Well, folks, it’s time to present the March results of the Eventing Nation Power Ranking. Thanks to almost five thousand votes from the EN population, the public poll came down to a very close finish, and with a little insight from our expert panelists, and tallying of the votes by the Chinchillas, the Power Ranking for both the US and Canada’s best riders is now complete.
Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper sure delivered this month after great performances in March, to steal away second place in the ranking from Sinead and Tate, who dropped to third. Mr. Medicott inched up the leader board from last month, moving from fifth to fourth, with Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen just behind.
This month we chose to split the American and Canadian ranking, thanks to several suggestions from all of you, in hopes that it will make the ranking list more coherent. We’ll be adding in more Canadians to the list as time goes on, so excuse the slightly skimpy version right now.
Without further ado, here is your ranking list.
US:
1. Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos- 312 points
2. Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper- 290 points
3. Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville 274 points
4. Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott- 267 points
5. Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen- 261 points
6. Becky Holder and Can’t Fire Me – 250 points
7. Buck Davidson and Ballynoecastle RM- 236 points
8. Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice- 189 points
9. Becky Holder and Courageous Comet – 158 points
10. Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz – 150 points
11. Phillip Dutton and Ben- 145 points
12. Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere- 144 points
13. Marilyn Little-Meredith and Rovano Rex- 138 points
14. Karen O’Connor and Veronica- 130 points
15. Will Coleman and Twizzel- 127 points
16. Will Faudree and Pawlow- 119 points
17. Marilyn Meredith Little and RF Demeter 98 points
18. Jan Bynny and Inmidair- 76 points
19. Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot- 54 points
20. Julian Stiller and Chapel Amble- 52 points
CANADA:
1. Jessica Phoenix and Exponential- 144 points
2. Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master- 130 points
3. Hawley Bennett Awad and Gin n’ Juice- 112 points
4. Kendal Lehari and Daily Edition- 73 points
5. Peter Barry and Kilrodan Abbot- 50 points
6. Stephanie Rhodes Bosch and Port Authority- 45 points
Sinead and Tate doin’ work, video courtesy of Andrew McConnon
For most east coast North American pairs the road to Rolex starts with a spring horse trials, runs through Red Hills for some, then either Southern Pines or Poplar this weekend, onto The Fork, and then up to Kentucky. Different pairs start the road at different points and at different levels depending on their level of experience, soundness, and overall philosophy. Most of the US and Canadian high performance pairs are in action this weekend at either Poplar Place in Georgia or Southern Pines in North Carolina, making for a very exciting weekend of eventing!
The Tremaine Cooper designed cross-country courses at Southern Pines in particular are running very tough today. The advanced divisions featured 53 starters with 8 rider falls and 11 other rides with jumping penalties. The ratio of falls to rides was almost the same in the intermediate with 10 falls out of 66 starts. JER reports that a fence into the water was removed on the intermediate between divisions after horses were miscalculating the landing. This change appears to have led to much fewer falls in later rides.
Looking at the riders who had good trips around the cross-country, Michael Pollard has a decisive 12.4 point lead in the advanced A division with Jude’s Law after delivering the 4th fastest advanced time of the day to add just a few time penalties to his first placed dressage ride. Holly Payne and Madeline jumped all the way up from 21st after the dressage to second with 6 time penalties. It’s great to see this pair out and about and going great again. Becky Holder and Can’t Fire me are third with a 44.7 and it looks like Becky is starting to put together a spring that is going to make it incredibly hard for the selectors to leave her off of the team.
Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen continued their strangle hold on the advanced B division with just 2 time penalties to extend their lead to 10 points. Will Faudree and Pawlow also added just 2 points on the XC and lie in second going into the show jumping. Becky Holder is 3rd in this division as well with Comet. Comet doesn’t have anything left to prove and he is not on the US Olympic application list, but I’m hoping for a big campaign out of them this year. The advanced divisions are too stacked to mention all of the impressive pairs, so please be sure to check out the score links below.
Recalling what I wrote about different pairs entering the season and different stages and levels, two pair with a clear look at the Olympics are stretching their legs in the intermediate. Sinead and Tate added two time penalties in the intermediate A division and lead on a 22.9. Neville Bardos scampered around the intermediate course as well, taking his traditional time around the horse trials. Everyone knows Nev can make the time when he needs to and there’s no point pushing things this early. Don’t look now, but Ying Yang Yo is also out and about in the Southern Pines intermediate. Sarah Dunkerton and Matapeake moved up from second to lead the intermediate rider heading into the show jumping. The prelim cross-country is still running North Carolina.
Meanwhile in Georgia, the cross-country is running all day at Poplar. Samantha is on scene and I’ll leave the reporting to her capable hands, but check out the scores below to see how things are going. So far, Canada is completely dominating the top of the upper level leader boards.
And now for some videos. Here is a tumble at the aforementioned Southern Pines intermediate water by Boyd and Crackerjack. The below videos are courtesy of Thehorsepesterer.
A slightly better result in the advanced water by Devon Brown and Dynamic Image:
Allison Springer at the training water on Friday:
I’ll leave you with a Poplar video sent to us by blogger Sarah Finkel of one small dog’s commentary on the cross-country. Is Isabella saying “ow ow ow ow” or “wow wow wow wow?” Eventing Nation, you decide.
We have a very special new addition to our EN guest blogger team. Rebecca Howard is one of my favorite eventers because she approaches our sport like all of us should–by looking to excel at every level as an athlete, from fitness, to nutrition, to the psychological game, to the development of her horses, and so on. Rebecca is both incredibly talented and very shy and one of our goals for having Rebecca as a guest blogger is to show how her strengths off of the horses transition into success on the horses. Rebecca joins us just under two weeks away from the start of the lovely Fork horse trials in Noorwood, NC, which is the next major step on the North American path to the Olympics after Poplar and SoPo this weekend. Check out Rebecca’s website, and The Fork’s website for much more. Thanks for writing this Rebecca and thank you for reading.All I will say, and I am convinced that this is the one and only time I
will say this in my life, is–thank you for hairdressers.
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Sinead’s caption: “Rebecca and the cow got stuff to say!“
From Rebecca:
Hello! This regular blogging thing has never really been a strong suit of mine, somehow other stuff seems to take a priority. Tuesday was absolutely, positively my evening to blog… however Sinead – in Southern Pines for training sessions – came on out for an evening visit at the Fork. Hence we hung out solving the problems of the world and instead just sent a picture to EN of me… pretending to blog. Realizing that John would not be fooled by the photo for tooooo long… I have found quality blogging finishing time during the requisite spring visit to my hairdresser.
In short: so far so good for 2012! The horses and students have had a good start. We have migrated north back to the Fork after 7 weeks in Florida. With Riddle Master (Rupert) I feel like the season is just getting started as we are about to cross the threshold from training to competing. January and February are mostly about getting fit, getting better and getting prepared for the season to come. This is the time to really lay out what the priorities are and progression is to lead into and through the season. I particularly love this time with Rupert. His work has gotten more and more about the little details, and that is a fun and new place to be. The early months are exciting because there is the anticipation of the competitions to come and the luxury of imaging them going perfectly and successfully!
Rupert and I are lucky to have two good 4*’s under our belt so we are not planning on Rolex this spring. Our year is about getting the two of us to peak for an event “they” are holding at this place called Greenwich Park! So far the plan is to be out at Southern Pines then The Fork, Jersey and Bromont–and then to see where the chips lay come selection day.
With the Olympics still 4 months away it is a sometimes confusing balance of “OMG The freakin’ Olympic Games are ONLY 4 months away” combined with … “There is STILL 4 months to go until the Olympics” I have been really conscious of not doing too much too soon and just being smart with and enjoying the practice time.
Back at The Fork, the farm is in full horse trials mode, in preparation for the eventing invasion to Norwood, NC or the “Redneck Riviera” as owner Mr. Cogdell affectionately calls it. After Southern Pines this weekend, we girls in the barn have the job of getting the XC course flagged, the arenas set… as well as some scheduled evenings of arts and crafts- we are in need new flags for the Show Jump course this year. We have bought out the local–and not so local–supply of doweling and red and white felt. Dowling is a hot commodity this time of year, who knew?
All for now and I promise I will not rely on Sinead’s trick photography or my hairdressing needs until the next blog.
One of the major eventing story lines to keep an eye on this year is EN blogger Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz’s quest for the Olympics. They have officially sent in their Olympic application and all that remains is to jump around Badminton clear, overcome the selectors’ unwillingness to add them to this year’s training list despite a great 2011 season, and stay sound through the summer–I’m not sure which of those three is going to be the hardest. EN guest writer Mary Getsey Bernier has returned with a fantastic report from Colleen’s recent Badminton fundraiser clinic. I want to echo Mary’s call for support of Colleen–I can’t think of a better representative of our sport to send to England, both for Badminton and the Olympics. —-
(“Pie?” Yes, pie, in this case, blueberry. Cake, too. Read on….)
Colleen Rutledge Eventing March 17-18 Clinic Recap
From: Mary Getsey Bernier
It was as if Colleen Rutledge special-ordered the sunshine, the clear blue skies, and the warm temperatures for her recent clinic held this past weekend at Turnabout Farm, in Mt. Airy, Maryland. And boy, did Mother Nature surely deliver! The bit about the pie and cake follows, but first, the clinic…
For those who may remember, I rode in my first clinic with Colleen Rutledge in January 2012. (See Eventing Nation recap, here) Since January, I’ve been riding at home, practicing what I learned from my last clinic with Colleen. I went from being a horseless rider to acquiring a lease on a horse: a sometimes-surly, but I’m convinced, really-good-guy-deep-down-inside 13 year-old Thoroughbred, coming back into work. Now this in itself presented a new bag of challenges, combined with my re-rider status as someone newly back in the saddle after a riding sabbatical. Rather than beating myself up over my all-too-apparent riding short-comings, I channeled my inner Scarlett O’Hara, brushed the bluestone dust off my boots, and with wilted carrot in-hand, declared to the heavens that “God as my witness,” if I was going to ride my first Beginner Novice competition within the year, I’d better sign up for another clinic with Colleen…and pronto! And before she headed off to The Fork, and to Badminton too!
Colleen Rutledge’s most recent clinic took place this past weekend (March 17th-18th), and it was back to basics for Training, Novice and Beginner Novice-level riders. All the groups started on the flat with ground poles, followed by the classic gymnastic grid. (If there’s anything to fix, it will reveal itself in a grid!) Each clinic level and each horse and rider combination had its own set of challenges to work on. As always, nothing missed Colleen’s watchful eye as she distinguished between what was a training challenge for the horse; or instead, what the rider might be doing to impede the horse’s progress with the exercise. Colleen is one of those amazing people who not only happens to be a talented rider, but also possesses the ability to communicate to the student exactly what is the problem, and what may be done to overcome the training challenge.
Colleen Rutledge guides a young rider and her horse through the grid
Most of the clinic levels worked with the grid set at the same spacing, with slightly different heights, and with the Training level riders working in an additional fence and a set number of strides between it, and the last rail. It was all very basic-but very fundamental-training. In my Beginner Novice group, our grid involved a ground pole 9 feet away from two low rails, separated by a 10 foot bounce. A 20 foot one-stride led to the next two rails, also separated by a 10 foot bounce. The grid ended with a last 20 foot one-stride to the last two rails out, again, 10 feet apart, with last pole set 9 feet away on the landing side of the final rail. See the video)
By the end of the clinic, it was understood the basics don’t change through the levels: balance, rhythm, straight, and forward. Hone those key ingredients, and you’ll ride it out as it should be done! Never underestimate the training power of a seemingly-simple grid.
Whether she planned it or not, Colleen exercised us well enough so that by the end of the session, everyone had worked up a sizeable appetite for what followed the clinic: dinner! After the last clinic on Sunday, everyone gathered at Lohr’s Family Restaurant in Frederick, Maryland for the “Colleen Rutledge Eventing Badminton Fundraiser Dinner.”
Friends, family, fans, riders and supporters of Colleen and Shiraz raised hands (and sticky fingers, mostly from the scrumptious fried chicken dinner) in a bidding frenzy to put Christie’s Auction House to shame. Cakes and pies flew, as folks outbid one another for homemade cherry pies; blueberry pies topped with a latticed crust; a homemade vanilla cake, and another chocolate cake, both topped with a handcrafted fondant version of the logo for Colleen Rutledge Eventing. There simply were not enough baked goods to go around, it was all that good! The cakes and pies were made by friends, who generously donated their sweet and handcrafted wares to raise funds for Colleen and Shiraz’s Badminton fund.
(Riders take note: if you want to raise funds, pies and cakes are your secret weapons, specifically, homemade pies and cakes. The power of hungry riders and their families, and their willingness to part with green-backs in exchange for sweets should not be taken lightly!)
By the end of the evening, after auctioning off two bottles of Shiraz wine and many sweet baked goods, and taking bids for horse-related services and items (of which there remain more to bid on, see Colleen’s web page for more details), the clinic and Badminton Fundraiser weekend ended with educated riders, happy horses, and smiling well-fed folks who were heading home-the lucky ones carrying pies and cakes.
Here’s wishing Colleen and Shiraz the best of luck as they head down early April to compete in their last state-side competition at The Fork, North Carolina, before cheering them on to the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials in May.
Go Colleen, go Shiraz, and go Eventing! And big thanks to everyone who made the past weekend such good fun!
The USA has two accepted pairs — Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz and Kristin Schmolze with Cavaldi. EN blogger Olivia Loiacono is on the waitlist with Subway. Olivia’s new coach, William Fox-Pitt leads a field of 40 accepted British riders with 5 rides of his own. No Canadians are on either the accepted list or the wait list as the Canucks will be looking to Rolex and three-stars closer to home for their Olympic spring preparations. The dearth of North American entries at Badminton means one thing–Rolex is going to be absolutely stacked with the best field from North America in a long time.
As we know, Peter Atkins and Henny are headed to Badminton along with 9 other Australian pairs. The great Mark Todd looks to repeat his 2011 victory and his hopes rest on the shoulders of Grass Valley and Major Milestone (who finished last year in 35th). Last year’s Badminton silver medalists, Piggy French and Jakata find themselves on the entry list looking to improve one placing.
Update: Pippa Roome has written a great recap of the entries for Horse and Hound. A few notable points from the article: –7 previous Badminton winning riders are entered: Andrew Hoy, Paul Tapner, William Fox-Pitt, Pippa Funnell, Mary King, Oliver Townend and Mark Todd –Michael Jung will be making his first Badinton appearance –Badminton received 141 entries this year, 134 in 2011, 151 entries in 2010, 130 in 2009 and 153 in 2008. [Read much more from H&H]
The accepted pairs were chosen based on FEI points:
Peter Atkins Henry Jota Hampton AUS Christopher Burton Holstein Park Leilani AUS Clayton Fredericks Dunge’s Laurent Ros
How are Seattle March eventing clinics different than Aiken March eventing clinics? Photo from Meika Decher’s, which hosted a Scott Keach clinic on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Samantha Bergin
Hello again Eventing Nation! After a weekend of busted brackets (what’s up Mizzou fans?), an outstanding Walking Dead finale (what was that castle thing and of even more importance what was up with hooded zombie master guy?), and some green beer (okay, maybe more than some and obviously Bailey’s and Jameson’s had to come out as well), the time has come to conquer your case of the Mondays. To get Poplar & Southern Pines week started are some excellent time wasting links.
Julie Wolfert maintained the lead to win at Meadow Creek. Julie took the blue in both the OP and OT. Stuart Black followed in second in the OP. Hoping to see Julie make her way out east this year. Watch out world. [Scores]
The Event at Three Day Ranch had a nice finish to the weekend with Bunnie Sexton taking the win in the AI. Many of the west coasts finest riders had great weekends. One thing I noticed was very competitive scores that riders were finishing on despite riding in a blizzard. Stay tuned as EN goes into Weather Channel mode later this morning. [Live Scores]
Catch A Star made her debut event since the fire at True Prospect last May. While Caitlin fell to the TE, it sounds as though she had a fantastic weekend. [Live scores]
Boyd gave a nice blog post about Caitlin’s weekend. Thank goodness Caitlin didn’t turn into a pregnant, alcohol drinking person (see the link). [Boyd recap]
Across the pond, Tiana Coudray was out with her stunning gelding at the Lincoln Horse Trials intermediate [Tiana via @UptownEventing]. Tiana finished in 7th, just 4.6 points behind Mark Todd and Grass Valley. Laura Collett also had a good weekend at Lincoln finishing in the lead in the OI on her stunning gelding, Rayef. Laura is a seriously good all round competitor and I look forward to seeing how her Olympic plans pan out. [Rayef] [Results]
My favorite dressage rider has a hefty list of to-dos to complete before departing back to Virginia. The passport item would send me into panic. But then again, with Tres Leches cake on hand, I would surely be calm soon. Get it Lauren! [TO DO]
Five things you didn’t know about Lenamore…
1. He has been to seven consecutive Badmintons, six Burghleys, one Olympics, and one WEG.
2. He was bred by Ted Walsh.
3. Ed isn’t warmed up before the dressage at events as it makes him tense- he goes straight from the lorry or stable into his test.
3. Two people, one on either side, are needed to escort him back to his stable after XC as he gets so feisty.
5. He is the highest BE point scorer of all time with 2,203 points.
The new iPad, apps, and moreEnter the Success Equestrian contest to win one of only two EN saddle pads in existence
Not sure if this was mentioned back in FEB, but I thought it was worth another mention. Polly Stockton lost her top eventer, Westwood Poser, in a freak accident. Westwood Poser, who was put on the horse walker, managed to escape due to the door not being properly shut. After escaping, Westwood Poser ran down the road where he was struck by a car and died immediately. All of our thoughts go to Polly and her team. What a terrible loss. [Westwood Poser]As a quick shout out from our friends at the and coming Ocala Horse Properties International Three-Day (April 12-15) —
“The entries are open, we are offering the Becky Broussard $10,000 CCI**, Maui Jim $5,000 CCI*, and Merydith Farm South is sponsoring a new addition to the event’s YEH and FEH classes. FEI course designer Jay Hambly has been building exciting new jumps, and the event includes an advanced CT for Rolex bound competitors!
Marilyn Little-Meredith followed up her second place CIC3* finish with a win in the CIC2* aboard the lovely RF Smoke On The Water. Marilyn swapped places with Phillip, who finished in second place in the two star. I’d say that Phillip deserves a break after riding 8 horses this weekend but there’s no doubt he will be out riding and coaching tomorrow in Aiken.
Three young riders to watch for in the future–Jacob Fletcher, Rowdie Adams, and Caroline Martin–all placed in the top seven of the CIC2*. USEF developing riders Jennie Brannigan and Doug Payne finished in 4th and 5th respectively. Selena O’Hanlon and her Pan American Games horse Foxwood High finished in 8th.
Red Hills CIC2* Show Jumping Results:
1. Marilyn Littl-Meredith and RF Smoke On The Water +0 49.4 2. Phillip Dutton and Gran Banks +0 54.7 3. Jacob Fletcher and The Prof +0 57.2 4. Jennie Brannigan and Indie +4 61.1 5. Doug Payne and Crown Talisman +0 62.0 6. Rowdie Adams and No Money Down +0 62.0 7. Caroline Martin and Classic TOuch +0 65.1 8. Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High +13 67.9
Thank you so much to Red Hills for a fantastic weekend of eventing. Many thanks to Samantha for her great coverage and stay tuned to EN this week for much more from Red Hills. The intermediate division is finishing up as I type this and when it’s done I’m on the road for an evening of driving. Thank you for your continued support of Eventing Nation and now more than ever go eventing.
At the beginning of the weekend we promised that Red Hills would move several fortunate pairs a step closer to their goal of competing in the London Olympics. Mystery Whisper has emerged as one of the top Olympic prospects in North America and indeed the world with a dominant 13.6 point win in the Red Hills CIC3*, finishing on a 35.7. Mystery Whisper jumped around this challenging Red Hills stadium course with ease and finished with one of only 7 clear rounds although he did pick up three time penalties. I always hesitate to make too much out of one weekend, but the combination of Mystery Whisper’s unbelievable movement in the dressage and Phillip’s jumping expertise makes a fearsome combination. This pair is only going to get better as their partnership strengthens.
Marilyn Little-Meredith pulled one rail with RF Rovano Rex, but the 6 pairs behind them all had at least a rail so they remained in second. Phillip finished in third with Ben, moving up three places by pulling just a rail.
Red Hills CIC3* Results:
1. Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper +3 35.7 2. Marilyn Little-Meredith and RF Rovano Rex +4 49.3 3. Phillip Dutton and Ben +4 52.6 4. Selena O’Hanlon and Colombo +4 55.1 5. Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott +0 55.6 6. Peter Atkins and HJ Hampton +8 59.9
Just imagine this same video in London, in a few months, surrounded by people who drink tea, and probably in the rain:
–Selena O’Hanlon and Colombo are another pair that took one step closer to the Olympics this weekend. Their season began with some question marks for the veteral Colombo but I would imagine a 4th place finish at Red Hills goes a long way for Colombo to very much still factor into Canada’s high performance plans.
–Karen O’Connor was thrilled with two double-clears out of Mr. Medicott and Veronica, moving up a combined seven places. Show jumping specialist Marilyn Little-Meredith has been studying eventing closely with Karen and I’m sure lending some show jumping guidance to their teamwork herself.
–Last year’s Red Hills champions, Allison Springer and Arthur, move down three places with 15 show jumping penalties this afternoon. Michael Pollard and Icarus pulled three rails to finish in 7th.
Here’s a shout out to ESJ way back in Australia this weekend. Last year he filmed Allison’s victory drive at Red Hills. Here’s Phillip diving his new one year lease Mercedes:
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Kendal Lehari wins the Red Hills advanced division: I was thrilled to see Canada’s Kendal Lehari and Daily Edition “Ed” win the advanced today with one of only two advanced double-clears. I mentioned this yesterday, but it is worth emphasizing that Kendal is really easy to cheer for–she works hard, produces her own horses, does things the right way, and always has a good attitude. Kendal and Ed have competed at multiple CCI3*’s and hopefully this is the start of a great season that will propel them into Canadian high performance consideration. Phillip finished in second with Fernhill Eagle, less that a point behind Kendal. Leslie Law and Zenith ISF finished in the bronze medal position.
Red Hills Advanced:
1. Kendal Lehari and Daily Edition +0 48.3 2. Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle +0 49.2 3. Leslie Law and Zenith ISF +5 64.8 4. Nicole Parkin and Lexus +6 64.9
Yes, I am in the running for most creative Youtube video names, thank you for asking. A million thanks to all of the volunteers who have helped make Red Hills a wonderful event this weekend. It’s a privilege for us all to be able to participate in such a great event at such a great venue. Go eventing.
Jmmie Schramm and Bellamy delivered an impressive wire to wire win in the CIC*, the first of the three international divisions set to show jump today in Tallahassee. Jimmie and Bellamy were one of four pairs to complete the cross-country double clear and one of only two double clears in the show jumping. They were the only CIC* pair to finish on their dressage score and won by 8.9 points. Nicole Parkin and Shotgun Express moved up from 3rd to 2nd with one rail and Will Smith and Danny Warrington slipped to 3rd.
Red Hills CIC* Results:
1. Jimmie Schramm and Bellamy +0 46.0 2. Nicole Parkin and Shotbun Express +4 59.4 3. Danny Warrington and Will Smith +12 61.3 4. Jenny Caras and Fernhill Stowaway +8 63.2
Red Hills is known for a cross-country course that features relentless terrain, a big crowd, and a claustrophobic atmosphere. You could definitely say the same for the show jumping, which is a small area of grass set on the side of a hill and surrounded by bleachers. Sunday at Red Hills is a very good test that can easily catch a pair that it’s 100% committed to riding a forward balanced canter.
Some FSU cyclists lost their way and found themselves in the middle of the horse inspection
Can you spot the EN Team member in this photo of the Cavalor booth
Stop by to check out the Point Two hybrids in the trade fair
The CIC3* course walk is underway with the advanced, CIC2*, and intermediate to follow. Good luck to the show jumpers. Stay tuned for much more from Red Hills. Go eventing.
Heather Gillette was held on course for just a few moments with Our Questionnaire
The CIC2* and intermediate divisions rounded off a safe, smooth, and quick day of cross-country here at Red Hills. As far as I know, the longest hold on course was a 3 minute pause to repair a frangible log. Familiar names from earlier in the day rose to the top of the CIC2* division. Marilyn Little-Meredith jumped up from 4th to 1st with one of three CIC2* double-clears. Kadi Eykamp and Double Rivers Really Cool had a good round but dropped from 1st to 2nd with 8 time penalties. Phillip and Gran Banks popped up from 10th to 3rd with a double-clear. 8 rides, 0 jumping penalties for Phillip today.
–Just 3 of 26 starters in the two-star had problems on course. Alexa Kim Perkiel took a heartbreaking tumble at the final water after having a refusal and then working very hard to get Apres Ski over the log into the water. Selena O’Hanlon and her Pan American Games horse Foxwood High moved into 4th and Jennie Brannigan is 5th going into the show jumping with Indie.
–Young Caroline Martin is riding three horses at Red Hills and she rode Petite Flower to an impressive 6.4 point lead in the open intermediate division. I also want to give EN sponsor Horse Quencher a shout-out for their support of Caroline. Alexandra Green and On The Margin are in second and Lexi Scovil rounds out the top three with Sky Show.
You CIC3* Press Conference Notes:
–Michael Pollard said that Icarus felt great and easily galloped around the course. Michael also said that Hanni was very honest and galloped really well. Hanni had more time than Icarus not because of a speed difference but because he took more time to set her up between the fences.
–Allison said that (counter-intuitively) Arthur tends to do well with twisty courses where he has a lot to look at. She said that she lost some time setting him up for the jumps but that otherwise she was very happy with her ride.
–Marilyn Little-Meredith explained she was really pleased with Rovano’s performance around the terrain. She mentioned that both terrain and water are relatively new for her so she learned a lot about both of those around Red Hills today. She said that of all three of her rides today she was most impressed with her 2* horse, RF Smoke On The Water.
–Phillip explained that one of his tools to save time is letting the turns set the horses up–riding jumps out of the turns is something that Phillip is brilliant at. When asked about how he prepares for riding so many horses throughout a day, Phillip said that one thing he battles is complacency–if things are going well there might be a tendency to not prepare as much in front of the fences.
–Phillip said of Mystery Whisper “I was very impressed with him today. He’s not a huge jumping horse, but he’s easy to ride…He’s very soft an easy to jump and he doesn’t get strong.“
The horse inspection starts at 7:30am ET tomorrow morning, which is going to feel like 6:30am because of the clock change tonight. You stay classy Eventing Nation.
Dear World, Look out for Mystery Whisper. Sincerely, Eventing Nation
Two phases does not a season make, but we can say so far so good in a big way for Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper in their 2012 Olympic campaign. Phillip spent last year assembling an armada of horses for this 2012 campaign and his flagship is clearly Mystery Whisper. Their partnership is still forming, but Phillip answered the biggest question mark about Mystery Whisper with a never-in-doubt XC ride that was the third fastest of the CIC3* division. Phillip and Mystery Whisper provisionally extended their lead to 12.5 points and they go into the show jumping sitting on a very respectable horse trials score with the rest of their division sitting on three-day scores. The announcers have been counting up Phillip’s miles ridden all day long and he is going to finish having ridden well over 15 miles.
Marilyn Little-Meredith put together a very smooth and fast round with RF Rovano Rex to remain in second. Michael Pollard and Icarus moved from fifth to provisionally third with 7.2 time penalties–this pair finished 3rd here last year. Phillip moved up to from 6th to 4th provisionally aboard Ben. Last year’s Red Hills CIC3* winners, Allison Springer and Arthur, moved down to 5th with 12.4 time penalties but Arthur looked nice and focused when I saw him on the early part of the course.
Red Hills CIC3* XC Provisional Scores:
1. Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper +4.8 32.7 2. Marilyn Little-Meredith and RF Rovano Rex +7.2 45.3 3. Michael Pollard and Icarus +7.2 48.3 4. Phillip Dutton and Ben +6 48.6 5. Allison Springer and Arthur +12.4 50.5 6. Selena O’Hanlon and Colombo +2.8 51.1 7. Peter Atkins and HJ Hampton +0 51.9
Red Hills is a great spectator experience, but it’s impossible to see all (or even a third) of the course at once. Here are a few notes from the three-star cross-country:
—19 of 24 starters completed this Red Hills course without jumping penalties. Two horses–Demeter and Ziggy–picked up 20 jumping penalties. Diamond Cut and Diana Burnett were eliminated early on the course for three refusals. Imogen De Lavis took a tumble at the coffin, but there was no hold on course. There’s no doubt that those statistics point toward a gentler Red Hills course this year as opposed to the epically tough courses of several years ago.
–All of the Henny fans out there will be thrilled to hear that Henny looked to be in top form today. Peter and Henny smoked around the course as the only CIC3* pair to make the time and Henny was locked on through every combination I watched. Peter was wearing a helmet cam so we can look forward to that soon.
—Mr. Medicott is a beast and I mean that in a good way. He gallops and jumps like one of the most athletic horses I have ever seen. Karen and Mr. Medicott are clearly still working to form their partnership and they lost some time half-halting before the fences, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Mr. Medicott can jump anything that any course in the world will put in front of him. Karen’s other CIC3* ride, Veronica, has come a long way over the past 12 months and she looked very comfortable around the course today.
–Full time veterinarian and part time advanced rider Kevin Keane and Fernhill Flutter continued their steady rise through the levels today with a clear round. At times they looked like a pair making their way around their first three-star but they definitely belonged on the course and finished looking much better for the experience.
–The veteran Canadian horse Colombo worked his way around the course with Selena O’Hanlon and finished on the second fastest time of the day. Young Rider Danielle Dichting and the energetic Tops made quick work of the course and moved up a few places. Sir Donovan and Katie Ruppel delivered their traditionally strong round.
–Michael Pollard and Wonderfull Will took a tumble when Will hit some soft footing and slipped out between jumps at the complex at #24. Michael said that he was right on the time and Will was jumping great up to that point. Both horse and rider are fine. Michael’s two other CIC3* rides, the Hanni Badger and Icarus were terrific. Icarus made a strong fitness statement after that tough fall at Burghley last autumn and Hanni also looked strong around this hilly course in her first three-star.
–The advanced division is just wrapping up. Overnight leaders Jessica Phoenix and Exponential withdrew before the cross-country, opening the door for their fellow countrymen Kendal Lehari and Daily Edition to move into the lead. Exponential’s withdraw was planned before the weekend and the first time we will see Tucker out on cross-country will be at The Fork. Phillip had a really good ride with Fernhill Eagle. Kendal is in my mind one of the top developing Canadian riders because she keeps producing good results with horses that she has brought up the levels herself.
Advanced Results:
1. Kendal Lehari and Daily Edition +8 48.3 2. Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle +12 49.2 3. Doug Payne and Running Order +24 54.3 4 Phillip and The Apprentice +20 55.3
Saturday at Red Hills concludes with the CIC2* and then intermediate horse trials division. Let’s hope this smooth, safe, and fast day of cross-country stays that way. Go eventing.
Diana Burnett has two rides in the CIC3* here at Red Hills and she was kind enough to take a moment this morning to walk the Red Hills coffin with me. The three-star division is just starting and we will have a full recap with video here on Eventing Nation after the three-star and advanced divisions conclude.
Jimmie Schramm and Bellamy Power Rule were all smiles after crossing the finish line
The one star course at Red Hills rode beautifully. The riders were doing a great job of managing their horses in general and only one out of 14 one-star starters collected jumping penalties. As usual, the time was tough to make and only *four riders finished on double-clears. Jacob Fletcher made the course look easy as the first rider out. Ex-steeple chase rider Danny Warrington showed good stickability jumping into the corner complex but finished with just two seconds of time penalties on Will Smith. The top five places remain unchanged going into the show jumping.
CIC* XC Results:
1. Jimmie Schramm and Bellany +0.0 46.0 2. Danny Warrington and Will Smith +0.4 49.3 3. Nicole Parkin and Shotgun Express +0.0 50.9 4. Adrian Jones and Irish Odyssey +0.0 52.5 5. Jenny Caras and Fernhill Stowaway +2.4 55.2
–The one star and preliminary horses have been finishing the course full of energy and spunk–a great testament to good fitness work by the riders and also a good sign for the upper level divisions still to come.
—What do Heather Gillette and Kobe Bryant have in common? Both of them are competing in face masks right now. Heather made the preliminary course look easy this morning despite wearing what must be a very distracting plastic face mask on the entire upper half of her face after being recently kicked in the face by a horse. With true eventer toughness Heather is gutting it out this weekend.
–Having had a chance to walk around the course a couple of times, the advanced/3* course strikes me as a little more mild than past years. Hugh Lochore and his team have done a fantastic job making a really quality course. There have been a few complaints from the riders about uneven footing particularly at the end of the course, but there is only so much that can be done with the ground here at Red Hills and the footing seems to get a little better every year.
–The weather was perfect for cross-country in the one-star and preliminary divisions with highs in the 70’s, a cool breeze, and low humidity. A cloudless sky does provide for some trappy shadows in the woods. In particular, advanced jumps 24/25 blend in with the grass background when they are cast in scattered shadows. Randy Ward took a tumble at the preliminary version of these jumps–horse and rider were fine.
—Major props to announcers John Kyle and Nigel Casserly for doing a great job of keeping us apprised of all of the action with their dulcet tones. I can’t emphasize enough that good announcers make for a much better spectator experience and the crowd is loving John and Nigel here today. I have to laugh every time Nigel says that the sponsor tent includes refreshments such as “Budweiser Light.”
–Good luck to all of the competitors still to ride at Red Hills and all around Eventing Nation today. Thanks to all of the volunteers out here at Red Hills for making this weekend possible and thanks to the organizers for putting on a great event, as always.
The preliminary divisions are just finishing up and after a quick lunch break the marquee three-star division begins at 12:12pm ET. Go Cats. Go eventing.
Good morning Eventing Nation and welcome to cross-country day at Red Hills! Samantha and I will be around all day with reports and video from the cross country. Here are a few links for your clicking pleasure as things get started:
One of the greatest parts of eventing is the opportunity that we as eventers are afforded to be a part of amazing partnerships with incredible horses. Gaelic Marriage and Martha McDowell typified the image of “partnership” where the whole of the partnership is truly greater than the sum of its parts. It is with great sadness that I write that Gaelic Marriage was humanely euthanized earlier this week in California. The 15 year old Thoroughbred fractured a bone in his patella at the Galway three-star last autumn and came out of two resulting surgeries with a good prognosis. However, Gaelic Marriage suffered a post-surgical infection to the joint that became untreatable and he was euthanized on Monday.
I spoke with Martha who emphasized her time with Gaelic Marriage: “I had such a great partnership with him, he brought me to places I never thought I could get to.” Gaelic Marriage was a great cross-country horse who made some of the toughest courses in the US look easy. Martha said “I never thought I could do some of the things that he made look easy.” Martha bought Gaelic Marriage as a prelim horse and they moved up through the levels to compete at Rolex in 2011. Eventing Nation’s thoughts and prayers reach out to Gaelic Marriage, Martha, and her family. Go Gaelic Marriage.
One of the big questions that US eventing high performance is going to answer this year is whether or not a horse and rider can form a strong enough partnership in less than a year to succeed at the Olympics. Three big name horses competing in the Red Hills CIC3*–Mystery Whisper, Mr. Medicott, and Demeter–were all purchased for their riders at the end of 2011 with the clear mission of competing at the Olympics. Mystery Whisper and Phillip Dutton jumped out to a huge 10.2 point lead in CIC3* with a beautiful test–see the video posted earlier on EN. Phillip and Mystery Whisper have not been getting very impressive scores on the flat so far this spring, but today was clearly a turning point. Mr. Medicott is 8th after the dressage and Demeter is 13th.
The top three pairs from the morning session held on to 2nd through 4th position and Michael Pollard followed up his 4th placed morning ride by moving into 5th on Icarus with a 41.1. Phillip sits in 6th with Ben and Karen occupies the next two spots with Veronica and Mr. Medicott respectively.
Red Hills CIC3* Dressage Results:
1. Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper 27.9 2. Marilyn Little-Meredith and RF Rovano Rex 38.1 3. Allison Springer and Arthur 38.1 4. Michael Pollard and Schoensgreen Hanni 39.9 5. Michael Pollard and Icarus 41.1 6. Phillip Dutton and Ben 42.6 7. Karen O’Connor and Veronica 43.8 8. Karen O’Connor and Mr. Medicott 44.4 9. Selena O’Hanlon and Colombo 48.3 10. Phillip Dutton and William Penn 50.4
–The USA is defending our home turf well in CIC3* with US riders occupying the top 8 spots. Selena O’Hanlon is the highest placed Canadian in 9th, with a test that might have deserved a better score.
—Phillip is riding no less that 8 horses at Red Hills this weekend which would be amazing if he didn’t do that all the time. His most impressive ride of the day was surely his 27.9 with Mystery Whisper, a score that was only one point higher than the best horse trials score of the day. Phillip is also catch riding The Apprentice for Buck Davidson, who is still wearing a sling from his broken collar bone.
–In the press conference following the dressage Phillip emphasized similarities between the terrain at Greenwich park and Red Hills. This weekend is going to be a great test for Olympic hopefuls. Phillip explained that Mystery Whisper was purchased by the Wildasins for their daughter Arden and Phillip is fortunate enough to get the ride for the Olympics. Phillip said that Mystery Whisper is more skilled on the flat than he is.
–Second placed Allison Springer noted how great the community support is here at Red Hills. This event does a fantastic job of getting the local community involved in the event as volunteers and spectators, and all of us love the resulting atmosphere.
–Marilyn Little-Meredith echoed that sentiment and said that although she has only been eventing for a year and a half this is her second Red Hills. She said that Red Hills is probably the best event she has been to so far when considering the organization and atmosphere.
–Kevin Keane and Fernhill Flutter are competing in their first 3* this weekend and their test had some nice moments but also some bobbles. It was great to see Diana and Diamon Cut out and about this weekend. This is the pair that i think got completely robbed by the vets at Bromont by eliminating them for sarcoids.
–I know Michael is going to be really excited that I am posting video of Wonderful Will rather than his 4th and 5th placed horses, but I love the spunk of this ex racehorse (and ex track pony).
–Karen and Mr. Medicott’s best performances are yet to come. The super athletic Mr. Medicott spooked at a baby stroller incident in the crowd before his test and had a major spook at clapping in the middle of the test. Karen repeated the movement and it was much better the second time. Fun fact–Mr. Medicott came from Europe with a barn name of “Cave” although he is called much friendlier things around OCET.
–Canada’s Jessica Phoenix and Exponential raised some eyebrows by taking control of the advanced division on a 29.7. If this pair starts winning in the dressage they are going to be pretty unstoppable and I give a lot of credit to Jessica for continuing to steadily improve Tucker’s flatwork. Doug Payne and Running Order looked super to move into second.
Buck Davidson watching his girlfriend, Andrea Leatherman, riding the lovely Mystic My. This photograph was designed with the help of a world class photographic genius.
–Jimmie Schramm and Bellamy are leading the CIC* on a 46.0 with veteran Danny Warrington and Will Smith on a 48.9. Nicole Parkin is third with Shotgun Express.
Cross-country starts at 9am ET on Saturday. The early word on the cross-country course is that it’s a bit more mild than previous years but the going is never easy around the Red Hills terrain. I’m off to walk the course! Go eventing.
We have been saying since Phillip got the ride on Mystery Whisper last year that this pair is going to be very very good on the flat when they come together and we saw exactly that happen here today at Red Hills. A 27.9 is an absurdly good score and it puts them in the lead by 10.2 points. For a bit of perspective, 2nd place through 9th place are separated by few points. My video camera had technical difficulties during Phillip’s test, so major thanks to Joanie Morris for recording the video and sending it our way.
Allison and Arthur finished their test on a 38.1, tied for the lead after the morning rides
We are going to have to pick a time collectively as a sport to stop thinking of Marilyn Little-Meredith as a show jumper turned eventer and just think of her as an eventer, but I think doing that right now takes away from the impressiveness of what she is doing. Less than two years after her first event, she is tied with Allison Springer and Arthur half way through the dressage in the Red Hills CIC3*. RF Rovano Rex is a fantastic mover and he doesn’t exactly make Marilyn’s life difficult on the flat, but she stays out of his way, that is to say she does everything necessary for a great test. In my opinion there’s no way to score a 38.1 in a CIC3* without quality riding. Allison and Arthur have been so good on the flat for so long that a 38.1 to tie for the lead almost feels like a let down as absurd as that sounds. We have videos of both first tests so you can decide if one was any better than the other.
Pan American team members Michael Pollard and the “Hanni Badger” scored a 39.9 to move into third after the morning session. A bobble in their second flying change was the only major blemish in their test. This is a pair that has a chance to factor into the Olympic team considerations with a good spring. The big question in my mind about this lovely big mare is her fitness to handle what is going to be a very hilly course in London. What better way to look at her fitness at this stage than the hills of Red…Hills. Hanni Badger don’t care.
The O’Connor Event Team has two riders in the top 4 so far, with Marilyn tied for the lead and Karen in 4th aboard Veronica. I’m hoping that one of the big takeaways from this weekend will be that Karen has two top Olympic prospects in Mr. Medicott and Veronica.
Selena O’Hanlon and Colombo were as steady as always and scored a 48.3. Brittany Kart’s Llewellen is a horse that always catches my eye and although they didn’t score the best with a 54.6 I thought that Brittany rode the test with a lot of precision.
Samantha will be along later with much more and until then be sure to follow her Twitter for live updates.
Eventing Nation sponsors are out in full force at Red Hills. Stop by to see Devoucoux and Dubarry just to name a few. Also, FLAIR is doing a free XC strip application at Red Hills Horse Trials. Stop by the Veterinary check tent near the warm-up area for your free strip application and forget to bring your complimentary strip application coupon, which is in your competitor packet.
Phillip, Michael, Karen, DIana, Marilyn, and Selena all have multiple horses in the CIC3* so we will get to see them again this afternoon. The temperature is rising at Red Hills as the crowd of spectators grows around the dressage arena. Stay tuned Eventing Nation, it’s going to be an exciting afternoon from Tallahassee. Go eventing.
Shannon Baker and Cordonelli rode an accurate test in the CIC2*
Good morning and welcome to Red Hills 2012! With high cloud cover, high humidity, and warm temperatures, this just feels like Florida. Friday morning featured CIC2*, CIC* and Open Preliminary action at Red Hills.
The CIC2* is filled with familiar pairs including the always excellent Kadi Eyekamp and Double Rivers Really Cool. The Australian pair put together a lovely test that featured excellent rhythm to take the lead from Alexa Kim Perkiel. We are just midway through the CIC2* division but Kadi’s score of 43.9 is going to be a challenge to beat. My only criticism of their test was that Double Rivers Really Cool was slightly behind the vertical at times.
Young rider Rowdie Adams is definitely a name to keep an eye on as she rises through the ranks. Her ride with No Money Down was held back by a big spook at an RV driving down the dirt road at about 45 miles per hour right before they entered the arena which spoiled an excellent warm up by their coach David O’Connor. Rowdie got things settled down and, although she might have been trying a bit too hard riding through the movements, that’s exactly what I think we want to see from a developing young rider.
Lesley Grant-Law took advantage of some EN guest writer karma and is tied for the lead in the Open Prelim B division with Stephanie Baer and Zohar with a few riders still left to compete in that division. Doug Payne is in third after a nice test with Kilamanjaro, in this horse’s second prelim.
Scores are still coming in as the CIC2* and CIC* divisions are wrapping up. The CIC3* starts at 10:45 ET. The environment at Red Hills is calm today, which is to the advantage of the younger horses and newer partnerships. Look out for names like Arthur, Hanni, William Penn, Mystery Whisper, and Mr. Medicott as dressage day at Red Hills rolls on. Go eventing.
EN tipster Lara Knight sent us this photo of Buck (arm still in a sling) and Jon Holling
Finding Red Hills at night is easy when compared to landing an F-18 on a moving aircraft carrier at night. After stopping in a gas station to pick up a Gatorade–because hey, what the heck, I’d passed the same gas station three times–I finally found my way to the bumpy dirt road that leads to the magnificent show grounds at Elinor Klapp Phipps Park (although God help you if you tell your GPS to take you to Elinor Klapp Phipps Park). This is my fourth trip to Red Hills and I always seem to arrive at night and I always seem to get helplessly lost despite the fact that the directions are really quite simple.
I have been distracted this week with fighting to get the right components in place for our now well overdue and setback-plagued server transition as well as with work outside of eventing websites and horses that I really should catch everyone up on someday. This is my first chance to formally welcome Abby to the team–we’re very excited to have her on the team here and I’m grateful that she has promised not to let her professionalism rub off on the rest of us.
Last year we left Red Hills amidst the developing US coaching controversy, a story that almost overshadowed the event itself. This year all eyes are on the competition and we will leave Tallahassee with a group of frontrunners well on their way to the Olympics.
Meter for meter I regard Red Hills as one of the toughest courses in the United States at prelim through advanced and it’s the most intimidating course I have ever ridden. The terrain is relentless and the jumps are huge. But before all of that fun we have a full day of dressage on Friday. The action starts at 8am. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the weekend–it’s going to be a great competition.
I don’t want to steal Jon’s thunder, but I will preface his article by–spoiler alert–agreeing with him wholeheartedly that Red Hills is an amazing competitor experience. I have had the privilege of competing at Red Hills several times and my two biggest memories are being scared to death by the cross-country course and my appreciation to the event for making every competitor feel like a world class competitor at a world class event. Take it away Jon…
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From Jon Holling:
Well here we all are just a few days before the biggest event thus far in the season. Red Hills is without a doubt a very big deal. It is the first time in the spring season that many of the top horse and rider combinations all meet up in one place to compete against each other. For that reason alone the first weekend of March in Tallahassee is important. But there is something even more special about this place, and this particular event. I honestly can’t say it is any one aspect of the event that makes it so special. For me it will always hold a special place in my heart. Red Hills is undoubtedly where I have had my most memorable moments as a competitor and a horseman. I was fortunate enough to win the World Cup division there in 2007 with my horse Lion King. It was without a doubt my biggest achievement at the time as a competitor. I returned in 2008 ready to defend my win only to be handed a huge can of disappointment. Such is life with horses. If I learned anything in 2008 it was to enjoy the moment that you are in, because you never know what may come next. Keeping that lesson in the forefront of my thoughts, I am very excited to be returning this year with a horse in the CIC** and one in the Intermediate horse trials. I intend to enjoy every moment of the competition on these two great animals and I may even allow myself to look forward to the possibilities of being in the CIC*** next season with a few members of my great young string.
So what is it that makes Red Hills so special? I can really only speak about it as a competitor. I think the biggest thing is the feeling you get from the moment you pull into the venue. From the minute you step foot on the property, everyone associated with the event does everything they can to make you feel important. I know every event we attend feels this way, but Red Hills really goes the extra mile. The group of people that the organizers have assembled in Tallahassee are second to none. I honestly consider every one of them my friend and I know that all the competitors feel the same way. There is no way they couldn’t. Add the atmosphere that is created by the huge trade fair, and all of the local community that shows up by the bus load and you start to get the feeling of a big time event. And that is precisely what Red Hills is, a big time event. I am honored to be a part of it, and proud to have been a past winner of it. I guess my main goal is to say thank you in some way that is more meaningful to everyone involved in the event. If you ever get the chance to attend Red Hills either as a competitor or a spectator I promise you will not be disappointed.
Eventing legend J. Michael Plumb competing at Tamarack Hill Farm on Sunday
The US might have our strongest group of up and coming team riders in years, but our young guns better not rest on their laurels. Yesterday, Denny Emerson’s Tamarack Hill Farm in NC hosted a schooling show that featured Mark Weissbecker, Bobby Costello and, J. Michael Plumb. They competed in the novice division and JMP won, of course. Thanks to JER for sending us the link and be sure to check out Denny’s Facebook page, which is a must read for all eventers.
Mark
Bobby
Results for the novice:
1st 167 Donnybrook’s Dudley Street Station J. Michael Plumb Andrea Glenn 26.5 2nd 163 Seymour Denise Dauval same 27.5 3rd 171 Lara Mark Weissbecker same 27.5 4th 162 Felipe Robert Costello C&C Sporthorse, Inc. 32.5 5th 160 Nina Andrea Glenn Jane Rusconi 34.0 6th 164 Gemelli Hallie Bean same 34.5
