As I mentioned in my news and notes this morning, the North American Badminton horses fly out today on their quest for Badminton greatness. The Good Witch and Gin ‘N Juice are flying out of LAX in Los Angeles this afternoon. They will land in Amsterdam Thursday morning, spend a day layover to recover from the flight, and then head to England. Hawley and Ginny will be staying at Jackie Green’s farm and I believe The Good Witch will be at Mark’s farm.
Ballynoecastle, Port Authority, Mandiba, and Colombo are schedule to fly out of Atlanta to Amsterdam today as well. Steph will have more details on their travel plans in a guest blog for us later today.
All of the horses will head over to the Badminton grounds on Tuesday, hopefully happy and well rested from their travels. Traveling abroad to competitions is an experience for horses and riders that can’t be taught. Being part of a huge event combined with the stresses of travel, jet lag, and everything else can definitely have an effect on how someone rides and only experience can teach the riders how to deal with that. This trip to Badminton will help everyone to prepare for hopefully a trip back to England next summer. Go eventing.
Bonjour Eventing Nation! And that is officially the only French I know, which is why I bought the world famous guide to French, French for Dummies, and the world famous guide to world famous guides to French, French for Idiots. I’ll enjoy reading those two books on my flight tonight and then it will be one week in Europe of wearing everything I own with an American flag on it…that is when I’m not wearing my pink gorilla suit. Do they let you ride horses in pink gorilla suits in Europe? I packed a green one just in case.
I’m not the only one traveling today; all six Badminton-bound North American horses fly to Europe. Port Authority, Mandiba, Reggie*, and Colombo are flying out of Atlanta, and Gin ‘N Juice and The Good Witch are flying out of California. We’ll have an update on their travel plans later but until then here are a few eventing news and notes…
–I never got around to writing a lengthy Fork recap, but one main point I was thinking about is the great performance by the younger US riders. Aside from Boyd and Karen, our up and coming riders dominated the top 5 of both the CIC3* and the advanced. It’s also worth pointing out that three pairs that we sent to Boekelo placed in the top 8 of those divisions, which I think supports proponents of such trips.
–In her Monday post, Annie wrote about injured British jockey Peter Toole who suffered brain trauma in a recent fall. Fortunately the Horse and Hound is reporting that Peter continues to improve and doctors are working to bring him permanently out of a medically-induced coma. [Horse and Hound]
–Surefire Horse Trials is hosting the inaugural J.C. Chester Intermediate Challenge to honor “Chips” Chester who was a big supporter of Jan and Surefire. The challenge involved $10,000 in prize money for the Intermediate divisions at this June’s 8th annual Surefire Horse Trials. The money will be distributed in suitcases of small bills. [USEA]
–We will be live blogging all 4 days from Rolex, and we have some cool partnerships lined up that that we will be announcing sometime soon, which for me means sometime between now and Rolex Thursday.
–Cavalor is hosting several fun giveaways this month on their Facebook page. Click here to check the contests out and be sure to ‘like’ Cavalor because it will bring you much EN Karma and make me feel slightly better when I am arrested for wearing a gorilla suit on the Eiffel Tower. [Here]
–The only good news is that I’m not flying Southwest. As the story goes, Leslie Law’s Southwest plane had to make an emergency landing due to engine failure before The Fork. And this was on the same day that Southwest was on the news for part of another plan ripping off mid-flight.
–I’ll turn the rest of the news and notes over to the capable hands of Lucinda Green:
–Here is a quick Lucinda clinic video. Don’t worry, the German narrator lets Lucinda start talking at 3:43. It is as of yet unclear why they made Lucinda hold a small black animal by its head while she was talking.
That’s all for now. Be sure to click on the Horse Quencher banner below to enter to win cool prizes and get a free sample from our friends at Horse Quencher. Unfortunately I think ‘Salud’ is Spanish. I’ll be around throughout the day until my flight leaves, and, as always, wherever you might be, thanks for making Eventing Nation part of your day.
The Rolex order of go has been posted on the Rolex website. Allison Springer drew the first spot on Thursday with Arthur, followed by James Alliston and Parker, and then all of the other two horse riders. The current entry number stands at 55.
No introduction necessary Eventing Nation. Just 6:58 minutes of CIC3* deliciousness to get us that much closer to the end of work. Speaking of 6:58 minutes, the only tiny complaint I heard all weekend about the course is that it was a touch short for the last run before a 4* (the optimum was around 6:20). Other than that, Mark’s course rode brilliantly this weekend.
Good morning Eventing Nation! This week feels like the calm before the storm of Badminton and Rolex. Nonetheless, there are plenty of cool events this upcoming weekend, not the least of which is the Ocala CCI2* and CCI1* at the Florida Horse Park. The Florida Horse Park is one of the best facilities in the US because of the great folks who organize, volunteer, and ride there during competitions. The week is young, but I’m looking forward to a great weekend of eventing.
Now for your quick news and notes…
–‘Tis the week for mailing event horses around the world. As you read yesterday, Hamish’s horse, along with other Rolex horses, are shipping to Kentucky this week. The US and Canadian Badminton horses are shipping out of Atlanta and the northeast over the next couple of days and we’ll keep you posted on their progress.
–The US Badminton entries have shrunk from 6 to 3, with only Karen and Mandiba, Buck and Reggie, and Jennifer with The Good Witch remaining. I haven’t heard from Jennifer this week, but as of Sunday it was all-systems-go for Mandiba and Reggie after their great weekends at The Fork. Canada still has all three of it’s entrants set to go–Steph, Selena, and Hawley.
–If you didn’t see it over the weekend, the Rolex entry list is finalized with 56 horses. Now, the list will sadly only shrink, as a result of horses withdrawing. The Badminton entry list has shrunk by 10% since it was finalized and I would expect just over that for Rolex with horses going to Bamdinton and some not making the trip from Europe, but it all depends on soundness. [USEA Rolex Entry Photo Gallery]
–I’ll be taking a pseudo vacation for a week starting this Wednesday with a trip to EN’s European command center. By now, you all know the drill–I might not be posting as much, there will be more typos in my posts, and the news and notes will come at later hours of the night, but the EN Team will do a great job holding down the fort with your support.
–Sadly, I will not be on vacation long enough to make it to Badminton, but Samantha will be making it to Badminton for Eventing Nation. So we can start getting excited for her Badders coverage on her blog and EN starting just over a week from today. [Housekeeping on Samantha’s blog]
–We haven’t forgotten about the Riders4Helmets saddle pad photo contest. I’d expect to see a post with the finalists up for a vote to pick the winner in the next couple of days as soon as the chinchilla’s stop playing in the sun long enough to pick some finalists.
–Cross-country schooling is this Sunday at Masterson Station Park along with a jumper schooling show in Lexington, KY. You can re-ride your Spring Bay course if that didn’t go as planned. Masterson Station is a XC schooling staple in Lexington, KY, especially if you can’t make it to the KHP schoolings. Just don’t give anyone in orange jump suits a ride home in your trailer. [MSEDA]
Here’s video of the Spring Bay novice course via helmet cam. I have been keeping my eye on the Spring Bay, Pine Hill, and CDCTA websites for the results but so far I have only found Spring Bay’s.
I got a text from EN’s good friend and Canadian team rider Kyle Carter this morning that the beautiful Trista Carter was born this morning at 6:46am at 8 pounds 9 ounces. Jen and Trista are in good spirits, if a little tired. If you’ve been out and about eventing this spring in the south east, you have surely seen Jen walking around very pregnant and I’m glad to hear that everything went so well. Jen and Kyle have been friends of mine for almost as long as I have been eventing and there couldn’t be a nicer family in eventing. Congrats to the Carters!
The question I always ask new eventing parents is whether they want their kid to grow up and be an eventer. I joke in complete seriousness that my kids are going to play soccer and I won’t let them near a barn. The stress of eventing parents watching their kids gallop around cross-country is always 10 times worse than the nervousness that kid is feeling. I have no idea how eventing parents do it.
It’s a quiet day around the EN compound as everyone recovers from the weekend at The Fork and some of us recover from dismounting a motorbike going 15 miles an hour backwards Sunday afternoon. It’s ok, I cushioned my fall with my upper back and head. Go eventing.
The riders walking back after a great day of show jumping
Boyd Martin and Remington jumped a great clear show jumping round to move up for The Fork advanced horse trials and USEA Gold Cup event win. I have written about this many times before, but Remington has developed from a horse that I’m not sure anyone but Boyd could have gotten around an advanced course to one of the best horses in the US in just a few years. The one thing Remi has always had is a good work ethic and that’s one of the most important things, and now he will go to Rolex as one of the favorites. Andromaque pulled a rail to drop to third but she continues to develop as a great horse. Here are the results and a few quick notes:
Advanced Results:
1. Boyd Martin and Remington +0 33.7 2. Heather Morris and Slate River +0 35.9 3. Will Faudree and Andromaque +4 36.7 4. Will Coleman and Twizzel +0 40.4 5. Hannah Burnett and St. Barths +4 40.7
–Heather Morris and Slate River moved from first to fourth to second across the three phases and they have to be really confident looking ahead to Kentucky.
–There were 7 double-clears in the advanced, including EN’s Coren Morgan, and Kelly Pugh with Copycat Chloe. No one in the advanced finished on their dressage score, but Will Faudree was the closest with Andromaque.
–Allison and Arthur had a spooky moment when Arthur paused mid-round to look at something in the far corner of the arena. Arthur was assessed 4 for the pause and 4 for a rail. Allison had a solid weekend overall with both Arthur and Destination known finishing in the top 15.
That’s all for now as the mass exodus from The Fork continues. A few people with longer drives will hang around and make their trip tomorrow. I have always said that the land speed record is overrated but I am about to find out. Go eventing.
After the four riders ahead of her pulled a rail, Jennie entered the arena in the lead with one rail to spare at The Fork CIC3*. But, she didn’t need them and jumped a crystal clean ride aboard Nina Gardner’s Cambalda. Jennie showed her competitive drive and Cambalda’s talent with a winning performance in her first event back after breaking her collar bone earlier this spring. Jennie won with Ping last year at The Fork intermediate. Steph Rhodes-Bosch moved up to second with a doble-clear show jumping.
CIC3* Final Results:
1. Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda +0 45.9 2. Steph Rhodes-Bosch and Port Authority +0 49.9 3. Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen +4 51.3 4. Sinead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville +4 51.9 5. Karen O’Connor and Mandiba +4 53.1
–The CIC3* was definitely a jumping competition as the only two horses to finish on their dressage score finished in the top two places. Steph moved up 8 total places and 4 places today. Michael Pollard and Icarus moved up 21 places on the weekend adding just 4 show jumping penalties to their dressage score.
–The show jumping for the CIC3* and advanced has quite a few turns with two big rollback turns to airy verticals.
–There were 11 double-clears in the CIC3* show jumping, one more than the cross-country.
–A two-stride off of a bending line is causing quite a few rails and the first jump caused two stops in the CIC3*. Martha McDowell fell from Gaelic Marrigage at an in-and-out.
–Mandiba had a rail, but I don’t think I have ever seen him jump better than he did this weekend. I mentioned this at Red Hills, but don’t look now, I think he’s really starting to step up and run like a veteran horse. That’s good news for Karen as they head to Badminton in a few days.
–Jessica Phoenix had a great weekend, finishing two horses in the top 10 of the CIC3* and giving Canada a total of 3 horses in the top 10 and 4 in the top 11.
We’ll have much more from The Fork show jumping after the conclusion of the advanced. The coats are coming off as the sun starts to shine here in Norwood. Go eventing.
It’s show jumping time at The Fork. All 7 TVs in your house might be tuned to the tradition unlike any other, but your computer can be tuned to The Fork with live scores and Samantha’s twitter feed. CIC3* show jumping is starting just after 12 with advanced to follow. I’ll be along with results and a quick recap later this afternoon from Amen Corner. More importantly, we’ll have live coverage of the mudslide that will be getting 200 trailers loaded and out of the barns.
The Fork isn’t the only event going on this weekend of course, and an EN reader sent us this quick ‘view’ picture from Chattahoochee Hills Horse Trials in Georgia. I haven’t checked with the Chinchilla judges, but I’m assuming this meets our ‘view’ photo qualifications because it just shows the horse’s ears. —-
From Kat:
Good morning EN from Georgia! Snoopy and I are taking in the beautiful morning here at Chatt Hills by watching a little show jumping and catching up on news and notes from The Fork. It’s been a great weekend here for all, aside for the fact some of us forgot our sunscreen… Best of luck to all the riders here at Chatt Hills all the way to The Fork. Go sunny weather.
The jog for the CIC3* horses at The Fork was blustery, muddy, and uneventful. Overall, the horses looked really happy, which has to be attributed to the great footing yesterday. A few horses, such as Manoir De Carneville and Kenzo de la Roque (I swear I just spelled those without looking at an entry list) looked fresh and gave the Ground Jury a bit of a scare. Amazing Grace and Look Sweet were held but passed on represent. Rebecca Howard’s Riddle Master did not present at the jog, but from what we have heard from Rebecca it’s just a minor close nail issue and shouldn’t affect their Rolex entry.
Intermediate show jumping is running this morning along with preliminary cross-country. CIC3* show jumping is scheduled to start at high noon, in reverse order of placing. The advanced horse trials is tentatively scheduled to start at 2:17pm ET. The top of the leader boards are packed tightly so it should be an exciting conclusion to a great weekend.
[via SD] This beautiful photo narrowly edged out a picture of Uncle Mark playing washers (a game like cornhole except with washers) for the prestigious feature photo on our Sunday morning links post.
The weather that so kindly held off during the cross-country Saturday at The Fork let loose during the competitors party Saturday night. As the rain poured and wind howled, the party inside the tent was a great time to celebrate a fantastic day of cross-country. Fortunately the speeches were kept to a minimum, although Jim Cogdel did get up to give a very kind speech to thank us all for coming, which was amazing considering that we should all be thanking him for putting on such a great event, and particularity for making a venue with such great footing. Seriously, look at the photo–the grass is thick and just the right length and covers rich soil that is just the right consistency to run fast. All that’s left now is the jog and show jumping, but, before that, here are a few morning links…
The double-corners toward the end of the course were one of the most influential jumps today
Will Faudree and Andromaque were one of the last rides at The Fork on Saturday but they were also one of the best. Only Andromaque and Kendal Lehari’s Daily Edition made the time in the advanced, and Will’s mare moved up from 8th to 1st as a result. Boyd and Remington moved into second with 4.4 time penalties, and Arthur moved into 3rd with 5.6 time penalties. Kim Severson and Tipperary Liadhnan withdrew from the advanced because Kim had two falls on her intermediate rides this morning. Overnight leaders Heather Morris and Slate River had a strong ride with just 7.6 time penalties, and they are still within a rail of the lead.
Advanced HT Placings:
1. Will Faudree and Andromaque +0 32.7 2. Boyd Martin and Remington +4.4 33.7 3. Allison Springer and Arthur +5.6 34.9 4. Heather Morris and Slate River +7.6 35.9 5. Hannah Burnett and St. Barths +2.0 36.7
–28 of 38 starters in the advanced jumped around with a clean round, and there were 2 double-clears. Kendal Lehari moved up 22 places with her double-clear. There were 10 double-clears in the CIC3*, and 41 of 51 starters came home clear. Of the double-clear rides in the CIC3*, Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz moved up 14 places, Olivia Loiacono moved up 20 places, Susan Beebee and Prowler moved up 18, and Sally Cousins moved up 18 places as well.
–In a repeat from last year, Buck rode in an orange and blue helmet cover in honor of his grandmother. The colors looked great (I love the UVa colors) and, like last year at The Fork, Buck had a good day of jumping. Buck Davidson and Titanium had a good ride and look to be in good shape as one of the last entrants to Rolex.
–In an interesting moment towards the end of the advanced, the footing started to deteriorate at the trakehner at #9. Two horses had sticky jumps and officials wisely decided to pause for fence repair. After the course builders and designer Mark found that the footing was beyond repair, they decided to remove the advanced trakehner and the last few horses jumped the intermediate one next to it.
Switching Trakehners
–In another welcome move, the organizers decided to run the advanced horses at 2 minute intervals. As a result the horses finished around 4pm and we missed all of the rain that is predicted for this evening. The weather today was cloudy and blustery but, mercifully, it was dry.
–In the advanced, Lainey Ashker and Anthony Patch picked up a stop at the second corner by the water, Tiana Coudray had a run-out early on the course, Hollywood has the only run-out of the day at the narrow after the table following the first water, Colin Fraser fell at the last fence, and a number of other riders elected to retire after tough moments. There were just a few falls throughout the advanced divisions and none of them looked severe.
Caption contest anyone?
–Missy Ransehousen and Critical Decision had a steady but strong round. EN’s Coren Morgan and Ebb Tide had a great clear ride. Gryffindor looked to be on top form, and so did Bonner Carpenter’s Impecccable. It’s impossible to mention all of the great rides today and I’m not sure that I have ever seen so many quality rides in one day.
–Brian pointed out over the loud speakers that there were around 100 advanced horses that started the weekend at The Fork. I hadn’t counted, but I believe it. The footing, facilities, and course are all nearly perfect here so it’s no surprise that most of the advanced horses in the US use this event to set up their three-day.
–In the CIC3*, Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master were originally assessed a TE because of a start time confusion. The event was running behind for most of the division but apparently there was a confusion about the new start time and she went out of order. After a protest, the technical elimination was removed and Riddle Master is in 12th place going into the show jumping.
–The one update from the provisional results from the CIC3* are that Karen and Mandiba were assessed 1.2 time penalties, dropping them out of a tie with Sinead but still within a rail of the lead.
Results from the CCI3*:
1. Jennifer Brannigan and Cambalda +0 45.9 2. Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen +5.2 47.3 3. Sinead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville +0 47.9 4. Karen O’Connor and Mandiba +1.2 49.1 5. Jessica Phoenix and Exploring +0.8 49.8 6. Steph Rhodes-Bosch and Port Authority +0 49.9 [Link to full results above]
Both the advanced and CIC3* are very competitive going into the show jumping with 5 riders within a rail of the CIC3* lead and 4 riders within a rail in the advanced. We’ll be back with more later and of course a report from the jog in the morning. Until then, stay classy Eventing Nation.
Olivia Loiacono and Subway looked great through the double corners
Clark Montgomery picked up a few provisional time penalties and Jennie Brannigan took advantage of it with a beautiful double-clear to take the lead in the CIC3* at The Fork going into the show jumping. This was Loughan Glen’s first CIC3* and Clark should be extremely proud of his young horse. Clark understands that this horse has a big future ahead of him and they had an excellent steady ride. The scores are still being updated on the scoring page, but provisionally Brian announced Jennie in first, Clark in second, and Karen and Sinead tied for third.
–I have certainly been critical of courses designed by Mark Phillip in the past, but I have to say that Mark’s CIC3* course could not have ridden any better. There were a few scattered issues and light falls in the CIC3* division, but most of the horses had a great confidence building round before their spring three-day and just the right amount of horses made the time. Let’s hope the course is just as confidence building for the advanced horses.
–Karl Slezak fell from Kachemak Bay early on the course and his horse ran into the woods and back to the sunken road in the back of the property. The horse was eventually led back to the barn and both were fine.
–Lainey and Sinead partnered with Brian for the announcing via PRO and I have to say they did a great job. Sinead was joking when Karen was on course and yelled ‘slow dowwwwnn’ because they were tied after the dressage and Sinead had already been double-clear. Karen didn’t listen and was the 8th across the wire under the time, 4 seconds faster than Sinead.
–Rebecca Howard had a fantastic bold ride for the home team. Carl Bouckaert of Belgium looked great on Cyrano Z, as his home farm of Chattahoochee Hills is simultaneously hosting an event this weekend. Carl’s daughter and son-in-law, Michael and Nathalie Pollard are also competing here this weekend.
The temperature is falling, the wind is picking up, and rain is in the air as the advanced division gets underway. Here’s to more great riding and go eventing.
After a great morning of intermediate cross-country and prelim show jumping, the CIC3* and advanced divisions are running cross-country all afternoon at The Fork, with the advanced horse trials following the CIC3*. The weather is cool with cloud cover and rain predicted later this afternoon, which I only point out to make sure it doesn’t rain. CIC3* cross-country is scheduled to start at 12 with the advanced at 3:20pm and everything is supposed to wrap up around 5pm. Check out the live scores and Samantha’s Twitter below while your husband hogs the TV for the Masters…on CBS:
As a few quick notes from the morning’s intermediate action:
–Whether it was the course design or just great riding, there were a lot of excellent rides in the intermediate. The cheese wedge narrow at #5 caught some riders out early but other than that the intermediate course seemed to ride really well.
–My favorite moment from the morning was watching Jan Byyny gallop through the water jump and then Sharon White jump through just a few rides later. The best thing about eventing isn’t when things go fairy-tale perfect, but how eventers step up and respond to adversity. There aren’t two better examples of that anywhere in sports than Sharon and Jan.
–Kim had a tough morning with two falls in the intermediate, one at the trakehner and one at the skinny cheese wedge. Kim walked away from both but from chatting with her I doubt we will see her out with Tipperary Liadhnan this afternoon. She won the 2* last weekend and two falls this morning…that’s eventing.
–The volunteers have been absolutely amazing today, from helping with the fence judging to making sure the riders can cross the roads safely. Brian is doing a great job with the announcing and I always appreciate him keeping everyone updated on the rides. I also should give a shout-out to the folks at CatchRi.de for letting me use their electrical plug-in all weekend. We’ll have much more from The Fork later today.
They came close, but no one could quite catch Texan Heather Morris and Slate River’s Thursday dressage score of 28.3 on the second day of competition. Tipperary Liadhan put in a test that was good for most and ok for him to take second place. Boyd and Remi tied Allison and Tiana for 3rd.
Advanced Dressage Results:
1. Heather Morris and Slate River 28.3 2. Kim Severson and Tipperary Liadhnan 29.0 3T. Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister 29.3 3T. Boyd Martin and Remington 29.3 3T. Allison Springer and Arthur 29.3 6. Will Coleman and Twizzel 30.0 7. Emily Beshear an Here’s To You 32.0 8. Will Faudree and Andromaque 32.7
–There were big smiles today from riders like Kim and Phillip who are getting their top veteran horses like Tipperary Liadhnan and TruLuck out for their first major runs of the year here at The Fork. Both of those horses showed some rust in the dressage but they’ll be ready with their best stuff in a few weeks at Kentucky.
Missy Ransenhousen’s comeback with BG was recently featured in a Samantha interview
–I’d like to give big welcome back to eventing for Sharon White. Sharon is riding Rafferty’s Rules in the intermediate at The Fork this weekend. I saw Sharon this afternoon and she said that she was just really excited to be back eventing after a winter of dressage. Welcome back Sharon!
–Boyd Martin and Remington had bobbles through 2 changes but still put together a good enough test for 29.3 and a three-way tie for 3rd. The judge was forgiving for bobbles throughout the advanced division and it didn’t seem like the horses were hugely penalized for mistakes on one movement in the overall score, which I think is appropriate.
Lainey and Anthony Patch
–Former young rider CCI2* champions Kelly Pugh and Copycat Chloe are competing this weekend in the advanced. Their test had some tense moments but the horse showed off an extremely nice trot.
–Bonner Carpenter’s Impeccable, and Ashley MacVaugh’s Tactiek are two horses that I haven’t seen much of but really really impressed me today. EN readers already know how much I like Andromaque, and I thought Anthony Patch had a better test than he scored.
Will and Andromaque
I don’t know about you, but I’m glad we are done with the dressage and we can move on to the fun stuff tomorrow. The intermediate cross-country starts at 9am with the CIC3* scheduled to start at 11:45 and the advanced to follow that with the last ride out at 5:04pm. The preliminary divisions show jump on Saturday. Coren and Samantha will be along with more fun stuff from The Fork later and until then go eventing.
Sarah Cousins and Tsunami wrapped up a great Friday of CIC3* dressage
With so many great horses and riders in the CIC3* this morning, it is no surprise that the entire top 10 heading into Saturday rode on Friday. The young guns for the US really showed up and Tiana, Doug, Sinead, Jennie, and of course Clark all had fantastic tests.
CIC3* Dressage Results:
1. Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen 42.1 2. Jennie Brannigan and Cambaldo 45.9 3. Tiana Coudray and Master Hill 46.4 4. Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere 46.7 5. Karen O’Connor and Mandiba 47.9 6. SInead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville 47.9 7. Buck Davidson and Ballynoecastle 48.8
—Clark Montgomery’s test was absolutely lovely. I wondered if it would score as well as it did because the judges seem to have been favoring more quiet tests this week, but Loughan Glen was forward and flowed into all of his movements beautifully.
–As the early CIC3* horses were competing, the later riders were getting in their first (or second) rides of the day. I noticed that Buck was riding Ballynoecastle in his jumping saddle, and Kim was doing the same with Tipperary Liadhnan. Personally, I really like this approach rather than starting the day off with a deep seat on the horse’s back. If you can get things right in the morning with a jump saddle, it will all be easier later with the dressage saddle.
–Sinead started the low scores of Friday early this morning with a great ride on Manoir De Carneville. Jennie had some of the best changes of the day. Karen’s test looked very accurate and I think the atmosphere at Badminton will hopefully spice Mandiba up a bit for bigger gaits.
–Tiana Coudray showed that she has two horses that can bring it in the dressage and she sits in 3rd aboard the young Master Hill. Boyd Martin sits just behind them on his new French horse, Otis.
Katie Ruppel and Sir Donovan, who like me started her eventing career in Michigan:
–Running Order’s test was nice, and, as Doug said, it’s getting there. There is still a lot of upside remaining for when the horse gets more confirmed in his frame and transitions but there’s no doubt RO has a lot of talent.
The dressage now switches over to the advanced horse trials division for the afternoon and we’ll be back this evening with a full report from that and dressage videos if I can get my computer to make peace with Youtube. Until then, go eventing.
The Badminton cross-country preview video has been posted on Youtube and, as usual, the course looks amazing. The above video is 23 minutes long but if you are having a lazy Friday morning at work, it will get you that much closer to the end of work and therefore the barn this evening.
Now for some quick news and notes…
–Morning Update: What’s up with Corinne Ashton’s Dobbin [COTH]
–Samantha is doing an absolutely incredible job on her blog with rider interviews and other sights and sounds from The Fork. Samantha’s lengthier articles and interviews get posted on EN, but there’s much more coverage on her blog so be sure to check it out throughout the weekend for your daily behind the scenes Fork fix. Also, you can get a sneak peak at Clark Montgomery’s sunken road preview that will run on EN in a few hours. [www.SamanthaLClark.com]
–I want to give a big thanks to the course builders at The Fork for hosting a wonderful pig roast Thursday evening. Travers* and his team have built some of the most beautiful jumps in the world here at The Fork, but they know that the true way to the riders’ hearts is through our stomachs. The food was great and it was a fun time for all.
–The other 4 USEA events this weekend start up today and tomorrow. Chattahoochee Hills starts in Georgia, with Pine Hill in Texas, Spring Bay in Kentucky, and CDCTA in Virginia rounding out the weekend of eventing. [Chattahoochee 5* Live Scores]
–US orthopedic equine surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage has been awarded the 2010 ACVS Legends Award. Dr. Bramlage works out of the world famous Rood and Riddle equine hospital in Lexington. Rood and Riddle’s team of surgeons including Dr. Bramlage and Dr. Ruggles is the only team that I want working with my horses because I have been on the bad side of less than stellar veterinary hospital work. Congratulations to Dr. Bramlage and the folks at Rood and Riddle. [Horsetalk]
–On Thurdsay, the FEI has announced that the Blenheim horse trials (8-11 September 2011) will be hosting the London 2012 team Eventing qualifier for Africa, Middle East, South East Asia, and Oceania. Oceania means FEI Olympic Groups F and G, just don’t ask me what Groups F and G mean. [British Eventing]
That’s all for now. We have a busy day planned from The Fork, as you might imagine so stay tuned throughout the day. As always, wherever you might be, thanks for making Eventing Nation part of your day. Go eventing.
Heather Morris and Slate River “Ro” of Texas stepped their game up to take the advanced lead going into Friday’s dressage. Ro put in the best test I have seen from him, and every time I see the horse I am impressed by his size and athleticism. Heather rode a very correct test
Like the morning’s CIC3* dressage, no one really seized control of the advanced division at The Fork. Names like Arthur, Twizzel, and St. Barths finished the day towards the top of the division but tension seemed to prevent each of them from dipping into the low 20’s. Each of those horses had some lovely moments during the warm up and then seemed to take a slight step back in the arena.
Thursday advanced scores:
1. Heather Morris and Slate River 28.3 2T. Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister 29.3 2T. Allison Springer and Arthur 29.3 4. Will Coleman and Twizzel 30.0 5. Hannah Burnett and St. Barths 34.7
–This was just my second time watching Ringwood Magister “Fin” in person on the flat. He is an unbelievably beautiful horse and, as someone standing next to me pointed out, he definitely looks the part of winning an international medal when Tiana keeps him relaxed. I also had the pleasure to meet Tiana’s mother, who was a lovely lady and just as nice as Tiana.
–I forgot to mention this earlier, but I think every single rider in the CIC3* wore their helmet. Of course, all of the advanced riders wore helmets. I’ll be interested to see how many riders choose to wear their top hats at Rolex because top hats are officially uncommon at FEI competitions.
–You might remember that Mighty Nice is a Fernhill horse from Samantha’s post yesterday and he impressed the heck out of me today. After winning the CIC2* at Red Hills, Mighty nice looked every bit an advanced horse today in the dressage.
–EN’s Coren Morgan and Ebb Tide had a lovely test with some really nice changes. Call me biased (which I am), but I would have given her better than a 40.7. Coren’s fellow Kansas native, Julie Wolfert also put in an excellent test.
–Mark and David were out coaching the US and Canadians respectively all day.
–Several other horse trials divisions also ran today. Susan Beebee and Wolf lead the Prelim-A with an impressive 21.3. Laura Vello and Fanciful Mist are winning the Prelim-B on a 26. Kadi Eykamp leads the Intermediate-B and Kim Severson is winning the Intermediate-A on Fantasy Impromptu.
That’s all for now. Samantha will have some great video interviews later, and I’ll be back in the morning with news and notes and another big day from The Fork. For now it’s off to the pig roast hosted by the course builders and if the food is half as good as the course then we are in for a real treat. Dressage resumes in the morning at 8:30. Go eventing.
As a quick good news update, Kyle Carter and Madison Park are recovering quickly from their tumble at Red Hills a few weeks ago. Parker is back in work and feeling great. Kyle, as you can see, is still on the mend, but Jen told me that he had a good check up with the surgeon Tuesday and his broken wrist is healing really well. Kyle should be back in the saddle soon and one of Canada’s top pairs will be back in action before we know it. Go eventing.
After a beautiful morning of dressage at The Fork, Canadian Jessica Phoenix and Exponential lead the CIC3* horses with 6 to go after lunch. Exponential was feisty when I saw Jessica riding him with David yesterday, but she did a great job keeping him calm and riding a very accurate test. There was no one in the morning rides that just looked incredible and the scores reflect that. Kelly Prather and Ballinakill Glory had an excellent test. The environment here at The Fork is a lot calmer than dressage at Rolex, but it seems like Ballinakill Glory has come a long way in the dressage. The athletic mare Absolute Liberty had an excellent test with Buck for third.
Update: Phillip Dutton and Isabella took the CIC3* lead with a lovely test after the lunch break. They will lead the CIC3* going into Friday.
Thursday CIC3* Dressage Scores
1. Phillip and Isabella 51.3 2. Jessica Phoenix and Exponential 51.6 3. Kelly Prather and Ballinakill Glory 51.9 4. Buck Davidson and Absolute Liberty 52.2
After the 6 more CIC3* rides, the main ring will switch over to the advanced division for the afternoon. Dressage in the CIC3* will resume in the morning. There are 53 horses in the CIC3* and 44 in the advanced. Go eventing.
Live scores are up and running from The Fork. Check them out along with the newly posted ride times at the links below. I’ll be along around lunch time with an update on the morning rides and scroll down for photos of the XC from Samantha.
As a note that I forgot to mention in the morning post, the closed forum with David, Leslie, the Eligible Athletes Committee, and the High Performance riders is scheduled for 5:30pm tonight. The meeting is not open to the media, or long list, so we are pretty much at the mercy of the USEF in letting everyone know about the meeting.
