up to the horse.

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

“At Millbrook I take care of him down those last hills at the end, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I was a little bit slower,” Buck said. “This is not the end all be all; it’s the beginning of his fall season. It’s building up to what’s next. He’s been around enough, so I’ll let him tell me, and then I’ll look after him going down that last hill.”

Buck said he thinks this year’s course is designer Tremaine Cooper’s best one yet. “It flows much better. We don’t have that slide at the end, and we don’t have to keep turning and twisting back on ourselves,” Buck said. “I think he’s done a great job. The rain helped the footing yesterday. I’ll be trying to give all my horses the best ride I can.”

As Buck said, Millbrook is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what’s next for Reggie this year. He is entered at Richland Park and will then compete at Plantation Field, and then Buck said he and owner Carl Segal are considering taking Reggie to the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International, an event he’s somehow never competed at in an FEI career that spans 41 starts.

Mikki Kuchta and Rubens D’Ysieux. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Looking down the rest of the leaderboard, Colleen Rutledge and her own Covert Rights, who did their test yesterday, now sit in fourth place on 28.4. (Click here to read comments from Colleen on her test if you missed them yesterday.) Holly Payne and Bethann Groblewski’s Santino, who also went yesterday, now sit in fifth place on 28.8.

As for other notable tests, Curran Simpson’s Woodstock Bennett, an 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, made an impressive Advanced debut with Ryan Wood in the irons, scoring 29.4 to sit tied for seventh place with Laine Ashker and Anthony Patch after dressage. Bennett is competing for the first time since Bromont in June, where he finished seventh in the CCI2*.

The Cross Syndicate’s Cooley Cross Border also made his Advanced dressage debut today — definitely a highly anticipated test considering this 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding’s prowess on the flat; he scored a 30.9 in the Ocala Horse Properties CCI2* in April. Sans a few green moments, he delivered a very respectable test with Kim Severson to sit in 11th place on 30.0.

There’s a lot going on here at Millbrook, and I snapped some photos of Novice cross country this afternoon before going in search of wifi. A Novice Rider Edition of Who Jumped It Best? is coming your way next, so stay tuned for much more from #MillbrookHT. Don’t forget to check out the Advanced course preview here if you missed it this morning.

#Millbrook: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Entries, EN’s Coverage, Instagram

Milbrook Advanced Cross Country Course Preview

By Jenni Autry on Jul 31, 2015 9:00 am -

Fence 3. Photo by Madeline Backus.

Good morning from Millbrook! It’s predicted to be another scorcher of a day here in New York as the remainder of the 57-strong Advanced division completes dressage. EN’s data analyst Maggie Deatrick and her barnmate Madeline Backus — both of whom are competing in the Advanced division — scoped out the course last night and kindly sent along photos.

Tremaine Cooper kept many of the Millbrook staples on this year’s course. The first loop of the course has been revamped, and last year’s infamous tree trunk skinny is back again. Tremaine said he shaved quite a bit of wood off the inside of the trunk, so there shouldn’t be any bashed knees this year. The first combination at fence 4 features a new airy hanging log with brush to an angled house that will get horses and riders on their toes.

Last year riders jumped into the water complex, out over an up bank and finished through a keyhole at the C element. This year riders will jump into the water and stay there as they hold their line to a log and duck at the B and C fences. The keyhole has been relocated to the top of tHe steps at fence 21A. (Click here to see last year’s course.)

The most notable addition on course is the coffin complex at fence 18ABC, which has been on the Intermediate course for the last few years and now returns to the Advanced course. No one made the time on course last year or the year before, so cross country is always a true race against the clock at this event. Check back to EN later today for more comments from Tremaine on the course.

Will Laine Ashker and Anthony Patch win it for a third year in a row? Will her coach Buck Davidson clinch his fourth Millbrook win with Ballynoe Castle RM? Will a new combination emerge to break up the monopoly these two pairs have had on the trophy for the past five years? Stay tuned to EN as we bring you the latest news from the always exciting Advanced division at Millbrook.

#Millbrook: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Entries, EN’s Coverage, Instagram

: Start box. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 1. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 2. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 3. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 4A. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 4B. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 5. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 6. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 7. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 8. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 9AB. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 10. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 11A. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 11B. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 12. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 13. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 14ABC. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 15. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 16. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 17. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 18ABC. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 18BC. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 19. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 20AB and 21A. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 21B. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 22. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 23. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 24. Photo by Madeline Backus.

: Fence 25. Photo by Madeline Backus.

Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless Stage Their Comeback at Millbrook

By Jenni Autry on Jul 30, 2015 5:16 pm -

Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless. Photo by Jenni Autry.

It’s been nearly one year since Kim Severson and her own Fernhill Fearless performed a dressage test at the highest level of the sport, but you wouldn’t have known it watching them today when they delivered a 26.2 to hold the lead after the first half of the big $10,000 Advanced division at Millbrook Horse Trials.

“Sparky,” a 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, has been rehabbing from an injury to his coffin bone that he sustained at last year’s World Equestrian Games, and he just came out for the first time two weeks ago in the Intermediate division at Maryland Horse Trials.

“He was pretty perfect,” Kim said after the test. “I have few complaints, especially since he’s just coming back.” As to whether she’ll be easing back into things or going for time over Tremaine Cooper’s cross country course on Saturday: “Sparky doesn’t go slow, even if I wanted him to!”

Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights led early this morning on 28.4 and ultimately sit in second place at the conclusion of the first day. Always a perfectionist, Colleen said she’s pleased with the score but still sees plenty of areas to improve, like keeping him more in front of her leg and on the vertical.

Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights. Photo by Jenni Autry.

“There are so many places that he could’ve been a little bit better — bobbles here and there,” Colleen said. “He is such a metronome; even if he’s wobbly somewhere else, he never loses his rhythm. He’s such a big, elastic mover that he kind of gets bonus points for that, but I want to know what his score would have been had it all come together.”

Colleen has a dressage lesson scheduled with Mara DePuy next Wednesday to work on those bobbles, and then she and CR, a 9-year-old homebred Clydesdale/Thoroughbred gelding she owns, will get on a plane next Friday to travel across the pond to prepare for his overseas debut at Burghley.

“The test we’re going to do at Burghley suits him a little more than this one because I can push him and use the movements to set him up, whereas in this one I don’t have anything to push him,” Colleen said. “I’m going to continue working to smooth out everything to see if I can keep him more animated.”

Holly Payne and Santino. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Holly Payne Caravello and Santino continued the good form they showed in their win at the Cosequin Stuart CIC2*, scoring 28.8 to round out the top three at the halfway point of the division. Holly said at Stuart that she hopes they have finally rounded the corner from the string of bad luck that has seemed to follow “Sonny,” a 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by Bethann Groblewski. Touch wood, but it looks like the stars are aligning for this pair!

Justine Dutton and Jollybo, an 11-year-old British Sport Horse mare she owns with Sport Ponies UK, really rose to the occasion today, delivering the best test of their Advanced career to sit in fourth place on 29.3. Justine said after the test that she worked through a lot of kinks in a lesson with Buck Davidson yesterday, and everything came together today for “the test of our life!”

Two-time defending winners Laine Ashker and Anthony Patch have some ground to make up if they went to taste victory for the third year running — they’re sitting in fifth place on 29.4 — but the scores are also very tightly bunched at the top of the leaderboard. Less than 4 penalties currently separate the top seven, and time is notoriously tough to make at Millbrook.

Justine Dutton and Jollybo. Photo by Jenni Autry.

This venue is also known for its rather spectacular summer storms, and we had several strong cells roll through this afternoon, causing a slight ring delay after the lunch break. Boyd Martin and his new ride Blackfoot Mystery were circling the ring to start their Intermediate test when the worst of the first storm hit (click here to watch a video on EN’s Instagram).

In other news, many of you have been sending us messages asking if the horse that escaped his stall yesterday has been located. Dromolin, an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Amy Kates and his junior rider Hailey Kates, was found around noon about 10 miles away from the grounds after being loose for 22 hours.

Thankfully, he was found without a scratch on him and just missing one shoe. His shoe has since been tacked back on, and a vet is scheduled to check him over this afternoon to decide if Hailey should continue on with her plans to compete in the Junior Novice division this weekend.

There is no wifi on the grounds, so I’ll be bringing you updates in the afternoon. Be sure to follow EN on Twitter and Instagram to see updates throughout the day at the venue. The rest of the Advanced division starts dressage at 9:30 a.m. EST, and I’ll be tweeting ringside. Special shout out to the Pony Clubber volunteers, who have been passing out delicious homemade cookie bars all day. Go Millbrook!

#Millbrook: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Entries, EN’s Coverage, Instagram

Product Review: Ice-Vibe Extra Full Boots from Horseware Ireland

By Jenni Autry on Jul 29, 2015 3:00 pm -

Mia wearing the Ice-Vibe Extra Full Boots without the ice packs before exercise. Photo by Josh Autry.

Mia wearing the Ice-Vibe Extra Full Boots without the ice packs before a ride. Photo by Josh Autry.

Ice-Vibe boots have long been trusted by top eventers like William Fox-Pitt, Oliver Townend and Doug Payne to combine the effects of cooling and massage therapy on a horse’s legs — both to treat injuries like tendon and ligament damage and to combat everyday wear and tear on joints.

While Ice-Vibe boots are ideal for rehabilitating a leg injury, they are also a fantastic tool to promote circulation both before rides (without the cold packs) and after rides (with the cold packs). We all know that cooling legs helps prevent inflammation, but the massaging effect of the boots helps ensure blood flow is not completely restricted, which allows oxygen to reach tired and damaged tissue to promote better recovery.

The boots have gained so much popularity that horse owners started requesting that the manufacturer, Horseware Ireland, expand the Ice-Vibe line to include more products, so that’s exactly what they did. The company recently released Extra Full boots, which are designed for bigger-boned horses and give a better fit on hind legs, as well as hock and knee boots.

The Ice-Vibe boots are stored in a handy carrying case to make organization easy. Photo by Jenni Autry.

The Ice-Vibe boots arrive in a handy carrying case. Photo by Jenni Autry.

I’d seen Ice-Vibe boots used many times but never tried them myself, so Ice-Vibe sent me a pair of the Extra Full boots to try out on my big-boned, 16.2-hand Thoroughbred mare Mia. The thing I love about all of Horseware’s products is that they come in a storage case to aid organization — something that’s always a struggle with my tack trunk — so I’m a big fan of the handy bag that comes with the boots.

Getting started with Ice-Vibe is easy. The ice pack inserts are ready to use after two hours in the freezer, and the boots charge in four hours by plugging the power cord into the slot at the top of the boots. The ice packs are labeled “top” and “bottom,” so it’s easy to make sure you’re inserting them properly. The slit in the ice pack should go over the front of the fetlocks, and the flat side of the vibrating panels should be against the horse’s leg.

The boots have three settings. Setting 1 is a 10-minute cycle that’s designed to introduce your horse to the vibrating of the boots. The Ice-Vibe user guide recommends using only Setting 1 for three days until your horse is fully accustomed. Then you can progress to using Setting 2 or Setting 3 depending on the individual needs of your horse.

It’s easy to charge up the boots and turn them on, as the power panel is integrated at the top of each boot. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Setting 2 is a 20-minute cycle that can be used without the cold packs before rides, with the cold packs after rides and when rehabbing from an injury. Setting 3 is the strongest vibration setting. Also lasting 20 minutes, Setting 3 should only be used with the cold packs and on bigger-boned horses or horses with old injuries and excessive scar tissue.

Since Mia is not currently recovering from an injury (though she is extremely accident prone so I feel like I need to touch wood here) I stuck to using only Setting 2 after we completed our three-day initiation period on Setting 1. I used Setting 2 without the cold packs before rides to promote circulation and prepare her tendons for work, and then I used Setting 2 with the cold packs after rides to reduce any inflammation and increase blood flow.

Mia has your typical wear and tear after racing more than 40 times, and she plays hard in the field with her friends, so I had a good opportunity to see if the Ice-Vibe boots made a noticeable difference in how her legs felt. The puffy spots and bumps I often battle on her legs were definitely improved after using the boots. Click each thermal photograph below to see what happens to the legs when using Ice-Vibe:

: Resting normal leg before using Ice-Vibe. Photo courtesy of Horseware Ireland.

: The leg after using just vibration without the ice packs — warmed up and ready for work. Photo courtesy of Horseware Ireland.

: The leg after using vibration with the cold packs — significantly cooler. Photo courtesy of Horseware Ireland.

Whether your horse is rehabbing from an injury or you want to combat soreness and promote circulation to aid in preventing injuries before they occur, Ice-Vibe boots are a tool every eventer can use. The new Extra-Full boots give more coverage and are easier to use on big-boned horses and on hind legs, and the new hock and knee boots now give the option of using the same therapy on hocks and knees.

And in case you were wondering, yes, the ice packs can do double duty to provide heat therapy! Horseware Ireland advises against placing the packs in the microwave to heat them, as that can cause them to get too hot for your horse. Instead you can soak them in a bucket of warm water, and the packs will retain that temperature nicely. Using the warm packs with the vibrating setting before a ride is a great strategy for a horse that suffers from stiffness under saddle.

Interested in trying Ice-Vibe? You’re in luck! Our awesome sponsor Horseware Ireland is giving away a pair of the knee and hock boots to two lucky EN readers as next week’s Fab Freebie giveaway, so be sure to tune in next Monday and enter to win. Click here to read all about the Ice-Vibe knee and hock boots.

Here’s a look at the ice pack inserts for the Ice-Vibe Knee Boots. Photo by Jenni Autry.

If you’re at Millbrook Horse Trials this weekend, you also have a chance to win Ice-Vibe boots, as Horseware Ireland is raffling a pair at Phillip Dutton and Emma Ford’s joint book signing, which will be held Saturday, Aug. 1 from 6-7 p.m. in the sponsor tent. Phillip is Horseware Ireland’s newest sponsored rider and has used Ice-Vibe boots in his program for many years.

Want to learn more about Ice-Vibe? Check out the FAQs here, read the full user manual here, browse the testimonials here, and view the full line of new products here. Ice-Vibe boots retail starting at $274.99, and you can purchase the full line of Ice-Vibe products, including extra ice packs and vibrating panels, at Dover Saddlery. Click here to find a Horseware retailer near you.

Have you tried Ice-Vibe boots? Let us know your own experience in the comments below.

Disclaimer: Please read the full user manual before trying Ice-Vibe boots. When swelling and bruising is present, always use the boots with cold packs. If your horse’s legs swell after use, that could be a sign of a fracture or infection. If your horse does have a fracture, do not use Ice-Vibe for at least four weeks post injury. If you are unsure, please consult your veterinarian.

Beau Guimond On Hard Work and Forging His Own Path

By Jenni Autry on Jul 28, 2015 11:00 am -

Beau Guimond and Filibuster ST after their win in the 2015 Bromont CCI1*. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

It’s been just a few months since 22-year-old Beau Guimond stepped down from his full-time working student position at Boyd Martin’s Windurra USA to set up his own business, but he’s already created a model that many fellow young professionals in the sport would be smart to follow.

And it’s all happened at a very busy time as Beau’s career is also taking off. He’s been making headlines all spring and summer with his talented 8-year-old Hanoverian gelding Filibuster ST, finishing second in their first CIC1* at The Fork in April and then winning their first CCI1* at Bromont in June.

Born in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Beau grew up in nearby Lancaster County, where he caught the horse bug in his first riding lesson at age 8. He adopted and trained an off-track Thoroughbred named True Lord from Penn National when he was just 12, about the time he decided to try eventing.

When his family moved to Mechanicsburg, just across the Susquehanna River from the state capitol in Harrisburg, Beau became an active member of Quentin Pony Club, where he earned his C-3 rating with his new horse, a Trakehner gelding named Otter, and competed at the USPC Championships and American Eventing Championships at Training level.

Beau Guimond and Filibuster ST at The Fork. Photo by Jenni Autry.

With Mechanicsburg about an hour and a half away from the heart of eventing country in Unionville, Beau started trailering out to take lessons with Boyd Martin, who Beau said would always make time to track him down at horse trials to coach and encourage him. That’s when Beau decided he wanted to go work for Boyd.

“It’s always been my dream to ride and train horses professionally,” Beau said. “It’s been my passion for a long time, and I wanted to give it a go. I really felt that interning with the best and riding with the best and seeing the programs that were used day in and day out would give me an upper hand on shaping my business, and that’s what I did.”

Beau started as a full-time working student at Windurra in 2012 after his graduation from Cumberland Valley High School, spending summers in Unionville and winters in Aiken soaking up every ounce of knowledge he could from Boyd’s program. This past winter while in Aiken, he decided it was time for a change.

“I had a couple people offer to buy me some horses and potentially go in on upper-level prospects together, and that was something I couldn’t do at Boyd’s,” Beau said. “I really enjoy working with young horses, so I was excited to pursue that. Boyd taught me so much, and I am incredibly grateful for the great start he gave me.”

Beaui Guimond and Filibuster ST in an Intermediate CT at Windurra Farm, July 2015. Photo by Dominique Guimond.

Beau Guimond and Filibuster ST in an Intermediate combined test at Windurra earlier this month. Photo by Dominique Guimond.

Beau is now renting stalls at Harry Smith’s Homestead Farms in Harrisburg, due west of all the action out in Unionville but at a significantly lower price due to the more affordable cost of living in the southcentral part of the state. And with a big chunk of the state’s eventing professionals clustered in Unionville, he’s also one of the only actively competing pros in the Harrisburg area.

“There aren’t that many people who compete in this area, and you don’t have tons of professionals,” Beau said. “Out in Unionville you have Boyd Martin, Phillip Dutton, Sally Cousins and so many more — it’s jam-packed, and the competition is crazy. I can’t really compete with that. But out here I have a market with the lower-level competitors and kids that want to come out and learn about eventing. I think it’s a great area.”

Beau also hopes being away from the hub in Unionville will help him secure more sponsors. He recently had Stübben come on board as his tack sponsor and also has a friend who designs custom browbands for his bridles. “It can be tough to promote yourself when you’re just starting out and competing against the big names, so it was a big deal for me to have Stübben come on board,” he said.

He currently has five horses in his program: rising star Filibuster ST and four sales horses, including Otter, who finished 11th in The Fork CIC1* in April and is now competing at Novice with Beau’s younger sister Dominique. The farm staff feeds and mucks stalls for him, and then he handles all other aspects of the horses’ care beyond that. Not having a full-time groom allows him to really get to know the horses from the ground up, he said.

The jump ring at Homestead Farms, where Beau replaced the footing and built his own jumps to save on costs. Photo by Dominique Guimond.

“My program is very similar to the big names, but I would say it’s more hands-on,” Beau said. “Everything I do is with the horses. Professionals who have a large number of horses in their barns don’t have the time to be developing relationships on the ground. For people who want to be in a program with a more hands-on approach, that’s what I can offer.”

He’s actively competing the sales horses and Filibuster ST, who is preparing for a move up to the Intermediate level. Boyd helped him find “Buster,” bred in Canada by Sue Thompson (by Fidertanz out of a Weltregent H mare) about two years ago, and Beau has produced the horse from Novice level with much success. They won six Training level events in a row last year, and Buster was ultimately named the 2014 USEA Training Horse of the Year.

Beau said he is excited to continue producing young horses in the same way he brought along Buster, and he has space at Homestead Farms to expand to up to 10 horses in his program. He is actively looking for more horses to take in for both training and sales. He’s laid new footing in both the jump and dressage rings on the property, as well as built his own jumps — another cost-saving measure he said saved him a significant amount of money.

The dressage ring at Homestead Farm, where Beau also replaced the footing and drags daily to keep it in optimum shape. Photo by Dominique Guimond.

Beau also replaced the footing in the dressage ring at Homestead Farms. Photo by Dominique Guimond.

“When you’re just starting out, it’s so important to keep your expenses as low as possible,” Beau said. “You have to start stockpiling money together to put in to buying your own place at some point, and land’s not cheap. I also think it’s important to look to places where land is the most affordable. That’s why I picked Harrisburg, where land isn’t as expensive as Unionville.”

Beau said he owes a huge amount of thanks to his parents, Mike and Lynne Guimond, and grandparents, David and Marilyn Wagner, who also live in the Harrisburg area and are planning to go in on a farm with him to make Guimond Eventing a true family-run business. “They share this dream with me to own a farm, and I couldn’t do it without them,” he said. “I’m supporting myself, but they helped me get started.”

In the meantime, Beau plans to continue basing his operation at Homestead Farms and is actively looking for new clients and students for sales, training and haul-in lessons. If you’re in the Harrisburg area and want to support an up-and-coming eventing professional, check out Beau’s website here or give him a call at 717-991-5028. You can also follow Guimond Eventing on Facebook.

Go Beau. Go Buster. Go Eventing.

Monday Video from Tredstep Ireland: We Have Liftoff!

By Jenni Autry on Jul 27, 2015 5:00 pm -

Cody schooled the beginner novice fences with my trainer, Rose riding and Kate Chadderton giving a lesson. This is what he thought of the ditch! Kudos to Rose for sticking it.

Posted by Amanda Braun on Friday, July 24, 2015

We can’t stop watching this video of Amanda Braun’s Commando, a 4-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Concerto Grosso out of the Voltaire mare Isis du Desert, schooling his very first Beginner Novice ditch with her trainer Rose in the irons. The video has been viewed more than 390,000 times on Facebook since Friday! You can learn more about “Cody” and see more videos on his Facebook page.

A Record-Breaking Weekend: 3 Numbers to Know From Events Around the World

By Jenni Autry on Jul 27, 2015 3:30 pm -

All eyes in North America may have been on the ever popular Event at Rebecca Farm this past weekend, but there were also major events running at Camphire International Horse Trials in Ireland and the Coral Estate Horse Trials at Renswoude in the Netherlands. Camphire in particular saw record-breaking scores! Here are three numbers you need to know from events around the world.

Chris Burton and Santano II won the CCI2* at Camphire on. Photo used with permission from Dan McGrath.

Chris Burton and Santano II won the CCI2* at Camphire on a final score of 24.5. Photo used with permission from Dan McGrath.

24.5

Chris Burton and Santano II won the Castleacre Insurance Brokers CCI2* at Camphire International Horse Trials on their dressage score of 24.5, which our good friends at EquiRatings report is both the lowest dressage score and the lowest final finishing score from any CCI2* event in the world in the last five years.

It’s also the only CCI2* dressage score in the 20s in that same time period. Kim Severson and Cooley Cross Border came close to cracking the 20s at the Ocala Horse Properties CCI2* this past April, where they delivered a 30.9. Michael Jung and River of Joy also came close in 2010 with a 30.9 at Compiègne in France. (Unsurprisingly, Ze Terminator also has the fourth and fifth best CCI2* dressage scores in the last five years.)

Santano II, an 8-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by the Black Run Syndicate, boasts impressive dressage breeding, sired by Sandro Hit and out of the Brentano II mare Bona Dea II, whose damsire is Weltmeyer. He finished second in the CIC2* at both Rockingham and Barbury Castle earlier this year — on scores of 39.4 and 42.0 — and is definitely a name to remember.

Chris also finished second in the CCI2* at Camphire with Cooley Lands and won the GAIN/Alltech CIC3* aboard Nobilis 18, a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding previously owned by Dirk Schrade and campaigned by Michael Jung. Now owned by Sue Lawson and Carolyn Townsend, the horse’s breeding features heavy Thoroughbred influence, by Nobre xx out of Lilli, by Lemon xx. Not a bad weekend for Burto!

[Campire Final Scores]

Pia Münker and Louis M. Photo courtesy of buschreiter.de

Pia Münker and Louis M at Wiesbaden. Photo courtesy of buschreiter.de

26.3

Pia Münker, a 23-year-old rising star for Germany, scored 26.3 in her CIC3* dressage test at Renswoude aboard Louis M, a 10-year-old Rheinlander gelding (Lissabon X Angelique M, by Abanos), to handily lead the 34-horse division after the first phase. That’s her personal best score at the level, and it’s actually the second time she’s achieved that score this year. She also laid down a 26.3 in dressage at Wiesbaden CIC3* in May with the same horse.

Pia and Louis M lowered two rails in show jumping to still hold the lead, but sadly parted ways on cross country. Julia Krajewski and London-Return OLD, a 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by DOKR, ultimately won the CIC3* at Renswoude on a final score of 44.4, adding just 4.0 cross country time penalties to their dressage score of 40.4.

[Renswoude Final Scores]

Kurt Martin and Delux Z. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Kurt Martin and Delux Z at Rebecca Farm. Photo by Sally Spickard.

47.0

Kurt Martin won the first CCI3* event of his career on a personal best score of 47.0 with his own and CarolJean Martin’s Delux Z at the Event at Rebecca Farm. It was just the third CCI3* of Kurt’s career and the first for “Lux,” a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding bred in Ireland by Tom Finn (Lux Z X Drumin Imp, by Master Imp).

Kurt made the trip from his base in Middleburg, Virginia, to Kalispell, Montana, thanks to a USEF Land Rover Competition Grant. This isn’t the first time Kurt has received a grant — he also was given a grant last year for Boekelo and this year for Bramham with his lovely mare Anna Bella — but it’s the first time he’s been able to use one. Way to make the most of it, Kurt!

Here’s another cool fact courtesy of EN’s data analyst Maggie Deatrick: Kurt Martin and Delux Z were the only U.S. combination to record a qualifying score at Rebecca Farm for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Forty-three total U.S. combinations have now qualified for Rio since the qualifying period began at Rolex in April.

#RF: Website, Final Scores, EN’s Coverage

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Product Review: Ice-Vibe Extra Full Boots from Horseware Ireland

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A Record-Breaking Weekend: 3 Numbers to Know From Events Around the World

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