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Become an EN Blogger Contest

By on Jul 28, 2011 5:34 pm -

It’s summer time and that means the chinchillas are reclining by the pool sipping lemonade or playing on their chinchilla sized pool toys.  To help us pass these lazy summer days, we will be hosting a very special contest on Eventing Nation.  Over the next few weeks our blogger contest will try to find the next member of the EN Team.  It’s time for the readers out there who read EN and say “This is terrible, I can do soooooo much better” to step up to the plate.

Different members of the EN Team will judge each round and we will publish the submissions along the way.  While I can only speak for myself, my judging style will be a combination of Judge Judy and Randy Jackson.

Here’s what you need to do to enter:

1) Have a desire to write part-time for Eventing Nation.  This means 2-3 posts per week about eventing and eventing related ridiculousness in your own style.  If you won’t have the time, don’t enter.  If you want to write for and be read by the eventing community, then go for it.

2) A sample blog post/article of your BEST work from 300-600 words.  This is your entry, so make it count.  As you are writing it, remember that we will be judging for these four criteria:

–Interesting
–Funny
–Informative
–Creative

Don’t worry, your first entry doesn’t have to be all of these.  We will need to see all four over the course of the contest, or at least three.  If you do specialize it will have to be top-quality in your area of focus.

3) A short bio.  Tell us your name, age, sex, where you live, what you do, your history with eventing, and anything else that is interesting or important.  Keep it short but tell us why you are the pick.  Oh, and include a photo because Coren is a stalker.

Entries are due by Monday, August 1st at 11:59pm ET.  Email your entries to [email protected] with subject line “Blog Entry.”  We will pick a group of finalists based on the number of quality entries.

Remember that you will be writing for the biggest eventing audience online.  Only enter if you have a thick skin.  But otherwise, you can do this no matter what your experience level is.  Almost all of us started with no background and no ability…now you can too. 

Good luck and go eventing.

Jon Holling — Greetings from sweltering Lexinton

By on Jul 28, 2011 4:44 pm -

Jon Holling is Area IV’s coach at Young Riders and he was kind enough to send us this report while taking a quick break from the Kentucky heat wave.  Thanks for writing this Jon and thank you for reading.
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From Jon:

Greetings from sweltering Lexington Kentucky, since you already have the scores from today’s Dressage in John’s earlier post I will do my best to provide the fascinating details of the day.  The only additional news from the dressage today is that Lexi Scovil was proud to announce in her list of accomplishments that she survived eleven months as a working student for Holling Eventing.   Great job Lexi those people are seriously heartless task masters. 

Our team rode their tests and then we immediately walked the course before the heat got out of hand.  It really is unbelievably hot here right now.   You can actually feel the heat radiating off of the ground in the stable area.  The good news is that the forecast is showing that Saturday will be significantly cooler with a chance of showers. At the very least it looks like we should have some cloud cover.  The ground jury has a plan if the heat does stay to remove a loop from the track.  This means that the riders will be measuring minute markers with and without the loop in question.   It is great to see that they have planned ahead on this and can make a smooth transition that all of the riders will be prepared for if needed.

The course itself is beautifully presented and looks like it will be an excellent test for the horses and riders.  The first thing you notice on the two star track is the fourth fence which is a big ditch brush that will require the horses to be jumping confidently from the start.  The coffin later in the course will likely be influential as well.   It is a big vertical in then a short one down a slope to the ditch followed by two strides to a skinny brush.   In addition to these two fences it looks to me that one of the most influential jumps on the two star track will be the double corners.  The setup fence is a narrow rail followed by six strides to a double set of corners on a big three strides.  I would expect horses will be jumping this combination in five or six between the first two fences and then three or four between the corners.  If you make it out to watch this would be where I would hang out.   There is plenty to do on David O’Connor’s course I expect the standings to move around quite a lot on Saturday.  I will be back tomorrow with more, right now I am running out the door for a dressage school on Downtown Harrison.

More Party Pictures from Fitch’s Corner

By on Jul 28, 2011 3:59 pm -

Fitch’s Corner Horse Trials is getting some serious attention from the New York media, which is unsurprisingly more interested in the parties than the riding.  Yesterday we linked to an article in the New York Post and today the New York Social Diary has published a montage of photos from last weekend in Millbrook, New York.  [Photos]

Now I just need to get one of those hats.  Go eventing.

Young Riders 2* Dressage Results

By on Jul 28, 2011 3:10 pm -

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Area IV coach Jon Holling with Lexi Scovil and chef Brewster Walker

It was a quick day of eventing dressage at the Kentucky Horse Park with only 20 two-star young rider competitors this year.  The good news is that the competition wrapped up before the worst of the afternoon heat.  The high temperatures for today and tomorrow in Lexington are predicted to be in the 90’s with a heat index pushing 100 degrees.  The riders will be working hard to stay hydrated and making sure their horses do as well.  It has been a sweltering summer in Lexington, and this week sounds like more of the same, although rain is predicted to cool things off on Saturday. 

Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and half of Louisiana, and no I didn’t have to look that up.  Area III took the lead today in the 2* team competition by finishing all of their riders in the top 11 places.  Area III is closely followed by the Area V & IX team, which is just over a rail out of the lead.  Canadian riders always step up at the Kentucky Horse Park and the fighting maple leafs are in third going into the cross-country.

Team 2* Dressage Results:

1. Area III  162.0
2. Area V & IX  166.2
3. Team Canada  170.7
4. Area I & II  180.0
5. Area IV, VI, & VII  187.6

[Team Results]

In the individual competition, Area III’s Devon Brown and Dynamic Image took a 1.9 point lead.  Canada’s Joelle Bakersville is second with Malibu and Sarah Kamensky and Urlanmore Beauty are in 3rd for Area III.

NAYRC 2* Individual Dressage Results:

1. Devon Brown and Dynamic Image  50.5
2. Joelle Baskerville and Malibu  52.4
3. Sarah Kamensky and Urlanmore Beauty 53.6
4. Lizzie Snow and Coal Creek  54.1
5T. Rowdie Jo Adams and No Money Down  54.5
5T. Kendyl Tracy and Ever So Lucky  54.5
7. Christian Bennett and Rolex  56.6

[Full Individual Results]

As much as I would like to shamelessly cheer on my beloved Area VIII, we don’t have any pairs competing at young riders this year.  Every other area is represented except for *Area X.

In other Young Rider news, there was apparently a crack-down on “bling” in the pure dressage competition when the technical delegate for the competition ruled that one rider could not enter the competition arena wearing a helmet with pink sparkles.  The rider ended up riding in a top hat. [dressage-news via BC]    

Area IV’s Jon Holling is having a great week.  Yesterday he was named to the Pan American short list with Downtown Harrison and this weekend he is in Kentucky coaching Area IV.  Jon will also be getting his guest blog on and sending us updates from Lexington.  He texted me earlier today joking that he should go back to his home in Ocala to escape the heat.  I’m sure we’ll have a few other friends check in as well throughout the weekend and of course we’ll be following the competition closely from right here in the the Eventing Nation command center so stay tuned.

Update: [USEA Photos] 

The one-star dressage starts Friday morning at 8:00am with Shannon Quigley and Tucker XIV.  Go Yong Riders.

Miss Universe’s Short List Notes

By on Jul 27, 2011 6:06 pm -

The USEF named a diverse group of riders to the Pan American list today, from talented up and coming riders at the dawn of their careers to international riders at the top of their game even to a full time veterinarian on the substitutes list.  Here are a few notes on the short list:

1) With 15 riders being picked from nearly 50 final applicants, there isn’t one single criteria that describes all of the selections.  In many respects I think the selection strategy was just to pick 15 really solid pairs.  There are less experienced 2* horses such as Oboe O’Reilly, veteran 3* horses like Rafferty’s Rules and everything in between on the list, and the same goes for the spread of the riders. 

2) The list guarantees that some new riders are going to get international experience competing for the USA.  There are only two riders with pinque coats on the list (Buck and Boyd).  None of the USA’s veteran multi-team riders even applied, whether because they are focusing on their advanced horses this fall because they don’t have a great 2* horse, or a variety of other reasons.  Almost all of the applicants who I would consider “bigger names” made it to the short list. 

3) The USA will send 5 riders to the Pan American Games, all of whom will compete in the team competition and individually.  The 3 best scores will count towards team results, meaning 2 are dropped.  That’s a world class University of Virginia math education working for you right there folks. 

4) Being able to drop two scores means that each country can afford to ‘swing for the fences,’ so to speak, and send horses they know will go low in the dressage and then hope to finish on that.  Another strategy might be to send riders for the future to get them experience.  The US list is diverse enough to employ either strategy, or even a mix of the strategies when it comes to final squad selection.

5) Having seen the initial Canadian list and feeling almost certain that Jessie Phoenix and James Atkinson will be added to the Canadian list, it’s going to be a race to the wire between the US and Canada for Pan American gold.

6) There are some top 3* horses on the US short list.  Absolute Liberty placed 4th at the Bromont CCI3* this year, Last Call was 5th at Jersey and won the Galway CIC3*, and Rafferty’s Rules was 5th at Bromont.  Jolie Wentworth’s GoodKnight was just 4th in the 3* at Rebecca Farm, with Last Call finishing one place better.

7) A few other names on the list that made an appearance last weekend include Jennifer Taxay Kelly and Taboo, who made the reserve list after finishing 4th in the Rebecca Farm CCI2*, and Kristin Schmolze who finished 7th in the same division with Ballylaffen Bracken. 

8) Here’s to You, Harbour Pilot, Oboe O’Reilly, Hanni, and Mar de Amor all jump off the page at me as horses who could win the dressage in Mexico and hold onto the lead with a good weekend of jumping.

9) According to the USEA, 2 Young Event Horse champions (Breakthrough and Project Runway) made the list.  I maintain that the success of the YEH and FEH programs is based on their ability to identify horses for the future and therefore indirectly encourage the breeding of better event horses.  While a much larger study is needed to measure how successful the programs are, that is definitely a vote of confidence.

However you look at the short list, we’re a long way and a selection trials at Richland Park away from knowing what the US Pan American Games final squad will look like.  Congrats to all the pairs who made today’s list, you’re one step closer to hanging out for two weeks in the birthplace of tequila.  Go eventing.

USEF Short List for Pan American Games

By on Jul 27, 2011 2:52 pm -

The USEF has named their eventing Short List/Nominated Entry for the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.  The final nominated entry will be sent to the IOC and FEI on September 12th.  As the Pan Ams approach and after the mandatory outing at Richland Park, the smaller traveling squad will be named.

Emily Beshear and Here’s to You
Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot
William Coleman and Oboe O’Reilly
Anna Collier and Upper Crust D
Buck Davidson and Absolute Liberty
Jonathan Holling and Downtown Harrison
Boyd Martin and Cold Harbor
Maxance McManamy and Project Runway
Michael Pollard and Schoensgreen Hanni
Kristin Schmolze and Ballylaffin Bracken
Alexandra Slusher and Last Call
Tamra Smith and Mar de Amor
Lynn Symansky and Donner
Jolie Wentworth and Good Knight
Sharon White and Rafferty’s Rules


The USEF also named ranked substitutes:

1. Shannon Lilley and Ballingowan Pizzaz
2. Alexandra Slusher and Pierre
3. Kevin Keane and Fernhill Flutter
4. Jennifer Taxay Kelly and Taboo
5. Matt Flynn and *Breakthrough

Richland Park will host a special division for the short list as a mandatory outing during the Richland Park horse trials in Michigan, August 24th to 28th.  The last provisional plan I heard for the mandatory outing is to do the Pan American 2* test and then advanced cross-country and show jumping.

[via USEF]  More soon and go eventing.

New York Post: 5,000 bottles of wine consumed at Fitch’s Corner

By on Jul 27, 2011 11:13 am -

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Photo courtesy of Leah Griffith

Fitch’s Corner Horse Trials, held last weekend in Millbrook, New York, has made the ‘Page 6’ gossip section of the New York Post.  The Post reports that “socialites in saucy hats” consumed 5,000 bottles of wine and 5,000 pounds of ice (most of which were probably for mixed drinks) at the event.  It then mentions some apparent socialites I haven’t heard of, and then of course the “dashing” Boyd Martin.  From the New York Post:

“Socialites in saucy hats ruled the roost at Fernanda Kellogg and Kirk Henckels’ Fitch’s Corner Horse Trials in Millbrook over the weekend. Spectators ran through 5,000 bottles of vino and 5,000 pounds of ice over three days, while watching a record 280 horses compete. Spotted beneath tents, and brims, were Carolyne Roehm, CeCe Cord, Nina Griscom, Libet Johnson, Barbara and Donald Tober, and Jane and Bobby Hottensen. The nation’s dashing No. 1 rider, Boyd Martin, showed Neville Bardos for the first time since rescuing the horse from a fire last month that killed six others.”

[New York Post via KMD]

Go eventing.

Two New Owners for Sinead Halpin

By on Jul 27, 2011 10:27 am -

I don’t think there is any US eventer whose stock has risen more in 2011 than Sinead Halpin.  She’s like the Apple Inc. of US riders.  As is often the case in eventing, her quick rise has a great deal to do with those 72 hours at Rolex where she finished 3rd with Manior De Carneville “Tate”.  One of the things that is critical for a rider is to build upon a great moment in their career by developing a strong base of horses and owners.  This is something that Sinead clearly understands.

Sinead also asked me to make a quick note that Tate’s Burghley entry went in yesterday, which is why she is not on the current entry list that Coren linked to this morning.  Tate will be flying out Aug 8th to compete at Hartbury CIC *** and then remain in the UK until Burghley.

Sinead has added two great teams of owners this year.  Brendan and Wendy Furlong own a horse named Classical King for her and Adrienne Iorio owns Outfoxed.  Both of the horses have cool stories, complemented with videos from Stuart horse trials two weekends ago for your viewing pleasure.

Classical King was bred by Brendan and Wendy and is a half brother to Nina Ligon’s advanced horse Jazz King.  Both Jazz King and Classical King were started by Jen and Emily Libby.  Brendan and Wendy bought Classical King back as a 7 year old last year and asked Sinead if she would like to go into partnership with them on him. Sinead agreed and took him to his first prelim this winter.  Classical King just finished 2nd in his first intermediate at Stuart. Sinead told me that he is a star jumper and a very exciting horse for the future.  Brendan and Wendy have been huge supporters of the sport in not only vet work and Wendy competing herself, but also by owning horses for Bruce Davidson, Buck Davidson, Micheal Godfrey, and now Sinead.

Adrienne Iorio bought Outfoxed as a 4 year old and produced him through the advanced level. She is giving back to eventing through the love of her horse.  Adrienne is having her third child and “Foxy” is getting older so Adrienne is allowing Sinead to ride him so he has a chance to see if he could possibly get to Rolex.  Sinead told me that after riding him cross-country this weekend that she can see what he was put on this earth to do!  He finished 6th in the intermediate at Stuart.

Congrats to Sinead, her horses, and her owners on coming together to form great partnerships for the betterment of the sport.  Go eventing.

More Eventing Nation mob rule

By on Jul 26, 2011 6:16 pm -

This is the first of our two special announcements for this week that I hinted at in Tuesday morning’s news and notes.  To be honest, it’s not so much an announcement as a poll.  But if you think about why we might be picking an Eventing Nation logo, it suggests that the most requested, nay demanded, thing in Eventing Nation history is coming your way soon.  For those of you who email us once a week asking for them, including Annie, the wait is nearly over.  Boom goes the dynamite…soon.

1)
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2)
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3)
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4)
             ENLogo4.jpg

So, what say you Eventing Nation? Vote in the poll and argue your case in the comment section.

Go eventing.

Pentathlon Olympic Test Event

By on Jul 26, 2011 5:19 pm -

We have all heard of that other equestrian Olympic discipline–pentathlon.  Swim, Fence, Ride, Run, Shoot.  I tend to think all of those things are pretty cool, but it would be better if they had to do all of the phases at once, against each other, wearing armor, and to the death.  In the modern pentathlon format, riders draw horses from a pool of horses that is made available at the event.  Check out video of US pentathlete Sam Sacksen riding at the Olympic test event in Greenwich earlier this month:

If you want some classc EN pentathlon fun, check out JER’s recap of her pentathlon experience last year: [Part 1 (intro), Part 2 (fence), Part 3 (swim), Part 4 (ride), Part 5]   Go pentathlons.

Carolina Region’s Tuesday News and Notes from Pennfield

By on Jul 26, 2011 1:18 am -

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Seven Carolina riders at the USPC Champs in the KHP Coliseum sent in a photo of the most precise “EN” ever

Good morning Eventing Nation!  We have a couple of very special and super-secret announcements coming soon to Eventing Nation.  One of the announcements will change the course of Eventing Nation forever and the other has been a long time coming.  With that tease, as it is called in the entertainment industry, here are your eventing news and notes…

–Eventing Nation’s thoughts and prayers reach out to South Abington Township, PA, where more than 20 horses have perished in a barn fire.  Over The Hill Farm, which is primarily an equitation and jumper barn, burned down Sunday evening.  As of right now, authorities are not sure how many horses have passed away.  For donations and to show support, visit the Over The Hill Facebook page.  [COTH]

–In a very cool story on Boyd’s blog, he has started training a horse for a retired Army Special Forces colonel who is currently serving the US in Baghdad assisting the Iraqi leadership.  Manny Diemer and his wife are avid horse lovers and they bought a horse Bru from the racetrack and asked Boyd to train him while Manny is in Iraq.  Bru most recently finished 3rd at Maryland.  Boyd said on his blog that it’s an honor to train a horse for a hero, and we wish Manny and Bru many happy returns eventing.  Also, if you missed EN over the weekend, Neville Bardos completed his first event since the True Prospect fire at Maryland.  [Boyd’s blog]

–Fallout from statue-gate continues to ripple through the forums.  The Chronicle Forum has over 12 pages and 230 posts on the statue in just over 24 hours.  Allison and Arthur are one of the most polarizing pairs in eventing and people seem to either love them or hate them.  As is usually the case with eventing mass feuds, the meltdown following a controversy has as much if not more to do with who is involved than what happened.  Statue-gate gives both sides plenty of ammunition, which is unfortunate for any chance of progress being made. 

—Hide yo’ kids, hide yo’ wife, it’s time for Young Riders.  North America’s best riders under the age of 21 will descend upon Lexington, Kentucky for the eventing, dressage, show jumping, reining, and endurance competition.  This year will be endurance’s first time as a NAYRC competition.  The eventing CCI* and CCI2* jogs start Wednesday afternoon.  I walked away from my two Young Riders for Area VIII with just one bronze team medal and feeling like I missed two big opportunities. The USEA announced the eventing teams last week.  [Teams, Schedule PDF, Groom’s Diary Part 3, Reining Post 2]

Omega Alpha is returning as sponsor of the AEC’s [USEA]

Kate Chadderton has posted a great list of  terms essential for workers in her barn.  I have posted a few of my favorites below. [Kate’s blog*]

5 minutes away: more like 10

Leave the barn (for a show) at 4:20am: we’ll leave at 4:38am

Please can you clean the tack: why hasn’t the tack been cleaned yet

Just ducking home to send an email: I’m going home to have an Icy Pole

I’m going to the bank: I’m going to Burger King

I did not go out on a date via EquestrianSingles.com, so stop texting me asking how it went.  When I filled out the profile the very kind people from the website sent me an email saying I was too lame for online dating and even they couldn’t help me.  Besides, if I did go out on a date I certainly wouldn’t tell Coren.

Today’s TOTD item is a fleece lined girth, only available until noon ET [TOTD]

Best of the Blogs: An Olney Farm HT Report

That’s all for now.  It’s too hot to go outside other than to ride, so keep it locked here for your eventing news and notes.  See you soon.

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Jacky Green — Aston-le-Walls

By on Jul 25, 2011 5:39 pm -

Tonight we get installment number four of Jacky Green’s guest blogs for Eventing Nation. Jacky works for Team New Zealand and also runs her Maizey Manor Farm in the UK, where many US competitors stay on their route to Badminton and Burghley, including Will Faudree.  Thanks for writing this Jacky and thank you for reading. 
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From Jacky:

At one of the busiest and most efficient venues in the UK Nigel Taylor’s team ran some 1100 horses over three days which included 5 full advanced sections (50 to a section) plus the prestigious Dasset sponsored 8/9 year old advanced with an incredible 75 starters and a full section of under 25 advanced to boot. That’s quite an organizational feat and with sunny days and a good soaking of rain on the Friday night prior to Saturdays advanced showjumping and cross country the ground was great and the competitors more than happy.

Andrew Nicholson simply stole the show this weekend with a treble in the advanced sections. 8 year old Quimbo headed the 8/9 year old section with a smooth test, an immaculate clear showjumping and just 1.6 time penalties to yet again show what a star in the making this young horse is. Stablemate Quanza was not too far off the pace and his stable jockey Jesse Campbell had a great run on Kaapachino to finish in the top 25. Mr Cruise Control headed up another advanced section with a test that scored over 71%, a good clear over the poles and just 2.8 time to win with a comfortable margin and Shady Grey was one of few to make time to win his advanced section which more than made up for the single pole he rolled in the showjumping. Henry Tankerville cruised around his section to wind up 5th and team Nicholson was pretty much done for the day.

In the sections not dominated by Mr Stickability Sam Watson stole a class right under Rodney Powell’s nose to finish on the same score but just 3 seconds faster to take the spoils. Horseware Bushman is back on flying form after a blip at Belton caused Sam Watson to miss Badminton making it two wins in a row and whilst Rodney Powell was less than amused he was thrilled with Zinzan and had another good ride with Happy Go Lucky to boot. Fiona Hobby just stayed ahead of Mathew Wright on the popular little grey mare Roma ML to take another section and Izzy Taylor took the last advanced with Zara Phillips nearly 6 penalties adrift for 2nd.

The entire British team seemed to be out in force, Australians, Kiwis and the Irish were in every section and the day that was designated just for the advanced horses ran from dawn til dusk.

For many contesting the 8/9 year old class the aim will be the CIC*** for 8/9 year olds at Blenheim in September although since Andrew Nicholson’s pair have already done CCI***’s at Saumur and Tatterstalls they are pretty much ahead of the rest of the field! In the couple of years since these classes were started they have really taken off and it is quite incredible that there are so many good young horses ready to step up to advanced relatively early in their careers. The track at Aston-Le Walls is not the toughest, nor the biggest and is run on flat ground but it is the prefect test for young horses and a great run for older advanced horses starting the build up to Blenheim, Burghely, Boekelo, Pau, not to mention the European Championships in just a few weeks time for those eligible. August sees us all heading off to Hartpury for the CCI*, CCI** and CIC***, the Festival of Eventing at Gatcombe Park where the Novice, Intermediate and British Open horses will be crowned and a plethora of one days in between. If the sun stays out we will all be be very happy!

Herding Cats

By on Jul 25, 2011 4:43 pm -

This has absolutely nothing to do with eventing, but when has that ever stopped us?  A reader sent it in and I think it perfectly captures that Monday feeling, especially this Monday.  Go cat herding.

Aston-le-Walls and a big belated Thank You

By on Jul 25, 2011 2:32 pm -

While many top US horses were in action this weekend at Rebecca Farm, some of their compatriots who are in England were competing at Aston-le-Walls.  Aston-le-Walls is held at Ann and Nigel Taylor’s Washbrook Farm and it is one of the really nice events in the UK each year.  To give you a perspective on the scale of the event, there were 6 advanced divisions at Aston-le-Walls.

Will Faudree did the combined test with Andromaque and they must have stayed on course this time because they finished with 0 penalties in the show jumping to add to their 34.8 in the dressage.  Will did just the dressage with Pawlow, who is coming back after Luhmuhlen.   Ernie just beat his sister by 1.9 points on the flat.

Will Coleman did the just the dressage as planned with Twizzel, scoring an impressive 29.3.

Julian Stiller did the full event with several of her best horses.  Julian had the best advanced final result of the USA riders with a 5th place finish on Enjoy Me.  “Elmo” scored a 29.6 on the flat and added 14.8 time penalties on the XC.  In the same division, Kathryn Robinson and Let It Bee of Canada finished 21st.  Julian finished in 20th with Chapel Amble in another advanced division.  She just did dressage with Gunstone Wallstreet.  Lastly, Julian finished in 51st place in the 8/9 year old advanced division on Axel Rose, capping off a weekend of all clear advanced rides.  Julian has almost too many advanced horses to keep track of and hopefully I didn’t miss one!

Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister picked up 20 penalties in the cross-country in the advanced section K.  I confess that with statue-gate and a busy Monday for many other reasons, I haven’t had a chance to chat with Tiana since the weekend, but hopefully it was something minor.

Cindy Rawson and Mocharabuiee of the USA finished in 14th of the advanced section H.  Elizabeth Halliday-Sharp and Newmarket Malt were 21st in the advanced section K.  Jacky Green will have an Aston-le-Walls report later with much more information on the event.

[Aston-le-Walls Results] 

While I am talking about England, I want to give a very sincere, if slightly tardy, thanks to everyone in the UK who helped with my trip to London for the Olympic test event and Barbury two weeks ago.  Nina Ligon and the Thai federation helped me with getting credentials well past the deadline, thanks to my typically terrible planning, and I will be forever grateful.  The US and Canadian federations were really helpful with getting me situated and finding accommodations. 

Thank you also to all of the US and Canadian riders for welcoming me and helping with whatever I needed for Eventing Nation.  Thanks to Delta for resisting every natural instinct and tendency within that company and not losing my baggage.  Thanks to all of the British and international riders that I met, it was wonderful to find so many EN fans all the way across the pond.  Everyone I met was wonderfully accommodating and friendly.  Also, I have to thank Julian Stiller again for letting me stay at her place along with Coleman during Barbury, despite the fact that I met her for the first time just a few days before.  Staying at such a wonderful facility as Headley Stud is an experience I will never forget.  Lastly, thanks to Mark Todd for welcoming me, Will, and Joules to his house for dinner after Barbury.  Mark has been a hero of mine since I received my first Thrills and Spills video for Christmas when I was 6, and it was an amazing experience to get to know one of my childhood idols.  Thank you all and to everyone I might be forgetting and go eventing.

Statue mania and other Rebecca Farm notes

By on Jul 25, 2011 1:20 pm -

As the east coast horses fly back from Rebecca Farm today, here are a few notes on the ups and downs from the exciting weekend in Montana. 

1) Hawley Bennett and Gin N’ Juice picked up a fantastic win against a quality group of CIC3* horses this weekend.  This pair’s lead up to Burghley could not be going any better and they should return to England for Canada brimming with confidence.  Hawley’s win also completed a very solid weekend for Canada.  With Jessie’s win in the CCI2* and James’ win in the CIC2*, Canada swept the 2* and 3* divisions at Rebecca. 

2) I enjoyed watching the joy of three good friends, Buck, Hawley, and Ali sitting together at the press conference in the USEA video and I couldn’t help but think “this is what eventing is all about.”  Sadly, gut wrenching struggles are just as much a part of eventing as the glowing triumphs.

3) I am a big believer that we have to jump the course that the course designer and God give us.  I’m speaking of course about Arthur’s spooking at the horse-like statue in the Rebecca Farm show jumping arena and his subsequent 7 rails.  Eventing is full of complications, whether man made, acts of nature, or bad luck, that make our lives challenging.  Barring something unsafe, part of being a successful event rider or horse is dealing with those issues.  Furthermore, I would guess that most of us have been in situations where our score suffered because of something our horses don’t like, such as those terrifying flower boxes that are sometimes put by the letters in dressage, or a judge’s gazebo that only our horse can know was obviously sent down from heaven to eat him.  It’s part of the game.

4) Furthermore, as we all know, Arthur has a history of being spooky.  The first time I met Arthur I was sitting on the rail of a training session in Aiken and he happened to find me quite scary.  There’s no doubt that Arthur is one of the most talented horses in the country, but something goes wrong at a frustratingly high number of his competitions.  One of my very best friends had a horse for a long time who would pick the most heart breaking moments in the show jumping to get spooky.  Horses like that either hit a home run or break your heart and I admire the riders who can stay sane while experiencing those ups and downs.  In his last 11 contested competitions, Arthur has 4 finishes in the top 2 including a CIC3* win, 4 finishes outside of the top 10, and two non-completions at 4*’s.

5) The fact that Arthur spooked at the horse statue doesn’t make that statue unfair.  The impact of Arthur’s spooking is magnified by the fact that he was leading the 3*.  Other horses spooked at the statue during the cross-country and during the show jumping.  Again, that doesn’t make it unfair, but it does make it frustrating that something so unrelated to the skill of horses and riders would have such a large impact on the outcome of the competition.  But, the statue was there, everyone had to ride around it, and most riders did so quite successfully. 

6) That being said, I regard the statue as a failure of course design and decoration because as a rider and fan of eventing, I would like the competition determined by the skill of the horse and rider negotiating the fences.  Some horses didn’t jump their best on Sunday because of the statue and my guess is that we won’t be seeing it back in the show jumping arena at Rebecca Farm.  I mean, let’s get serious the statue is pretty ugly in the first place anyways.

7) Turing back to the positive, I want to thank to Rebecca Farm, the volunteers, the organizers, the memory of Rebecca Broussard, her family, and everyone who worked really hard this weekend and for so many years to put together one of the best events in the world.  Rebecca Farm is a jewel on the crown of US eventing and we are all fortunate to have such a wonderful venue for competition.

Lastly, I want to give a huge thanks to Samantha for her coverage of Rebecca Farm for us here on Eventing Nation.  From recaps of the training three-day, to inside information about Mandiba’s recovery, to chats with the course builder, and an endless supply of great photos, it was a really fun weekend on Eventing Nation.  We’ll have a few more bits and pieces from Rebecca Farm over the next 24 hours, but for now we’ll turn our attention to other competitions and look ahead to Young Riders, which begins this week in Lexington.

Hawley Bennett-Awad and Gin ‘N Juice Win the Rebecca Farm CIC3*

By on Jul 24, 2011 6:16 pm -

Allison Springer and Arthur are such good show jumpers that their 10 point lead felt insurmountable going into the CIC3* show jumping at Rebecca Farm, but they added a shocking 7 rails and 1 time penalty to drop all the way to 11th.  Upon entering the arena Arthur really spooked at a life-sized horse shoe statue that has been spooking horses all weekend.  Allison did everything she could to ride him through it, but Arthur has a reputation for being very spooky and it got the better of him today.  Arthur and many other horses spooked at the same statue yesterday when it was on the cross-country course and it caused several problems today after being moved into the main show jumping arena, including costing Therese Russell the Training 3-Day win by spooking her horse Dante through the triple.  It is frustrating that the show jumping would be so heavily influenced by something that has nothing to do with the jumps and I can’t imagine how Allison must feel.

That being said, nothing should take away from Hawley Bennet-Awad and Gin N’ Juice’s victory.  They added just 4.8 penalties to their dressage score with a great weekend of jumping.  The only rider who added fewer jumping penalties was Sara Kozumplik.  Buck Davidson and Ballynoecastle finished in 2nd.  Alexandra Slusher and Last Call jumped one of only 4 double-clear rounds in the show jumping to finish in third.  As some bonus footage of Hawley, you can watch helmet-cam footage of her cross-country ride here.

Rebecca Farm CIC3* Results:

1. Hawley Bennett-Awad and Gin N’ Juice +4  53.4
2. Buck Davidson and Ballynoecastle RM +4  54.4
3. Alexandra Slusher and Last Call +0  58.2
4. Jolie Wentworth and GoodKnight +0  59.2
5. Barbara Crabo and Everady II +4 59.8
6. Heather Gillette and Out Questionnaire +8  60.8
7. Carl Bouckaert and Cyrano Z +4  60.8

[Full CIC3* Results] 

Samantha is already on her way home after a wonderful weekend at Rebecca Farm, but here are a few other notes from the other three-day divisions:

In the CIC*, Karen Laidley and Snow Globe Effect led from wire to wire and ended up winning by an impressive 11.5 points.  Former USEA President and good friend to EN Kevin Baumgardner and Jefferson D’Aurois finished a great weekend third in the CIC*.  There aren’t too many sports in the world where the former president of the governing body can compete at a really high level.  Pretty cool.

Tamra Smith made up for a tough technical elimination on the cross-country in the CIC3* by winning the CCI* with Fleeceworks Fernhill.  Tamra was the only rider in the CCI* division to finish on her dressage score.

James Atkinson and Gustav of Canada led wire to wire in the CIC2* and by a margin of 10 points.  James Atkinson is someone to keep an eye on as a rider of the future for Canada, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him added to the Pan American list.

One name that is almost certain to be added to the Canadian Pan American list is Jessie Phoenix and Pavarotti, who finished a redemption weekend with a win in the CCI2*.  Other than the cross-country debacle at Jersey Fresh, this horse has proven himself to be one of the best 2* horses in the country.  Jessie rode him in a double-bridle on Saturday, which is a bit unconventional but seemed to work well.  I feel like Jessie really got the short end of the stick with being suspended and I was really rooting for this pair this weekend.  Ronald Zabala-Goeteshel and Mr. Wiseguy finished in second.

[Full Rebecca Farm Results] 

That’s all for now.  Stay classy Eventing Nation.

Ben Wins the Advanced, 16 Horses Pass the CIC3* Jog

By on Jul 24, 2011 12:43 pm -

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The always fan favorite Arthur, photos by Samantha Clark

It’s time to turn the page to the final chapter and conclusion of what has been a very successful competition at Rebecca Farm.  Phillip Dutton has already picked up the advanced win this morning and Allison and Arthur will take a 10 point lead into the CIC3* show jumping this afternoon.

In the CIC3* jog, Martha McDowell’s Gaelic Marriage and Sharon White’s Rafferty’s Rules were held.  Gaelic Marriage passed on reinspection.  Sadly, Sharon did not represent Rafferty’s Rules.  Jordan Linstedt withdrew Tullibards Hawkwind this morning before the jog. 

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Joe and Snip

Samantha noted that Joe Meyer’s 19 year old Snip looked as “fresh as a daisy”.  Kyle jogged Madison Park from the right side and passed.  Knowing Kyle, it’s hard to tell if that was a savvy veteran move or if Kyle simply mixed up right and left. 

The Ground Jury showed kindness by letting one of the CCI* riders jog after the conclusion of the jog because the rider missed her jog time, saying she didn’t know when it was.  It’s a CCI* and I think if any of us were that rider or indeed another competitor in that division we would want to see them have a chance to finish their weekend.

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Phillip and Ben

The advanced division finished up their show jumping before the three-day jogs this morning.  Phillip Dutton and Ben moved up from third to win with a double-clear round.  Ben is owned by Team Rebecca, making the win an emotional home field victory on a weekend that has been about remembering Rebecca Broussard’s contributions to our sport and community.  Pam Fisher and Simply Priceless finished in second, and Kristi Walker finished third with Myelusivedream.

[Rebecca Farm Live Scores]

There are no less than three show jumping arenas in action today at Rebecca Farm.  Check out the live scores and keep it locked to Eventing Nation for much more from Rebecca Farm.  It’s too hot to go outside anyhow.  The CIC3* show jumping is scheduled to start at 2:50pm local, 4:50 ET.

Go eventing.

Fitch’s Corner: A Rolex for Prelim

By on Jul 23, 2011 7:47 pm -

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He’s back

While much of the eventing community is focused on The Event at Rebecca Farm, some very cool things are happening this weekend at the Fitch’s Corner Horse Trials in Millbrook, New York. I called Boyd Martin to ask him how his clean preliminary cross-country ride with Neville Bardos felt today and all he wanted to talk about was the amazing job that the organizers of Fitch’s Corner have done putting on a to caliber event.  Boyd called it a mini-Rolex type setting with a world class trade fair, including car companies like Mercedes, and tremendous activities such as a 600 person dinner tonight and a Friday night ‘meet the champions’ party.  Boyd said that the organizers aeravated every inch of the cross-country and have done everything possible to make a wonderful event.  Fitch’s Corner is hosting the Area I beginner novice through preliminary championships this weekend.

Another reason Fitch’s Corner feels a bit like Rolex is that two former Rolex horses are competing in the open preliminary, both ridden by Boyd.  According to his vets, Neville Bardos’ recovery from smoke inhalation and burns in the tragic True Prospect fire has been nothing short of miraculous and today he finished his first cross-country course since the fire.  Boyd said that he let Neville canter around the course, accelerating a bit over the best footing, and they finished about one minute over optimum.  They are competing HC, so the scorers did not time them.  Boyd said that Neville pulled up with ears pricked, barely breathing hard, and he trotted back to the barn.  Announcer Brian O’Connor told Neville’s story as they were riding around the course.  Boyd said the story nearly bright tears to Boyd’s eyes and brought loud cheers from the crowd.  Up next for this pair is the advanced at Millbrook and then hopefully Burghley.

It was a great day all around for the True Prospect team.  Abbie Golden, who lost Phantom Pursuit in the fire, had a great cross-country ride in the same division with Arundel and moved up from fourth to second.  The Fitch’s Corner show jumping is on Sunday.  Congrats Abbie and Arundel!

The second Rolex horse in action at Fitch’s Corner is Ying Yang Yo.  Boyd flew on the cargo plane with Ying Yang Yo over to Rolex in 2006, which was Boyd’s first trip to the land of the free and the home of the brave.  As a result of that trip, Boyd decided to move to America and work with Phillip.  Ying Yang Yo is now owned by Faye Woolf, whose daughter has been campaigning him at novice and training for the last few years.  Faye lost Call Me Ollie in the True Prospect fire and, since her daughter is busy focusing on school this year, she put Ying Yang Yo back in training with Boyd as a way to help with the recovery.  Ying Yang Yo felt really strong today, according to Boyd, and the plan with him is to take one competition at a time.  The next run will hopefully also be an advanced run at Millbrook for Neville’s old comrade.  The last time Boyd rode Ying Yang Yo on the cross-country before today was in 2008 at Rolex, where Boyd took a tumble at the Head of the Lake and was knocked unconscious in the water.  Boyd said he was really sitting back jumping into the first water today at Fitch’s corner.

[Fitch’s Corner Results]

Now, without further ado, here is video of Boyd being knocked out at Rolex.  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.

Go eventing.

Allison and Arthur defend their lead at Rebecca Farm

By on Jul 23, 2011 2:53 pm -

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Allison and Arthur, photo by Samantha

Allison Springer and Arthur picked up just 2 time penalties with a strong ride in the Rebecca Farm CIC3* cross-country and they will take a huge 10 point lead into the show jumping on Sunday.  Samantha said that Allison gave Arthur a really strong ride and he never wavered at the jumps.  Hawley Bennett and Gin N’ Juice moved up one spot to second with just 0.8 time penalties.  Buck and Carl Segal’s Ballynoecastle RM “Reggie” also moved up one spot to third with 1.2 time penalties, with what Samantha said was a very professional ride. 

In a result that I don’t think I have ever seen in a CIC3* competition, none of the 20 starters had a refusal.  There were 18 rides with only time penalties and two riders didn’t finish.  Tamra Smith and Mar De Amor sadly jumped the wrong jump just three jumps from home.  John Michael Durr fell from Warrick four from home.

Rebecca Farm CIC3* Results:

1. Allison Springer and Arthur +2  39.4
2. Hawley Bennett and Gin N’ Juice +0.8  49.4
3. Buck Davidson and Ballynoecastle +1.2  50.4
4. Heather Gillette and Our Questionnaire +4.4  52.8
5. Barbara Crabo and Eveready II +4  55.8
6. Carl Bouckaert and Cyrano Z +6.4  56.8
7T. Joe Meyer and Snip +6.4  58.2
7T. Alexandra Slusher and Last Call +6.4 58.2

[Full CIC3* Results, Jump by Jump]

Samantha said that Sharon White had the most impressive ride of the day with Rafferty’s Rule.  There were just as many double-clears as there were rides with a stop–that is to say none.  Martha McDowell and Gaelic Marriage had the fastest ride of the day, finishing just one second over the optimum. 

Only one rider in the advanced horse trials division finished with 20 penalties and sadly that was overnight leader Karen O’Connor and the young Veronica in the mare’s first advanced.  Pam Fisher and Simple Priceless had the fastest ride of the advanced with 7.6 time penalties and moved all the way up from seventh to take the advanced lead.  Phillip Dutton and Team Rebecca’s Ben are in third going into the show jumping. 

Update: As a quick note on Veronica’s 20 penalties, she stumbled off of the bank and had to circle to get to #22C.

[Full Rebecca Farm XC Scores]

As a couple of other notes on the cross-country, Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti completed a double-clear to maintain the CCI2* lead and more importantly got a qualifying run for Canada and the Pan Ams barring anything crazy on Sunday.  In fact, all of the three-day leaders from the dressage maintained their leads through the cross-country.  The open intermediate and open preliminary divisions will finish out cross country this afternoon at Rebecca Farm.

Rebecca Farm Cross-Country Live Scores

By on Jul 23, 2011 12:11 pm -

Cross-country is underway at Rebecca Farm under sunny and cool skies.  The training three-day, preliminary, intermediate, advanced, and all three-day divisions ride cross country today.  Cross-country at Rebecca Farm started at 7:30am local time and runs for 11 hours.  The CIC3* cross-country is scheduled to begin at 1:05MT, 3:05ET, with the advanced horse trials to follow.  Good luck and safe returns to all of the competitors around Eventing Nation today.

[Times/Live Scores, Course Maps]

Go eventing.