Become an Eventing Nation BloggerWhen Sara Kozumplik Murphy scorched the jump off at the $15,000 Ocala Horse Properties Eventing Prix International with Rubens D’Ysieux, her husband and show jumping coach Brian Murphy had to be along for the ride.
We’re all about spousal support here in the eventing world, and we think Brian just set the figurative bar even higher with his ringside antics. Go Brian!
Click here to catch up on all of EN’s coverage of the Eventing Prix Invitational.
We asked photographer extraordinaire Sherry Stewart to snap some photos from the Junior Training Rider division this weekend at Twin Rivers, and we’re pleased to bring you the latest edition of Who Jumped It Best? fresh from the West Coast.
We’ll close the poll at midnight on Thursday, so vote early! Take a look at these riders and pick your favorite for the best overall presentation over the fence. Best of luck to all of our contestants!
1. Claire Poch and Kirschblüte 3
Claure Poch and Kirschblüte 3. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
2. Lauren Kesecker and Magical Instinct
Lauren Kesecker and Magical Instinct. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
3. Faith Delessandro and Spurs and Stilettos
Faith Delassandro and Spurs and Stilettos. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
4. Shaelyn Steere and Zen
Shaelyn Steere and Zen. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
5. Kayla Bierman and Pikture This
Kayla Bierman and Pikture This. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
6. Zoe Fish O’Brien and Holding Up My World
Zoe Fish O’brien and Holding Up My World. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
7. Olivia Harmon and Concer
Olivia Harmon and Concer. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
We are absolutely loving this video from Ellie Leonard, who was on the scene at Twin Rivers Ranch over the weekend. Give us a little Chainsmokers/Coldplay and some artsy horse shots and we’re seriously set for life.
Trust us, you don’t want to miss this one! We promise it will be a good thing when you get this song stuck in your head.
Why SpectraVET?
Reliable. Effective. Affordable.
SpectraVET is committed to providing only the highest-quality products and services to our customers, and to educating the world in the science and art of laser therapy.
We design and manufacture the broadest range of clinically-proven veterinary therapeutic laser products, which are represented and supported worldwide by our network of specialist distributors and authorized service centers.
The calm before the storm at Red Hills. Photo via Lisa Barry on Instagram.
We’re getting excited for Red Hills to kick off this week, with competition beginning on Friday. As always, we’ll be bringing you the best coverage there is of #RHHT17, and just to get you pumped we’ve also got plenty of coverage from today’s Eventing Prix Invitational in Ocala. How’s that for an eventing junkie’s fix?
Events Opening This Week:
Longleaf Pine H.T. (NC, A-2), Sporting Day Farm Horse Trials (SC, A-3), Plantation Field April Horse Trials (PA, A-2), River Glen Spring H.T. (TN, A-3), Holly Hill Spring H.T. (LA, A-5)
Events Closing Today:
Carolina International CIC and Horse Trial (NC, A-2), Poplar Place Farm March H.T. (GA, A-3), Stable View Spring Horse Trials (SC, A-3)
News & Notes:
Area II is looking for an ICP LEVEL 3 coach for the 2017 NAJYRC Teams. Coach must be able to be at Rebecca Farms as a non-rider, coach approximately 3 days of training camp and ideally be present at VAHT where a lot of kids will be getting their qualifications. Coach will work closely with the Chef. This is a short term contract for the 2017 year. Compensation to be discussed with applicants, travel expenses paid. We are looking for a bright, motivated, positive individual to lead kids through one of the biggest competitions of their career. If you meet the ICP requirements and are interested please contact [email protected].
We love our amateur riders! One of this year’s USEA Worth The Trust Scholarship winners, Taylor Rieck has written her first blog about her endeavors so far in 2017. Stay tuned for more blogs from the Worth The Trust Scholarship winners. [Worth the Trust: Taylor Rieck]
Best of the blogs: Check out Lauren Sumner’s first blog from Aiken, where it’s a whole different level of horse culture. [First Impressions]
Tuesday Video:
Check out some scenes from last year’s Red Hills:
Tamie Smith and Glock Pullman. Photo by Ellie Leonard Photography.
Tamie Smith and Lucida LLC’s Glock Pullman were the only pair in the Advanced division at Twin Rivers to finish the weekend on their dressage score, putting together a flawless weekend in their Advanced debut to take home the win.
Show jumping proved to be quite influential today, with just two pairs turning in fault-free rounds: Tamie and Glock Pullman and Andrea Baxter with Indy 500. Rails and time penalties were prevalent for the remaining pairs, which resulted in one last shuffle for the top spots on the final leaderboard.
Leaders after two phases, Frankie Thieriot Stutes and Chatwin rode a clear round with five time penalties to drop into second place on a finishing score of 30.4, a very solid weekend for this pair in their fourth start at the Advanced or three-star level. Fun fact: Chatwin has yet to finish outside of the top three in two Advanced and two CIC3* events. Talk about consistency!
Moving up a spot with just one rail down are Hawley Bennett-Awad and Jollybo. Hawley and the 12-year-old British Sport Horse mare have been getting along quite well since beginning their partnership last summer, and this weekend will give them the final qualification needed per Canadian rules for their CCI4* debut in Kentucky. Hawley next heads east to finish her prep for the Big R with coach Buck Davidson.
“It was a super course, it was just a true jumper course, you have to be able to jump and turn and it rewarded the people who could,” Hawley said. “Jollybo was awesome on the flat, I was really happy with her. I thought she did a better test than two weekends ago (at Fresno). I had a good chat with the judge after to get some pointers for Rolex; she’s so obedient and quiet and I need to make her more flashy — I hope the atmosphere will help her in the ring in Kentucky. I want to be competitive when I go there, that’s the goal.”
“For cross country, my plan was to go and have a positive run, and she didn’t put a foot wrong. Today in show jumping, I was really pleased, we just had an unlucky rail. But we’re looking forward to three days with Silvio (Mazzoni) and a day with Susie (Hutchison) before heading out to Buck Davidson’s.”
James Alliston and RevitaVet Elijah. Photo by Ellie Leonard Photography.
Sitting in second overnight, James Alliston and RevitaVet Elijah unfortunately picked up eight jump penalties and some time to finish their weekend in fourth place. A final finishing score of 37.2 and another newly minted Advanced horse for the Alliston camp — and a win in the Intermediate for James with Happenstance — still makes for a very successful weekend for this pair.
Heather Morris and Charlie Tango. Photo by Ellie Leonard Photography.
Completing the top five in the Advanced are Heather Morris and Charlie Tango, who moved up one spot with two time penalties to finish on a 40.4. Heather moved The Team Express Group LLC’s Charlie Tango up to Advanced last spring and will be looking to build on his solid results as we look ahead to the rest of the spring season here on the West coast.
James Alliston and Happenstance. Photo by Ellie Leonard Photography.
And in the Intermediate division, as mentioned earlier it was James Alliston and Happenstance who took home the blue on a final score of 27.6. Mary McKee’s Holsteiner gelding laid down a fault-free round to move up to take the win after holding second place overnight. Overnight leaders Derek di Grazia and Ringwood Justice added a single rail to their score for second place overall on a score of 28.8.
Emilee Libby capped off a great weekend with Linda Libby’s Jakobi, an 8-year-old Belgian Warmblood who just stepped up to this level last fall. Jakobi has been solid since moving up, finishing in the top five in three out of four starts at the level.
The season out here continues in full swing and we look ahead to Copper Meadows and Galway Downs coming up later this month. Keep refreshing this post for photos from today, and stay tuned for a Twin Rivers edition of Who Jumped It Best?
Twin Rivers Winter H.T. [Website] [Scores]
Please enjoy this gallery from Ellie Leonard Photography from the Advanced and Intermediate show jumping:
It’s time for another montage compilation from RNS Video, who was stationed at the water complex at Rocking Horse this weekend while the Intermediate pairs came through. We love watching these videos to really see how each pair approaches the question and how the horses answer.
Which pair do you think rode this question the best? Post your vote in the comments!
Rocking Horse Winter III H.T. [Website] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]
We are delighted to host Sally Cousins as an EN guest blogger, as she shares her wealth of knowledge with us in the form of training tips. We hope these nuggets of information can be integrated directly into your program at home and can influence the way you ride and train your horses. Be sure to check out both the Sally Cousins Eventing website and keep up with her on Facebook.
Sally Cousins and Abecca GS. Photo by Jenni Autry.
It is important to have a plan for a jump school before you get on to ride. This may involve moving jumps before you start or arranging to have someone there to set jumps while you ride.
Except for cross country schooling, I have two different types of schools that I do: one focuses on the horse’s technique, and the other focuses on exercises designed to help with the horses education.
Most of my horses jump at least once a week. It keeps them from being silly when I do jump them; it also helps them crack their backs. I also try to keep the number of jumps per school to a minimum.
In some schools, I work on angled jumps, bending lines or related distances. The last school before an event I prefer to be about technique. If the last phase your horse did at his last event was cross country, chances are you will need to have a quieter school to get the horse round and settled again.
Sometimes if I have had a problem at an event, the following school will work on fixing whatever went wrong. If the horse had stopped on cross country or struggled through the triple in show jumping, I would school that specifically, hopefully within the week following the event. That gives me an idea of how big a problem I have and an idea of how long it will take to fix it.
Unless you get to jump a lot or compete regularly, most schools will be a combination of both of these types. If I have introduced something new, I will try to finish the school on something the horse finds relatively easy so he goes back to the barn in a good frame of mind.
The younger horses will need more educational type work, and the experienced upper-level horses may just need light schools to keep them sharp. Each horse is different, and our jobs as riders and trainers is to find what works best for our horse.
Welcome to EN's West Coast Wonders! We'll be spotlighting horses and riders who are making a splash on the West Coast. We continue our series with Canadian up-and-comer Leah Breakey, who is currently competing at the Advanced level with Master King II. Do you have a horse and/or rider that you'd like to see on West Coast Wonders? Tip me at [email protected].
Leah Breakey and Master King II at Galway Downs. Photo by Rachel Waters.
Eventing has become a lifestyle for the Breakey family. It hasn’t always been this way; sisters Leah and Megann started doing Pony Club, which eventually led to a complete lifestyle overhaul for mom and dad, who are former schoolteachers turned horse enthusiasts in their hometown in Alberta. Now, it’s 24-year-old Leah who has taken the reins on some talented horses to put herself on the map as a Canadian name who frequents the West Coast throughout the season.
Both Leah and her older sister Megann evented extensively when they were younger, and eventually Megann chose to go to school to be a vet tech rather than continue her competition career. The sisters now share responsibilities running the family horse business that consists of breeding, breaking, training and competing horses, with Megann focusing more on the breeding and starting stages and Leah concentrating on training and competition.
Competing at the upper levels wasn’t the initial goal for Leah, who initially began eventing because it seemed like a sport she would enjoy. “I wasn’t really planning on doing anything upper level,” Leah recalled. “In Alberta, the big thing then was to go Prelim. I think growing up there were two people going Prelim, so that was a big deal.”
Leah Breakey and Master Plan. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
The Master Plan
From the goal of going Prelim came the idea to purchase a horse for Leah to gain experience on, and thus an Oldenburg gelding named Master Plan came into the picture.
“He was just the horse that you wish you had gotten earlier,” Leah said. “He was such a packer, and he was the type who would just carry me around if I froze or made a mistake. I was always told he wouldn’t move up the levels, and he was a bit older when he started, but we just decided to try Intermediate, and then a two-star and then Advanced, and he just never said no.”
Master Plan, or “Mickey”, became the horse who really launched Leah’s eventing career, giving her miles through her first FEI events and eventually reaching the CIC3* level — he finished in the top 15 at Rebecca Farm and the top three at Copper Meadows in 2014 at the age of 17. “We always wonder, if we had gotten him earlier, if he’d been able to go four-star,” Leah mused.
Mickey went on to compete at the Preliminary level with Cynthia Wright and Jordan Good before retiring to Northern California.
Leah and Master King II. Photo by Jessica Kerschbaumer.
Many the miles
Basing in Alberta is not easy for an aspiring upper level eventer. Without many options above the Preliminary level, Leah knew she needed to follow her dreams south to pursue other opportunities. She started out working for Canadian Olympian Sandra Donnelly and followed that up with some time with James Atkinson and Taren Hoffos.
“I think that’s the biggest thing you can do if you’re able,” Leah said. “To be able to be immersed in it and learn the ins and outs of managing the horses and competing has really given me a lot to work with.”
Leah also traveled to the East coast in 2015, working for Clayton Fredericks for the 2016 season with her younger horse, Master King II, who was purchased from Daisy Trayford in 2014.
“The intent was to have a horse coming up behind Mickey,” Leah said. “We bought Master King from Daisy Trayford sight unseen; my sister had worked for Daisy when she was in England and so we knew her and trusted her. I took him to his first event out here at Training level and have just been steadily moving up with him since then.”
During Leah’s time with Clayton, she moved Master King up to the Advanced level, coining her second horse at the level and gaining experience along the way.
Master King II at Galway Downs. Photo by Megann Breakey Photography.
Master King II
Now 11, the Irish Sport Horse gelding has completed two Advanced events, most recently coming second at Fresno County Horse Park last month. Leah and “Beau” also picked up a top-15 finish in the CCI2* at Galway Downs last fall to cap off a successful season primarily at the Intermediate and two-star level.
This year, Leah has her eye on the CIC3* at Rebecca Farm, which is only an eight hour drive from her home base in Alberta. “It’s always a goal to go and watch or go and compete at Rebecca because it’s one of the closer events to us,” Leah said.
Leah has spent the beginning of the 2017 season based in Ramona, Ca. at Copper Meadows, working with Taren Hoffos, Hawley Bennett-Awad and Robin Garrett. She’ll head back north to Alberta once her early California season completes at Twin Rivers in April.
What about long term plans for her latest Advanced horse? “I do have my eye a little bit on the World Equestrian Games next year,” Leah said. “But it’s not the end all, be all thing for me. If I have the horse at the time, then I’ll give it a shot. But I’ve pushed too hard for certain things before and I’ve had to go back and fix confidence in myself and my horses and fix problems because I pushed too fast. So if I never make a team, that’s okay but if I have the horse then I’d like to go for it.”
Leah Breakley and Master Plan. Photo by Chesna Klimek.
Master Key Eventing
Building a competition career based around the three “Master” horses: Master Plan, Master King II and an up and coming talent Master Class, a big 8-year-old Canadian Warmblood gelding competing at the Preliminary level this year, Leah has created the moniker Master Key Eventing with which to brand herself and her family’s business.
It’s a well thought out plan, with Megann handling the breeding, mom and dad managing the acreage and day to day routine and Leah riding and competing the horses as they come out of the farm.
“I think we’d all like to see the business grow to the point where we’re breeding horses and bringing them up through the levels with the intent to sell them,” Leah said. “Sort of a self-sustaining model. We’re lucky enough to have a place to do everything, and having Spruce Meadows and Anderson Ranch close is great for working on those parts of the sport.”
Photo via Master Key Eventing on Instagram.
Leaving the comfort zone
Leah is no stranger to working hard and making her way using the tools she’s been given, and the work has paid off in spades with talented horses and a blossoming career at a young age. But she’s quick to acknowledge the support of her family and all of the coaches she has worked with through the years.
“It’s great to see Alberta and British Columbia producing some really good young riders now,” she said. “You really have to be willing to push outside of where you’re comfortable to reach your goals. The events in Alberta are great, but you have to travel to go to the upper levels, so you just have to have a good plan for how you’re going to reach those goals.”
“For me, I stay about six months at a time in California before heading back home where I need to continue to work and earn money,” she continued. “But I’m very fortunate to have a place to go when I’m home, and I’m able to structure my season so that I can make the most of both seasons.”
Looking back on her career, Leah still credits Master Plan for really giving her the push she needed to pursue her dreams. “He really ended up being my horse o a lifetime,” she said. “He just loved it and never stopped, and he gave me a place where I wanted to go further than I ever thought.”
Frankie Thieriot Stutes and Chatwin. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Overnight leaders Frankie Thieriot Stutes and Chatwin stormed around James Atkinson’s cross country course at Twin Rivers this afternoon to remain in first position heading into show jumping tomorrow. Frankie and her cousin Elizabeth’s Chatwin added no jump and no time penalties to his dressage score of 25.4, which isn’t quite enough to have a rail in hand over James Alliston and RevitaVet Elijah, who moved into second position on the wings of a double clear run themselves.
“Today was so much fun!” Frankie commented. “The footing was amazing and I am so lucky to ride this horse. He truly is incredible. Twin has made many great improvements and I think it was a really good course for early on in the season with enough hard questions.”
James Alliston and RevitaVet Elijah. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
James Alliston and RevitaVet Elijah will also take their dressage score of 28.2 to the final phase of competition in the horse’s Advanced debut, and it’s a tight race between this pair and Tamie Smith with Glock Pullman, who edged into third on a fast and clear cross country for a two phase score of 28.5.
Tamie Smith and Glock Pullman. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Glock Pullman is a newer ride of Tamie’s, an 11-year-old gelding formerly campaigned by Brazil’s Rafael Losano (who now rides Tamie’s former mount Twizted Syster) through the Advanced level. Tamie and Glock Pullman are coming off of a win in the CIC2* at Fresno last month and seem to really be forming a solid partnership right off the bat.
Hawley Bennett-Awad and Jollybo also enjoyed a clear cross country trip that picked up 4.8 time to slot them into fourth place overnight, followed by Amber Levine and Carry On, who are making their first start together since winning the CCI3* at Galway Downs last November. Amber and Carry On picked up the only other double clear run of the division outside of the top three.
Just two rails separate the top five as we look to show jumping, so it will be an exciting conclusion to the first Advanced of the new California season!
Derek di Grazia and Ringwood Justice. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
In the Open Intermediate, our dressage winners also held onto their lead as Derek di Grazia and Ringwood Justice stormed around to turn in one of three double clear cross country rounds.
James Alliston and Happenstance. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Both Derek and James Alliston aboard Happenstance will remain on their dressage scores but within less than a rail of each other for the grand finale tomorrow (Derek on a 24.8 and James on a 27.6).
Emilee Libby and Jakobi. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
James and Emilee Libby swapped positions following cross country, with Emilee picking up four time aboard Jakobi to take a third place score of 31.2 overnight.
Mackenna Shea and Landioso. Photo by Ellie Leonard Photography.
Mackenna Shea and Landioso, making their first start since finishing in the top 15 in the CCI3* at Fair Hill last fall, incurred 2.4 time for a two day score of 31.5 which will give them fourth position for tomorrow.
Sandra Donnelly and Belshazzar complete the top five in the Intermediate on a two day score of 33.0. Belshazzar, a 14-year-old Canadian Warmblood, is Sandra’s ticket back to the upper FEI levels of the sport for the first time since her 2008 Olympic mount, Buenos Aires. Sandra has produced Belshazzar through the levels with consistent results, and we’re thrilled to see her bringing another horse along.
The lower levels will complete cross country and stadium tomorrow while the upper levels show jump, so stay tuned for the exciting conclusion from the West Coast (aka the Best Coast!)
Twin Rivers Winter H.T. [Website] [Ride Times/Live Scores]
Many thanks to Ellie Leonard Photography and Sherry Stewart for these awesome photos from the action today:
Screenshot via The Horse Pesterer on YouTube.
Hannah Sue Burnett and Ms. Jacqueline Mars’ RF Demeter made their competition debut this week at Rocking Horse Winter III, finishing third in the Open Preliminary one-day division with just a bit of time added to their winning dressage score of 25.4.
Thanks to our good friend The Horse Pesterer, you can see Hannah Sue and RF Demeter’s dressage and show jumping rounds right here on EN. If these rounds are any indication, it looks like we’re in for a treat as we follow this new partnership this year.
Frankie Thieriot Stutes and Chatwin. Photo by Jenni Autry.
The West Coast is officially beginning their Advanced season this weekend in Paso Robles at Twin Rivers, and 14 pairs are tackling the Advanced division.
Copious amounts of rain have plagued California all up and down the coast this season, making preparations for the spring season difficult. These eventers have adapted and overcome, however, and we saw some really competitive dressage scores from the judges yesterday.
Frankie Thieriot Stutes and Chatwin will be your Advanced leaders heading into today’s cross country on a score of 25.4. This will be the 9-year-old German Warmblood gelding’s first full season at Advanced, having spent the majority of 2016 at the Intermediate and two-star level. Frankie spent a lot of time working on dressage with Chatwin last year, and their efforts are certainly paying off this weekend.
Hawley Bennett and Jollybo. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
In second are Canada’s Hawley Bennett-Awad and Jollybo, who have set their sights on Rolex next month. This will be Jollybo’s first Advanced run of the season, a pipe opener to stretch the legs and have a bit of fun. Hawley and Jollybo are really beginning to get to know each other on the flat, and a consistent test earned them a 26.5 from the judges in the sandbox.
Rounding out the top three in the Advanced are James Alliston and RevitaVet Elijah, an 8-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by James who is making his debut at the level this weekend. RevitaVet Elijah finished his 2016 season with a third place finish in the CCI2* at Galway Downs after a solid season at the level with multiple wins and top finishes.
Looking to the Open Intermediate division, man of many hats Derek di Grazia currently holds the lead following dressage with Ringwood Justice on a score of 24.8. A 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Ringwood Justice has been produced extensively by Derek from the lower levels and capped off last season with a top five finish in the Open Intermediate at Fresno County Horse Park.
Emilee Libby and an exciting new talent, Jakobi, will take second place into cross country on a dressage score of 27.2. Jakobi is an 8-year-old Belgian Warmblood owned by Emilee and Linda Libby who moved up to Intermediate last fall. In three starts at the level, Jakobi finished in the top eight without fail. Keep an eye on this pair as the season progresses.
And in third in the Open Intermediate are James Alliston and Happenstance, who you may remember as a horse formerly campaigned by Matt Brown. The 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Mary McKee earned a 27.6 in his first start since 2015.
Cross country will run for the upper levels and some of the lower levels this afternoon, followed by stadium on Sunday. We’ll be bringing you much more from Paso Robles, so stay tuned and best of luck to all competitors!
Twin Rivers Winter H.T. [Website] [Ride Times/Live Scores]
Chris Burton and Nobilis 18, winners of the 2016 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. Photo by Nico Morgan.
We all know Chris Burton as an all-around ninja who rides cross country faster than The Flash and wins four-stars in his sleep on catch rides. He’s been dubbed The Speed King by EquiRatings, and the numbers speak for themselves.
Thanks to friend of EN Danielle Surrett, who participated in a clinic this past weekend with Chris, we got to know the speedster a bit more as he took a few moments to answer our burning questions. Many thanks to Danielle for reporting and to Chris for taking the time to speak with us.
EN: What inspired you to become an event rider?
Chris: “Australia had some success in the ’90s, and we won the gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and again in 2002 at Barcelona. And of course it was very exciting for me as a child to see that people were winning gold medals riding horses, which I already loved doing. That’s what got me into it.”
EN: Do you have any superstitions or rituals for competition?
Chris: “I can’t say I’m superstitious, but more when I’m nervous I madly polish my boots. I like to polish my boots as the last thing I do, and then I get my whites on and hop on. When I’m really nervous you’ll catch me sort of frantically polishing boots.”
EN: Can you tell us about your Adelaide win on TS Jamaimo? How did it feel to win a four-star on a catch ride?
Chris: “That was an amazing story. It was incredible. I had a phone call from Wilhelm Enzinger, who had broken his leg falling off a horse. He asked, given that I was an A category rider, would I be interested in riding the horse? And I said sure. My wife and I looked the horse up and saw that he was a very good jumper and said why not? So I booked a ticket, flew down to Adelaide and jumped on him and just unbelievably we connected really quickly and won the four-star. That was really fun.”
EN: What event horse, past or present, would you like to take a spin on?
Chris: “The thing about Michael Jung’s horses and his horse La Biosthetique Sam FBW is that he’s just incredibly well ridden and trained. He’s very sound, and they tell me that he was a difficult youngster but many people have difficult youngsters. I think that is really one of the most amazing horses of all time.
“I’ve had some superstars as well, and I wish I could have them again. I had a black Thoroughbred called Newsprint that was just incredible in every phase, and I’d give my left arm to have him again. There are many, many good horses.”
EN: What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Chris: “One of the most fond memories I have is winning Aachen on Holstein Park Leilani. It was really magical because it was to be her last event. I’d convinced the owners and I said, ‘Look, she didn’t go very well at Badminton. I think she can go better. Can we keep her another few months and do Aachen?’
“It rained and she did the best test of her life. She was never naturally talented on the flat and she did an amazing test. She was always a little bit of work in the show jumping; her heart was in the right place but it was easy to have one or two down, and again she jumped an amazing round. Everything went to perfection.
“And on the cross country, it rained. It was wet and they were all struggling to make the time. She was unbelievable. That will, no question, be the most fond memory for the rest of my career.”
EN: What advice would you give to an aspiring eventer?
Chris: “I believe in tenacity. Don’t give up. Stick with it. If you are tenacious, you will have success come your way. Continue to believe in yourself and continue to work hard. Any top rider in the sport of eventing will have a lot of knocks along the way. It’s those who just keep with it that end up having success.”
Michael Jung and fischerRocana FST. Photo by Jenni Autry.
It’s that time of year again: Rolex Kentucky entries officially open today! We can’t wait to get this year’s edition of the Best Weekend All Year going, and we’ll be bringing you entry list updates, Rolex Rookies profiles, and much, much more.
We’ve already reported that Michael Jung will be returning to Kentucky this year with fischerRocana FST as well as fischerTakinou — will there be a Michael Jung three-peat or will he be dethroned by an American?
We have also dug through the numbers to find out exactly who is qualified for North America’s only CCI4*, and you can catch up on those qualifications here.
As always, we’re proud to bring you the latest and greatest in all things Rolex related, so keep it locked right here on EN as we bring you the best from Lexington. If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, you can find them here. See you in April!
Photo by Sally Spickard.
We continue to get rain soaked here in Southern California. I think we’re all hoping the end is in sight for one of the highest amounts of rainfall the area has seen in a long time. I will say, though, that I have never heard of California being this green before! So there is at least some beauty among all of the mud. At least that’s what I’m telling myself!
Events Opening This Week:
Ocala International 3-Day Festival of Eventing Presented by Brian Cox Farm Team (FL, A-3), Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event (KY, A-8), FENCE H.T. (SC, A-3), Fair Hill International H.T. (MD, A-2), Twin Rivers CCI,CIC & H.T. (CA, A-6), Exmoor Eventing YEH & FEH presented by Fernhill Sport Horses (FL, A-3)
Events Closing Today:
Exmoor Horse Trials (FL, A-3), Pine Top Spring H.T. (GA, A-3), MeadowCreek Park – The Spring Social Event (TX, A-5), Copper Meadows Winter H.T. (CA, A-6)
News & Notes:
Horse Sport Ireland, the Governing Body for Equestrian Sport in Ireland, has announced that Sally Corscadden has been appointed Senior High Performance Director (incorporating the role of Chef d’Equipe) of the Irish Eventing team. Sally has more than 25 years experience as a medal-winning Eventing rider and coach. She was a member of Ireland’s Bronze medal winning team at the 1993 European Championships and has served as High Performance Manager of the Irish Young Rider teams which have won a Gold, two Silver and two Bronze medals at European Championship level from 2011 to 2015. [Sally Corscadden Appointed Senior HP Director for Ireland]
Tracie Robinson, dressage coach to Team Great Britain, will be teaching a clinic at Stable View in Aiken on March 7 and 8. For more information on riding or auditing, please visit Stable View Farm.
If you’re in Ocala on Monday or Tuesday, auditors are welcome at the Canadian High Performance clinic with jumping genius George Morris and dressage master Christilot Boylen at Wentworth Farm. Top names like Jessica Phoenix, Selena O’Hanlon, Kyle Carter, Colleen Loach, Lesley Grant-Law, Lisa Marie Fergusson, Diana Burnett, Jessica Payne and Tik Maynard will be riding. The clinic runs 8:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m. both days at 10690 NW 125th S., Reddick, FL 32686.
Tuesday Video:
Check out the West Coast’s first Advanced winners of 2017, Robyn Fisher and Betawave at Fresno County Horse Park last weekend:
The Equestrian Canada Elite Eventing Squad: Colleen Loach, Hawley Bennett-Awad, Jessica Phoenix, Selena O’Hanlon and Rebecca Howard.
Equestrian Canada has announced their 2017 Eventing High Performance Squad, which includes an Eventing Elite and Eventing National Squad. These classifications are defined as:
Elite: Intended for rider and horse combinations with proven form at the CCI/CIC 3* and CCI 4* levels who are capable of being competitive at the Olympic level.
National: Created for athlete and horse combinations with proven form at the CCI 2*, CCI/CIC 3* and/or CCI 4* level who are capable of being competitive at the major games level, including the FEI World Equestrian Games.
The 2017 Elite Squad is as follows:
Hawley Bennett-Awad / Aldergrove, BC (currently residing in Temecula, CA)
Rebecca Howard / Salmon Arm, BC (currently residing in Wiltshire, GBR)
Colleen Loach / Sherbrooke, QC (currently residing in Anthony, FL)
Selena O’Hanlon / Kingston, ON
Jessica Phoenix / Cannington, ON
The 2017 National Squad is as follows:
Peter Barry / Dunham, QC
Kyle Carter / Calgary, AB (currently residing in Sparr, FL)
Rachel McDonough / Etobicoke, ON
Kathryn Robinson / Kettering, GBR
Karl Slezak / Tottenham, ON
Waylon Roberts / Port Perry, ON (currently residing in West Grove, PA)
Michael Winter / Cirencester, GB
“The 2017 Eventing High Performance Squad includes strong representation of experienced and developing athletes and horses,” said Dr. Rob Stevenson, Chair of the EC Eventing High Performance Advisory Group in a press release.
“Though many are focused upon the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, some athletes and horses will be looking a bit further to Tokyo 2020. Congratulations to these athletes. We aspire towards a program that others will want to join, from the grassroots to the highest level. We plan to have a program that will support their ambitions. As well, we appreciate the horse owners for their continued commitment to these athletes.”
Tredstep Ireland rider Elisa Wallace brought her fan favorite mustang mare, Hwin, out to stretch her legs at Training level last weekend at Rocking Horse Winter II. Elisa and Hwin finished 11th in their Open Training division for their first competition together of 2017.
Elisa previously moved Hwin up to the Preliminary level last year but has decided to let Hwin play at Training level this spring while she is busy preparing for a trip to Badminton with Simply Priceless.
Enjoy this look between the ears!
Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan. Photo by LT/Hoofclix.com.
The leaderboards had a shuffle once again on the final day at Pine Top, and the Open Intermediate divisions crowned Jessica Schultz and Ariel Grald as the eventual winners following cross country today.
Jessica and her own Lock N’Load were the only double clear cross country trip of the Open Intermediate A division, giving them the win after first and second placed Allison Springer and Jan Byyny incurred penalties. Jessica finishes her weekend on a final score of 34.6 with just one rail added to her dressage score.
Ariel Grald moved up into second place with a quick run that picked up just 1.2 time penalties aboard Monbeg Nola. This is Monbeg Nola’s highest Intermediate placing to date, and Ariel will be thrilled with a successful weekend.
Ashley MacVaugh and Latino H’s fast cross country was also rewarded with a move up, from sixth into third on a final score of 39.5. Latino H is a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Susanne Richey and recently imported after competing through the two-star level with Great Britain’s Andrew Downes. This weekend was the gelding’s second U.S. start with Ashley in the irons.
Moving on to the B division, Ariel Grald had her day with Leamore Master Plan, taking home the blue ribbon thanks to a cross country run that produced two time penalties for a final score of 36.4. Ariel has produced this Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Anne Eldridge from the Novice level and this weekend marks their first win at the Intermediate level.
Katie Lichten and RF Luminati. Photo by LT/Hoofclix.com.
Overnight leaders Boyd Martin and Steady Eddie ended their weekend in second place with a handful of time added to their dressage score for a final of 38.0. Jenny Caras and Fernhill Fortitude were hot on Boyd’s heels, ending in third on a 38.6.
The Jr./YR and Rider Intermediate divisions also saw some changes, and Katie Lichten with RF Luminati and Erin Risso with Kinard Battina picking up the wins. The cross country rode well for these divisions with just a scattering of issues spread throughout. Time was the major factor shuffling the leaderboards as many pairs were likely not pressing hard for the time early in the season.
Congratulations to all on a safe and successful weekend! Click here to catch up on our Pine Top coverage from the weekend.
Pine Top: Website, Entries, Ride Times, Live Scores, Instagram, Twitter, EN’s Coverage
Allison Springer and Lord Willing. Photo by ED/Hoofclix.com.
While the FEI divisions wrapped up in a whirlwind yesterday, the horse trial divisions continued competition today, with the Intermediate divisions completing show jumping. As we look ahead to cross country tomorrow, it will be Allison Springer and Boyd Martin’s game to lose in the two Open Intermediate divisions.
Allison sits atop the Open Intermediate A division with Lord Willing, a 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by The Lord Willing Syndicate. Allison handily won the dressage with a 27, the only score in the 20s in the division, and added no penalties in show jumping today to hold that lead over second placed Jan Byyny and Inmidair.
Lord Willing spent the majority of the 2016 season racking up competitive results at the Preliminary level, including a third place finish in the Preliminary Horse division at the Nutrena American Eventing Championships. This will be the gelding’s fourth start at the Intermediate/two-star level.
We’re thrilled to see Inmidair, who is 18 this year, back out competing this year for the first time since 2014, when he was withdrawn from the U.S. World Equestrian Games squad. Jan and “JR” stepped out at the Preliminary level earlier this month at Pine Top, finishing in ninth.
Jessica Shultz and Lock N’Load, a 15-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, are holding down third place in the A division on a two-phase score of 34.6 with one rail down in the show jumping. This pair began their 2017 season with a fifth place finish in the Intermediate at Rocking Horse last month. They also finished in the top 20 in the CCI2* at the Ocala Jockey Club last fall.
Looking to the Open Intermediate B division, Boyd Martin currently sits pretty in the first and second positions aboard sale horse Steady Eddie and Welcome Shadow, respectively. The board shuffled quite a bit in this division, with clear rounds propelling Boyd up from sixth and fourth place.
Jenny Caras and Fernhill Fortitude hold third place heading into cross country on a score of 34.2 with one rail down. Just three pairs in the B division produced double clear rounds: Boyd and Steady Eddie, Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan, and Sarah Kuhn and Sevenoaks 2.
Charles Campbell and Shannondale Nimbus. Photo by ED/Hoofclix.com
Pine Top is also running Jr./YR and Rider Intermediate divisions, and it will be Sydney Solomon and Early Review C leading the YR division and Charles Campbell with Shannondale Nimbus (please let that be a Harry Potter reference…) leading the Rider division.
We’ve got much more action to come tomorrow with cross country, so stay tuned right here on EN for the latest!
Pine Top: Website, Entries, Ride Times, Live Scores, Instagram, Twitter, EN’s Coverage
Um, can we say #goals? For real, if I thought my horse would keep it together long enough for me to go to Starbucks, I really do think my life would be complete. And then my Starbucks tab would increase exponentially. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea…
Events Opening This Week:
CDCTA Spring H.T. (VA, A-2), Pine Hill Spring H.T. (TX, A-5), The Event Derby & Clinics at Fresno County Horse Park (CA, A-6), The Fork CIC3*/CIC2*/CIC1* & HT (NC, A-2), Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (GA, A-3), Spring Bay H.T. (KY, A-8), St. Johns H.T. (AZ, A-10)
Events Closing Today:
Southern Pines H.T. (NC, A-2), Red Hills International Horse Trials & Trade Fair (FL, A-3), Full Gallop Farm March II H.T. (SC, A-3)
News & Notes:
The USEA Young Horse Symposium is currently underway in Ocala, and there is a lot to learn when it comes to handling and educating young event horses. Chris Ryan was the featured headliner of yesterday’s Future Event Horse seminar, and the USEA has a great recap on the day here.
If you’re one of our UK readers, you definitely want to check out Elite Horse Owners’ Ambition Open Day in Devon this coming Saturday, February 25. Featuring a guest appearance by Mary King and EHO rider Tim Cheffings, the event will spotlight the Ambition syndicate for potential owners. [Ambition Open Day]
The 2017 FEI Sports Forum will be held April 10-11 in Switzerland, where jumping, eventing and endurance experts will discuss key topics pertaining to equestrian sport. The eventing sessions will feature David O’Connor and Giuseppe Della Chiesa and their thoughts on risk management. The sessions will be streamed live on inside.fei.org as well. [Inside FEI]
Tuesday Video:
Boyd Martin posted video updates on two of his top horses, his WEG 2014 mount Shamwari 4, owned by the Shamwari 4 Syndicate, and his Rio Olympic partner Blackfoot Mystery, owned by the Blackfoot Mystery Syndicate.
Neither horse has competed since 2016, when Shamwari finished 12th at Rolex Kentucky and Blackfoot Mystery finished 16th individually in Rio.
Get an update on what Boyd’s plans are for the coming year for these two heavy hitters. We can’t wait to see more from both Shamwari and “Big Red”! Need more Boyd in your life? Check out the Windurra USA Fan Club.
It’s time for another edition of Who Jumped It Best? featuring some Intermediate combinations from Rocking Horse Winter II this weekend. Thanks to our favorite friendly neighborhood wearer of hats, photographer JJ Sillman, we have a selection of action shots to present for your votes. You know the drill, vote for the pair who presents the best overall picture.
Rocking Horse Winter II H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]
Lee Camiolo and Caharron V.E. Photo by JJ Sillman.
Charlotte Collier and Clifford M. Photo by JJ Sillman,
Cornelia Dorr and Louis M. Photo by JJ Sillman.
Cosby Green and Takine de la Barbais. Photo by JJ Sillman.
Lizzy Jahnke and Lanzz. Photo by JJ Sillman.
Joe Meyer and Fashion Forward. Photo by JJ Sillman.
Daniela Moguel and Cecelia. Photo by JJ Sillman.
RNS Video is back at it with a great montage from the first Advanced of the Ocala season. Check out the Advanced pairs as they tackled the water complex at Rocking Horse yesterday.
In case you missed our report on the Advanced and Intermediate divisions this weekend, click on over here to catch up.
Thanks to RNS for capturing great videos for all of us to enjoy! Visit RNS Video’s website to order videos of your own rides and be sure to subscribe to their YouTube channel and find them on Facebook.
Rocking Horse Winter II H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]
What’s in Your Ring? is an EN series sponsored by Attwood Equestrian Surfaces in which riders share their favorite jumping exercises. It’s easy to get stuck in a training rut, and we hope this will inspire you with fresh ideas that you can take home and incorporate into your own programs.
Hawley Bennett-Awad and Bikini Martini DF demonstrate a tricky angle with Buck Davidson. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Buck Davidson visited Southern California in January for a much anticipated two-day clinic at the beautiful Copper Meadows Eventing facility in Ramona. The weather has been soggy here on the West coast of late, so much so that it made preparation for the clinic nearly impossible.
Thankfully, the Copper Meadows crew was hard at work preparing the footing for Buck, and riders were able to enjoy a brief reprieve from the rain on perfect footing. It was a great way to get a tune up for the upcoming season, and Buck was definitely up to the task.
On the first day of the clinic, Buck set up an intriguing series of angled lines criss-crossing the middle of the jump arena. As we scurried about to get the course set the night before, most of us were scratching our heads wondering exactly what Buck had up his sleeve.
“Surely he doesn’t intend to make us all jump those angles?” we wondered aloud. Well, that was definitely his intent, even for the lower level horses and riders.
The distance should be walked as one stride middle to middle at an angle.
Buck’s angled lines consisted of a four-fence question spaced at three, one and two strides. On the opposite diagonal, the angles were set at three strides. Buck varied the obstacles with verticals and square oxers so that the line could be jumped from either direction.
To begin, Buck put the fences down to crossrails, even for the upper-level horses, so as to introduce the exercise in a non-threatening manner. Buck pointed out that he’d rather have the horses make mistakes when it was easy to correct, so he had riders just trot through the lines, letting their horses peek if they needed to.
From there, Buck raised fences incrementally as the horses progressed. Because of the varying distances between each fence, the riders needed to focus on both accuracy and impulsion in order to make the striding work. If a horse came off of the line or lost impulsion coming in, the entire line was sacrificed or the rider was left to try to over correct.
The really interesting thing about these angles, as tough as they looked at first glance, was that the horses that were going Beginner Novice and the horses who were Advanced horses all got something out of it. I didn’t see any horses or riders who were overfaced, even with the technicality of the exercise.
Instead, Buck broke it down so that it was doable right from the beginning and was patient if anyone had trouble. He is a big believer in setting both horse and rider up for success, and it showed in his patient and encouraging teaching.
The idea of positioning your horse exactly where he needs to be to simplify what you’re asking of him was paramount throughout the clinic. Being aware of your aids — not telling your horse to go in a crooked line and then pulling them off of that line in an attempt to achieve straightness, for example — can help you more effectively communicate with your horse.
In all, the clinic was very educational and it was a privilege to see Buck in his teaching element. I think I can speak for all of the auditors and riders when I say that we all learned a lot and were lucky to have the opportunity to learn from one of the best in the sport. The fun thing about the angles is that they may look intimidating but they are totally doable, so definitely try it at home!
