Doug Payne has compiled this awesome video earlier today showing the development of his fabulous four-star partner Running Order. Doug’s blog and Twitter are a must follow, particularly because Doug regularly posts cool videos. Go eventing.
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Team USA! [Update: It’s Official]
Eventing Nation has confirmed from multiple sources in England that the Eventing High Performance committee has approved the following selection for eventing Team USA’s Olympic team:
Will Coleman and Twizzel
Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott
Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper
Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister
Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere
Alternates: As for the alternates, all of the US short listers plus Buck Davidson with Ballynoecastle RM, Will Faudree with Pawlow, and Phillip with Fernhill Eagle have been named as alternates. The list of alternates, ranked alphabetically:
Buck Davidson and Ballynoecastle RM
Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice
Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle
Will Faudree and Andromaque
Will Faudree and Pawlow
Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville
Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos
Boyd Martin and Remington XXV
Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen
Allison Springer and Arthur
The US riders were informed of the team selection in a rider meeting that started at 12:30pm ET. The rationale behind naming so many alternates, as told to the riders, is that each alternate would substitute for a different member of the team. For example, if Mystery Whisper drops out, Mighty Nice or Fernhill Eagle would take his place. Ringwood Magister would be substituted by probably Loughan Glen or Arthur, Otis by Neville or Remi, Mr. Medicott or Twizzel by Manoir De Carneville, Missy, or Reggie. Most of the alternates who are in England will likely head to Burghley.
Please note that this list still has not yet been approved/finalized by the USEF Executive Committee, which meets later this evening to put the final USEF stamp of approval on the team. The riders have been informed of the team and I would be shocked if the Executive Committee made any changes. Go Team USA!
1:30pm Update: The list has been made official by a USEF Press Release, although the release still says that the list is pending the approval of the USEF Executive Committee and the United States Olympic Committee’s Board of Directors. In my opinion, there’s basically no chance the Exectutive Committee will make any change considering that an official USEF press release has been sent out. [USEF Release]
London Selection Predictions: Too many good options for the USA
Photo update: The selectors hard at work, via Sara Ike’s Facebook
Dreams are going to be made and dreams are going to be crushed today in England. 12 US horses and 9 riders were sent to the US selection trials at Barbury and every single one of them performed admirably this weekend. It would have made the selectors’ job easier if one or two of the less experience riders had crumbled under pressure and pulled 4 rails or picked up a stop. But everyone stepped up big under huge pressure and the US selectors are left with the blessing and the curse of having 12 great options.
The vet evaluations have already concluded and the selectors are meeting to make their picks as I write this. The process will follow pretty much the same route as the US short list selections on the Monday after Bromont. As a quick recap, the veterinary info has been compiled and presented to the selectors, who will meet to make their short list nominations. The Selectors are a critical part of the process, but their job is just to make nominations (recommendations)–they do not have power to formally appoint the team. From there the selections will move on to the Eventing High Performance Committee and then on to the USEF Executive Committee for final approval later today. We should probably see the squad and alternates around 3pm ET.
Here’s a breakdown of my thoughts/predictions about the team selection, filed squarely under the “ridiculous commentary” category on EN. Unlike the WEG 2010 and the Pan Am 2011 selections, neither I nor any insiders I have spoken with have a strong feeling about who the selectors will recommend other than Phillip and Boyd. This is as wide open of a selection process as you will ever see and everyone sitting in England right now should rightfully feel like they have a chance.
In contrast to the overall US selection picture, Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper are basically a sure thing. Unless something crazy happened in this morning’s vet checks, this pair is going to the Olympics. They dominated the spring circuit in the US and Mystery Whisper is Phillip’s best horse right now. If Mystery Whisper can’t go, then I believe Phillip will get to ride Mighty Nice, and if Mighty Nice can’t go, then we’ll find a British pasture pony and send Phillip to carry the team in London aboard said pasture pony.
Boyd Martin is also a sure thing, but the question of which horse he should ride is definitely in question. I am Neville’s biggest fan in the world, but I believe the selectors have been starting to lean towards Otis since after Bromont. Otis is widely regarded as a better show jumper. Show jumping is all important in the Olympic format, which features one team and one individual show jumping round. Remington made a great case for himself this weekend after getting added to the short list at the last minute. All three horses deserve to represent their country and I don’t think any one would be a bad pick, I just don’t know which would be the best pick. Either way, Neville will probably re-route to Gatcombe after Boyd’s fall from him on the Barbury XC. The Canadians will have their final outing in a couple weeks at Gatcombe.
The selection choices get much more difficult after Boyd and Phillip. I have been saying all year that Sinead and Manoir De Carneville are in great shape for Olympic selection if they didn’t make any major mistakes. Sinead and “Tate” did just that, so I’ll stick to my guns and pick them to make the team. They can hang their hat on two great four-star performances in 2011. Although I wish they had scored better in the dressage at Barbury, no other remaining short listed pair can boast a better 4* record, in my opinion.
If Phillip, Boyd, and Sinead make it, that means that six pairs are competing for two spots and I think four of those pairs have a terrific shot at making it. Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott each have a ton of experience at international competitions. Although their partnership started just 6 months ago they have gotten better and better this spring. I think they are a top 3 US pair right now and maybe the very best US pair to tackle a big open four-star like Rolex or Burghley. My concern with Mr. Medicott is that his size and aggression on the cross-country is going to make it hard for him to make the time around the twisty and hilly Greenwich Olympic course. That being said, I’d want Karen and Mr. Medicott on my squad, so I pick them as the 4th in.
I’ll be honest, I have no idea what to do with the 5th pick. Will Coleman and Twizzel are terrific and I think Will absolutely deserves to get his pinque coat this year. I also believe Twiz would come up big at the Olympics. Andromaque smoked around the Barbury course and, of all the US short listed horses, I believe she is best suited to handle the Greenwich cross-country’s turns and terrain. But, we know that Missy was the second last added to the short list. I think that was completely ridiculous, but it does give insight that she might not be a favorite of the selectors. Tiana and Ringwood Magister are less experienced but they have huge upside. They were the highest placed US pair at the Barbury selection trials, proving that their spot on the short list is well deserved. Remember that only the top 3 team scores count in the Olympic format. I want high reward and I’ll accept high risk with my 5th team pick, so Tiana and “Finn” are my 5th pick, but just by the tiniest of margins ahead of both Wills. That being said, I have no idea what the selectors will do.
Clark Montgomery with Loughan Glen and Allison with Arthur both absolutely deserve to make the team and I think there is a chance one of them, especially Allison, might make the team. It’s hard to argue against a 2nd at Rolex this year for Arthur, and Arthur is the quintessential high risk, high reward horse. I’m just scared about Arthur’s spookiness competing in what will surely be the spookiest environment he has ever seen.
We’ll know soon enough who will get to compete for the USA at the Olympics. I couldn’t be prouder of how all of our short listers stepped up this weekend to represent the red, white, and blue at Barbury and I can’t wait to see who makes the team. We’ll bring you the lucky 5 as soon as we know it. Go eventing.
Photos from the Monday morning US vet evaluations at Barbury
Monday morning team vet evaluations after key events are a regular feature of the selection process. The USA’s skilled team of vets and farriers performed an evaluation that included flexions, ultrasounds, and other tests to evaluate how each short listed horse is feeling after Barbury. I have always felt that vet evaluations are the tensest stage of the selection process because they are the one part that the riders can’t control. From what I have heard, the evaluations went quickly for all and the horses looked great in general. As you can see, the weather today in England is decidedly English.
Oh to be a fly on the wall
Go USA!
Monday Morning Barbury Videos
As the US selectors work their way through picking our Squad, check out a few videos from around the wide world of eventing. You can see Boyd’s tumble above. As Boyd described, they just arrived at a half stride and Neville couldn’t quite get out of the way. Neville and Boyd have been perfect on the cross-country for a long time and I just write the tumble off as a bit of bad luck. One fall doesn’t change the fact that this pair is one of the best cross-country pairs in the world, maybe one of the best ever. My feeling is the selectors were already leaning towards Otis, but we’ll know for sure who makes the team later today.
Barbury XC montage:
Clayton’s save already has 10,000+ views after less than 24 hours on Youtube. Here it is if you missed it:
Oli Townend in the ROR (Retraining of Racehorses) class:
And now for a video from the USA. The Canadian eventing team is preparing for the Olympics by riding out of coach David O’Connor’s home base in Virginia. The Canadians attended a dressage show on Sunday morning to prepare for the Olympic dressage test. We’ll have more on this later from Lisa, but here’s Jessica Phoenix and Exponential riding their test:
Go eventing.
Epic save by Clayton Fredericks at Barbury!
[via bridled]
That’s why they pay him the big bucks. Great going Clayton! Go eventing.
Barbury Cross-Country Results
The US selectors have a real challenge ahead of them for all the good reasons after 11 of 12 US Olympic hopeful pairs finished on clear rounds at Barbury today. Three US pairs finished the competition in the top 10. I will run the risk of being redundant by saying that the cross-country time penalties and therefore final placings will not have a big impact on US team selection. Will Faudree and Andromaque were the only US pair to make the time and I think that slightly helped their chances. Tiana Courdray and Ringwood Magister were just two seconds over and finished the competition as the highest placed US pair in 4th–that helps their chances for sure.
In the overall competition, Andrew Nicholson of New Zealand finished in the top two places aboard Avebury and Quimbo respectively. All of the US finishers completed the weekend in the top half of the field. The cross-country at Barbury caused quite a few problems, including 8 retirements, 9 eliminations, and 14 rounds with at least a stop.
The lone problem of the day for Team USA occured when Boyd Martin fell from his normally perfect cross-country partner Neville Bardos. Boyd told us after the round that he just hit a half-stride coming out of the water, causing Neville to hang a leg. Fortunately both horse and rider were fine and Boyd went on to ride two clear rounds with Remington and Otis.
Barbury CIC3* Final Results:
1. Andrew Nicholson and Avebury +0 41.6
2. Andrew Nicholson and Quimbo +0 49.8
3. Lucy Wiegersma and Simon Porlow +1.2 50.2
4. Oliver Townend and Pepper Anne +0 50.8
5. Tiana Coudary and Ringwood Magister +0.8 51.2
6. Boyd Martin and Remington +6 53.4
…
10. Will Faudree and Andromaque +0 56.0
12. Allison Springer and Arthur +4 56.2
14. Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper +9.2 57.2
15. Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen +4.4 57.8
23. Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere +11.6 60.4
33. Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott +14.0 66.4
34. Will Coleman and Twizzel +11.2 66.6
36. Sinead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville +13.2 67.2
39. Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice +10.8 68.0
Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos — Elim
Go USA.
Your Barbury Cross-Country Open Thread
The internet connection at Barbury is being temperamental thus far today, making Tweets and scoring updates a challenge. The lovely Samantha Clark has kindly agreed to relay her on-scene updates to me over the phone and I will post them in this article as we receive them. Check Samantha’s Twitter feed and @BarburyCastle from time to time to see if they are working better and otherwise hit “refresh” occasionally on this post until the cross-country ends. We’ll have a full update and recap from Samantha after the cross-country. The CIC3* and US Olympic selection division has just started. Please note that these results are purely provisional and apologies for the typos. Good luck to all of the horses and riders…
7:45am ET (12:35pm local at Barbury) — Boyd suffered a fall from Neville at the first water. Samantha reported that Neville hung a leg coming out of the water and catapulted Boyd off. Both were up quickly and fine. I believe that’s the first time Boyd has ever fallen from Neville in competition. A shocking and shaky start for Team USA. Thailand’s Nina Ligon and Jazz King were the first on course and retired after losing a shoe about 3/4 of the way around.
8:10am ET (1:10pm local) — Sinead and Manoir De Carneville finished with a clear round that included Sinead getting it done in a sticky moment at the final water. Clark and Loughan Glen also just finished provisionally clear to take the temporary lead with 4.4 provisional time penalties.
8:15am ET — The @SamanthaLClark and @BarburyCastle Twitter feeds are working much better for now, click on the links for live updates. The live scores don’t seem to be working yet.
8:28am ET — Let’s take a moment to wish a happy Canada Day to our many Canadian readers. 145 years ago to this July 1st, three provinces were united into what is now known as the vast and wonderful Canada, the land of maple syrup, brilliant event riders, and a hang glider air force.
8:33am ET — Karen and Mr. Medicott crossed the line provisionally clear with 14 provisional time penalties. As I mentioned last night, each US pair has a specific plan for the day, so don’t necessarily be surprised or alarmed by time penalties. I was a bit disappointed to hear Samantha report that Mr. Medicott looked a bit strong. I’m going to stop saying provisional in front of everything, you get the idea.
8:40am ET (1:40pm local) — Samantha reports that Boyd told her Neville was on a half stride in the first water. Fortunately Boyd has two more rides left to go, but the tumble obviously significantly hurts Nev’s selection chances. Samantha was full of praise for Sinead’s ride. Nina Ligon and Butts Leon of Thailand finished clear with 16.8 time. Now the Barbury internet and therefore Twitter feed is working better than cell phones. Go figure.
9:10am ET — Phillip and Mighty Nice enjoyed a lovely clear round. Samantha was full of love for Phillip and Mighty Nice, saying “he hasn’t missed a fence, you couldn’t give a horse a better ride.” Mighty Nice is obviously in England as a backup for Mystery Whisper, but I’m so excited about this horse as a top international horse in the future. 10.8 time faults for Mighty Nice. Twizzel starts in 4 horses.
9:37am ET — Will Coleman and Twizzel finished clear with 11.2 provisional time penalties.
9:45am ET — Will Faudree and Andromaque skipped around the course, making it look easy and finishing as the second pair so far clean and inside the time. They take the lead at Barbury. Samantha said that Missy jumped beautifully, describing it like a round from a little athletic cat. In other Olympic sports news, the first stage of the Tour de France starts today.
10:33am ET — An updated scoreboard is posted here, via @BarburyCastle. I stress that you shouldn’t put too much emphasis on time penalties for the US pairs today, some pairs set out with every intention of incurring penalties, while others like Will Faudree and Clark meant to go fast.
10:56am ET — Boyd and Otis pick up 11.6 time but finish clear. Boyd told me he planned on some time with Otis and his focus would be on efficient riding. My bet, especially with Boyd’s fall with Neville this morning, is that Boyd will ride Otis at the Olympics.
11:13am ET — Allison and Arthur finished clear with a few time penalties. Samantha reported that they looked sticky at times, including knocking down a flag at a skinny brush. Tiana is on course now.
11:23am ET — Tiana and Ringwood Magister completed the course with just 2 seconds of time penalties. Has Tiana just jumped her way into the Olympics? Phillip and Mystery Whisper are on course.
11:44am ET — Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper worked their way around the Barbury XC with a steady ride. They picked up 9.2 time penalties and will cruise their way onto the US Olympic Team.
11:49am ET — Boyd and Remington finish up Team USA’s day at Barbury with 6.0 time penalties.
Team USA’s short list can be proud of a brilliant day at Barbury. 11 of 12 US riders finished on clear rounds. Boyd’s fall from Neville was the only problem of the day for the red, white, and blue. That’s all for our live blog, but we’ll be back later with much more from Barbury and the US team selection picture. Go USA.
Video: Will Coleman and Twizzel’s Barbury Dressage and Show Jumping [Updated: More Videos]
9:33PM Update: Just a few more random Barbury videos from this weekend to give you a feel for the venue…
Barbury In Context: US Selection Thoughts Before Cross-Country
This weekend’s Barbury Horse Trials is the last stop on the road for the US Olympic Short List members before the team is announced early next week. After a mixed day of show jumping, the US pairs have just one last cross-country ride tomorrow to impress the selectors. The extent that a final mandatory outings should factor into final team selection is a fascinating issue, punctuated by the allure of having all of the potential candidates competing together and the danger of putting too much emphasis on one weekend of competition.
A small part of me would love to see us adopt the entirely objective method of many other US Olympic team selections, such as swimming, where the team spots for each event are won and lost in exactly one race. This format puts all of the pressure on the competitors to deliver in a moment that surely must simulate the pressure of the actual Olympics and it takes politics and the potential fault of subjectivity out of the equation. This process, in an extreme format, is of course impossible for eventing where the dressage is always partially subjective and the vet evaluations are both necessary and opinion based. I also feel that there is a significant advantage for eventing teams by making selection about more than just one result at a final competition because performances dramatically vary from weekend to weekend. I would guess, while freely admitting that I haven’t done the math, that it is safe to say that a swimmer’s time for a given event varies much less week to week than a horse’s score at different competitions. Furthermore, subjectivity allows flexibility in performance. Captain Mark Phillips has rightfully spoken with the US riders and given each pair different goals for the cross-country tomorrow. Don’t worry selectors, I still love you. My point in this paragraph is to give the “winner goes” philosophy it’s best presentation, not to advocate its adoption for eventing.
A few months ago I wrote that I believe US Olympic selection will be based on two key factors–previous performance at major (especially team) competitions, and current performance level. The Saturday show jumping at Barbury featured some big moves in the rankings by US pairs. Mystery Whisper, Otis, Ringwood Magister, Mr. Medicott, Loughan Glen, and Manoir De Carneville all moved up with clear rounds, while Neville Bardos and Twizzel moved down significantly with 8 faults each. Just half of the US pairs jumped clear and only four US pairs are currently in the top 20 at Barbury. I have spoken with a few US eventing fans this afternoon who are disappointed by these results so far at Barbury. But I would argue that to apply these results to team selection or to project them to potential Olympic performance requires a great consideration of context. I would further argue that, once such context is applied, Saturday’s show jumping and Barbury in general means a great deal less to team selection than most would expect.
The US team horses arrived in England on June 18th. Due to the travels, galloping, and having a few days of light work, most of the US horses have only jumped once since Bromont and they had only two to three days of true flatwork in the two weeks before Barbury. Furthermore, the Barbury show jumping is located on grass terrain that is unmatched in undulation by any major competition in the US. The show jumping at Barbury is also held before the cross-country, which favors quieter horses and leads to a completely different experience than riding a horse on the Sunday after what will be a grueling Olympic cross-country.
All of this together results in interesting show jumping results, such as two rails for Neville Bardos despite Neville jumping what Boyd told me was a better round than at Bromont, where he produced a clear round. I would also point to these factors as a potential cause for Will Coleman and Twizzle’s two rails difference from their clear round at Rolex. My opinion is that the Barbury show jumping results are about as valuable to evaluating selection as the performance from a pair’s last big three-day and only slightly more valuable than their performance at Bromont. Similar points could be made for the dressage, where Will Faudree had the misfortune of riding Andromaque’s dressage in a massive but short lived rain storm. Will told me that he was very pleased with Missy so far this weekend but that he felt the rain helped contribute to three mistakes in their test.
My goal isn’t to make excuses for poor performances at Barbury, or to denigrate the better performances so far at Barbury. Instead, I’m making the point that even though Remington is 41 places better than Neville at Barbury, I still think Neville has a better chance at being selected than Remi. Personally, I think Otis will get the nod over both of them, but we’ll get more into that later.
The USEF spent a considerable amount of money sending all of the selectors to Barbury and I think this was a terrific decision. The selectors get to put the weekend in the best context possible. Watching how comfortable the horses and riders are under pressure is every bit as important as whether they pull a rail. Looking ahead to tomorrow, each pair is going to have a separate mission to accomplish on the cross-country and the selectors will have a chance to evaluate how each pair accomplishes their specific mission.
On Saturday afternoon the selectors all headed to the Olympic cross-country venue at Greenwich Park in London to get a feel for the terrain. A very intelligent eventing prognosticator asked me a few weeks ago what one horse would I most want to ride around the twists, turns, speed, and scope that will define Sue Benson’s Greenwich course. I responded by naming Canada’s Exponential, and if we were considering past horses I would have said Charisma. That question really resonated with me and my guess would be that the selectors left Greenwich tonight wondering about which of our US horses would best fit the Greenwich terrain. This line of thinking helps a horse like Missy and detracts from a horse like Mr. Medicott, although I still have little doubt that Mr. Medicott will make the team.
There’s no exact answer as to how much Barbury should factor into team selection. Boyd and Phillip are almost surely going to London, but I’ll wait until after tomorrow to make any predictions as to the final three team spots. I stress that the selectors shouldn’t be afraid to look at the Barbury results through the thick and sometimes clouded lenses of contextual analysis. This is going to be especially important as the riders work their way around the cross-country tomorrow. And after all of that we haven’t even talked about the looming Monday vet evaluations. Go eventing.
Barbury CIC3* US Selection Trials SJ Results
CIC3* Show Jumping Results:
1. Andrew Nicholson and Avebury (NZL) +0 41.6
2. Jonathan Paget and Clifton Lush (NZL) +0 42.6
3. Mark Todd and NZB Campino (NZL) +3 47.0
*4. Boyd Martin and Remington +4 47.4 (moved down 1 place)
5. Kitty King and Zidante +4 47.6
*6. Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper +0 48.0 (up 8 places)
7. Carolyne Ryan-Bell +0 48.4
*8T. Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere +0 48.8 (up 11 places)
8T. Lucy Wiegersma and Woodfall Inigo Jones +0 48.8
…
18. Tiana Coudary and Ringwood Magister +0 50.4 (up 8 places)
22T. Allison Springer and Arthur +4 52.2 (down 7 places)
24T. Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott +0 52.4 (up 12 places)
29. Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen +0 53.4 (up 16 places)
32. Sinead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville +0 54.0 (up 16)
37. Will Coleman and Twizzel +8 55.4 (down 24 places)
40. Will Faudree and Andromaque +4 56.0 (up 5 places)
45T. Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos +8 57.0 (down 24)
47. Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice +4 57.2 (down 5 places)
Team USA hopeful pairs moved up an aggregate total of 15 places today in the Barbury show jumping. With a packed Barbury field one rail was costly and two rails meant a major drop on the leader board.
In other news, Meg Kep is world famous.
Go Team USA.
Team GBR’s House Has 1/4 Ton Flatscreen TV, According to Team GBR
Team GBR’s Olympic house is bigger and badder than any Olympic house that you could ever imagine and Team GBR wants you to know it. A time lapse video posted on the Team GBR Youtube account shows construction of the hose, which took 6,000 man hours (I think that works out to about 500 woman hours). The 1/4 ton television measures in at 103 inches and reportedly took 8 men to install. All of the other nations should just stay home at watch on their tiny little TV’s as Team GBR dominates the Olympics.
[via @FranJurga]
Go Team GBR.
London Organizing Committee Reverses Jog Policy (Sorta)
Mark Todd at the Olympic Test Event last July
The Horse and Hound is reporting that the 2012 London Olympic Organizing Committe (LOCOG) has decided to allow ticketed spectators to watch the final horse inspection before the show jumping phase on Tuesday, July 31. The 20,000 spectators with tickets to the showjumping phase will be allowed into Greenwich Park from 7:45am local time before the inspection begins at 8:15am. LOCOG announced last week that they were closing both the first and second eventing inspections to the public, quoted by the Horse and Hound as stating “The horse inspection happens on the day of London’s Olympic opening ceremony and the final day of the torch relay so there is a lot of Olympic activity in the capital and a big demand on police resources and public transport.” That decision caused Badminton director Hugh Thomas to resign from his technical role and prompted what I think is rightful frustration from fans and believers in the importance of transparency in eventing. However, today’s reversal in policy is only partial as the LOCOG is keeping the first horse inspection closed. The jog strip spectating area at the Olympic test event was flat and very cramped, so plan on getting in line nice and early if you want to be able to see anything. Go eventing.
Australian Eventing Team Appeal Denied
Photo via ESJ
Equestrian Australia has announced that the Australian eventing team nomination appeal has been denied. What began as a cryptic one-sentence long statement from Equestrian Australia on June 22nd that “during the 48 hours given to athletes to appeal against the nominated team, athletes have lodged an appeal which will be heard by an independent tribunal in due course” has ended with a similarly cryptic announcement of that the appeal has been dismissed. A release from Equestrian Australia today:
Equestrian Australia today confirmed the appeal lodged in relation to the nomination of the Eventing team of the 2012 Australian Olympic Team was dismissed. Riders will now have 48 hours to determine whether they will file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). During this time Equestrian Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee are unable to make further comment. The Australian Olympic Committee will announce the Eventing team’s final selection.
For much more on the appeal and its validity, check out Hamish’s article for EN as well as Austin Ligon’s analysis. Go eventing.
Syndicating Ballingowan Pizazz
Ballingowan Pizzaz “Mango” arrived in hot and sunny Lexington, Kentucky on Wednesday for his trailer ride to the Pollard Eventing barn in an even hotter and sunnier Chattsworth, Georgia after his recent purchase. Mango is happy and healthy in his new home and Pollard Eventing’s program manager Katie Thornton asked me to give a special shout-out to Mike and the other members of the Tex Sutton flight crew for making the flight so seamless and comfortable on Mango. As Katie said, those guys are pros.
I also promised to provide more details on Mango’s syndication. Half of the shares in the Mango are still available. We have featured a number of notable syndications on EN, including Neville and the syndications through the great EOTF Experience Eventing site. I’m an especially big fan of this syndication option both because I think Mango is a brilliant horse and Michael is a terrific rider and because this syndication has a special feeling of redemption to it that captures the very best of eventing. Michael has posted additional details about the syndication on the Pollard Eventing website:
The goal of Pollard Eventing is to have four horses in contention for the 2014 World Equestrian Games. The recent loss of three of its top horses has meant a refocus to stay committed to that goal. Consequently, Pollard Eventing is offering two syndication options with the aim of replacing its equine talent. To widen the appeal and in an effort to spread risk, Pollard Eventing will be pairing one of its rising stars, at its own expense, with a horse purchased with syndicate buy-in funds. This means that new syndicate members would be able to buy in to two separate horses for the price of one. Additionally, Pollard Eventing will be keeping the maintenance cost per share at a level that covers only competition and insurance expenses.
Go M&M.
Barbury — Lunch Break Live Scores
For Barbury live scores courtesy of BDWP.co.uk, click the link above, select “Section A CIC3*” in the left sidebar and click “go”. It’s lunch time at Barbury (ET +5 hours). The CIC3* division includes all of the US Olympic short listers and half of the CIC3* competitors ride today. Samantha is live and on the scene at Barbury. She will be along shortly with a morning recap, but until then check out the live scores.
USA Scores at lunch time Thursday:
Allison Springer and Arthur — 48.2
Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos — 49.0
Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott — 52.4
Clark Montogmery and Loughan Glen — 53.4
Sinead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville — 54.0
Be sure to follow @SamanthaLClark for all of the latest from Barbury and check out Samantha’s blog at SamanthaLClark.com for all of the latest Barbury posts. We’ll be turning the reins of Eventing Nation over to Samantha for most of the weekend–no pressure! Many, many thanks to Samantha for a great weekend to come at Barbury. Good luck to all of the riders and go eventing.
Shannon Lilley: Mango and Michael
Shannon Lilley made what she calls the toughest decision of her life to sell her fabulous 2011 Pan American Games partner Ballingowan Pizazz “Mango” to Michael Pollard. Shannon is an EN guest blogger and she asked to use EN as a way to explain her very tough decision and wish Michael and Mango the best going forward. Here is Shannon’s post, with many thanks to Shannon. Fair warning, get your tissues ready folks.
—-
Shannon and Mango, photo by Kate Erickson
From Shannon:
They say that tragedies in life build character… Although I believe that to be true, I think that Michael Pollard probably has enough character to spread throughout the state of Georgia after what he endured Memorial Day weekend, losing three of his top horses. In the aftermath of the whole ordeal, I was talking to Michael and he said, “the hardest part of this whole thing is that I didn’t just lose three horses; I lost three of my best friends and family members.” That sentiment played a heart string of mine because now that I am a spectator of the sport and pretty much just groom my horses and feed them treats; they have truly become my best friends.
Michael first asked me if I would consider selling Mango a couple of weeks ago. My first reaction was complete shock but I remembered that sentiment and thought, “who knows when I will be able to ride again or to what capacity, and it would be selfish of me to hold this horse back.” Mango is by far the most amazing horse I have ever had the privilege of riding and I feel very fortunate to have been able to have the short time I did on him. We accomplished great things but he deserves more than me just brushing him and feeding him treats. He deserves to go win big, great things as I, and anyone who has ridden him, believe he can do. I would be holding him back from his potential while I am sidelined if I didn’t let him go.
Michael with Nathalie came out to ride Mango and, as I knew he would, did a fantastic job on the horse. I told myself I would only sell him if I really felt comfortable with the partnership. Michael is a beautiful rider with a great feel, which is why when he rode Mango over the two days, it was seamless.
I can now stand on the sidelines and be Mango’s biggest fan as I have been since we brought him over in 2007 but this time hope to be the biggest cheerleader for Pollard Eventing as Michael and Mango (M&M) win lots of blue ribbons and gold medals. I look forward to the journey. Thank you to all my friends and clients who have been so supportive through the toughest decision I have ever had to make. I am lucky to have you all.
Go M&M!
Helping Horses: The MSPCA Equine Safety & Ambulance Program
Lisa Morrison sent us some great photos from Surefire Horse Trials earlier this week. Today she joins us with an article about one of the most important and least know components of the north east eventing community. I’m hoping that “Helping Horses” will become a regular series on EN where we feature the unspoken heroes of our community. If you have a suggestion for or a writing about such a hero, please send it to [email protected].
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From Lisa Morrison:
Many years ago, while walking the course on cross country day at one of my first “big” events, I passed a large flatbed truck (complete with winch) parked behind some trees mid-course. It seemed like a weird vehicle in a weird place. When its purpose finally dawned on me, it was a sober reminder of how dangerous our sport can be – not just for riders, but our horses as well.
Luckily, we’ve come a long way since then. Today, many major events have horse ambulances on-site for the duration of the competition. Cross country is obviously the most common place for trouble to occur but incidents can happen anytime and anywhere.
The Massachusetts SPCA runs a horse ambulance program that serves a number of major events, primarily in the East. For 15 years, they have brought specialized trucks and trailers to Rolex. They were also at the 2010 World Equestrian Games and regularly attend events from Florida to Canada – including Fair Hill, Jersey Fresh, Stuart, Millbrook, Bromont and the AECs.
The ambulances are designed to handle rough ground and are stocked with specialized equipment. The staff of the Equine Ambulance Program has a depth of horse rescue experience and is well-trained in moving injured and downed horses quickly, safely and humanely. When at an event, they work with the on-site veterinarians and officials to assess where to position the ambulances and what the best routes are to get around and out of the site.
The Nevins Farm, home to the MSPCA Equine Rescue team, was founded in 1917 as a rest home for horses – not a retirement home but a place where horses working in the city of Boston could go for some R&R. Today, the farm is next door to a busy interstate on the edge of Metheun, MA. It is also home to one of MSPCA’s small animal shelters, its farm animal shelter, a pet cemetery and the Tack Box – a boutique where you can get excellent deals on horse gear. More than 900 farm animals – horses, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, geese and ducks – find their way to Nevins Farm each year.
In addition to the Horse Ambulance program for events, the MSPCA provides rescue services throughout New England as well as training across the US for firefighters and other first responders – to train them in rescue techniques as well as give them an understanding of how to deal with horses in an emergency.
Rescue services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Ambulances with specially trained staff are dispatched in response to calls from veterinarians or public safety officials to help move injured or incapacitated horses. And the horse rescue course – a two-day hands-on seminar, which is open to anyone – is given at Nevins Farm several times a year. Organized groups can have customized courses for up to 40 people delivered at their site.
The MSPCA is a pioneer of equine emergency response and rescue, starting with a horse-drawn horse ambulance in the late 1800s to the development of the Rescue Glide, which is used to move downed horses and can be managed by only two people.
With the safety of horses being paramount in eventing, it is good to know that the MSCPA and their equine rescue services are there to help. These days, I breathe a sigh of relief when I see a horse ambulance on site at events.
The MSPCA Equine Safety & Ambulance Program is funded by the generous financial support of horse owners, equine enthusiasts and other friends. To learn more about the program, visit the MSPCA website or contact Roger Lauzé at [email protected] or (978) 687-7453 x6124. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation.
Pollard Eventing to purchase and syndicate Ballingowan Pizazz [Updated]
Shannon and Mango at Richland Park 2011
A deal has been finalized for Michael Pollard to purchase and syndicate Balligowan Pizazz from Shannon Lilley and The Lilley Group. This deal makes the best out of two tough situations and moves one of the best horses in the US from one great rider to another. Shannon has been slowly recovering from emergency back surgery in February. The surgery ruined her chances of competing her 2011 Pan Amerocan Games partner Ballingowan Pizazz “Mango” at the London Olympics and has left Shannon still unable to ride. Pollard Eventing continues to recover from the trailer accident that took three of their wonderful horses in May.
I spoke with Shannon briefly today and she told me that Mango was not actively for sale but she made a special exception out of her respect for Michael’s program and because Michael told her that he didn’t just lose three great horses in the trailer accident, he lost three horses that were members of his family. She explained to me “Mango is a once in a lifetime horse and he deserves a shot to compete at his best. Michael is such a nice rider and he also deserves a shot to be the best. Hopefully they will reach that potential together.” Throughout our entire conversation it was clear to me that the decision to part with her great partner was incredibly hard for Shannon, but she ultimately made the decision because she wants to see Mango be the best he can be.
Shannon and Mango represented the United States along side Michael and Schoensgreen Hanni at the 2011 Pan American Games, where Mango finished in 5th place and helped the US win team gold. The 10 year old Irish Sport Horse was imported to the US in 2007 for one of Shannon’s students. Shannon and The Lilley Group bought him in May of 2011.
In my opinion, Mango is absolutely a world class horse and he is one of the top horses in the United States looking ahead to the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France. He brings pure quality to all three phases with a wonderful trot and a great jump. I believe he could score in the low 40’s of a four-star test today and I would expect him to finish on that without much trouble after forming a partnership Michael.
Watch Shannon and Mango ride dressage at the PAGs:
[Richland Show Jumping]
I am thrilled for Michael and Shannon about the opportunities this sale creates for both of them. My understanding is that shares of the syndication with Michael are still available and we will have more details soon about what would be an opportunity to be part of a tremendous partnership for the future. Mango has passed the pre-purchase vetting and is scheduled to fly to Kentucky from California on Wednesday morning. We’ll have more from Shannon and Michael shortly. Go Mango.
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**UPDATE 7:45pm**
From a Pollard Eventing release:
“After one of the lowest points of my life I decided I needed to take positive and productive action that would give our team something to look forward to. I began sending out some personal messages to past and present supporters in an effort to ask for help in rebuilding, and I have been humbled by the response,” stated Pollard. “This new syndication has been possible by their incredible generosity. When I realized that we might actually be able to pull a group together I began to think of horses that could potentially live up to the standard of the incredible horses we lost. Ballingowan Pizazz (aka Mango) was at the top of the list. Obviously, I knew him very well from watching him at the Pan American Games, but because he was not on the market and my tremendous respect for Shannon it was a very difficult decision to even ask if he could be for sale. I was very surprised when Shannon wrote to me and said that she would consider selling him, and honestly I was honored that she considered me worthy of such an amazing horse. Shannon is one of the best and most positive people I know and, while I am obviously thrilled to have the opportunity to ride Mango, I am also sad that Shannon is not able to continue his career. They were a wonderful partnership to watch, and I will do everything I can to fulfill her faith in me with Mango to realize his potential. I am also very grateful for the people who have stepped up to help me, and I hope we can round out this syndication in the coming months.”….
Additionally, in response to many requests Pollard Eventing is establishing a Road to Recovery fund on its website where supporters can donate to help cover veterinary and equipment expenses incurred as a result of the trailer accident in which three horses lost their lives, and for which no coverage existed. “We were self insured with the horses and unfortunately a clerical error left our trailer without insurance. The driver of the vehicle that caused the accident had very limited coverage and it has put us in a very difficult situation. While we are very fortunate in many ways we were not properly prepared for this type of accident. We have received incredible support since this tragedy from people offering to help so we decided to establish this fund where donations will be used to rebuild Pollard Eventing. It is our focus to become a contender for future U.S. teams with the goal of making the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy and 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero,” said Pollard.
Sadly, Jan’s nephew was not streaking at the Surefire Horse Trials
Photocred: Lisa Morrison | Hoofprints Photography
I am a big believe that we could make eventing a lot more entertaining by introducing popular “traditions” of mainstream sports. Take touchdown celebrations, for example. Boyd goes into the lead at Rolex on Friday afternoon, dismounts, and gives us all a rousing rendition of the dougie. Streaking is another time honored tradition that would make eventing a lot more exciting. After Jon Holling’s streaking at Bromont, the trend seemed to be gaining momentum when we were sent the above photo from the Surefire Horse Trials this weekend. However, we quickly received an update from photographer Lisa Morrison. Lisa spoke with Jan Byyny and, instead of a captured streaker on course, the photo reportedly depicts the “Surefire sun god” who makes sure the sun shines for the event. The sun god is also Jan’s nephew. Here are a few other photos from Surefire, also from Lisa Morrison with many thanks to Lisa for sending them our way:
In the intermediate, Meghan O’Donoghue and The Pirate finished on the same score as Buck Davidson and Park Trader, but they were closer to the optimum time on cross-country
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Buck Davidson and Cooper Beach won the preliminary division
[Surefire Results]
We have an outstanding welcome for any and all streaking photos, please send them to [email protected]. Please streak responsibly. Go eventing.
Happy retirement Ying Yang Yo [Updated]
Boyd, Will Faudree, Neville, and Andromaque
The retirement of an event horse, especially one as special as Ying Yang Yo, is always incredibly difficult for all of the horse’s connections. Boyd posted on his blog this morning that Ying Yang Yo “Thomas” will be retired due to a paralyzed airway. Boyd pulled up on the Luhmuhlen cross-country course this weekend because Thomas had been making loud sounds in his breathing. German team vets evaluated Thomas at Luhmuhlen and made the diagnosis. Boyd flew over to the US with Ying Yang Yo on a cargo plane in 2006 and competed together in Boyd’s first Rolex. That trip led to Boyd working with Phillip, moving to the US, and the rest is history as they say. From Boyd’s blog:
After quite a disappointing Saturday at Luhmuehlen, a scope by the German team vet discovered that poor old Thomas had a paralyzed airway. Both Denise, Pierre and I thought it would be best to send Thomas back to America where he will live life in Luxury in New Hampshire with his owners at Stony Brook Farm. Originally the plan was to take him to England and do Burghley, but we feel that is no longer an option. [Boyd’s blog]
I had the pleasure of taking Thomas on a few hacks and trot sets when I worked for Phillip in Aiken. That horse was a consummate professional and he had a truly great personality for learning. Boyd absolutely loves Thomas to death and while it will be sad to not get to see them compete together again, I’m glad that Thomas will have such a happy and comfortable retirement.
As the story goes, Boyd named Thomas “Ying Yang Yo” because he hoped the horse would compete at the Beijing Olympics and thought that the name might win favor with the Beijing judges. One of my other favorite Thomas memories is from when he almost killed Boyd at Rolex in 2008. I have told this story before, but, as the story goes, Boyd might have snuck out of the ambulance and tried to go get back on his horse, but Boyd will tell you that he doesn’t remember a lot from that day.
An interview with Boyd after their Fair Hill win:
Go Thomas.
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Update: We have heard from Thomas’ connections that there is a chance that Ying Yang Yo may return to competition at the lower levels in time depending on his recovery and if that goes well that he could possibly return to upper level competition. Thomas followed a similar path returning from his first retirement when he was competed for by Eliza Wolf before Boyd took over the ride last year and won Fair Hill. Just so you don’t think we are completely insane, the word “retire” was used by Boyd’s team in linking to Boyd’s blog post on Twitter on Wednesday. So, we wish Thomas a happy sabbatical and possible retirement! Go Thomas.
Colbert responds to Brian O’Connor as the Rafalca madness continues
[via COTH]
Awesome things happen when sport horses collide with mainstream media, especially on a show with a great comedian like Stephen Colbert. On June 11th, Stephen Colbert announced on the Colbert Nation that his new favorite animal was Mitt Romney’s dressage horse Rafalca, a humorous alleged symbol of Mitt Romney’s elitism. Last weekend our good friend Brian O’Connor responded to Cobert at the USEF National Dressage Championships. Rafalca was named to the US Olympic dressage team following the competition. Last night, Colbert featured Brian and Rafalca on the Colbert Nation (above). Brian’s rebuttal video (below) was posted on Youtube briefly by the USEF Network before being removed and sent to Colbert, but it was reposted last night. I also would be remiss to not point out that Colbert came up with an absolutely awesome name for his TV show.
If the top video doesn’t play in your browser, click here. Go Rafalca.
Heather Reimer: Sunday at Luhmuhlen
Heather Reimer has been keeping Eventing Nation updated all weekend from Germany including sending us the German team announcement this morning. Many many thanks to Heather for sending us her Sunday recap from a great day of Luhmuhlen show jumping.
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[via FEI]
From Heather:
The horse inspection for the CIC3* took place at 9:00 CET and all horses were accepted without problems. Two weren’t presented: Piccadilly Z/Malin Petersen and Free Easy NRW/Simone Deitermann. In the CCI4* 3 horses had to go into the holding box, Oliver Cael/Kai Rüder, Godington Haarlem/Ruth Burnard and Nadeville Merze/Nicolas Wettstein. All three were accepted on the second inspection. However Kai Rüder withdrew Oliver Cael before the show jumping because during the warm up he didn’t feel 100% sound.
The CIC3* show jumping course proved to be a difficult course to ride and after the first 3 riders had all come in with time penalties the time was upped by 2 seconds. There seemed to be a lot of poles falling and at the end of the competition there were only 9 clear rounds in the time.
Michael Jung won the CIC3* and became German National champion after a clear round on Weidezaunprofi’s River of Joy. He rattled a couple of poles but managed to finish the competition with his dressage result and a 7.8 point lead. Sara Algotsson-Ostholt (SWE) riding her grey mare Wega moved up to 2nd place after an awesome clear round and a lovely smile for her husband who was the next one in the arena. Unfortunately the smile didn’t have the desired effect and Frank Ostholt’s ride Little Paint had two down and moved down 3 places to fifth and the bronze medal in the Championships. Ingrid Klimke and her 12 yr old gelding Tabasco went clear and moved up into third place, however she wasn’t so lucky with her Olympic horse Butts Abraxxus who had three poles and dropped down to 9th place. Niklas Lindback (SWE) went clear on Mister Pooh and moved up into 4th place and must now have a ticket for London.
The CCI4* show jumping started at 14:00 CET and Michael Jung had the chance to complete the Luhmühlen double! The course at first sight appeared easier to ride than the one in the morning but it soon became apparent that a lot of riders had problems finishing in the allowed time and at the end of the competition there were only 4 clear rounds in the time. Oliver Townend riding ODT Sonas Rovatio (7th place) was the only rider to finish the competition on his dressage result. A lot of poles fell and the excitement mounted as it got down to the top ten riders. Harry Mead dropped a place to 11th with 2 poles down and 1 time penalty, Wendy Schaeffer went clear and stayed in 9th position. Andreas Dibowski and FRH Butts Avedon went clear and moved up into 3rd place. Charlotte Agnew had one pole down and moved up into 5th place, Andrew Nicholson and Calico Joe also one pole and 4th place. Lucinda Fredericks had 1 time penalty and moved up to 2nd place and Andrew Hoy and Rutherglen after seeming to lose their way on the course had 3 poles down and 2 time penalties which meant 6th place for this pair. And then there was the final rider, he had one pole down but when you are leading by 9.2 this is not much of a problem. Michael Jung completed the Luhmühlen double and won the CCI4* riding Leopin FST.
It has been a great week end of eventing and I hope all have enjoyed reading the updates and or course the live ticker on @luhmuehlen2012. Looking forward to Aachen and of course London 2012!
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mileseventing
Fun and uncomplicated eventer
mileseventing
Fun and uncomplicated eventer
Juli Hutchings-Sebring
YEH 5 yr old – 5* Potential – Purebred Connemara
