It’s a busy day around Eventing Nation leading up to a busy weekend of eventing. We have a fantastic new super secret guest blogger to introduce this afternoon. I’ll give you a hint–we share the same first name. But, until then, here are a few quick links we are keeping an eye on around Eventing Nation:
We get a lot of photos sent in to Eventing Nation and sometimes we get some that absolutely capture everything good about eventing. Here are a couple from this weekend around Eventing Nation:
In the above photo, Mill Creek Pony Club members cheer on Makayla Hill and Frodo at the Mill Creek Horse Trials. Makayla and Frodo were competing in the Beginner Novice Junior division. Thanks to Kathy Wismer for sending in the photo.
This great photo was sent in by a proud mother with the following explanation:
“My 12 year old daughter, Riley, won first place in her JOBN Division at Plantation May HT this past Saturday. It was her first USEA recognized show and she was very proud of her horse DAKOTA – a 15 year old Paint/Appy mix. Riley just started training with Casey McKissock in Pipersville, Pennsylvania and is looking forward to learning a lot from such a talented 3*** eventer as Casey.”
Last but not least, I want to give a quick shout out to a herculean organizing effort at Loch Moy on Saturday. The Loch Moy unrecognized Horse trial on Saturday ran over 300 entries on Saturday at five levels from Introductory through Training. They also had almost 60 additional riders doing individual jumping and dressage tests. I am told that the first dressage ride was at about 7:45 AM and the last horse on XC about 6:40 PM. This is a fabulous venue, always being improved, and one of the riders told me they did a fabulous job keeping everything running on time, the scores posted quickly, and all with smiles.
Congrats on a great weekend everyone and go eventing.
There were numerous Katie Prudent sightings on Sunday
Here are a few last musings from a great weekend at Jersey Fresh:
1) Overall, Jersey was a really successful event. They had the most entries ever, the course was very safe, more spectators than I have ever seen at Jersey showed up for Saturday and Sunday, the trade fair was bustling all afternoon, and I think everyone had a fun time. The officiating and footing are really the only two issues I heard voiced all weekend.
I’m disappointed that Jersey didn’t get more media attention and publicity. This should be an absolutely marquee event for the US and I think it is already. If the entry and attendance numbers keep climbing there’s no doubt that Jersey will be a staple on the US eventing calendar for a long time to come.
2) A number of US horses will be vetted by the USEF vets tomorrow to evaluate their suitability for Pan American Games selection. The actual list is a closely guarded USEF secret, but a Pan Am short list will be released sometime after Bromont for our reading pleasure.
3) One thing I especially appreciate about Jersey Fresh is that they consistently made this weekend about honoring our service men and women. You probably noticed the red, white, and blue XC fences. Announcer Brian O’Connor also made a point to thank our military personnel throughout the weekend, which was a really nice thing to do. Furthermore, there was a therapeutic riding demonstration during the break between the 2* and 3* divisions with Air Force volunteers.
4) As usual, JER gets to the bottom of things and posted a link to an FEI yellow card, which in part reads as follows:
“7.2. Should the same Person Responsible receive one (1) more yellow warning card at the same or any other International Event within one year of the delivery of the first yellow warning card, the Person Responsible shall be automatically suspended for a period of two (2) months from the day following the Event at which the Person Responsible is competing. The Secretary General shall be responsible to notify the Person Responsible of such suspension.”
5) This isn’t a statement about Jersey specifically, but I wonder where all of the good competitor parties have gone. The food was delicious at the Jersey party and I had a good time Saturday night but more because of a certain trip to a seedy pub down the road with a few select compatriots and Marmaduke. But, in general, competitor parties are getting more and more lame, at least here on the east coast. I’ve been thinking this all year. It’s just an observation. If you like it, you can take it. If you don’t, send it right back.
6) I met an actual professional model this weekend, which is cool.
Lastly, a few random sights from throughout the weekend Jersey Fresh:
Nothing helps a dressage ride on a fiery thoroughbred like a flyover from two Cobra gunships
I loved how Jersey provided 3 XC jumps as well as a bank complex to school in the warm up, although we all stood on the bank and made it pretty useless to jump
Cavalor powered Pawlow to his CIC3* victory
All I know is I’m not following the speed limit on my drive home tonight
That’s all for now. Coren has Monday morning news and notes and I’ll be around tomorrow to wrap up the weekend and start off another great week on Eventing Nation. Boom goes the dynamite.
Will Faudree rode an impeccable double-clear show jumping round to earn the victory in the CIC3* at Jersey Fresh with Pawlow. On a day when there had not been a single double-clear in the 3* show jumping, Will and Pawlow made the course look easy by riding efficiently and smoothly to make the time without rushing. That clean round let Pawlow close a 7.7 point gap and jump Master Hill and Cambalda. We’ll see this pair next hopefully at Luhmuhlen in a few weeks along with Andromaque and Jennie with Camblada.
CIC3* Results:
1. Will Faudree and Pawlow +0 61.1 2. Tiana Coudray and Master Hill +12 65.4 3. Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda +9 65.4 4. Boyd Martin and Otis Bardotiere +8 70.1 5. Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice +7 73.1 6. Will Faudree and Andromaque +8 75.1
–Jennie and Cambalda took a tight line to the triple bar and got an uncharacteristic tight spot and clattered through the back rail. It was a necessary gamble that didn’t pay off. Jennie got the round back on track well although they also pulled the last.
–Tiana Coudray and Master Hill never really got their round going the way they wanted. They added no time but three rails to their XC score, allowing Pawlow to jump them and go into the lead.
–The show jumping was challenging and influential throughout the divisions although the only division with a Sunday lead change was the CIC3*.
–There were a few miscues in the CIC3* show jumping. William Penn had a stop, and Ashley Adams missed the last fence and started to pull up after the second to last, but she soon realized it and finished the course.
–The only three clean rounds of the CIC3* show jumping belonged to Will, Emily Beshear, and Scott Keach, who regularly competes in show jumping competitions and showed why with a great round today.
–Andrea Leatherman won the Nunn Finer closest to optimum time award and the best conditioned award. Doug Payne won the sportsmanship award, very appropriately as Doug is a class act.
That’s all for now from New Jersey. It has been a wonderful and exciting event. Many thanks to all of the volunteers and organizers who worked so hard to make Jersey Fresh happen. As always, it is a privilege to write for Eventing Nation and now more than ever go eventing.
You can’t have a more exciting finish than we did in the Jersey Fresh CCI3* today as everyone waited on Brian O’Connor to announce the time for Andrea Leatherman’s round. To set the stage, all but two riders had finished with time penalties in the CCI3* show jumping. The 3rd through 6th placed riders all had rails and then Nina Ligon and Fernhill Fearless delivered a clutch ride with a few rubs and finished with 5 time penalties, giving Andrea a 5.6 point lead when she trotted in aboard Mensa. Mensa and Andrea jumped clear but took their time around a big final loop in the course and everyone knew that they would have time penalties, the only question was how many. Brian announced that they had exactly 5 and they finished with the win by 0.6 points.
CCI3* Results:
1. Andrea Leatherman and Mensa +5 61.0 2. Nina Ligon and Fernhill Fearless +5 61.6 3. Doug Payne and Running Order +6 67.3 4. Katie Ruppel and Sir Donovan +10 70.2 5. Alexandra Slusher and Last Call +12 71.9
–Second placed Fernhill Fearless is an absolutely amazing horse and jumped spectacularly out of a couple sticky spots. Of all the horses to bet on to be in the Olympics next year, that might be the one, representing Thailand.
–Doug Payne and Running Order moved up 3 spots to third by adding just 6 time penalties.
–Katie Ruppel and Sir Donovan finished up a great redemption weekend with a 4th placed finish after their disappointing elimination at Rolex. Katie again got big cheers from the crowd when she finished.
–Buck should be proud of his students this afternoon. Andrea, Katie, and Alexandra, all work with Buck and finished in the top 5 of the CCi3*.
–There were just 4 clean rides and no double-clears in the show jumping.
The CIC3* is underway now as the last division of the day at Jersey. Stay tuned for a report from that shortly and until then go eventing.
At the beginning of the weekend I mentioned how strong Canada was looking for the Pan Ams and today we saw Canadians win both the CCI2* and CIC2* here at Jersey Fresh. Rebecca Howard and Roquefort won the CIC2* in convincing fashion by 11 points and they look like great candidates for the Pan Ams for Canada. As a quick background, Roquefort is owned by The Fork Stables and Rebecca bought him from Oliver Townend. Rebecca is a great competitor and a very gracious winner–the Jersey CIC2* has a great champion this year.
CIC2* Results:
1. Rebecca Howard and Roquefort +0 52.4 2. Will Coleman and Obos O’Reilly +1 63.7 3. Phillip Dutton and Young Man +2 63.8 4. Will Coleman and Westwind’s El Dorado +0 66.3 5. Boyd Martin and Guypowder Valley +0 67.8 6. Stephen Bradley and In The Fog +5 67.9
–Will Coleman had a great day in the 2* show jumping. He moved up 4 spots with Obos O’Reilly with one time penalty to finish in 2nd, and up 5 spots on Westwind’s El Dorado with a clear round to finish in 4th. Will did an especially great job with Obos O’Reilly, who is a good jumper but very bold and Will had to work to keep him waiting for the fences.
–Phillip finished in 3rd with Young Man, who is clearly a really nice future advanced horse for Phillip.
–Brian just noted that this weekend features the highest number of entries ever for Jersey Fresh, which is a great sign for growing the event moving forward.
–Boyd and Guypowder Valley moved up from 21st after the dressage to finish in 5th place with two double-clear jumping rides over the weekend. Boyd also finished with Call Me Ollie in the top 10.
–Stephen Bradley and In The Fog finished in 6th. I spoke with Stephen earlier this weekend and he said that his current plan is to move this horse up rather than shooting for the Pan Ams.
–Time was a bit of a factor in the CIC2*, with five riders having time penalties. Phillip and Young Man dropped a spot with 2 time penalties and they finished in 3rd.
–There were 6 double-clears in the CIC2* show jumping.
–As a note on the special awards, Matt Flynn won the Nunn Finer watch for getting closest to the optimum time. Apple Cyder won the best conditioned award, and Jeff Kibbie and Loki won the best turned out award.
The CCI3* will get underway shortly and I’ll be back soon with a report from that division. Go eventing.
With a clean jumping round from Caitlin Silliman and Catch a Star, there was no room for error for Canada’s Lisa Marie Fergusson, but they jumed a double-clear to take the victory in the CCI2*. I’m not suer what Lisa’s plans are for the rest of the year, but a 2* win over a quality filed here at Jersey is a nice thing to put on a resume for the Pan Ams.
CCI2* Results:
1. Lisa Marie Fergusson and Smart Move +0 52.1 2. Caitlin Silliman and Catch a Star +0 54.7 3. Arden Wildasin and Totally Awesome Bosco +0 55.2 4. Hawley Bennett-Awad and Five O’Clock Somewhere +4 56.6
–Second placed Catch A Star impressed me all weekend. They had an excellent show jumping ride and Caitlin should be really proud of a great weekend.
–Another young rider kicking butt out here in the 2* is Arden Wildasin, who finished the weekend in 3rd place on her dressage score.
–Hawley Bennet and Five O’Clock Somewhere had one rail but jumped well everywhere else and I know Hawley will consider this trip out east a big success for this really nice horse and they definitely look like yet another Pan Am contender for Canada.
–There were 7 double-clears in the CCI2*.
That’s all from the CCI2*, we’ll be back shortly with the CIC2* winner. Go eventing.
1) In a scene that would have done any John Wayne western proud, Phillip, Will Faudree, Buck, and Boyd walked up the jog strip to meet with the Ground Jury at the culmination of the final horse inspection. The riders were asked by the larger body of competitors to discuss some of the officiating this weekend with the Ground Jury, including concerns about scoring discrepancies in the dressage, pulling Pavarotti up, poor communication with riders, and concerns about the footing not being fully addressed. I am told that the meeting was firm but productive in that the riders were able to express their views and hear the perspective of the Ground Jury, and in that sense it was a clear success.
As a rider, I am biased, but from having been here all weekend, watched the judging, having heard some of the conversations with riders, and spoken with many riders, I think the concerns are completely valid. At the very least, I can say with certainty that the mood among the riders here at Jersey is that they haven’t had a good experience with the Ground Jury and hopefully today’s meeting helped that.
2) I am happy to report that Shannon Baker, who fell in the CIC2*, is out and about and 100% sound this morning. Shanon had the toughest fall of the day Saturday and she took a quick trip to the hospital to check things out, but I am told she would pass even the most discerning ground jury today.
3) As always, we need to give a huge thanks to all of the wonderful volunteers here at Jersey and across Eventing Nation who have worked tirelessly this weekend to make eventing possible for all of us. Despite some of the issues with officiating, this has been the safest and best Jersey Fresh that I can remember and a ton of that has to do with all of the awesome volunteers. Without your help, eventing would never happen.
4) Speaking of Pavarotti, the rules mandate that a yellow card be given when a rider is pulled up on course, as Pavarotti was. This would be Jessica’s second yellow card in just under a year and, although I am anything but an expert on FEI rules, my understanding from talking with an official is that this would lead to a suspension although it might depend on how the yellow cards are classified. Jessica’s other yellow card was for making the time with a stop at Bromont last year but I believe the Ground Jury said at the time that they didn’t consider it dangerous riding, or else they presumably would have stopped her on course. It’s unquestionably a convoluted situation and there will be appeals if necessary but having watched both of Jessica’s rides it would be absolutely absurd to suspend her unless you are prepared to suspend 20% of the riders out there, especially considering that among those two rides she picked up just one stop and never fell or caused injury to herself or her horses.
5) A light rain has started here in New Jersey and from the look of the skies, it’s going to be one of those days.
6) Several EN sponsors have booths in the trade fair. If you are out and about here at the New Jersey Horse Park, be sure to stop by and visit the folks from Devoucoux, Cavalor, and Horse Quencher.
The CCI2* show jumping is about to start. Good luck to all of the riders and I’ll be back shortly with reports from all of the divisions. Go eventing.
Andrea Leatherman and Mensa are in control in the CIC3*
All of the CCI3* and CIC3* passed the jog and will move onto the show jumping. CIC3* leader Master Hill was held, but passed on reinspection to the relief of all. David Koss and Look Sweet were held in the CCI3* but also passed on reinspection.
In the CCI2*, Divine Comedy was held and did not pass when represented. In the CIC2*, Lainey Ashker withdrew Rising Spirit before the jog and Powderhound withdrew after being sent to the holding area.
From speaking with a couple of vets, the horses were foot sore from the harder areas of footing yesterday.
The show jumping starts at 10:30am in the following order:
CCI2* CIC2* CCI3* CIC3*
A few quick photos from the jog:
In addition to the three-day divisions, the Yong Event Horse divisions are competing this morning which prompted me to double take when I saw a bunch of horses trotting around the warm up with dressage saddles on. It was too early for a Sunday morning I guess. Good luck to all of the competitors and go eventing.
Rebecca Howard and Roquefort galloping for home, or are they hovering?
Rebecca Howard and Roquefort were held for a few minutes on course but that didn’t stop them from jumping a great round to maintain their lead in the CIC2* here at Jersey Fresh. With 8.8 time penalties, they lost much of their 7 point dressage lead, but they only have one pair within a rail of them going into the show jumping–Kadi Eyecamp and Double Rivers Really Cool.
CIC2* Results:
1. Rebecca Howard and Roquefort +8.8 52.4 2. Kadi Eykamp and Doube Rivers Really Cool +4 54.7 3. Arden Wildasin and Powderhound +0 56.6 4. Phillip Dutton and Young Man +9.2 61.8 5. Lainey Ashker and Rising Spirit +0 61.9 6. Will Coleman and Obos O’Reilly +6.8 62.7 7. Stephen Bradley and In the Fog +13.2 62.9
–Shanon Baker had the most significant fall of the day, with a tumble over the big oxer at #18 in the CIC2*. The horse walked back to the vet box and Shanon took a ride back to the Jersey Fresh medical area in the front seat of a small ambulance with no severe injuries. She did go to the hospital after that with what I am told was some hip pain, but apparently Shanon did not really want to go and it doesn’t seem like anything major at this point.
—Arden Wildasin had a super day today that culminated with a double-clear in the CIC2*. Arden had double-clears on her two horses, one in the CCI2* and the other in the CIC2*. The only other rider to finish with two double-clears was Boyd Martin.
–Lainey Ashker had the only other double-clear in the CIC2*, with a very efficient round on Rising Spirit.
–Statistically, the CIC2* rode pretty well. Of 25 starters there were 2 falls, 2 retires, 1 elimination due to 3 refusals, 4 riders with stops, and 16 clear rides, with three double-clears.
–Doug Payne had a random fall in the CIC2* at the drop off the island. Everything looked perfect over the drop and then Camerlingo just fell on landing. The next horse through almost did the same so my guess is there might have been a hole forming on the landing.
–With just 6 rider falls and only one that I would consider severe, there’s no doubt that this was a really safe day at Jersey. I know a lot of people will talk about that water complex, but at the end of the day everyone walked home which is the most important thing for a course design.
–The good news for everyone who had a bad day today in the CCI divisions, is that Bromont is just a few weeks away, and I suspect that we will see a few CCI horses and quite a few CIC horses back in action there.
–I want to give a shout out to Mother Nature for holding off just long enough. A light rain started just as the last few riders were on course, but the weather was absolutely perfect for cross-country today.
–More and more of the riders are riding XC with sponsor logos, especially SmartPak, on their sleeves and britches. This trend will get more and more popular and I would guess that next year a bunch of riders will be repping their sponsors on their clothes around the XC.
–Last, but not least I want to give a shout out to the layer of snow 4 feet under the ground that kept the footing moist, soft, and fluffy today, which won’t make sense unless you were at the rider briefing yesterday.
–That’s all I have for now folks. If you get your Marmaduke on tonight, keep it safe. We’ll see everyone bright and early for the jog, which the provisional schedule has starting at 8am.
Tiana Coudray and Master Hill stepped up big time today with the fastest ride in the CIC3* to maintain the lead going into the show jumping. I wasn’t very impressed with Tiana’s ride two Saturdays ago but I was incredibly impressed with how well she rode today. Tiana guided Master Hill around a tough CIC3* course under legit pressure, and Tiana’s ride made a big statement that she isn’t just going to be a great combined test upper level eventer.
CIC3* Results:
1. Tiana Coudray and Master Hill +4.4 53.4 2. Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda +6 56.4 3. Will Faudree and Pawlow +7.6 61.1 4. Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere +8.8 62.1 5. Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice +13.2 66.1 6. Will Faudree and Andromaque +9.6 67.1
—Jennie did exactly what she wanted to with her ride. She brought Cambalda home nice and easy and finished the day with a great prep run for Luhmuhlen. She could have easily made the time and taken the lead, but wisely understands that no one remembers who wins the CIC3*’s and that Cambalda is definitely worth protecting.
–In some sense, Jersey is a Luhmuhlen prep event. 3 of the top 6 horses in this division are looking to head to Germany for the event this summer, with Jennie looking at the CCI4* with Cambalda, and Will planning on the 4* with Pawlow and the Luhmuhlen 3* with Andromaque.
–Of 19 CIC3* starters, one fell, two retired, one was eliminated on stops, three finished with stops, and 12 got home clear. Those numbers suggest that the CIC3* course rode better, but the CIC3* field was much more experienced than the CCI3*. As expected, no one made the time in the CIC3*.
–The Jersey Shore water complex just isn’t riding very well today, especially the jumps in the middle of the water. I watched about 7 rides through the CIC3* water, which was a brush fence into the water, a corner in the water, and then out of the water and over a narrow. 6 of 7 horses made the corner sticky and one rider fell. Whether it’s the footing, the jumps, or the surroundings, horses just don’t jump water to water well in that complex.
–In a classic case of a horse being very wise and helping their rider, Licuia Strini’s horse Oudo looked after his rider big time. She popped off after he scrambled over the aforementioned corner in the Jersey Shore water complex. Lucia’s Point Two popped and she was hanging with one foot caught in the left stirrup and the other foot on the ground. Oudo didn’t move a muscle and waited for the fence judges to untangle Lucia’s foot. Both were fine and walked away smiling. Other than that incident, Lucia and her sister Benita are having a good weekend competing here together on multiple horses.
–The Jersey Shore line that cause so many issues in the CCI3* was not on the CIC3* course so the award for most challenging jump is a tie between the other Jersey Shore line that caught Lucia and #5B, which was a skinny jump at the bottom of the hill after a log jump.
–Will Faudree and Andromaque had the best ride through the water from the rides that I watched.
–There was just one fall total for both of the 3* divisions. That’s a great sign and I would attribute it to good riding, a bit of luck, and course design.
That’s all for now. I didn’t video the CIC3* because most of the complexes are the same as the CCI3*. Three down and one to go, as they say. I’ll be back in a few with a quick recap of the CIC2*. Go eventing.
Erin Sylvester and No Boundaries had a huge crew to greet them after their double-clear
Andrea Leatherman and Mensa moved into the CCI3* lead at Jersey Fresh with one of four double-clears on the day. Erin Sylvester, and Katie Ruppel, and David Koss were the other three riders to finish with double-clears. Nina Ligon of Thailand was just one second over the optimum and moved into second place. Overnight leader Alexandra Slusher guided Last Call around the course for 11 time penalties and they dropped to 4th.
CCI3* Results:
1. Andrea Leatherman and Mensa +0 56.0 2. Nina Ligon and Fernhill Fearless +0.4 56.6 3. Erin Sylvester and No Boundaries +0 9.6 4. Alexandra Slusher and Last Call +11.2 59.9 5. Katie Ruppel and Sir Donovan +0 60.2 6. Doug Payne and Running Order +10 61.3
–The Jersey Shore water jump didn’t ride well for the CCI2* and it didn’t ride much better for the CCI3*. Just 2 of the first 7 horses got through the skinny at #9 clear. The question was a narrow at #8B to a narrow at #9 and the horses just didn’t seem to be reading it properly and most of them ran out right. After word of how hard #9 was riding made it back to the warmup the next few riders attacked it more directly and the jump rode better for the rest of the day.
Here is scattered video of the CCI3*, the jumps generally move from the beginning of the course to the end:
–The CCI3* course did ride very safe–there were no falls fortunately. Of the 17 starters, 3 retired, 5 had stops, 9 had clear rides and 4 had double-clears which is a pretty good distribution, although almost all of the issues were at the water.
–I saw two younger riders make great decisions out there–Nina Ligon and Fernhill Fearless took the long rout at the brush coffin toward the end of the course and Melissa Miller took the long route at the water. Fernhill Fearless is a really nice horse and he’s just one of several Nina is looking to take to the Olympics for Thailand next year.
–Colleen Rutledge was originally eliminated for jumping the option at 21B. She thought that she had not jumped the flags on her first attempt and so she did the option, but they originalyl ruled that she had cleared the flags on the first attempt and thus eliminated herself for jumping 21B twice. Fortunately the decision was reversed and Colleen finished with just one stop.
–The young guns are running the show in the CCI3*. The top 10 is filled with younger riders looking to make a name for themselves. Just one rail separates the top 4 going into the show jumping so someone is going to have a chance to do just that tomorrow.
How’s that for a cliche headline? No time for jokes though–here are a few very quick notes as they are changing the course to the CCI3* over from the CCI2*:
–The top 3 riders after the dressage didn’t finish the course in the CCI2* and Lisa Marie Fergusson and Smart Move of Canada moved up with one of 9 double clear rides on the day. Hawley Bennett and Five O’Clock Somewhere gave Canada the top two spots with a double-clear. Phillip fell at the first water, Jessie Phoenix was pulled up, and Kim retired at the first water.
CCI2* Results:
1. Lisa Marie Fergusson and Smart Move +0 52.1 2. Hawley Bennett and Five O’Clock Somewhere +0 52.6 3. Caitlin Silliman and Catch a Star +0 54.7
–The photo on this post is of a jump and not a rider because the ‘Jersey Shore’ jump, aptly named if you are not a fan of the TV show, caused a bunch of issues throughout the CCI2*. 6A is a table in the middle of the water with no jump into the water to set the horses up. It always rides sticky and today was no exception.
–Phillip, the overnight leader, popped off there but both Phillip and Ben were fine. Kim Severson retired Wiley Post at the same jump. Kelly List fell there, and Elizabeth Barron and The Graduate retired there, just to name a few others. I spent most of the division watching in the main field, so I didn’t see the issues at the jump.
–Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti were pulled up by the ground jury at fence #13 after they had several tough jumps on course. Those decisions are always difficult, but I thought it was a very close call, although I didn’t see how they looked in the first loop in the back field. Pavarotti was leaving long over a few jumps early and had a sticky ride through the coffin, but Jessica was clearly schooling him through it. What’s done is done and I won’t say more about it, but let’s just say that there are those in the Canadian camp who will and for good reason. Either way, we’ll likely see this pair at Bromont in just a few weeks.
–The two best rides of the CCI2* day in my opinion go to Will Colemen and Vancouver, and Hawley Bennett-Awad with Gin ‘N Juice’s full brother, Five O’Clock Somewhere. Boyd’s student Caitlin Silliman and Catch A Star get the honorable mention for their 3rd placed ride.
–The best save of the day goes to Buck. Park Trader hung a major leg into the coffin, but Buck rode it pretty perfectly to keep the hoof side down and they finished the round strong. That horse can really gallop and I think it has an extremely promising future once it’s jump gets a bit more confirmed.
–The ground sounds a bit hard as the horses are galloping over it. It’s good footing where it was aggravated, but firm on the places where it wasn’t. With no ropes to guide the horses, not all of the area covered was treated.
Welcome to a cloudy cross-country day at the New Jersey Horse Park, which I think actually helps because it takes away the shadows. The rain is supposed to hold off throughout the day, but either way we are going to have a fun and exciting day of XC. The footing was firm earlier this week but they have aggravated the track and it is much improved. The course is beautiful and it’s the best I have ever seen here at Jersey; hopefully it will ride that way. With the divisions packed so tightly together, we’ll have to hurry during the breaks to get updates posted throughout the day.
For some of the competitors, today is about getting that coveted clear ride to qualify for Bromont, for others it is to set up another event later this summer, for others it is about just getting a solid ride today, and for still others today is about winning that blue ribbon.
From all of Eventing Nation, I want to wish a big good luck to all of the competitors here at Jersey and at all of the other events around Eventing Nation today. Stay safe, have fun, and look after your horse. Go eventing.
…Which makes two of us Kim Severson and Wiley Post moved into 3rd with a 51.4
At the beginning of the weekend, Jersey Fresh didn’t quite feel right without Phillip having a horse in the CCI3*, but after a good day for Phillip today things feel a bit more familiar. He had three rides today on younger horses and placed 1st, 3rd, and 8th, and he is once again in a position to finish really well at Jersey. For Phillip, when I say ‘younger’ horses, I’m not talking about age as much as they are his group of developing future team horses, as opposed to his team horses of the past few years. Ben’s test scored so well compared to all of the early CCI2* tests that I didn’t think anyone would come close to matching it, but Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti nearly beat them late in the afternoon.
Jersey CCI2* Scores:
1. Phillip Dutton and Ben 46.7 2. Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti 47.6 3. Kim Severson and Wiley Post 51.4 4. Lisa Marie Ferguson and Smart Move 52.1 5. Hawley Bennet-Awad and Five O’Clock Somewhere 52.6 6. Will Coleman and Vancouver 54.0 7. Caitlin Silliman and Catch a Star 54.7
We have already had a Phillip video this week, so here’s one of Jessica Phoenix and her Pan Am hopeful Pavarotti, who trotted into second place today:
–Jessie has only been riding Pavarotti for a few months but you can easily see from the video how talented he is, and apparently his jumping is just as nice. Canada’s WEG performance was amazing but the true test of whether they will be a flash in the pan or whether David has built a solid program is to see if their talented riders can find the next batch of talented horses. So far this weekend Team Canada is showing that they have a really good group of developing horses.
–Anyone who reads Eventing Nation knows that I almost never talk about judging in a negative way. I haven’t ever sat in a judge’s booth and I can only imagine that it is an incredibly tough task to evaluate so many horses throughout the day. That being said, a disproportionately high number of riders that I spoke with mentioned the judging as an issue today and I can’t disagree. The live scoring doesn’t publish a breakdown judge by judge, but one rider received a 48% from one judge and a 63% from another and there were major scoring disparities throughout the day.
–Lisa Marie Fergusson and Smart Move rode one of the most correct tests all day. Will Colemen and Vancouver were the lead off ride and scored a 54 despite an error. In fact, there were quite a few, maybe 5, errors throughout the day. Arden Wildasin had a lovely test with Totally Awesome Bosco and goes into Saturday in 8th place.
–Kim Severson and Wiley Post had a very nice test to move into third. I know Kim really likes this horse and they had a very nice ride today. I can’t help but thinking that it is a problem for US eventing to have Kim, who I think is one of the 4 best riders in the US, with just one 4* horse and a very nice 2* horse.
–As I already alluded to, Canada is having a quality weekend so far, especially in the 2* divisions. They have 3 riders in the top 5 of the CCI2* and a rider leading the CIC2*. Mark my words that Canada is going to give the US a serious run for our money at the Pan Ams.
–One rider was rung out of the CCI2* dressage because her horse looked uneven.
–The cross-country times have just been released. Here are the divisional start times:
Most riders are lucky to have one really nice moving horse in a lifetime. Tiana showed today that she has two horses right now that can compete with anyone on the flat. Master Hill still can score much lower than the 49 that put them into the lead, but Tiana rode him with the same precision that impressed the Rolex judges so much. Our next generation of team riders is really putting on a show here at Jersey with top two spots in both the CCI3* and CIC3*.
CIC3* Dressage Results:
1. Tiana Coudray and Master Hill 49.0 2. Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda 50.4 3. Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice 52.9 4. Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere 53.3 5. Will Faudree and Pawlow 53.5 6. Ashley Adams and Vaunted 54.8
My apologies to Tiana for not catching her salute, I was distracted by conversation when her test started:
–Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda put together the top performance that we have come to expect from them and it’s hard to imagine them not finishing very close to that score depending on how tough the time is to make tomorrow.
—Pawlow, Cambalda, Here’s To You, and Andromaque had the best flying changes of the morning. Unfortunately for them, the CIC3* test only has two changes. After watching so many bobbled changes at Rolex, it’s nice to see that many of the young horses here look good with their changes.
–There are quite a few younger riders out there with one nice upper level horse. But I always take notice when someone has two nice upper level horses and such is the case with Lucia Strini. I have said before how much I like Oudo, her horse in the CIC3*, and Ideal Contini is a very nice horse that she rode in the CIC2* yesterday.
–Boyd’s new Fench horse Otis Barbotiere is improving every time out. They scored a 53.3 today, which was good enough for 4th and just over a rail out of the lead. This horse isn’t the fastest on the XC but Boyd is certainly one of the fastest riders so we will see how it shakes out tomorrow.
–One of the horses here, Our Questionnaire, ridden by Heather Gillette, competed at Rolex a few weeks ago. They retired at the 10th fence, which was soon enough to give them a chance to get back out and have a positive run this spring.
–Two of Phillip’s young horses looked really good today. William Penn gets nicer and nicer on the flat each time I see him. Mighty Nice has a ton of athleticism which was good enough to get him into third despite looking a bit unconfirmed at times.
–The CIC3* track looks quite tough and it is 2,000 meters shorter than the CCI3*, meaning that the combinations that they share with the CCI3* will come up much more quickly with less galloping time for the horses to get into a rhythm. I haven’t wheeled the course, but my guess is that time will be a big factor tomorrow.
That’s all for now. The CCI2* dressage is just starting. As I mentioned yesterday, keep an eye on these 2* results because there are numerous Pan Am hopefuls for both the US and Canada competing in the CCI2*. Go eventing.
Here’s a quick look at the CCI3* cross-country course. In an interesting course design element, the CIC3* route follows the shorter 2* course more closely than the CCI3* course. The CCI3* first and foremost tests accuracy, with narrows in or out of almost every combination. There are a couple pretty short narrows including 4A and 11C, although 4A might not technically be considered a narrow–it’s about training level height. There are considerably fewer galloping lane ropes out there than previous years, which I like from a safety standpoint–I fell off several years ago here and my horse ran through about 3 lanes of ropes. I still think I’m banned by state law from riding cross-country in New Jersey. My last comment on the course is that there are 3 loops that cross other tracks of the course so it will be interesting to see how the timing works out at those crossing points. Apologies for the bad lighting on some of the photos.
6B–you can jump either one
8A, with the chevron 8B and narrow brush 9A in the distance
11ABC
The ride here is to jump the middle from as long of a spot as possible
Friends, a few days ago we banded together here on Eventing Nation and propelled Sinead Halpin to the top of the USOC Femal Athlete of the Month polling for April. Sinead received fully half of the votes in a 16 athlete field. Admittedly, the polling results were only going to count for 10% of the overall result and I have yet to find an explanation of what contributes to the other 90% of the vote, but my guess from the final results is that it has something to do with bureaucrats sitting in a room and making bad decisions with complete disregard of public opinion. I know how hard it is for all of us to imagine that a governing body ignored the will of us, the lawless masses.
The USOC released the results of the Athlete of the Month as follows: 1. Hilary Knight, Ice Hockey, 2. Desiree Davila, Track & Field, 3. Nzingha Prescod, Fencing. Ok, congratulations to the winners, I am sure they must have been right up there in the voting as well, right? Oh, wait, in fact the winner received a stunning 12 votes, the runner up received just 209, and the third placed finisher 55, meaning that three athletes who beat Sinead received a grand total of 276 votes, a full 6 times fewer votes than Sinead. True, the womens Ice Hockey team did win gold at a world championship event in April, but there is also a Team of the Month award, where the womens Hockey team was already honored. Come on USOC, show some respect to equestrian sports, especially when our fans show our athletes so much love. [Article, Poll Results]
Now for a few eventing news and notes…
–With the CIC3* competing this morning and the CCI2* competing in the afternoon at Jersey Fresh, we have an action packed day of dressage coming your way. Here are a few links to help you enjoy all of the action until I’m back around lunch time with a CIC3* dressage report:
–Glancing at the CIC3* dressage entries, a couple of things are clear. First, this is a stronger field than the CCI3*. Second, this is Will Faudree’s division to lose. Pawlow and Andromaque are two of the best horses in the world, particularly Andromaque and since Will is riding them both, you have to like his odds. Cambalda, Otis Barbotiere–Boyd’s new French horse, Phillip’s two just because he is riding them, and Master Hill all jump off the entry list as horses with a good shot to win as well, especially Cambalda.
–Alexandra Slusher told the chronicle that Last Call is much more fit this year. “Fergie” tied up after several stops and retiring on course last year here at Jersey but she is in much better shape this year and looked a cut above the rest of the competition on Thursday. [COTH]
–Turning away from Jersey, there are six other USEA events this weekend. Most of them start on Saturday, but the Galway Downs spring horse trials starts today in California. [Galway Live Scores]
—Tiana wrote a quick Rolex recap on her blog on Thursday. Tiana had a really tough day on Saturday at Rolex, giving away the 4* lead with two stops and a fall, but her blog post shows exactly why she’s going to be back and finishing well at four-stars soon. For all of the riders out there who make excuses for mistakes or blame their horses, here’s a good example of how to own a bad day and look ahead to the future. From Tiana:
“…Cross country had some really good parts and some other parts that just weren’t quite good enough. Unfortunately at the 4* level, not quite good enough is not something you get away with and eventually we had a fall at the farmyard table at the very end of the course. I take complete blame for all of our mistakes that day, and especially the fall. I think Finian really stepped up to the plate and gave me his all, and ultimately my inexperience let us down. I feel like we’re both better for the experience but it is of course hugely disappointing to feel like I let him and so many people down. I came away from the weekend with more belief than ever in just how special my horse really is, and feeling an even deeper responsibility to make the right choices for his future.”
–In some sad news, Julia Kelly passed away on Sunday at the age of 67. Mrs. Kelly and her husband Ed were regular sponsors of the beautiful glass awards presented to competitors at The Event at Rebecca Farm. Ms. Kelly was also a regular volunteer and the “Volunteer of the Year” award is named after her for Ladder Up, which was an aid program for the poor in Chicago, her hometown. The family requests that in lieu of flowers or gifts, donations be made to ALS research in Mrs. Kelly’s name at http://www.lesturnerals.org. [USEA]
–I detest cooking shows. There is something about watching other people cook food and eat it that captures with absolute certainty the uselessness of television. A Canadian version of the highly rated cooking show Top Chef isn’t helping my opinion of the genre. An upcoming episode about French cuisine will feature the cooking and eating of horse meat. The show has responded by claiming the ‘different cultures’ defense, but that hasn’t stopped a boycott of the show. [Horsetalk]
–The Central Scotland horse trials is ‘raising the stakes’, a headline eerily similar to reports about the Scottish military hundreds of years ago. [BE]
–We always look for chances to show some love to Pony Club on EN. This year, Pony Club is trying to encourage prelim riders to come to championships and is offering prize money for the winning team. Each rider on the prelim eventing winning team and the stable manager get $1,000 to be put towards educational riding activities. Championships are being held this year at the Kentucky Horse Park from July 19-22. [More Info PDF]
–EN sponsors are out and about here at Jersey. I know for sure that there are Horse Quencher, Cavalor, and Devoucoux booths set up in the vendor area. Be sure to stop by and thank them for keeping the Chinchillas well fed. They will either know exactly what you mean or it will be the most awkward moment ever and they will later call me asking why their sponsorship dollars go to feeding an army of small furry creatures.
The Eventing Equestriad Australia event at Camden is just a week away, here’s last year’s promotional video:
That’s all for now. I’ll be back throughout the day with more dressage reports, interviews, and a XC preview. As always, wherever you might be, thanks for making Eventing Nation part of your day. Stay classy Eventing Nation.
Alexandra Slusher and Last Call of California had an absolutely fantastic test to take the lead in the Jersey Fresh CCI3* going into the cross-country. You could tell just from watching them circle the arena that it was going to be a good performance and the test didn’t disappoint. This mare tied up here last year but she looks a lot more fit and ready for a great performance this weekend.
Jersey CCI3* Dressage Results:
1. Alexandra Slusher and Last Call 48.7 2. Doug Payne and Running Order 51.3 3. Carl Bouckaert and Cyrano Z 54.0 4. Mara DePuy and Fun Maker 55.8 5. Andrea Leatherman and Mensa 56.0 6. Nina Ligon and Fernhill Fearless 56.2 7T. Danielle Dichting and Tops 59.4 7T. Melissa Miller and Detail Specialist 59.4
–You might remember Last Call’s name from her victory in the Galway CIC3* back in March that ended with the false start scoring reversal. Hawley Bennett, the rider who moved into second with the reversal, is riding Five O’Clock Somewhere in the CCI2* tomorrow. Why do all of the California horses have drinking phrases as names?
–Throughout the rest of the CCI3*, there was never really a question whether anyone would catch Last Call because no one could quite match her movement. Doug Payne and Running Order came close with a 51, but RO was just not quite elevated enough to break 50.
–Carl Bouckaert of Belgium rode Cyrano Z to a very nice test. Carl is a regular international competitor for Belgium and I expect to see him at the Olympics again next year, whether with Cyrano Z or another one of his horses. His home farm, Chattahoochee Hills, is hosting a two-star next weekend. Carl sits on a 54.0 tonight, which is good enough for 3rd.
–Mara DePuy and Fun Maker are 4th with a 55.8, but I thought they should have scored better than that. They are 8 points off of the lead going into the XC in 4th place.
—Andrea Leatherman might be the most improved rider of the year and she had a very solid test with Mensa to move into 5th.
–Lisa Barry and Kenzo de la Roque looked good today–Kenzo is a great horse for Lisa and I’m very glad to see their great spring has led them to Jersey. It’s been a long road to a CCI3* for this pair.
–Katie Ruppel and Sir Donovan responded with a great ride today after their elimination in the dressage at Rolex due to Donald’s naughtiness. No one received a larger cheer today than when Katie and Donald finished their test.
–David Koss had a very nice test with Look Sweet. David is riding with Bruce and although I have never met him I keep hearing that he is really nice and a good horseman. I’ll be interested in keeping an eye on them this weekend.
—Dillon was a little wired for Colleen Rutledge but she did an excellent job managing him and they will look to move up a lot on Saturday.
–Kendal Lehari is one of Canada’s many really talented developing riders:
–I have to give a shout out to Area VIII eventing. My former Area VIII young riders teammates, Melissa Miller and Detail Specialist are 7th in the CCi3* on a 59.4. Represent Area VIII!
–It was a quiet and relaxed day of dressage. There were around 40 spectators off and on scattered around the arena, mostly other riders, parents, and team personnel. The weather was sunny and breezy. Brian did a fantastic job with the announcing, as always, even rocking some early Lady Gaga during the breaks, which is only ok because it is early Lady Gaga.
That’s all for now from Jersey after a great day of dressage. Go eventing.
Rebecca Howard and Roquefort made a statement Thursday morning in the CIC2* at Jersey Fresh and they take a 6 point lead going into the XC. The test was very forward and accurate and Rebecca had that look that she was completely in control of every part of Roquefort, a trait that her coach David mastered so well as a rider. Stephen Bradley and the lovely In The Fog are second, and Kadi Eyekamp is third after a good test on Double Rivers Really Cool.
Jersey CIC2* Results:
1. Rebecca Howard and Roquefort 43.6 2. Stephen Bradley and In The Fog 49.7 3. Kadi Eykamp and Double Rivers Really Cool 50.7 4. Doug Payne and Camerlingo 50.9 5. Lucia Strini and Ideal Contini 51.6 6. Phillip Dutton and Young Man 52.6
–It’s always a rare event not to see Phillip with a horse in a CCI3*, but he is here this weekend with a fleet of excellent younger horses that will make his next generation of team horses next year. It was time for Phillip to restock and he is doing just that. The tall red Young Man looked like a calmer version of Woodburn and sits in 6th going into the XC.
–Pay attention to the two-star results this weekend. Many of the horses are applicants for the Pan Ams and a good result this weekend puts them one step closer to a trip to Mexico this autumn. Most of the CIC2* horses here will be targeting Bromont for their CCI2*.
–Doug Payne and Camerlingo had a nice test in the last group of riders. Doug really likes this horse and for good reason–he’s big with the look of an old fashioned event horse. Their canter work was some of the best all day.
–Boyd is wearing a cast this weekend on his left wrist. I’ll write more about it later, but it’s a lingering injury from his fall at Southern Pines a month ago. It feels fine now that it is in a cast Boyd told me.
–Looking ahead to the CCI3* dressage this afternoon, the competition is wide open. Mara always puts in a good test, Running Order is a really nice mover, but anyone could step up and take the lead. It’s the first CCI3* in my recent memory with no HP List A or B riders competing.
Welcome to New Jersey Eventing Nation! The CIC2* is competing this morning under beautiful sunny skies and the CCI3* division will ride dressage this afternoon. It’s just me here from the EN Team, which means one or two fewer posts per day than Rolex, a considerably higher ratio of ridiculousness, and perhaps the return of our world famous ‘worst videos ever’ series. So, without further ado, here are all the Jersey Fresh links your heart desires:
This is part 16 of Jenny’s adventure as a working student and EN guest blogger. Jenny has ambitiously decided to spend the next year as a working student in Lexington, Kentucky. Thanks very much as always for writing this Jenny and thank you for reading. —-
From Jenny:
Hello Eventing Nation!
Forgive me for not updating in a while, and I apologize for any typos. I don’t know if I have ever mentioned this but the life of a working student allows ample time for riding, plenty of time for barn chores, a good amount of time for drinking coffee, a wee bit of time for sleeping, and then whatever time is left is lost reading EN. Therefore, I must give up one of these tasks to update you all on my life, and today it was sleep! After my last post I was left to run the farm while Megan and Andrea went to River Glen, so it was up to Dr. Newton and I (more just Dr. N–I just held the mare) to breed one of the hardest-to-catch broodmares. Luckily, Dr. Newton is a veterinary god and got the job done, and while our pregnant mares are about to start foaling, we now have one just beginning to cook in the oven!
When the entire state of Kentucky was hiding from the multiple tornado warnings we had a few weeks ago, Megan, Andrea and I were primping ourselves (conveniently the bathroom is also our tornado shelter) and getting ready for a day at the races with one of our lovely clients. We were ever so hopeful that the storms would subside by the time we were done molding our hair and painting our faces in an attempt to look like real ladies instead of barn rats! The sirens turned off just in time for us to get to Keeneland to spend an afternoon watching what our state is known for, courtesy of a lovely boarder here at CEO. Our fun week continued into Rolex where I learned that in the future I am not allowed to bring any form of credit card. Aside from selling my soul for that cute pink crop and tan full seats, that I didn’t need, and pimping it out at 5mph on the Range Rover course, I managed to catch everyone’s dressage and xc rides. A competition filled with a very impressive bunch of both horses and riders, I left that weekend slightly obsessed with Coleen Rutledge’s mount Shiraz after watching them tackle the xc with fierce determination. That is one horse I would LOVE to gallop on!
The weekend following Rolex, Megan rode in some clinics with Jimmy Wofford and Robin Walker, so Andrea we lucky to be able to tag along and audit. Clinics are amazing, especially when the riders are working on some of the same things as you, because you get to see it and hear feedback about it and then correlate that to what you feel when riding yourself. After watching a full day of xc clinics on Sunday, Andrea and I were busting to go school ourselves, so Megan took us out with our own horses. Much to my surprise (mostly because the last time I schooled Molson at Flying Cross we had some issues of who exactly was in control), Molson was the best he has ever been and we had by far the best schooling to date! I don’t know if it was hanging out back at the trailer with Megan’s advance horse or what, but it was as if he grew up over night and decided we weren’t going to fight anymore, and he was just going to trust me completely. We schooled all the available training questions and some prelim jumps, and he did not think twice about any of the water and coffin routes. My little man is growing up!
This week is predicted to be a wet one which is no longer a shocker in these parts, but with a bunch of foals on the way, I’m sure we will be plenty busy while we give the ground some time to dry out to do our trot/gallop sets. Next week we are off to Ohio for Greater Dayton HT, and then it’s May Daze at the KHP! I am also excited because Megan has made me her assistant instructor, so I get to promote the pony fever in young impressionable children (while I become a parent’s worst nightmare because I have hooked them into a sport that is often associated with money pits…) That’s how we all got hooked, right?
