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Sally Spickard

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About Sally Spickard

Sally Spickard is a Korean adoptee living in San Diego, California. Sally joined the Eventing Nation team in 2013 and has subsequently written for Noelle Floyd, Heels Down Mag, and other publications both in and out of the equestrian world. Sally is an eventing fan through and through and enjoys telling the stories of riders who are not well-represented within equestrian media.

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Foal to Five-Star: Gemma Tattersall Seals Chedington Bicton CCI5* Win on Chilli Knight

By on Sep 5, 2021 12:51 pm -

Piggy March (L), Gemma Tattersall (M) and Pippa Funnell (R) celebrate on the Bicton CCI5* podium. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

There isn’t much to see as far as dry eyes are concerned on this very British morning as we watched a small but mighty field of 18 come forward to contest the final phase of the “pop-up” Chedington Bicton Park CCI5* in Devon. The storylines from any event are also rich, and this weekend is no different as Gemma Tattersall will collect her very first five-star win on a horse with famous lineage that she bred and has produced herself in the 11-year-old Chilli Knight (Chilli Morning – Kings Gem).

11 weeks was the timeline for pulling off this enormous feat, which was brought about after the iconic Badminton and Burghley CCI5* events — such fixtures on the global and British eventing calendars — were canceled for the second consecutive year. In the end, a field of 34 would travel to the southwestern part of the country to take on an event virtually unknown in its tests, save for a CCI4*-L that some of these riders came to earlier this spring.

And test it certainly did, with a smart track built by Captain Mark Phillips yesterday and a dizzying, rolling show jumping track designed by Paul Connor this morning. The terrain here has been all anyone could talk about for the week, what with its mountainous hills and long pulls, and yesterday certainly turned out to be a proper endurance test with an 11 minute, 16 second optimum time. With a 61% completion rating, the field was thinned down to 19 and would lose one more starter this morning after Michael Owen withdrew Bradeley Law overnight.

Gemma Tattersall and Chilli Knight. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

A small field it may have been, but a weak one it was anything but — and the show jumping proved influential once more as just five riders managed to produce double clear efforts. In the end, it truly came down to the finish with not one pole separating the top three. And after overnight leaders and 2019 Badminton winners Piggy French and Vanir Kamira rattled and lowered two rails, it would be Gemma Tattersall who would finally, on her 24th attempt, snatch that much-coveted five-star win.

It was a special match that brought Chilli Knight — or “Alfie”, as he’s known at home — to Gemma. She competed his mother, King’s Gem through the now-five-star level (King’s Gem was also campaigned as a young horse by Mary King). Gemma also competed Alfie’s full sister, Chilli’s Gem, until 2019. In his own right, Chilli Knight has always been what Gemma classifies as a “yes man”, his up-for-anything attitude apparent from the very get-go. It’s made him quite a joy to produce then, and isn’t it always the most rewarding to see the hard work you have put in yourself come to fruition in such a way? Breeding — even with such a star-studded match such as this one, as we all know the CV of 2015 Badminton winner Chilli Morning — is always a calculated risk, and not every match made in heaven produces a winner. But this one certainly did.

It’s been Gemma who’s seen Alfie grow into his own. He’s come up the ranks consistently, incurring just one penalty on cross country in 29 FEI competitions and collecting top-10 placings in seven-, eight- and nine-year-old young horse championships. He’s also well-practiced in the show jumping ring, having done a good bit during the light competition year in 2020. And that practice certainly paid off today, though he kept us all on our toes as he slunk over each fence with cat-like efficiency. He would go on to leave them all up and would subsequently be the sole horse in the field to finish on his dressage mark, ending the weekend on a 27.9. This was just Alfie’s first CCI5* completion and his second attempt — he was withdrawn from the second horse inspection at Pau in his debut in 2019. He was bred and is owned by Chris Stone, whose Tattleton Stud has been Gemma’s home base for over a decade, making this an extra-special result for all involved.

Gemma Tattersall and Chilli Knight. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

“I felt the pressure anyway, obviously,” Gemma said in the final press conference. “And, you know, all I thought of was ‘I’m at Hickstead’, which is one of my favorite places to go and ride and jump. And I’m so used to jumping in those grass arenas in the main ring and ring to, and I literally just pretended, shut my eyes and I thought ‘No, I’m just I’m just going to go in and do what I do day in day out on so many different horses and go and jump play around’. That’s what I did.”

The process of producing any event horse, but especially one who is to be successful at the top levels, is one we all know requires an entire host of people — and Gemma is quick to thank her team for the efforts in sticking by her and believing in the program. “My family [has been a support system] from when I was a tiny girl all the way through,” she said. “And my team at home work endlessly hard. My absolute nutter boyfriend, Gary [who ended the press conference with a proposal, to boot!]. And just everyone, everyone. It’s just such a team thing. You know, it’s not just me and Alfie. It’s everyone behind the scenes that makes it happen. And Charlotte, my head girl has just done the most incredible job looking after Alfie this week. We all know what it takes to get a horse to five-star. It’s, you know, it’s quite a headache! Just thank you to my team. And finally, I’ve managed to get us the five-star win!”

Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

Rails fell all throughout the morning after the first to see, Angus Smales and ESI Pheonix lulled us into a false sense of security with a seemingly easy double clear round. It would take quite a few horses a bit of braille to get through the track, but entering in third place it would be Pippa Funnell and the 12-year-old Anglo-European gelding Billy Walk On (Billy Mexico – Shannon Line, by Golden Bash) — who delivered an absolute class round yesterday with just a smidge of time that Pippa said she couldn’t care less about on account of the ride he gave her — to lay down a faultless effort to turn up the pressure. She would eventually finish second, once again a horse that has been partnered with his rider since day one (Billy Walk On is a product of the very successful Billy Stud breeding program that Pippa is involved in along with her husband, William and Donal Barnewell) on a score of 28.7. Billy Walk On is owned by Barbara and Nicholas Walkinshaw.

Pippa used to ride Billy Walk On’s full sister, Billy Shannon, who was on the list for the London Olympics in 2012 but was sadly lost to leukemia in 2013. “This was the brother, so it’s very special having [him]…I’ve had him right from the word ‘go’, and as Gemma says it takes many years, a lot of emotions, a lot of love building up that partnership. I have a small team at home, and they’ve done an exceptional job. Emily (Gibson) here has really done the horses justice and and I’m incredibly grateful to my backup team and very, very elated with the way the horses have gone.”

Piggy March, who said afterward that while she knew her competitive side would go in and give it her all, she oddly felt no pressure as the overnight leader with Trevor Dickens’ Vanir Kamira (Camiro de Haar Z x Fair Caledonian, by Dixi). “Tillybean” wouldn’t necessarily be the world’s greatest show jumper, but she can typically be counted on to leave the majority of the rails up. She couldn’t afford to have one down today, and she needed two to get around to wind up in third on a three-day score of 33.9 — but Piggy, always pragmatic, went straight to congratulate her friend on her first win after her round and says she’s just as thrilled to watch Gemma have her day.

Piggy March and Vanir Kamira. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

“She’s 16 and she owes me, Trevor Dickens, our whole team — she owes us nothing,” Piggy said of Vanir Kamira. “She’s a horse of all heart. She gave me her whole heart, guts, mind, everything to give me a Badminton win, which is probably the best day ever of my life. And I’m just trying to enjoy a wonderful little horse and all the good things about her and help her as much as I can.”

“I’m really proud and I know how Gemma feels,” Piggy continued. “We all work so unbelievably hard. And they are just the days that someone looks down and says, ‘You know what, today is your day’. And do you know what? It’s totally 100 percent meant to be Gemma’s day and she totally deserves it.”

This would be the very first all-female CCI5* podium in Great Britain in 18 years — thanks to Nicole Brown of EquiRatings and this weekend’s H&C+/Elite Eventing broadcast for that fun fact! — and indeed it’s a female-driven top five as both Ros Canter with Pencos Crown Jewel (42.7) as well as Pippa Funnell with Majas Hope (46.6) would also finish top-class weekends.

And let’s talk a bit more about the incredible depth Great Britain continues to flex on the global eventing community. The British have now won each five-star held in 2021. While, yes, we’re missing a good handful of British five-stars due to cancelations over the last two seasons, if you flip back through the results dating back to 2017 it’s quite mind-boggling to see the sheer British domination. Take a look at the list of five-stars British riders have won in that period:

2017 Burghley – Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class
2018 Kentucky – Oliver Townend and Cooley Master Class
2019 Kentucky – Oliver Townend and Cooley Master Class
2019 Badminton – Piggy French and Vanir Kamira
2019 Burghley – Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street
2019 Pau – Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser
2020 Pau – Laura Collett and London 52
2021 Kentucky – Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class
2021 Luhmuhlen – Mollie Summerland and Charly van ter Heiden
2021 Chedington Bicton – Gemma Tattersall and Chilli Knight

Oh, and in between, the Brits also won their first Olympic eventing gold medal since 1972 in Tokyo earlier this summer.

Suffice it to say, as we look ahead to the FEI Eventing European Championships in Switzerland in just under three weeks’ time, the world power of eventing is decidedly British.

I will close this report out with a few words about the team at Bicton, which as I mentioned early and as Tilly has talked in more detail about this week had just 11 weeks to pull this first-ever one-off (maybe?) five-star event. The team at Bicton is led by Helen West, who has also just taken the reins as CEO of British Eventing, and Event Director Andrew Fell, who already were up to the sizable task of pulling off a CCI4*-L to replace the abandoned Bramham International earlier this year. Once that event was done and dusted and the opportunity to swoop in to save the British Eventing season again presented itself, Helen found herself thinking, ‘why not?’.

“At the point somebody mentioned it to me, I think it was just the night before we were about to run the four-star,” Helen said ruefully. “By which point my nerves were literally shot. And the thought of running a five-star — I would have run to the hills. So at that exact second I thought, ‘let’s just wait to see how we get through the rest of this week’. And then following the success of that, I thought, ‘actually, you know what, we have such an amazing team here. We could do it.’ And the rest is history.”

It was a massive effort pulled off by all involved — “I think there’s so much the team,” Helen added. “Everyone just really stepped up and it made such a difference.” — and the riders were all highly complimentary of the event throughout the weekend. While we sorely hope that the legendary British fixtures Badminton and Burghley will return again next year, we wouldn’t be upset to see Bicton return to a permanent state on the calendar. Will it? Only time will tell, but in the meantime it’s been great fun following a British five-star, and as we kick off for an incredible full slate of eventing to finish out 2021, we tip our caps to all who made this weekend possible.

If you want to catch up on all of the Bicton action, your pay-per-view pass from H&C+ and Elite Eventing will give you access to the full event replay for 90 days and trust me, it’s well worth the purchase (proceeds from which went to supplement the prize fund and further develop the sport). You can grab a pass to watch here.

Until next time! Go Eventing.

Chedington Bicton CCI5*: Website, Schedule, Entries & Info, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram

Day Five at #AEC2021: We Are the Champions

By on Sep 4, 2021 8:00 pm -

Eventing Nation’s coverage of the 2021 USEA American Eventing Championships is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products. We want to share the joy of eventing this week, so we invite you to nominate an AEC rider for our “Kentucky Performance of the Week” contest, happening now in partnership with Kentucky Performance Products. Learn more here.

We are winding down to the end of an epic week in the Kentucky Bluegrass, and the Saturday action meant wrapping up the Novice divisions and watching a ton of Beginner Novice cross country. Yesterday, the Modified, Training and Advanced divisions crowned their champions (you can catch up on day four here), and tomorrow we’ll see the Beginner Novice riders finish out their weekend in the grand Rolex stadium.

Let’s check in on the Novice champions as well as social media from around Kentucky Horse Park:

The following excerpts have been pulled from press releases — to read more coverage on #AEC2021 from the USEA, click here.

Novice Rider: Jane Musselman and Bentley’s Best

The Novice Rider division kicked off competition in the Rolex Stadium today as 50 horse-and-rider combinations prepared to contest Bobby Murphy’s track.
Local mom and full-time horse-woman Jane Musselman rode Bentley’s Best to the head of the winner’s circle after having produced two flawless jumping days and finishing on only her dressage score of 24.2.

“This was only my fourth event with him ever, so I feel lucky that we even qualified,” Musselman described of the 14-year-old Trakehner gelding (Hirtentanz 2 x Hauptstutbuch Baronesse XIII). “It’s incredible even just to be here and so to have the win is just icing on the cake.

“I was lucky enough to grow up in this area, so I have competed at the horse park before many years ago doing Pony Club but to win here is pretty special,” she finished.

Junior Novice: Mia Brown Takes the Crown for California

Making their multi-day trip all the way from San Leandro, California proved well worth it for junior competitor Mia Brown and her 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Delatio x Stella HW) Duke HW. The duo headed into the iconic Rolex Stadium as the final pair in the Junior Novice division after leading the pack for the entirety of their event. Refusing to be overthrown, Brown confidently took her partner over each obstacle and emerged victorious once again.

“I am so happy we made the trip,” Brown gushed. “I’m so over the moon to be here, it was the most fun experience. The horse park is beautiful, and it was special to be able to come all the way here and compete because my family is from here. I’ve always wanted to ride at the Kentucky Horse Park, and it seemed like the right time to do it.”

“It still hasn’t really sunk in that I just competed in the Rolex Stadium,” she admitted. “It has been a bit overwhelming but ultimately I think Duke really enjoyed the big atmosphere.”

Novice Master Amateur: Mary Millhiser and My Boy Tex Inspire Us All

At 67 years old, Mary Millhiser’s victory in the Novice Master Amateur division with her partner, My Boy Tex, is lifelong in the making. Millhiser sat in the fourth-place position with the 15-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Noble Houston x Take It to the Gold) after the dressage and cross-country phase of competition on a score of 27.4. However, the pair shone during the final day of competition in the show jumping element and jumped clear to ultimately don the tricolor champion ribbon.

“This has beyond exceeded all of my expectations,” she emphasized. “I never dreamed I would even be in the lineup, much less leading the charge. I am thrilled and amazed beyond words, it’s just incredibly meaningful.”

Millhiser has been a life-long horsewomen since the age of 10 years old. She competed in various hunters and fox hunting events throughout her childhood and younger years. After an 11-year-long hiatus, she moved to the Richmond, Virginia area and decided to pursue fox hunting and eventing since the year 1986.

“I just want to give a shout out to all of us that are still out here doing this at a slightly more advanced age,” Millhiser added. “Just keep on keeping on and don’t let age be a determining factor in what you think you can do because I feel like I am at the peak of my riding career.”

Junior Novice 15 and Under: Margaret Frost and Euro Star Leave an Impression

Some of the future stars of the sport had their debut in the Rolex Stadium in the Novice Junior 15 and Under division. Fifteen-year-old Margaret Frost and her 12-year-old Warmblood gelding Euro Star (Qredo Van De Kempenhoeve x Panama) rose to the occasion one final time to produce the lowest-score outcome and seal the deal on their champion ribbon.

“This win feels really great because we haven’t been together that long,” Frost stated. “We went into this as a team, and we just did our best together; that’s all I could’ve hoped for.”

The gelding was previously a ride for Claire Howard who took him to the North American Youth Championships prior to Frost purchasing him in March. The pair have already had a good amount of success since.

“We did a Novice at Chattahoochee Hills this year and he ended up winning that, then we did some Training levels which have been great learning experiences,” she continued. “We keep each other on our toes, and I think it will be great to just see how far we can go together.”

Novice Horse: Chloe Smyth and Byzantine SC Come Out on Top

At the very final phase of the Novice Horse division, young professional Chloe Smyth took over from the overnight leader to claim the champion honors aboard Michelle Cameron Donaldson’s Byzantine SC. Smyth has not ridden the 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Breitling since competing at Rebecca Farm in July, but this event was one she and owner Donaldson had set their sights on for quite a while. The long trip from the West Coast proved worth the venture as the pair put in their final flawless round and claimed the top spot with 28.3.

“Today was a bit of a catch ride for me since I have not been on him in a few months,” Smyth explained, “but his owner has been doing a lot of dressage shows on him, so he felt very nice and relaxed. I wasn’t sure how he would do with so much atmosphere, but he was surprisingly good.”

The win was not expected by Smyth who shared that the gelding has only been eventing for the past year and a half following a career as a vaulting horse.
“I did not expect this of him, but I did think the AEC would be very fun at this venue and his owner was very positive about coming as well,” she said. “He has all of the right parts and talent, and we know he can jump well he just needs to keep getting braver with experience.”

Novice Amateur: Cecilia Emilsson and Blazing Angel Take the Blue

Wrapping up competition in the Rolex Stadium on Saturday, 53 entries in the Novice Amateur division completed their final phase in the show jumping competition. Despite adding 1.2 time faults today to her overnight score Cecilia Emilsson maintained a several-point lead over the next closest competitor to take the win aboard Blazing Angel.

Emilsson says the partnership between her and the 8-year-old Thoroughbred mare (Firecard x Angliana) was a total twist of fate but meant to be.
“I was planning to move to Dubai for work and put horses on the back-burner but then my trainer found me this mare and I was very confident she was going to be mine,” Emilsson laughed. “I had never seen her go, even the day we went to pick her up after I had already bought her we couldn’t even trot her because the weather was so bad, but I trusted my trainer and we put her on the trailer.”

As for her success with the mare, Emilsson admits she has been a project but with incredible potential.

“We have done a lot of bodywork to get her where she is today, but she is amazing,” she exclaimed. “She has a fantastic mind and is brave, keen, and ready to fight for you.”

Beginner Novice Takes to Cross Country

The mark of a good course designer (at least, one mark among many) is an ability to test riders without overfacing them or putting them in danger. At the lower levels, this can be a challenge because of the relative inexperience of some horses and riders. Derek di Grazia’s Beginner Novice track was designed in a way that it would be labeled a proper championship track, but it still served the purpose of the level. We know Derek’s got a penchant for using the undulation of the ground to further test riders and add another layer of technicality to a seemingly innocuous question. By cleverly placing fences in busy areas, using the ground to test a rider’s balance and ability to use their position to stabilize themselves, the Beginner Novice riders had a fair but testing challenge on their plate today.

You can read more about today’s Beginner Novice action in our report here — and I did a few live updates for some of these riders here.

Your Beginner Novice leaders following cross country are:

USEA Beginner Novice Amateur Championship: Cami Pease and Vibrant (24.8)
USEA Beginner Novice Horse Championship: Kristine Burgess and Marisol (25.5)
USEA Beginner Novice Jr. 14 and Under Championship: Laura Voorheis and Hillcrest Hop (27.1)
USEA Beginner Novice Jr.Championship: Erin Buckner and Picassi (18.5)
USEA Beginner Novice Master Amateur Championship: Penny Welsch and Mr. Poppers (25.1)
USEA Beginner Novice Rider Championship: Susan Goodman and Cinna (26.8)

Come back tomorrow for the big finale from #AEC2021! Go Eventing.

#AEC2021: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Live Stream, Program, Live Stream, Course Maps, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram

#AEC2021 Beginner Novice Cross Country Live Updates

By on Sep 4, 2021 11:43 am -

Eventing Nation’s coverage of the 2021 USEA American Eventing Championships is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products. We want to share the joy of eventing this week, so we invite you to nominate an AEC rider for our “Kentucky Performance of the Week” contest, happening now in partnership with Kentucky Performance Products. Learn more here.

We’re getting toward the end of #AEC2021, but we’ve still got loads of cross country to watch today as the Beginner Novice pairs take to Derek di Grazia’s track, which winds through many areas that the five-star track also touches. It’s a huge dream for a lot of riders to make it to American Eventing Championships, and as I’m fresh off doing five-star updates from Bicton I thought I’d pop on and do a little bit of Beginner Novice for you!

You can tune in to the free live stream here to follow along, and scores for the BN Rider division can be found here. Let’s get this party started!

#AEC2021: Website, Schedule, Stabling, Ride Times, Live Scores, Live Stream, Program, Live Stream, Course Maps, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram

2:19 p.m. ET: Well it’s been fun, everyone but I sadly have to leave you here! I hope you’ve enjoyed hanging out with me watching cross country today — stay tuned for the full reports from Bicton and AEC coming later today! Go eventing!

2:18 p.m. ET: Mardi Gras Magic and Amanda Steffen through the finish!

GIF via RNS Video Media.

2:15 p.m. ET: Another paint! I am loving this showcase of breeds in this division!

GIF via RNS Video Media.

2:11 p.m. ET: Now here’s a special one! We’ve loved following Crissa Gillette and EPA Wildfire, who came to the U.S. via the Goresbridge Go for Gold sale!

GIF via RNS Video Media.

2:09 p.m. ET: Jess Wymbs (who is helping us out on Instagram this weekend!) has a conversation with Weight of the World over the ditch and makes it over! Good girl:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

2:08 p.m. ET: Another Haflinger through the Head of the Lake!

GIF via RNS Video Media.

2:06 p.m. ET: So many more smiles on faces during this division — a good reminder of how much FUN we can have out there!

GIF via RNS Video Media.

2:03 p.m. ET: Now we’ve got a battle of the palominos on our hands! Also, please join me in starting an N’pressive fan club:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

2:02 p.m. ET: It’s all about those finish flag reactions, isn’t it?

GIF via RNS Video Media.

2:00 p.m. ET: Just a little stroll into the Head of the Lake for Amber Vannoy and HSH RiverSong:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

1:55 p.m. ET: Another look at some of the terrain here — again, a lot to have to pay attention to. Especially with no dedicated galloping lanes, the tracks tend to cross themselves here so the horses need to be in tune with their rider and stay in balance at the same time. Here’s a look at Nancy White and Wild Eyed And Wicked:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

1:54 p.m. ET: Oh no! Valerie looks to have missed a fence and has been pulled up. Bummer! Meanwhile, Morgan Cooper is whooping it up as she tackles the jumps after the head of the lake — she’s having a blast!

1:52 p.m. ET: Here’s a look at the first portion of the BN track, which has a bit of terrain as well as plenty to look at — this track winds through the infield and winds through some of the treeline here, so there is plenty to do and pay attention to! Here’s Valerie Johnson and Henson:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

1:48 p.m. ET: Uh oh! Christine Hryzak and FMF S.O.L. have a look at fence 3 but are clear on their second attempt.

1:46 p.m. ET: Ah, event horses. Will jump a house but will then spook at a leaf on the ground.

GIF via RNS Video Media.

1:45 p.m. ET: And here’s Quin Swiney with Riddle Me This:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

1:43 p.m. ET: And we’re back with the Beginner Novice cross country, and it’s a battle of the paints! Here’s Deena Zaitounh and See My Tuxedo:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

1:22 p.m. ET: This is adorable, we’ve got Dorothy and John Crowell on commentary today! A little husband and wife action behind the mic!

1:17 p.m. ET: While we check in on Novice Master show jumping, have you entered our Kentucky Performance of the Week contest from Kentucky Performance Products? It’s easy! Visit the Instagram post below to enter:

1:16 p.m. ET:

1:13 p.m. ET: Amanda and Lawman looking strong over the Fiesta fence at 12:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

1:12 p.m. ET: Here’s a look at that related distance after the Head of the Lake, as demonstrated by Stephanie Bristol and Ballenger.

GIF via RNS Video Media.

1:10 p.m. ET: Amanda Rudolph and Lawman are next out of the box, coming forward on a score of 33.4.

GIF via RNS Video Media.

1:09 p.m. ET: This is definitely a championship-caliber track designed by Derek di Grazia to really give riders some education on using the terrain and paying attention to how the undulation will affect their way of going. The fences may not be as big or as technical as higher levels, but the foundational skills that are being taught are the same.

1:08 p.m. ET: I love an eventing Saddlebred! Here’s Kimberly Moore and CH Good Deal – an experienced pair here with lots of miles at this level under their belt. A little peek at the ditch at 11 but they’re all clear:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

1:05 p.m. ET: Here’s a look at Jamie Merrill and Addi on their way home:

GIF via RNS Video Media

1:04 p.m. ET: And we’re back! We’re getting underway with the Beginner Novice Rider division and I’m here to hang out with you while we follow along on the USEA/RNS Video Media live stream!

12:26 p.m ET: Well, seeing how we’re still on a live stream break I am going to take this opportunity to get some food and coffee to refuel after my 3 a.m. alarm this morning — I’ll pick back up with some more live updates from Beginner Novice a bit later on, so check back this afternoon!

12:15 p.m. ET: Honestly, this is the type of content we need more of:

12:09 p.m. ET: While we’re waiting, let’s check in with your newly crowned Novice Rider champion!

11:58 a.m. ET: You can see what the riders in this division are tackling below and in more detail here. The optimum time is 5 minutes, 35 seconds with 18 jumping efforts. Apologies as I seem to have started these live updates right as the live stream went on break, but I’ll pick them back up as soon as it’s back!

Screenshot via CrossCountryApp.

11:53 a.m. ET: Right out of rhythm for Nicole Taylor and Indigo:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:51 a.m. ET: Actually a bit of a tricky question here at the water, as the horses have a lot to look at and a long way to trot through the water before coming out and making a right turn to a nice-sized related distance before turning around to head back towards home. Here’s Max O’Krepki and Sully:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:48 a.m. ET: A look at the Head of the Lake question as Charmaine Van der Merwe and Allaboutpaches navigate..

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:47 a.m. ET Jodie Potts and Cat’s Confetti over the last!

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:46 a.m. ET: I love that the lower level tracks get to go through the iconic Head of the Lake complex! Honestly, that’s the dream right there. Can we bring AEC back to Kentucky, please?

Chedington Bicton Park CCI5* Cross Country Live Updates: Piggy Flies to Lead!

By on Sep 4, 2021 7:03 am -

Good morning and welcome to cross country day in beautiful Devon, near the southeastern corners of England! With all the hustle of the AECs happening this week, it might be easy to forget that the sole British five-star — and the first five-star event in the UK since 2019 — is full steam ahead this weekend. Luckily, we’ve got Tilly Berendt on the ground to help bring the event to us, and we’re also treated to a wonderful live stream from H&C+ and Elite Eventing.

The 34-strong horse and rider field contesting the Chedington Equestrian Bicton Park CCI5* will tackle a formidable test that Captain Mark Phillips has set on a track that will also feature in a load of terrain. You can take an in-depth look at the track in Tilly’s preview here, and here’s a flyover to get a sense of what these riders will be seeing today:

An overview of the track — more details here (including commentary on the track from Lucinda Green!):

Order of go for today:

Riders will be sent out at about six minute intervals, which means we should get to see a good amount of each rider’s full round. The optimum time for the track is 11 minutes, 16 seconds with 44 total jumping efforts.

Chedington Bicton CCI5*: Website, Schedule, Entries & Info, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram

11:34 a.m. ET: I’m going to drop in some interviews from riders after cross country thanks to the efforts of H&C+ and Elite Eventing on the ground!

Padraig McCarthy:

Gemma Tattersall:

Ros Canter:

Piggy March:

Pippa Funnell:

Also, just going to leave this here from yesterday:

11:09 a.m. ET: And that’s a wrap on cross country from Bicton! Tilly will be along later on with photos and a full report. In the meantime, take a scroll through these updates to catch up — and be sure to snag your weekend pass from H&C+ and Elite Eventing to watch all of the action back (replays are generally up within 24 hours), as well as the thrilling finale coming your way tomorrow! You can also catch up on scores and fence analysis here.

11:05 a.m. ET: A few stats from cross country:

  • 19 of the 31 starters finished for a 61% completion rate
  • 13 of the 19 finishers jumped free of jump penalties
  • 2 riders jumped clear inside the time: Gemma Tattersall and Chilli Knight and Piggy French and Vanir Kamira
  • 1 rider jumped inside the time but with 11 penalties: Oliver Townend and Tregilder
  • 4 riders had the frangible pin at the Ariat Challenge down. No other pins were activated
  • 1 horse fell: Richard Skelt’s Credo III – he was immediately on his feet
  • 8 pairs chose to retire on course and 4 were eliminated

11:02 a.m. ET: And here’s a look at your provisional top 10 as we look ahead to the finale tomorrow. Less than one rail separates the top three, and just 19 will go through to the final horse inspection in the morning:

11:00 a.m. ET: Pippa Funnell admits that she considered this being a final event for her if she didn’t enjoy herself, but we’re happy to report she’s reconsidered that option after two brilliant rides today. “Elated. Absolutely delighted with him,” she says after coming home on Billy Walk On. “I knew he’s not the fastest in the world so I just knew I had to get into such a good rhythm and keep plugging away. It’s such a bonus living where I live in Surrey Hills – I knew from the first horse that he was plenty fit enough. It was really nice to know that when the horses are fit you can keep asking the questions. Honestly, it was the best ride I’ve ever had on him. For once I didn’t feel like an old girl getting all protective. I really really enjoyed it. After two yers not doing a five-star I kept thinking it might be my time if I didn’t enjoy it to call it…For the horse ro gallop and go the way he did was for me very very special.”

10:57 a.m. ET: And despite the pin, Oliver still manages to be just the third to make the time today, which should keep him inside the top 10 overnight. Bummer about the pin. Also, a shot of the big uphill climb that comes before the final fence — hard to tell from the live stream but it’s QUITE a pull.

GIF via H&C+.

GIF via H&C+.

10:55 a.m. ET: Oliver gives Tregilder a pat on the neck as he jumps through the Fisher German Mounds at 23. He’s doing a brilliant job navigating the final questions on a tiring horse.

10:54 a.m. ET: Oliver has safely navigated the Burghley Brushes that caught him out on his first ride and now comes to the final water with Tregilder, who has tired but is still responding and very good on the clock.

10:53 a.m. ET: Oliver and Tregilder take the frangible pin at the Ariat Challenge:

GIF via H&C+.

10:51 a.m. ET: Pippa picks up some time and that will mean Piggy and Vanir Kamira will be your overnight leaders! Pippa picks up about 12 seconds of time and will be in third overnight with not one pole separating the top of the leaderboard.

GIF via H&C+.

10:50 a.m. ET: Pippa’s not quite going to make that optimum time with Billy Walk On, who is tiring a bit but still jumping and responding well. She’s likely to still be well within contention if she can just get home clear, though.

10:49 a.m. ET: Oliver has a great ride and shows his experience as he navigates the Topspec Brushes with Tregilder.

GIF via H&C+.

10:47 a.m. ET: A beautiful and empathetic ride from Pippa through the tricky Burghley Brushes, as she allows Billy Walk On to have the time he needs to see and read the question while still encouraging him to stay straight and forward.

10:46 a.m ET: Pippa is about 15 seconds down on her time as she comes closer to home.

10:46 a.m. ET: And away goes Oliver Townend and Tregilder, the last of the day! Tregilder makes his five-star cross country debut today.

10:46 a.m. ET: Pippa and Billy Walk On make quick work of the Cliffhanger.

GIF via H&C+.

10:38 a.m. ET: Here comes Billy Walk On! Will he and Pippa keep their lead? They’ve got a bit of time in hand — but not much. Four seconds, to be precise. We’re down to a thrilling finish as it’ll just be Pippa and Oliver to wind us down. Padraig has withdrawn Leonidas II.

10:36 a.m. ET: Ferro Point is a bit all over this second stump at 21 but they’re through and headed toward the finish. What a bummer though, the horse just seemed to bottom out at the final water, prompting him to retire as she trotted out of the water. What a shame. As I corrected myself earlier, David did retire his first horse at this question earlier as well, so he’ll be revisiting his fitness plan after this no doubt. But we’ve been so impressed with this rider and we know he’ll be back with a vengeance.

10:32 a.m. ET: Ah, man. Halltown Harry didn’t quite lock on to this first of the Fisher German Mounds at 23, and Georgie elects to call it a day. This one was looking a bit winded at the final water and had lost that shoe earlier on, so just not quite the day Georgie was hoping for but such a brilliant effort from this horse.

GIF via H&C+.

10:31 a.m. ET: Watch how chilly David sits while Ferro Point dances beneath him, unsure of the line she’s on but trusting in her rider to keep straight on:

GIF via H&C+.

10:29 a.m. ET: We’ve just glimpsed our overnight leaders, Pippa Funnell and the incredibly handsome Billy Walk On, making their final prep in warm-up. We’ll see them in just a few minutes.

10:28 a.m. ET: You can purchase your weekend pass to watch all of the action (on replay and live) from Bicton — and don’t forget, proceeds from the purchase will go to supplement the prize pot and support the development of the sport.

10:28 a.m. ET: David Doel is away and will be looking for some redemption after ending the day early on his first ride as the first ones to go this morning.

10:26 a.m. ET: Halltown Harley loses a shoe dropping off the Cliffhanger at 14.

10:26 a.m. ET: We’ll next see David Doel out on his second ride, Ferro Point.

10:23 a.m. ET: Georgie gets a bit close to the brush out of the Dewpond at 5 and is clear on now to the Oxers to Triple Bar question. She uses all of her gumption to lengthen Halltown Harry’s stride to get the distance between Oxers done and he responds beautifully. It’s perhaps one of the most crucial skills for an event horse to have: responsiveness to the aids. Hesitate for even a millisecond and it could cost you a lot. Practice this at home, everyone!

10:22 a.m. ET: Sadly not the finish Izzy was hoping for as she raises her hand to end her day on Fonbherna Lancer, who just looks to have lost a bit of confidence. Probably better to pull up and save the juice for a re-route in this case.

10:22 a.m. ET: Just a few left to see as we now will have Georgie Spence and Halltown Harley out of the start box.

10:21 a.m. ET: damn! Izzy Taylor just loses her steering a bit as Fonbherna Lancer has a bold drop down the Cliffhanger and they drive by the arrowhead at the bottom of the hill. This will drop them well down with 20 penalties added.

10:20 a.m. ET: How nice is it to have spectators again??

GIF via H&C+.

10:18 a.m. ET: What a keen jumper Fonbherna Lancer is as Izzy navigates the Oxers and Triple Bars. She also caught the direct line to the Topspec Brushes after this.

GIF via H&C+.

10:17 a.m. ET: Sadly Sarah Dowley’s day will come to an end after another issue at the Arena Rails at 15. Just not the day today, but they’ll be back for another go no doubt!

10:16 a.m. ET: Now out of the box is Izzy Taylor with the five-star debutant Fonbherna Lancer. Sam Griffiths finishes just about a minute over to get Gurtera Cher around her first five-star.

10:14 a.m. ET: Sam Griffiths chooses to go long at the final water instead of have a silly issue with a more tired, less responsive horse.

10:13 a.m. ET: Sarah has a tough time at the big white Oxers here and has a drive-by at the Triple Bar as a result, dropping her stick in the process. Not a lot of control on some of these pairs in the early going as the terrain entices the stronger horses to bull through.

GIF via H&C+.

10:11 a.m. ET: The Burghley Brushes are riding quite well as the day goes on and chatter gets back to the barn on the best approach. Of course, this was one of the most buzzed about questions on the track so there’s been plenty of walking of lines done at this one!

10:10 a.m. ET: We’re now joined by first-timers Sarah Dowley and Rubix Kube, riding for Ireland.

10:07 a.m. ET:

10:04 a.m. ET: Joseph Murphy nurses Gorsehill Pearl home and we also see Australia’s Sam Griffiths and Gurtera Cher out on the track. Another comment Piggy made in her post-ride interview was the cleverness of Capt. Mark Phillips’ design and the kindness of the final few fences to get the horses home. We are seeing some horses looking tired as they finish, but not devastatingly so. All in all it seems to be a very tough test, but not one that’s altogether unfair or dangerous.

10:03 a.m. ET: Piggy calls this track the toughest five-star terrain she’s ever ridden. “Like I‘ve just flown to be honest!” she says of how it feels to finish. “I say it every time, but she’s just heart guts and she just puts her snout down on the floor and off she goes truffle snuffling about! I always feel like I’m sat quite at the back of her, but she just sees the flags and says come on I’ve got this. That was probably made for her. She’s an older horse, naturally a galloper. For that type of horse today that can really benefit when they need the blood and guts to keep getting up the hill.”

10:02 a.m. ET: “I’m super proud of her, I really didn’t know what to expect going into today, she’s a first time five-star horse and she’s a little mare and so gutsy but a little bit of a worrier,” Ros Canter says of Pencos Crown Jewel. “She came out of the start box a little bit frightened of the people…My steering wasn’t quite on point the whole way around but she just tries and tries and tries. Shes just the most game thing I’ve ever sat on.”

9:59 a.m. ET: 11 minutes, 9 seconds for Piggy, leaving her on her dressage mark of 25.5 and leaving her in the current lead! She will be no worse than second. In some less fortunate news, Will Rawlin has pulled up VIP Vinnie after just two fences on his first five-star, it looks a bit like the horse has gone a bit lame.

9:58 a.m. ET: And she is HOME! Piggy absolutely took us to school and I’ve still got goosebumps after that round with Vanir Kamira. Her score shows her with some time, but I’m not sure that’s totally correct so stay tuned.

GIF via H&C+.

9:55 a.m. ET: Joseph lives dangerously at the Chedington Oxers to Triple Box at 6 but gets away with it and also makes the direct line to the Topspec Brushes work:

GIF via H&C+.

9:53 a.m. ET: We’re now joined by Irish rider Joseph Murphy and Gorsehill Pearl on course. Piggy makes the Burghley Brushes look like a gymnastic exercise at home, because that’s how she rolls. #whenpiggyflies

9:51 a.m. ET: Ros Canter will go into second for now with the second quickest of the day, collecting 8 time penalties for a two-day score of 35.1. Meanwhile, Piggy and Vanir Kamira get lucky and leave the pin up at the Ariat Challenge despite a good rub on the hind end:

GIF via H&C+.

9:50 a.m. ET: Be sure to tune in for these last few as we’re getting down to what should be a very thrilling finish here at Bicton! The replay will also be available from all phases, including post-cross country press conference, for 90 days after the event finishes. Click here to get your pass!

9:49 a.m. ET: Ros is still having an absolutely top round as she’s straight through the Burghley Brushes. Piggy meanwhile takes the direct line to the Topspec Brushes with the very experienced and catty Vanir Kamira:

GIF via H&C+.

9:46 a.m. ET: We’re now joined by reigning Badminton 2019 champions Piggy French and Vanir Kamira, who also enjoyed a strong finish at the Bicton CCI4*-L earlier this year. Here’s a shot of Ros having a lovely go through the Ariat Challenge, which Chris Burton says he thought was almost too tough a question when a similar version appeared on the track earlier this year. But, as he says, “when it’s done well it’s nice to watch”.

GIF via H&C+.

9:45 a.m. ET: Ros isn’t hanging about as she goes for it down the Cliffhanger:

GIF via H&C+.

9:43 a.m. ET: Ros also chooses to go for a circle on the way to the Topspec Brushes with Pencos Crown Jewel.

9:42 a.m. ET: Angus Smales and ESI Pheonix are home!

GIF via H&C+.

9:40 a.m. ET: And away now is our reigning World Champion Ros Canter, who rides Pencos Crown Jewel — who is making his five-star debut — on a score of 27.1. She’ll go to the lead if she can manage a clear round inside the time.

9:38 a.m. ET: We’ve just got 11 to see to round out the day, including our overnight leaders Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On who will be second last to go.

9:36 a.m. ET: Ah, bummer. Mr Farenheit III just trips a bit on landing off the first big white Oxers at fence 6, and Simon has put his hand up to call it a day. He must have felt something not quite right and chose not to push the issue today.

9:34 a.m. ET: Spencer and Nicole Brown are now joined in the booth by Chris Burton as we see Simon Grieve and Mr Farenheit III go out of the box.

9:31 a.m. ET: Like many before him, Angus elects to take the longer, circuitous route to the direct route at the Topspec Brushes. This question comes quite early on the course, so if you’re on a keen, strong horse you’re probably better off planning to take a circle since you have the space to do so here. Better than having a silly drive-by this early on.

9:27 a.m. ET: Richard Jones and Alfies Clover are home with 8.8 time for a 41.8 and that’s good for second at the moment. Those clear rounds with a small amount of time are going to be very influential today I think. We now see Angus Smales and ESI Pheonix out of the box.

9:23 a.m. ET: Yikes, Richard Skelt and Credo III look to have nearly a full rotational fall over the Empire Picnic Table at fence 3 — both horse and rider are quickly up on their feet, thank goodness.

9:22 a.m. ET: Now on course will be Richard Skelt and Credo III. As a reminder, we’re about halfway through and have seen just the one go clear inside the time: Gemma Tattersall and Chilli Knight.

9:21 a.m. ET: Felicity Collins on finishing her first five-star cross country: “Amazing. Sorry I’m such a mess! I was fine a minute ago! I’m just so chuffed with him. I’m just relieved he’s back and hes safe and he’s sound. We looked out for each other out there. I was a bit of a grandma and went slowly. He just gave me everything and I’m so thrilled. I’ll probably sleep in the stable tonight!”

9:19 a.m. ET: Malin sadly will have to end her day after another issue on course, this time at I believe the Oxer to Corner question at 18. We’re now joined by Richard Jones and Alfie’s Clover, who have a lovely trip down the bank and through the Topspec Brushes:

GIF via H&C+.

9:17 a.m. ET: Bummer, Malin’s horse takes a hard peek at the ditch at the Ariat Challenge and nearly pitches her off the right side. She doesn’t quite make that bounce step to the final element but they’re through on their second attempt. Meanwhile, Felicity Collins finishes with a fist pump!

9:14 a.m. ET: Felicity calls out for the long route as she jumps into the final water with tons of power — RSH Contend OR is still very keen to kick on!

9:13 a.m. ET: Malin loses the left shoulder of Golden Midnight on the way down the bank and pays the price in the form of a runout:

GIF via H&C+.

9:11 a.m. ET: Harry Mutch and HD Bronze are home, and we now welcome Sweden’s Malin Josefsson and Golden Midnight on a score of 35.4.

9:09 a.m. ET: RSH Contend OR is quite bold jumping off the Clinton Devon Estates Cliffhanger at 14 but they’re through it:

GIF via H&C+.

9:08 a.m. ET:

9:06 a.m. ET: HD Bronze gets an emphatic “good boy!” from Harry as they navigate the Burghley Brushes. Meanwhile, Felicity is brilliantly through the Chedington Oxers to Triple Bar question.

9:03 a.m. ET: Our next out will be the youngest rider in the field, 23-year-old Felicity Collins and RSH Contend OR. Peep her bright pink FLAIR strip!

9:02 a.m. ET: Don’t forget to grab your weekend pass from H&C+ to watch — replays should also be available from each phase the next day! This course is well worth watching, trust me!

9:00 a.m. ET: I apologize for not being better with updating you on scores, but my scoring site is not working at the moment so I’m just grabbing tidbits when they announce scores on the live stream.

8:59 a.m. ET: “Honestly just the biggest relief and elation, the horse was just unbelievable,” an exuberant Gemma Tattersall says. “For me he’s now become one of the best cross country horses in the world, he’s just proved himself over and over again. It’s incredible — hes only a little horse, at home you’d never know he has a big stride because he just ponies along and when he goes out on cross country he turns into a lion.” She and Chilli Knight will be on a 27.9 heading into tomorrow and have the lead at the moment. Now on course are Harry Mutch and HD Bronze.

8:57 a.m. ET: Unfortunately it looks like Mike has called it a day, and William will also end his day early after that unfortunate nosebleed on Oratorio. I’m not sure if he had a nosebleed or if he somehow hit himself on a fence — I am going to guess a nosebleed.

8:55 a.m. ET: Ah, Mike has another issue, this time at the HTSG Wilma and Crumble Stumps, just a duck out the right door. Meanwhile, unfortunately it looks like Oratorio has some blood coming from his nose and will likely be pulled up now. But check out this tactful ride down the bank, William allowing him to come forward without yanking:

GIF Via H&C+.

8:54 a.m. ET: Now on course are William Fox-Pitt and Oratorio II. Check out how bold El Mundo is through the Burghley Brushes, taking a stride out on this distance:

GIF via H&C+.

8:53 a.m. ET: Mike Winter unfortunately runs into trouble at the Cliffhanger drop, just losing a bit of control again on the downhill:

GIF via H&C+.

8:51 a.m. ET: Andddd I’m crying. Gemma is the FIRST to make the time (and could well be one of the only ones to do so) with Chilli Knight. Check out mama Tattersall celebrating:

GIF via H&C+.

8:49 a.m. ET: Mike Winter has exactly zero brake coming down the bank to the Topspec Brushes and has to take virtually the whole arena to turn around. Comin’ in hot to the direct route:

GIF via H&C+.

8:47 a.m. ET: Gemma is not too far off the time and has plenty of engine left as she comes through the Burghley Brushes at 19.

GIF via H&C+.

8:47 a.m. ET: Mike Winter and El Mundo, coming forward on a 29.6 in 12th place, are now on course! Go Canada!

8:41 a.m. ET: We’re getting a glimpse of Gemma and Chilli Knight, making their way around:

GIF via H&C+.

8:40 a.m. ET: “We’ve had a really bad prep – I had a fall six, seven weeks ago and hurt my shoulder,” Sammi Birch says after her round. “I probably started out a bit steady but to be fair he was just mega. It’s the first time I’ve actually been able to kick him and ride him at the fences. I’ve always know he was a five-star horse, I just need to be able to start out a bit quicker.”

8:40 a.m. ET: Bummer — the rail at the Ariat Challenge goes again, this time for Tim and Ringwood Sky Boy. That’s 11 penalties for this pair then.

GIF via H&C+.

8:38 a.m. ET: Wow, what a ride from Francis as DHI Purple Rain has a hard jump into the final water. Watch this masterclass in staying positive — and riding a truly genuine horse:

GIF via H&C+.

8:36 a.m. ET: The most experienced horse, making an incredible 18th CCI5* start, is now on course: THE Ringwood Sky Boy!

8:34 a.m. ET: I believe we should be seeing Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy soon, as well as Canada’s Mike Winter and El Mundo.

8:32 a.m. ET: Sammi makes a last-minute adjustment to Finduss PFB at fence 21:

GIF via H&C+.

8:31 a.m. ET: Francis looks like he knew he wasn’t going to make this tight turn to the Topspec Brushes and heads straight into a circle to make the turn work:

GIF via H&C+.

8:29 a.m. ET: I hope you’re all tuning in for this brilliant live stream, and we’re now joined on commentary by Alex Bragg, who was slated to be here with King of the Mill but had to withdraw his entry earlier this week.

8:28 a.m. ET: Michael Owen and Bradeley Law are home about a minute over the optimum time. Francis Whittington and DHI Purple Rain are our next on course in 18th place after dressage.

8:26 a.m. ET: Now coming forward is one of my favorite storylines of the week: Gemma Tattersall with her homebred Chilli Knight, a son of Chilli Morning who she’s had since birth.

8:25 a.m. ET: Australia’s Sammi Birch and Finds PFB are brilliant through the Chedington Oxers and Triple Bar question at 6:

GIF via H&C+.

8:22 a.m. ET: Michael and Bradeley Law have the pin fully down at the Ariat Challenge at 16, bummer. Louisa Lockwood is home safe with just the 20 penalties and about a minute of time, but what a debut for this horse!

8:22 a.m. ET: Michael Owen and Bradeley Law hesitate at the drop off the Cliffhanger question but they didn’t take a step back so they’re ok for now:

GIF via H&C+.

8:20 a.m. ET: Louisa is safely through the final water at 22 and has just four fences left.

8:19 a.m. ET: Michael Owen opts for the long route at the Topspec Brushes. Commentator Spencer Sturmey has dubbed this “Burghley at Bicton”.

8:18 a.m. ET: Louisa is having a brilliant round now and is very positive through the straight line Burghley Brushes:

GIF via H&C+.

8:17 a.m. ET: Coming soon out of the box will be New Zealand’s Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy, who at 17 is the oldest horse in the field. We’re also seeing Michael Owen and Bradeley Law, a very experienced pair, out on course now.

8:16 a.m. ET: “It’s tough. It’s really tough, I mean it certainly rides probably tougher than it walked,” Pippa says, explaining that she lost a bit of control and ended up over the spectator rope and costing herself 15 or 20 seconds. “You really have to concentrate on it.”

8:12 a.m. ET: Louisa and Diamond Ructions get a bit close to the third element of the Chedington Oxers and Triple Bar at 6 but are safe. They then run into some trouble on the direct line at the Topspec Brushes, ducking out to the right on the second brush corner.

8:11 a.m. ET: James is beautifully through the Burghley Brushes, while Pippa has finished and Louisa Lockwood and Diamond Ructions are our newest starters and making their way through the first minute.

8:10 a.m. ET: The pinned upright rail at the Ariat Challenge goes for James and Mr. Sneezy, just to one side but should nonetheless be 11 penalties.

GIF via H&C+.

8:07 a.m. ET: “It felt bigger than it maybe walked but that’s the nature of Bicton Park,” Padraig says after his ride, noting that some might have underestimated the questions here! “A lot of tight turning and twisting…my horse is green, it’s his first 5*, he started eventing at seven so im extremely proud of him.”

8:06 a.m. ET: Out now on course will be New Zealand’s James Avery and Mr. Sneezy.

8:06 a.m. ET: Pippa gets it done at the last brush of the Burghley Brushes but shows every ounce of her experience to make it work:

GIF via H&C+.

8:03 a.m. ET: And they’ve done it! Padraig and HHS Noble Call finish the track and become our first to complete! They’re 21 seconds over, but a clear here may prove to be hugely valuable regardless of time today, the way things are going.
Try not to get choked up, eh?

GIF via H&C+.

8:02 a.m. ET: Nearly home for Padraig and HHS Noble Call, who has tired a bit but is getting a masterful ride from his jockey.

8:00 a.m. ET: Pippa is another to lose her brakes and steering a bit heading down the bank to the Topspec Brushes but she recovered well to make the direct line work. Meanwhile, a look at Padraig at the HTSG Wilma & Crumble Stumps at 21:

GIF via H&C+.

8:00 a.m. ET: Way to go! Padraig and HHS Noble Call are brilliantly through the Burghley Brushes question that caught out Oliver.

7:58 a.m. ET: Pats from Padraig as they head for fence 18:

GIF via H&C+.

7:56 a.m. ET: We’ll now see Pippa Funnell with her first ride, Majas Hope.

7:55 a.m. ET: Padraig and HHS Noble Call are neatly down the steep back heading to the Topspec Brushes at 9 — this is another 10-year-old making its five-star debut today. Will they become our first completion of the day?

7:53 a.m. ET: No! Oliver pitches off the left shoulder of MHS King Joules at the straight brush question with four brushes set in a line on varied distances. Oliver’s right up on his feet, but he won’t be happy about that unlucky ending.

GIF via H&C+.

7:52 a.m. ET: Next away are Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy and HHN Noble Call, on a 34.9 in 23rd position.

7:51 a.m. ET: Oliver sees a big one at the main arena at the Burghley Table to Arena Rails question at fence 15.

GIF via H&C+.

7:50 a.m. ET: Oliver loses just a bit of control down this very steep back on the way to the Topspec Brush Corners, but he’s able to regroup to make it through the question on the direct line.

GIF via H&C+.

7:48 a.m. ET: Really positive riding from Oliver so far, which is no easy task in this first minute on a strong horse as the course is considerably downhill for this first bit.

7:46 a.m. ET: We now welcome forward Tokyo gold medalist Oliver Townend and MHS King Joules, coming forward on a 28.1 in 10th place after dressage.

7:43 a.m. ET: Oliver Townend and his first one, the very experienced MHS King Joules, will take their crack at the track next.

7:41 a.m. ET: No! David and Galileo take a tumble in the final water. They’re both ok, and David’s taking the time to cool off his horse economically in the water now. What a bummer – and what a horseman. CORRECTION: I actually don’t know that David fell here – I had walked away for a second and missed it so I’m putting this correction here as I’ve just heard on the stream that he retired on course.

GIF via H&C+.

7:37 a.m. ET: Bummer — half of the MIM clip at the Ariat Challenge at 16 goes but the horse just skips through here:

GIF via H&C+.

7:36 a.m. ET: Brilliantly dropping down the Clinton Devon Estates Cliffhanger for David, who’s riding really positively here:

GIF via H&C+.

7:34 a.m. ET: David opts for the long route at 9AB, the Topspec Brushes, which come after a steep bank reminiscent of the Spruce Meadows bank. I’ll catch that question on GIF on our next rider.

7:32 a.m. ET: David tackles the first combination at the first water, a pair of off-set brushes:

GIF via H&C+.

7:30 a.m. ET: And we’re away! David and Galileo Nieuwmoed are away and safely over fence one, the Chedington Flowerbed! David comes forward on a score of 32.2 in 18th after dressage.

7:27 a.m. ET: We’re just a few minutes away from the start, and it will be David Doel with his first ride, Galilelo Nieuwmoed making his CCI5* debut. David is an impressive one on his own, having produced FIVE horses to contest five-stars this year alone. He’s got two rides this weekend, and this one has the tough task of being the trailblazer but he really impressed us in the dressage yesterday with his real efforts. Want to learn more about the field this weekend? Click here to check out Tilly’s Bicton Form Guide.

#AEC2021 $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Cross Country Live Updates: Fylicia Barr Takes the Lead!

By on Sep 2, 2021 9:22 am -

Eventing Nation’s coverage of the 2021 USEA American Eventing Championships is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products. We want to share the joy of eventing this week, so we invite you to nominate an AEC rider for our “Kentucky Performance of the Week” contest, happening now in partnership with Kentucky Performance Products. Learn more here.

Fylicia Barr and Galloway Sunrise. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

We’re getting set to watch the riders contesting the $60,000 Adequate USEA Advanced division at #AEC2021 take on Derek di Grazia’s cross country track and I am all settled in to bring you some live updates!

The cross country will kick off at 9:36 a.m. EST with Buck Davidson and Carlevo, who are currently in third in the division following dressage. You can check out the course map below or here. Ride times can be found here. Refresh this page periodically for the latest update — and don’t forget to tune in to the FREE live stream on the USEA website right here. We’ll be joined on the live stream by commentators Frankie Thieriot-Stutes and Kelly Prather.

11:50 a.m. ET: Emily picks up 14 time penalties, so she won’t quite threaten the leaders, but what about our girl Fylicia and her Craigslist mare taking everyone to school! She will take the overnight lead ahead of Buck Davidson, who finds himself in second and third aboard Carlevo and Jak My style. Here’s a look at your top 10 after a very exciting cross country. You can view full Advanced results here. That’s a wrap on our live updates — we’ll be back later will a full report from the day at #AEC2021! Thanks for following along.

11:48 a.m. ET: Emily and Corvett ping through the coffin. They could find themselves in a competitive spot if they can get home quick.

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:47 a.m. ET: Elisa Wallace and Let It Be Lee are showing as eliminated at fence 4 – not sure what happened there. CORRECTION: It looks like this was rectified and taken off.

11:45 a.m. ET: And Fylicia Barr will be your overnight leader with just 2.4 time penalties! They will be on a score of 28.9 heading into tomorrow! Natalia Neneman sadly had a runout at the corner out of the coffin but not for lack of effort from Electric Lux. What a bummer!

11:44 a.m. ET: Natalia and Electric Lux, who could also find themselves at the top of the board with a clear and fast round, navigate the Nutrena Oasis:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:42 a.m. ET: Fylicia and Sunny are clear through the coffin! If they get home clear and quick enough, they could be your overnight leaders! And I was wrong, I apologize – we’ve still got Emily Hamel and Corvett to see.

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:40 a.m. ET: Our last pair is now out of the box: Natalia Neneman and Electric Lux.

11:38 a.m. ET: Fylicia sets “Sunny” up for the first water:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:37 a.m. ET: Fylicia Barr and Galloway Sunrise are our next on course. This is another one that tends to be on the quicker side if they’re going for it on the day. Fun fact, Fylicia got this mare off Craigslist for the whopping sum of $500!

11:36 a.m. ET: CharmKing says no at the first brush after the Normandy Bank. Bummer! They’re clear on the next attempt.

11:34 a.m. ET: Zach lives a bit dangerously through the coffin but they’re safely through and on their way towards home.

11:34 a.m. ET: CharmKing has a big look at the in to the Frog Pond water but Holly keeps her leg on and they get through the question.

11:33 a.m. ET: Holly sees a big one at the out of the first water and CharmKing responds beautifully. Meanwhile, Zach Brandt is safely through the Nutrena Oasis after a discussion about the line between the arrowheads.

11:32 a.m. ET: Allie Knowles and Ms. Poppins collected 11.6 time so they will drop down just a bit on the board.

11:32 a.m. ET: Holly Payne Caravella joins us now with CharmKing.

11:31 a.m. ET: Danny Moguel and Cecelia are quickly through the coffin:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:29 a.m. ET: Zach Brandt and Direct Advance join us now on course. It’s great seeing Zach back at the upper levels with this big chestnut; we always loved seeing him with his late great mare Cavallino Cocktail.

11:28 a.m. ET: Will and DonDante through the Normandy Bank question:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:27 a.m. ET: Will Coleman and DonDante are also on course and we get a glimpse of him coming toward the Normandy Bank.

11:26 a.m. ET: Mexico’s Danny Moguel and Cecelia are now on course.

11:24 a.m. ET: Allie’s breastplate has also broken, she reaches down to try to tuck it out of the way — in fact, she tied it in a knot, all while galloping head-on toward the Brushed Table. Well done, Allie!

11:23 a.m. ET: Buck retakes the quickest title with just 1.2 time collected on Jak My Style. He’ll be no worse than seventh after today. Here’s a look at Allie and Ms. Poppins through the Sunken Road:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:22 a.m. ET: Expertly through the coffin are Leslie and Voltaire de Tre.

11:21 a.m. ET: Leslie Law and Voltaire de Tre are also on course and heading for the Normandy Bank.

11:20 a.m. ET: Currently sitting in first in terms of dressage scores is Allie Knowles who now joins us again with Ms. Poppins. A fast clear could see her take the lead into tomorrow’s finale.

11:19 a.m. ET: Buck’s breastplate on Jak My Style has broken but doesn’t seem to be causing an issue as they’re quickly through the coffin question:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:17 a.m. ET: Madeline and Crosby’s Gold grind to a halt on their first attempt at the stiff, upright coffin. They’re sticky but clear through the second attempt:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:14 a.m. ET: Sara has a great shot through the coffin and the corner after:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:14 a.m. ET: We’re joined on course now by Madeline Scott and Crosby’s Gold as well as Buck Davidson with his third ride, Kat Cuca’s Jak My Style, who is also aimed at Maryland next month.

11:11 a.m. ET: I missed the GIF opportunity, but Sara lost her reins a bit jumping into the Nutrena Oasis water, but she regained them and found a new line to the arrowheads out of the water and they’re still clear!

11:10 a.m. ET: Sara and “Rubens” are straight as an arrow through the Sunken Road:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:09 a.m. ET: We get our first glimpse of Matt Flynn and Wizzerd, seriously probably one of the best-looking horses in the field. They navigate the Normandy Bank here, where you can see how that ground really falls away to the rider’s right and inviting runouts. No issues at this question so far, though:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:07 a.m. ET: Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Rubens d’Ysieux are our newest starters.

11:04 a.m. ET: Elisa has a lovely shot through the coffin aboard Let It Be Lee:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

11:03 a.m. ET: You can really see how much Derek uses the undulation of the ground here at the Horse Park — he’ll set jumps that almost lean a bit down a hill so riders are really tested on holding their lines. He also uses the turns and approaches to jumps to slow you down or speed you up, meaning you really have to have a plan and be able to ride your horse back to front to have them ready for any adjustments the ground calls for.

11:01 a.m. ET: Arielle Aharoni and Dutch Times are on course and through the first water.

10:59 a.m. ET: Just about 14 more to see now as we get towards the end of this deep Advanced field.

10:58 a.m. ET: Elisa and Let It Be Lee now join us. Boyd and On Cue are the second fastest with 6.2 time penalties.

10:56 a.m. ET: Colleen Rutledge has retired C Me Fly after some trouble at the first water.

10:56 a.m. ET: Clayton and FE Always In Time are neatly through the Sunken Road:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:54 a.m. ET: Sydney Elliott is clear through the coffin and the cabins at 21.

10:52 a.m. ET: Clayton Fredericks is back with us now on FE Always In Time.

10:51 a.m. ET: Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire, who will be heading to Nations Cup at Boekelo in the Netherlands, are now on course. We haven’t seen Elisa Wallace and Let It Be Lee — not sure if she’s riding out of order or withdrew (or if we just haven’t seen her on the feed).

10:48 a.m. ET: Kyle gives Reddy some vocal encouragement through the coffin and she makes it through easily. Good girl! Kyle rides this mare in honor of her late owner, Christy Edwards.

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:47 a.m. ET: One of my favorite things Kyle has ever told me about Reddy Or Not is “I bet she’d go faster if I stopped petting her so much!”

10:46 a.m. ET: Allie Knowles and Morswood added 9.2 time penalties. Doug added 5.6 with Quantum Leap for the quickest of the day so far.

10:46 a.m. ET: Karl Slezak, another Canadian rider, and Fernhill Wishes are next out of the box.

10:45 a.m. ET: Boyd gets through the coffin where he parted ways from Long Island T earlier.

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:44 a.m. ET: Kyle and his lovely mare have a great ride through the first water to set the tone.

10:41 a.m. ET: Kyle Carter and Reddy or Not will now join us on course.

10:39 a.m. ET: Boyd Martin is back with us now on his second ride, Christine Turner’s On Cue.

10:38 a.m. ET: Bummer! Alex Baugh, another local rider, and Mr. Candyman have an unfortunate miscommunication at the corner coming out of the Sunken Road. They are clear on their second attempt.

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:37 a.m. ET: A look at the out of the Normandy Bank as ridden by Allie and Morswood:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:36 a.m. ET: Morswood leaves a bit of his right leg at the in to the Nutrena Oasis at 16 but he catches himself and they’re on to the Brushed Table at 17.

10:35 a.m. ET: Zoe Crawford and K.E.C. Zara cleverly through the coffin:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:34 a.m. ET: Allie is safely through the Frog Pond water at 9 where she parted ways from Business Class earlier.

10:33 a.m. ET: Zoe Crawford and K.E.C. Zara are also on course and are clear through the Brushed Table at 17.

10:32 a.m. ET: Allie Knowles is back now with her second ride, Morswood.

10:31 a.m. ET: Doug carves an inside line winding through the trees to the Dog Houses at fence 21:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:30 a.m. ET: Neatly into the Nutrena Oasis at fence 16 for Doug and Quantum Leap:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:28 a.m. ET: Buck navigates the coffin with Sorocaima:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:27 a.m. ET: Well if anyone’s going to make a crack at this time, it might just be this next rider: Olympian Doug Payne with Quantum Leap, who’s aiming at the Maryland 5 Star in October.

10:26 a.m. ET: Maya and Miks Master C pick up 10.8 time to take a two-phase score of 41.7.

10:24 a.m. ET: GIF via RNS Video Media.[/caption]

10:22 a.m. ET: Miks Master C also puts in some athletic footwork to get out of the coffin at 20. Maya looks to be on the gas pedal and this horse requires little set-up, making him that much more efficient in this phase. Buck now joins us again on Sorocaima.

10:20 a.m. ET: Sarah Kuhn and Mr. Cash van de Start are next out of the start box.

10:17 a.m. ET: Liz Halliday-Sharp is taking 8.8 time penalties into show jumping. Buck will be your current leader still with the quickest so far. Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights had 17.8 time and Leslie Law and First Class collected 20.8 time. These scores are provisional so I will correct them if they are changed or if I misreported them! Maya Black and Miks Master C are next out.

10:16 a.m. ET: Allison and Business Ben need a bit of clever footwork to navigate the coffin but they’re through and heading towards home.

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:16 a.m. ET: Scores are a bit slow to update so I’ll try to catch you up as they do come in!

10:15 a.m. ET: Dana and FE Mississippi reach for the out at the first water and are well on their way!

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:14 a.m. ET: Canada’s Dana Cooke is now on course with FE Mississippi.

10:13 a.m. ET: Ah, man! Hallie and Global EX have the pin down at the in to the coffin. Not quite their day today but what a neat little jumper Hallie has on her hands!

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:12 a.m. ET: Allison Springer and Business Ben are the next pair to see.

10:10 a.m. ET: Global EX jumps the widest, right side of the corner coming out of the Sunken Road — what a brave little horse, but unfortunately that will be a 20 for this pair as they navigate the option and continue on.

10:09 a.m. ET: I of course missed it, but Cooley Quicksilver takes the one-stride at the coffin as a bounce but nothing to it — made it look easy!

10:08 a.m. ET: Liz is giving us a masterclass in riding on a forward step; you can see her finding her stride and really going for it to move Cooley Quicksilver off her leg and up to the fence.

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:06 a.m. ET: Hallie Coon and Global EX are our new starters. Leslie Law and First Class make it through the coffin — this one has a bit of an upright jumping style over some of these technical questions but he makes it work! Liz Halliday-Sharp is through the Sunken Road.

10:04 a.m. ET: Clayton and FE Stormtrooper are safely through the coffin:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

10:04 a.m. ET: Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Quicksilver are the next out and will be looking to have a quick run today.

10:01 a.m. ET: Leslie Law and First Class are our newest starters.

10:00 a.m. ET: Will Coleman and Tight Lines come up with 14.4 time penalties. Methinks the time will be pretty difficult to get today, but we do have some speed demons competing here in this division.

9:58 a.m. ET: Clayton seems to have gotten off his line or had a runout at the table at fence 5, I believe — not sure yet if that will be scored as a 20 or if it’ll just take time as I missed the issue! Things are moving fast here — Colleen and Covert Rights are through the Sunken Road at 13. Apologies for missing some moments to capture as GIFs — ordinarily I have two live streams running, one slightly behind the other, but this live stream doesn’t allow me to be on anything but the live view. I’ll do my best!

9:58 a.m. ET: Clayton Fredericks and FE Stormtrooper join us now on course.

9:57 a.m. ET: Ah! “Ludwig” and Boyd get to an awkward spot at the upright rails coming out of the coffin at 20, slamming on the brakes and pitching Boyd over his head. Boyd’s fine, he essentially landed on his feet, but what a bummer.

9:55 a.m. ET: Boyd is clear through the Sunken Road at 13.

9:54 a.m. ET: Colleen Rutledge and her old hand Covert Rights are our next out.

9:52 a.m. ET: Buck and Carlevo add 6.8 time penalties — he was definitely going for the time with his turns, so we’ll see how the time ends up as the day progresses. Our overnight leaders Boyd Martin and Long Island T — and the reigning Advanced AEC champions — are our next on course.

9:51 a.m. ET: Allie saw a long one coming out of the Frog Pond at 9 and Business Class just wasn’t on the same page. He ducks to the left and Allie tumbles off — what a bummer! She seems to be ok. Meanwhile, Will is through the coffin and heading home.

9:49 a.m. ET: Business Class rattles the frangible pin at the big oxer at fence 3. The pin doesn’t go but the ground crew will be checking to ensure it’s still stable for the next rider. A look at Allie over fence 2:

GIF via RNS Video Media.

9:48 a.m. ET: We’ll see second-placed Allie Knowles and Business Class next out the box. Will Coleman and Tight Line looking professional and quiet at the Frog Pond at 9.

9:47 a.m. ET: Buck and Carlevo are neatly through the coffin at fence 20 — he’s nearly home!

9:45 a.m. ET: Next out will be Will Coleman and Tight Lines — look for this pair to have a good crack at making the time.

9:43 a.m. ET: Buck all clear through the first water.

9:41 a.m. ET: And we are underway as Buck Davidson and Carlevo have cleared fence three! This track will wind its way through the back fields at Kentucky Horse Park, not quite getting all the way to the far reaches you’d see on the Kentucky CCI5* track, but still a 6 minute, 24 second track.

#AEC2021: Website, Schedule, Stabling, Ride Times, Live Scores, Live Stream, Program, Live Stream, Course Maps, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram

Day Two at #AEC2021: Catching Up with Your Division Leaders After Action-Packed Day

By on Sep 1, 2021 9:00 pm -

Eventing Nation’s coverage of the 2021 USEA American Eventing Championships is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products. We want to share the joy of eventing this week, so we invite you to nominate an AEC rider for our “Kentucky Performance of the Week” contest, happening now in partnership with Kentucky Performance Products. Learn more here.

Boyd Martin and Long Island 2. Photo by Liz Crawley for Shannon Brinkman Photography.

The sun (and the corresponding heat) poked back out today to dry out the Kentucky Bluegrass, and riders competing at the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds were treated to much more pleasant conditions as competition continued into its second day. The schedule here is always a marvel of organization: you’ve got well over 1000 riders who entered and nearly just as many to organize into ride times, accounting for riders with multiple horses across divisions while you’re at it. You’ve got every recognized division running concurrently, and while you’re blessed to have a large amount of space at Kentucky Horse Park, you still have to sort out who’s going where and when. Suffice it to say, the hard-working organizers here in Kentucky (and the officials, grooms, volunteers — everyone who makes this traveling circus run smoothly) deserve a big hats off — and probably a lot of coffee, too.

We were treated to some cross country and some dressage today as the Intermediate and Preliminary divisions tackled Derek di Grazia’s cross country track while the Advanced and Training level competitors took their turns in the sandbox. As is to be expected, particularly at the championship level, this week will most certainly not be a dressage show and that concept was driven home today as a few divisions now have new leaders. Let’s check in with the division leaders after day two’s action:

$60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final

Boyd Martin brings forward the Long Island T Syndicate’s Long Island T (Ludwig von Bayern – Highlight, by Heraldik xx), a 15-year-old Oldenburg gelding, as well as Christine Turner’s On Cue in the Advanced Championship, and it’ll be “Ludwig” who takes the overnight lead on a score of 24.1. Ludwig was tentatively slated to go to Germany for the Luhmühlen CCI5* in June, but Boyd said he elected to have the gelding stay home and work on regaining some lost confidence after a parting of ways at Kentucky in April. “I had a crash here at Kentucky and then he ran pretty well at Jersey (Fresh in May), but was still a bit rattled,” Boyd said. “So I actually made it quite easy for him for sort of six weeks in his preparation just did a nice, easy Prelim horse trial just a couple days after I got back from Tokyo. He’s a horse that thrives on confidence. I’ve got to do a masterful job.”

But today was an excellent way to start things off, Boyd says, and Ludwig’s experience is really beginning to show as the tests get more technical. “He’s such a seasoned experienced campaigner now that he can get through the tough tricky technical tests of the Advanced level without a mistake,” Boyd said. “He was really really good. I was thrilled with him.”

The Advanced cross country track, designed by longtime Kentucky five-star and Tokyo Olympic designer Derek di Grazia, will feature a few questions that will look familiar to followers of the April five-star. “I feel Derek di Grazia has built a solid track,” Boyd said. “He’s used a number of the iconic Kentucky five-star fences — the coffin and the mounds and the Land Rover water — and to me it’s a good, forward-riding looking course with spectacular footing.”

Second in the Advanced final is local rider Allie Knowles with Katherine O’Brien’s Business Class (Harlequin du Carel – Moxella, by Quick Star), an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding who most recently finished 15th in the CCI4*-L at Jersey Fresh earlier this year. They will be right on Boyd’s heels on a dressage mark of 24.6 — and if today’s tracks were any indication, we can anticipate the time being a determining factor for who will come out on top at the end of the day tomorrow.

Buck Davidson and Carlevo. Photo by Liz Crawley for Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Also notching a score under 25 with a 24.7 and third overnight are Buck Davison with another Katherine O’Brien ride in Carlevo (Eurocommerce Caresino – Ramatuelle, by Levernois), a 14-year-old Holsteiner gelding who finished 17th in his CCI5* debut at Kentucky this spring.

USEA Intermediate Championship

Holding on to their dressage lead and turning in one of just four clear rounds inside the time in the USEA Intermediate Championship will be Leslie Law and Steve Brown’s Lady Chatterley (Connor 48 – Jucy, by Mytens xx), a 10-year-old Holsteiner mare. The reigning USEA Mare of the Year absolutely breathed in the cross country today, never looking hurried or even like she needed to try very hard, quite honestly.

“She went great today,” Leslie commented. “She took it all in her stride, quite honestly, so that was really rewarding. She felt very, very honest and really on.”

Lady Chatterley was originally ridden by Leslie’s wife and fellow competitor Lesley Grant-Law, who brought the mare up from Training level on before handing the reins to Leslie nearly bang on two years ago. “I started riding her because she does have a little bit of a mind of her own,” Leslie said. “We had a few mixed results in the beginning. She got pretty consistent towards the end of last year. And then this year she’s been extremely consistent and she’s had great results.”

One thing the Laws identified that may have been affecting Lady Chatterley’s performance and comfort was some discomfort when she would come in season. “That might have been making her feel uncomfortable on some days when she went out on cross country. We’ve probably got that better managed now and perhaps the horse is feeling consistently well all the time, so I think that might be a big thing.”

There was one Mandatory Retirement in the Intermediate when Allison Springer and Vandyke fell at fence 18, but both horse and rider appeared to be uninjured.

Bates USEA Preliminary Amateur Championship

Arden Wildasin will find herself in a familiar position as she heads into tomorrow’s Preliminary show jumping in the overnight lead with Sarah Wildasin’s Southern Sun (Boherdeal Clover – Birdhill Lady, by Welcome Diamond), an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. She’ll only have a bit of time in hand for tomorrow’s finale as she will take a score of 24.2 overnight, just 1.4 penalties ahead of second place. Two years ago, Arden was first and second heading into show jumping; this year she’ll be in first and fourth after delivering some quick and clear cross country rides today.

“From being here two years ago with him to this year’s competition, he was worth his weight in gold for running around that,” Arden reflected. “So I was thrilled with him.” “Sunny” can be a bit on the looky side, particularly in show jumping, but Arden says he was very game today. “He is a spooky horse. But you have to know that and give him the confidence. He’ll jump, he’ll try his heart out. He’s definitely gotten more mature — I didn’t ride so well to some of the single fences, but he was like ‘dude, I got it!’, and that gave me confidence.”

There was one Mandatory Retirement in this division when Camryn Holcomb and Quite Breit fell at fence 12 — they could both later be seen walking off the course together.

Bates USEA Preliminary Rider Championship

Illinois-based Fiona Cotter and her own Miltown Malbay (Derg Showtime – Licknaun Rangef), an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding with whom she’s been partnered since 2018, will lead the Preliminary Rider Championship on a score of 32.1. They won their last outing at River Glen, which was also their first FEI start since 2019, adding just some time across the country to their dressage mark in the CCI2*-S.

Bates USEA Preliminary Horse Championship

Retaining their lead in the Preliminary Horse Championship will be another Lexington-based rider, Liz Halliday-Sharp and Ocala Horse Properties’ Shanroe Cooley (Dallas VDL – Shanroe Sapphire), a 6-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding who’s proven himself to have quite the knack for his job with a strong run of top placings in recent months.

“Today I sort of set out and I was a little bit slower than I planned early on, and then I thought today is not the day to have time,” Liz said after her rider. “Because I’ve had the odd little time faults on him, for obvious reasons as he’s a young horse. He’s just a brilliant horse, very brave. Probably the only areas that sometimes are quite perfect yet in his work — he’s just such a big horse so sometimes the adjustability isn’t quite where I need it to be, but that’s to be expected to be expected at six. He’s green still. But now he just always wants to do the job and he does try very hard.”

Bates USEA Preliminary Junior/Young Rider Championship

You might recognize the Junior/Young Rider Preliminary leader as a former Jon Holling ride in DHI Zatopek B (Lando – Scaramouche B, by Carlino), who is 17 years young and has become quite the accomplished schoolmaster at the level. He and Texas-based Vienna Allport looked keen and quick today, turning in a double clear effort to move up from fourth place to take the lead on a two-phase score of 28.3. Vienna began riding “Zak” in 2020 and has since stepped up to the Preliminary level, winning their most recent outing in July at Chatt Hills in Georgia.

“I’d walked the course and it was pretty difficult,” Vienna said. “I was really excited. I kind of went out of the start box a little bit late, so I had to make up on the first minute of the time, but he was really good. All the combinations rode really well — he’s perfect. But towards the end, I had to really make sure to go forward to make the time.”

“I got Zatopek last February,” she said of the Dutch Warmblood gelding. “So I haven’t had him for very long. I’ve only ever gone Training with my old horse and I got him and moved up to Preliminary in February in Florida. He had gone all the way up through Advanced with Jon Holling, and he’s really amazing. I’m starting to really figure him out. He’s always an amazing cross country horse. So I just had to get out there and do what we normally do, kind of forget about the leaderboard. He’s 17, so he’s kind of sometimes a little bit of a grumpy old man! But usually he’s sweet. He likes to cuddle.”

Vetoquinol USEA Open Modified Championship

Area IV’s Julie Wolfert, who’s well-known and much-loved in Kansas City (and beyond) with a thriving program, leads the way in the Vetoquinol USEA Open Modified Championship, a division that makes its debut at AEC this year, on a two-day score of 25.2. The five-year-old off-track Thoroughbred Namibia (Tizway – Kitty Tracks) is one Julie found in Florida three years ago. Julie’s enjoyed a few upper-level horses through her career — notably, she was named to the USEF Developing Riders/Eventing 25 list in 2014 with the late Buenos Aires — but she’s not had a superstar in her string for a few years. Could “Namib” be one to step into those big shoes?

Namibia did step up to the Preliminary level this year, in fact winning his last outing before this week at Catalpa Corner in July, but Julie says she’s enjoying spending some additional time at the Modified level as a confidence-building step filling the yawning gap between the Training and Preliminary levels.

“He’s a really cool guy and dressage is definitely his best of the three phases, which is a little uncharacteristic for a Thoroughbred, but I’ll take it!” Julie said. “He just has always been naturally forward and he’s always loved contact, where you can really put your leg on to hand and he’s very workmanlike as well. I was very fortunate that he’s not one of those Thoroughbreds that gets very anxious. He’s a little spooky, but he’s not anxious where he gets really tight in his trot work. He’s always very relaxed for that, he’s almost a kick ride.”

This is the first year that the Modified level — not a required level to move up to Preliminary but instituted as a stepping stone should it be warranted — at the AEC, and Julie says she’s personally a big fan of the level. “I just I love the level, because I feel like there’s a huge gap between Training and Prelim. This is just a nice little step up where I don’t feel like you’re overfacing the horses too much, but they still get a lot of technical questions that are offered. So that way we get very confident for the next level.”

USEA Training Amateur Championship

The Training level championships also got underway today, and Lauren Nunn and her own HSH First Impression, a six-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, are in early charge of the USEA Training Amateur Championship on a score of 26.7 following dressage. This pair finished sixth at the Modified level as their last prep for AEC at Cobblestone Farm over July 4th weekend.

USEA Training Horse Championship

The USEA Training Horse Championship 2021 will be led overnight by Lauren Lambert and Elizabeth Rader’s Biscotti (Benidetto – Hey Nurse), a 9-year-old Rheinland Pfalz-Szar gelding who stepped up to Training level last year. Lauren took the reins on Biscotti this spring, and they’ve since won two out of their three starts together.

USEA Training Jr. Championship

Another of our California rider, Shelby Murray, won the dressage in the USEA Training Jr. Championship, earning a 22.0 aboard Reverie GWF (Rotspon – Chatari), a 9-year-old Oldenburg mare originally piloted by Erin Kellerhouse. Shelby and Reverie GWF began their partnership last year and have since been on an absolute tear: they’ve won six out of their nine starts together, including their most recent run in the Training Three-Day at Rebecca Farm.

USEA Training Rider Championship

Closing the day in the Training divisions and taking the overnight lead in the USEA Training Rider Championship will be Area III rider Lauren Alexander and the 6-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Excel Star Over the Moon (Pollux de Muze Z – Ordell), who was originally sourced and campaigned by Courtney Cooper. This pair is also coming in hot off of a win in their final prep, taking the blue at Stable View and winning the Area III Training Level Championship.

Excel Star Over the Moon would be one with a few opinions of his own, and Lauren says she’s been able to work with him to come up with a good warm-up routine to keep him focused. “I’ve come up with a pretty good plan for him. When I walk him, he thinks he’s done, so I have to make sure I give myself enough time to get his attention back. So I don’t he doesn’t get a lot of walk breaks in the final minutes of our warm-up. He just has to trot and be focused on his job, or he thinks he’s done and it’s kind of hard to get him back on task.”

“I was really proud of him for going in there, it’s a pretty intimidating atmosphere,” Lauren commented. “I feel like we did the best we could do for where we’re at in our training. And so I was pretty happy with him. I was really proud of both of our canter transitions. It’s something we’ve been working on. He’s really big horse, so it’s hard to get him connected in those transitions and they’re kind of coming out of the corner on the straight. And so I was really proud of both of those and then also his medium canters are kind of his highlight because he’s such a big moving horse and can really show off his canter lengthenings.”

After the Area III championships in June, Lauren let the gelding have a lighter July and used the Stable View Eventing Academy earlier this month as an easy final prep. “I felt like we were really ready about six weeks ago,” she said. “So I kind of just let him kind of cruise through the last few weeks and kind of ramped it back up just in the last three weeks because I didn’t want to overdo anything with him leading up to it.”

We’ll be back tomorrow with live updates from the Advanced cross country, and I’ll also be popping in on Friday to do live updates from the live stream again for anyone who’d like to follow along. AEC is such a wonderful opportunity to get to know riders competing at all levels, so if you have a story we should know about you can tip me by emailing [email protected]. We’re also teaming up with Kentucky Performance Products to give away some buckets full of goodies — this is a nomination contest and you can learn more about how to enter during AEC week here.

#AEC2021: Website, Schedule, Stabling, Ride Times, Live Scores, Live Stream, Program, Live Stream, Course Maps, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram

Many thanks to official show photographer Shannon Brinkman for the gallery from today’s action! Don’t forget to order your photos from the awesome SBP team on site this weekend – you can find out more here.

And last but certainly not least, enjoy a sprinkling of Instagram posts from around the Kentucky Horse Park on day two at #AEC2021!

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Checking In with Phillip Dutton and Undaunted Rags

By on Sep 1, 2021 5:00 pm -

Update #2 with 3-year-old OTTB Undaunted Rags, owned by Kevin Keane. Here's video of our ride on Monday morning of this week. At the start of the ride, I felt that he was a little bit backed off, so we focused on going really forward and keeping the trot nice and big and open. ⁣⁣From there, I incorporated poles and small cross-rails, and by the end of this ride, I felt that he was starting to understand the jumping and beginning to enjoy it.

Posted by Phillip Dutton Eventing on Wednesday, September 1, 2021

He may be busy riding around international tracks and, you know, the Olympics on most weekends, but Phillip Dutton can also often be found producing the next generation of young horses. With a long-standing partnership and friendship with Graham Motion Racing, Phillip’s always got a fair number of former racehorses coming in to continue on as sport horse prospects. One such young Thoroughbred, Undaunted Rags (Union Rags – Lookout Lady, by Smart Strike), who is owned by Kevin Keane, has been the subject of some of Phillip’s recent training videos.

You can revisit the first update Phillip posted about this 3-year-old who is very much fresh off the track here. In his next update, Phillip focuses on introducing new elements like ground poles and small fences, while also always encouraging the young horse to move forward willingly. It’s so interesting to follow these horses as they learn, and Phillip’s calm and easy approach is good fodder for any horse producer to emulate. Be sure to turn your sound on to hear Phillip’s narration!

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How to Watch the Chedington Bicton Park CCI5* This Weekend

By on Sep 1, 2021 4:00 pm -

Laura Collett and Mr Bass contesting the Bicton CCI4*-L earlier this year. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

While the American Eventing Championships are happening here stateside, there’s also a little event kicking off in Great Britain tomorrow. Typically, this weekend would mean it’s finally time for the Land Rover Burghley CCI5*, but with both English five-stars opting to cancel due to ongoing Covid complications this year, British riders were quick to rally for a replacement. The organizing team behind Bicton Arena stepped up to fill the role, and now we’re in for a special treat as 34 elite riders are set to come forward for the kick-off of the Chedington Bicton Park CCI5* starting Friday, September 3.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an international five-star without a way to follow along, and we’re pleased that Elite Eventing and H&C+ will be providing a unique livestream opportunity for the action this weekend. You as livestream viewers will be able to have a hand in making the event’s prize pot grow — portions of purchases of the Elite Eventing/H&C+ pay-per-view package for the jumping phases of competition will be used to supplement the prize fund. Funds will also be made available to use for the further development of the sport.

We’ll have a form guide coming your way to introduce you to the 34 horse and rider combinations you’ll be seeing this weekend (though many of them certainly need no introduction!), but in the meantime here’s some pertinent information to get you all primed and ready. Tilly Berendt will be our #journoontour this weekend bringing you all of the action, and I’ll be running live updates for cross country on Saturday here on EN.

Chedington Bicton CCI5*: [Website] [Box Office] [Entries] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage] [EN’s Instagram] [EN’s Twitter]

Schedule: Click here to view the timetable
Dressage – Friday, September 3: 9:00 a.m BST / 4:00 a.m. EST / 1:00 a.m. PST
Cross Country – Saturday, September 4: 12:00 a.m. BST / 7:00 a.m. EST / 4:00 a.m. PST
Show Jumping – Sunday, September 5: 1:00 p.m. BST / 8:00 a.m. EST / 5:00 a.m. PST

Live Stream: Click here to sign up
The dressage phase of competition will be streamed at no cost on H&C+. To view the cross country and show jumping phases, you will need to purchase a one-time pay-per-view pass at a cost of $34.50 for non-H&C+ members and $27.50 for H&C+ members.

Times & Results: Click here to view the Eventing Scores info hub

Tickets: In the area and want to attend? Tickets are still available for spectators. Click here to purchase yours

Cross Country Course: Click here to see our preview of what Captain Mark Phillips has planned for what is sure to be a very proper five-star test for these riders

Entries: Take a look at the combinations coming forward this weekend — and stay tuned for Tilly’s form guide, coming soon! If you want to play along with the EquiRatings Eventing Manager fantasy game, we highly recommend it! Learn how to snag your team here.

Through Horses and Community, Stable View’s Brave Today Program Helps Aiken-Area Kids Find Their Feet

By on Sep 1, 2021 3:00 pm -

Photo courtesy of Stable View.

It’s no secret that those formative childhood years can have a lasting impact on an individual’s future health and wellness. Unfortunately, childhoods aren’t created equally, and many kids often find themselves adrift in the world far too early. To help young people who might be struggling in some way, and recognizing the value of a connection with horses, many programs aimed at providing access to both horses and community are doing some incredible work all over the world. Stable View’s Brave Today program, which launched in spring of 2021, is one of these horse havens hoping to help its participants grow and learn over the course of a six week curriculum.

“It’s estimated that one in five people suffer from a mental health episode everyday, which includes children as young as eight years of age,” Stable View described in its Brave Today launch announcement. “We believe that these issues are very prevalent in Aiken county. Stable View’s ‘Brave Today’ goal is to provide a safe haven for those children and youth to gather, experience the connection of horses, develop life long skills and provide support after each program through mentorship and scholarships.”

Janice Keats, a longtime instructor and Aiken resident, was a part of the development process for Brave Today and helps run the program now. “I’ve always loved helping kids develop confidence and hope,” she describes. “The program has been designed around an acronym, ‘Dress4TLC’, or the life skills that we work on. We talk about it in human form and then transfer it to the horses. The ‘Dress4TLC’ stands for Decision Making, Relationship Skills, Respect, Empathy, Self-Awareness, Social-Awareness, Trustworthy, Leadership and Communication.”

Horses have been a natural fit for Brave Today. Through instruction using proper body language, kids gain confidence around the horses that can then be transferred to life outside of the barn.

Photo courtesy of Stable. View.

“It’s very organic and purposely set up very small,” Janice adds. “Part of it is building trust. It’s very quiet, no observers. Just a closed group. We want to be intentional and get to know the kids.”

Kids participating in Brave Today attend weekly sessions over six weeks, after which they have the opportunity to stay on as mentors for future participants or express interest in participating in another local organization. The program is also in the process of forming a partnership with the Clemson University Youth Learning Institute to help with future expansion.

Using established programs such as Detroit Horse Power as models for building Brave Today, Janice says it’s been an all-out effort for the close-knit Aiken community to bring this program to life. “The town is great, and there are a lot of organizations doing a real push right now to help kids navigate mental health challenges,” Janice explains. “My big thing has always been that we all help as a community, together. We want to sponsor the kids after (Brave Today) to go into other programs in the community. We want them to have the opportunity to discover and develop their passions and see what’s out there.”

Brave Today continues to grow, having just added a second weekly session to accommodate more participants. Eventually, Janice hopes to grow the program so that it can offer riding opportunities. Down the road, transportation will become an increased necessity so that kids can have a way to get to the program if their families are working. Brave Today is always accepting donations and volunteers as it continues to grow. You can learn more about Brave Today and how you can be involved here.

“It’s all been word of mouth to this point,” Janice says. “And we’re just starting, so it’s really beginning to snowball. Hopefully, it just keeps developing and growing. We never overpromise, and we’re always open to change. We’re just letting the program lead us.”

Stable View Launches ‘Brave Today’ Community Equestrian Outreach Program
Stable View Farm: Brave Today

Enter EN’s AEC ‘Kentucky Performance of the Week’ Contest for a Bucket Full of KPP Goodies

By on Sep 1, 2021 11:00 am -

We’re celebrating American Eventing Championships all week long with a new contest from our friends at Kentucky Performance Products! As this this is the final year (for now, at least — we hope) for the AEC to live at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, we thought it appropriate to share our love of the horse and of the sport in the form of a nomination contest. Here’s the scoop:

The prize: A bucket full of Kentucky Performance Products goodies, including a soft-side cooler, KPP gear, a mobile power bank, a 5 lb. package of Summer Games Electrolye and a tube of Trouble Free paste to try.

The ask: We’re celebrating all of the hard work that YOU put in to make it to Kentucky. Nominations are now open for the Kentucky Performance Products “Kentucky Performance of the Week” contest. Nominate the AEC competitor who has inspired you through their dedication, hard work, horsemanship, etc. by commenting on the post embedded in this article. Be sure to tag your nominee and tell us why they inspire you! Alternatively, you can email your entry and story to [email protected]. You must TAG @kentuckyperformanceproducts and @goeventing for visibility purposes on Instagram. Please use #KentuckyPerformance in your caption. Submissions are due by Sunday, September 5 and we’ll announce the winner next week — and the nominating individual will also win a prize pack!

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Wednesday News & Notes from Haygain

By on Sep 1, 2021 12:01 am -

Photo by Kate Lokey.

Strides for Equality Equestrians (SEE) is proud to partner with the USEA this week for the 2021 American Eventing Championships, presented by Nutrena Feed. Be on the lookout for SEE stickers and this awesome jump adorned with the SEE banner! To learn more about and donate to Strides for Equality Equestrians’ efforts to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in equestrian sports, click here.

U.S. Weekend Preview:

#AEC2021 (Lexington, Ky.): [Website] [Ride Times/Live Scores] [Live Stream] [Volunteer]

Bucks County Horse Park H.T. (Revere, Pa.): [Website]

Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Fairburn, Ga.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

Equestrians’ Institute H.T. (Cle Elum, Wa.): [Website] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Silverwood Farm H.T. (Camp Lake, Wi.): [Website]

Major International Events:

Bicton Arena CCI5*: [Website] [Schedule] [Entries] [Live Stream]

Wednesday Reading List:

Who’s inspired you at AEC this week? We want to know! Entries are now open for our “Kentucky Performance of the Week” contest in partnership with Kentucky Performance Products. Nominate someone competing this week who’s inspired you on their journey, and we’ll select a winner to receive a big bucket full of KPP goodies! More info on how to enter here.

Want to take a look at what the AEC competitors will be tackling on cross country this week? Check out a preview of each level’s track here.

While you’re at it, check out some Fast Facts curated by the USEA for this week’s American Eventing Championships — and there are a lot of them!

“Listen to your horse. What is he telling you? How is he feeling today?” It’s how international show jumper Peter Lutz introduced himself in a recent clinic hosted for Detroit Horse Power students. Eight students had the opportunity to learn from Peter in this two-day clinic last month, and you can read about it in this article from The Chronicle of the Horse.

Haygain is wishing all AEC competitors good rides and great fun this week! And guess what! The Training Level Amateur Championship winner this week will get to take home a Haygain steamer of their own! Longtime Haygain user Allison Springer will present the award after show jumping. Good luck to all!

Are you an equestrian workaholic? It’s ok, we are too. It’s hard to define success as a rider, and often it can seem like all the hustle is in vain. NoelleFloyd.com writer Megan Roswech shares her thoughts as a lifelong equestrian workaholic in her latest essay.

Wednesday Video Break:

We’ve been loving the stories coming out of the Paralympics, so we dug up this video to learn a bit more about para dressage:

Day One at #AEC2021: Rain, Rain, Go Away

By on Aug 31, 2021 8:35 pm -

Eventing Nation’s coverage of the 2021 USEA American Eventing Championships is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products. We want to share the joy of eventing this week, so we invite you to nominate an AEC rider for our “Kentucky Performance of the Week” contest, happening now in partnership with Kentucky Performance Products. Learn more here.

Well it certainly wouldn’t be a horse show in Kentucky without an appearance from Mother Nature — or, in this case, Hurricane Ida. Though the storm has been downgraded now to a tropical depression, Kentuckians got some residual downpours from Ida as she continued to make her way across the country. Hey, at least those cross country courses will be…well-watered?

In all seriousness, though, there are thousands of people (and animals) currently displaced or otherwise affected by Hurricane Ida, particularly in New Orleans. As of this report, over 1 million residents are left without power, potentially a longterm issue, throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. One resource to use to help those affected by the storm is this list curated by Time magazine.

As for the 1000+ horses and riders competing in Kentucky at the 2021 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds today was the start of a whole week full of highly anticipated eventing action. The Intermediate and Preliminary divisions kicked us off with their dressage tests today and will take on the cross country test tomorrow, while the Advanced, Modified and Training divisions will begin their competition tomorrow. The Novice and Beginner Novice championships will begin on Thursday.

We’re lucky to have a free live stream provided by the USEA and RNS Video Media this week and you can view the live stream and schedule here. The feed is accompanied by commentary from Dorothy Crowell and Frankie Thieriot-Stutes, and the team on site is doing all they can to show as many riders and as many divisions as possible.

Leslie Law and Lady Chatterley (photo not from this week). Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

The USEA Intermediate Championship was the first division to see this morning, and after the dust (mud?) settled it’s Leslie Law and the 2020 Mare of the Year Lady Chatterley leading the way on a dressage mark of 25.5. Lady Chatterley (Connor 48 – Jucy, by Mytens xx) is a 10-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by Jackie and Steve Brown who wrapped up her spring campaign this year with a win in the Ocala Festival of Eventing CCI3*-L, her third long-format at the level. British Olympic gold medalist Leslie Law is one who’s well-known and respected for his tact in producing his horses, and the time he’s spent with this mare is a testament to that methodology of patience. And at just 10, why rush? This one’s a sure talent to have on the string as she continues to progress — and one to watch as she tackles the jumping phases over the next two days!

Candace Bell winds up in second in the Intermediate Championship aboard her own 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood Fernhill Philm Star (Aragorn – KVC Yasmin), who was previously campaigned in Ireland through the now three-star level by Australian rider Ben Leahy. This is the first FEI horse Candace has picked up, and they’re coming off of a top-20 finish in their CCI3*-L debut at Jersey Fresh this spring. Candace and Fernhill Philm Star will head into cross country on a score of 25.9.

Hot on the top pairs’ heels in the Intermediate will be Elisa Wallace, who brings forward Steve and Vicki Sukup’s Riot Gear (Confetti – Lucy, by Fuerst Gotthard) as well as Rick Wallace’s Munson Slew in this division. Riot Gear will be the best-placed of the pair after the first day, sitting on a score of 26.0. This pair won the Area III Intermediate Championship at Stable View in June.

Leading the way in the Bates USEA Preliminary Amateur Championship are Madison Langerak and Kelly Langerak’s Normandy Kivalo (Kalaska de Semilley – Carina, by Coral), a 9-year-old Hungarian Sport Horse gelding, on a score of 22.5. Madison is a part of the West coast continent competing here in Kentucky this week, and so far the long trip has been well worthwhile as she’s just squeaked in a hair off of her personal best score with this horse — she earned a 22.4 at Training level at Twin Rivers earlier this year. After contending with colic surgery and other setbacks over the last few years, Madison is thrilled to be back at it with her heart horse, “Norman”, and we’re just as thrilled to see their weekend set off on a high note. Kick on, Madison!

Susan Moessner and her homebred Warmblood-Clydesdale cross stallion Satin Art (Indian Art – Epic Satin, by Epic Win) will be the first-phase leaders in the Bates USEA Preliminary Rider Championship, earning a mark of 26.7 from the judges today. This is a partnership that has stood the test of time: Susan competed Satin Art in Young Event Horse competitions in 2009 and has since amassed a pages-long USEA record competing up through the Intermediate level. Believe it not, this is this pair’s first trip bay k to AEC since 2010, so it’s a very warm welcome back and best wishes to Susan as she takes on the rest of the competition this week.

First placed after dressage in the Bates USEA Junior/Young Rider Preliminary Championship are Cassie Sanger and former Caroline Martin ride Danger Mouse, a 13-year-old KWN gelding by Kannan. Cassie took the ride over in February of this year and collected their first win together earlier this month in the Preliminary at Genesee Valley. They’ll take a score of 24.7 — the best score they’ve earned since beginning their partnership — into tomorrow’s cross country.

Last but most certainly not least of day one in the Bates USEA Preliminary Horse Championship, Liz Halliday-Sharp and Ocala Horse Properties’ Shanroe Cooley (Dallas VDL – Shanroe Sapphire), a 6-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, will take the lead on a score of 28.5. In his 2021 Preliminary campaign, Shanroe Cooley has never finished outside of the top three, so it’s no surprise to see him top of the pack early on here in Kentucky. This is another one produced from early days by Liz, who always has a variety of young horses coming up the ranks in hopes they’ll one day turn into superstars.

We’ll continue to keep you up-to-date on the leaders from each division, and we’re pleased to partner with Shannon Brinkman Photography this week for photo galleries — stay tuned for more to come from the Bluegrass State! In the meantime, let’s take a look around social media as the eventers braved the rain today:

Your Ultimate Guide to the USEA American Eventing Championships

By on Aug 31, 2021 1:00 pm -

Kloie Hicks and Sugar Rush. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

We’re all set to go for an incredible week in the Bluegrass State, where the USEA American Eventing Championships are kicking off today with a record number of entries across all divisions. The USEA has been hard at work priming the Kentucky Horse Park for the 1000+ horses and riders who will be tackling the championship courses set by Derek di Grazia (cross country) and Robert Murphy (show jumping), and there will also be a live stream provided by RNS Video Media for anyone who is unable to attend in person.

We’ll be bringing you daily social media highlights on our Instagram story, photos from Shannon Brinkman’s team, and plenty of other reports to keep you up to speed on the happenings in Kentucky. This is the last year that AEC will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park (for the near future, at least), so it’s due to be an extra special year, particularly when considering the cancelation of the championship in 2020. Riders who qualified for 2020 were eligible to compete this year with some additional MERs.

You can bookmark this page for updated articles from AEC, and you can also visit the USEA’s AEC hub full of more information and coverage. We’ll link some pertinent information below for you as well.

Schedule of Events

Live Stream Schedule

Ride Times

Stabling Assignments

AEC Digital Program

EN’s Coverage

Saturday, September 4

#AEC2021 Beginner Novice Cross Country Live Updates
‘It’s Been Almost 40 Years Since I Evented’: Penny Welsh & Mr. Poppers Lead AEC BN Master Amateur Dressage

Friday, September 3

Day Four at #AEC2021 Recap
By the Numbers: #AEC2021 Beginner Novice Master Amateur

Thursday, September 2

Thursday Photo Gallery from Shannon Brinkman
Day Three at #AEC2021: First Champions Crowned
Thursday Video: The First #AEC2021 Helmet Cams Are In!
#AEC2021 $60,000 USEA Adequan Advanced Final Cross Country Live Updates

Wednesday, September 1

Day Two at #AEC2021: Catching Up with Your Division Leaders
View or Download Your AEC Cross-Country Course Maps Here!
Enter EN’s AEC ‘Kentucky Performance of the Week’ Nomination Contest, presented by Kentucky Performance Products

Tuesday, August 31

Day One at #AEC2021: Rain, Rain, Go Away
Tuesday #AEC2021 Instagram Round-up: A Soggy Start

Weekend Winners: Five Points, Seneca Valley, Shepherd Ranch, Town Hill Farm

By on Aug 30, 2021 11:00 am -

Love these two ladies! I’ll just keep going to shows that Ryan Wood and Boyd Martin aren’t at and hopefully we will keep winning ribbons 🤞🏼

Posted by Dominic Schramm on Sunday, August 29, 2021

It’s time to catch up on your score-stalking from the weekend! This week’s Unofficial Low Score Award was earned by Dom Schramm, who piloted the 8-year-old Holsteiner mare Dawn Breaker to a Training level win on a final score of 21.1. This is a mare who has previously earned a 14.3 (insert mind-blown emoji here), so competitive dressage seems to be a strong suit of hers! Congratulations are also in order to the other half of the Schramm fam, Jimmie, who made the step back up to the Advanced level aboard Eclaire, who Jimmie has had and produced since she was four. Well done to all!

Five Points H.T. (Raeford, Nc.): [Website] [Results]

Advanced: Kate Brown and Carnaby (42.0)
Intermediate: Will Faudree and Pleasant Humphrey (40.6)
Open Preliminary: Emily Beshear and Templewood (27.3)
Preliminary Rider: Diana Craven and Fernhill St. Nick (40.9)
Modified: Nicole Kemerling and Modern Man (39.1)
Open Training: Dom Schramm and Dawn Breaker (21.1)
Training Rider: Susanne McDaniel and Corelli (28.9)
Novice Rider: Kylee Casey and Danielle Deer (33.1)
Open Novice: Robin Walker and Cappog Ferro Royale CDS (21.7)
Beginner Novice Rider: Willow Chase and Diablo (32.3)
Open Beginner Novice: McKenzie Cumbea and Talisman (27.3)

🚨 Alert- Sappy Post 😎Around 6 years ago, Jenni Autry and I popped on a plane to Frankfurt, Germany to take a look at a…

Posted by Jimmie Holotik Schramm on Sunday, August 29, 2021

Seneca Valley Pony Club H.T. (Poolesville, Md.): [Website] [Results]

Open Intermediate: Ema Klugman and Bronte Beach Z (37.6)
Open Preliminary: Boyd Martin and Mystic Fair (37.6)
Open Modified: Daniel Clasing and Et Cetera (28.9)
Modified Rider: Robyn Weaver and Wishbone (33.2)
Training Rider: Laura Delaney and Aragon (30.2)
Training Jr.: Katherine Holzrichter and Idlehour Center Stage (34.0)
Open Training 1: Suzannah Cornue and Clear Crossing (34.2)
Open Training 2: Boyd Martin and Gesalt (28.9)
Open Novice 1: Lillian Heard and Fernhill Mac an Bata (32.4)
Open Novice 2: Lillian Heard and Bellines Quality Lady (30.5)
Novice Jr.: Gianna Fernandez and Excel Star Vero Amore (31.9)
Novice Sr.: Cathrin Weiss and Pegasus Black Gold (32.4)
Open Beginner Novice 1: Morgan McGrath and Windchase Hydra (27.8)
Open Beginner Novice 2: Mike Pendleton and Ruby Falls Romeo (30.8)
Beginner Novice Jr.: Lily Kratz and One Lark One Legend (32.0)
Starter 1: Susan Thompson and Legion of Honor (37.5)
Starter 2: Cathrin Weiss and Karpe Diem (27.8)

Shepherd Ranch H.T. (Santa Ynez, Ca.): [Website] [Results]

Intermediate/Preliminary: Caitlin Davison and M Cloudy De Lune SE (36.5)
Open Preliminary: Mia Richardson and Whats That Sportsfield (37.1)
Preliminary/Training: Sophia Merz and Clara Bö (38.1)
Open Training: Jolie Wentworth and Cruise Control (30.7)
Training Rider: Sloan Bryson and Abright Star (36.9)
Novice Rider: Julia Wood and Absolute CCSH (36.6)
Open Novice: Madeline Sexton and Arya Stark (29.5)
Beginner Novice Rider: Leslie van der Wal and Doonhill Dancer (23.5)
Open Beginner Novice: Pam Fisher and Sea Lioness (26.5)
Open Introductory: Caitlin Davison and Ringo Star (29.0)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTL0lD8r7YsqvATMcLQ71yF_z5ZlPh920wjUNQ0/

Town Hill Farm H.T. (Lakeville, Ct.): [Website] [Results]

Preliminary: Megan Tardiff and Vindakova (34.2)
Training A: Bella Moon and Million Dollar Baby (29.5)
Training B: Lourie Yelton and Ripleigh (42.0)
Novice A: Maye Stichter and Know Direction (28.8)
Novice B: Alexander Conrad and Amore (27.1)
Novice C: Alison Silvester and Breeze (29.8)
Beginner Novice A: Logan Williams and Four Star General (36.0)
Beginner Novice B: Hannah Lowin and Infinity KH (22.5)
Beginner Novice C: Tara Astacio and Money to Burn (26.5)
Starter: Sandra Schwinger and Kontrabass (32.7)

Wednesday Videos from Kentucky Performance Products: Relive the Winning Rides from #MARSGMI

By on Aug 25, 2021 5:00 pm -

Another edition of the MARS Equestrian Great Meadow International is in the rearview, but we’re still reliving the action thanks to the archived live stream on H&C+. Covering an event in real-time is always an incredible experience, but I inevitably find myself revisiting the live stream playback when I get home so I can see everything I missed! You can do so too by clicking here and using (or subscribing to) your H&C+ membership.

Your CCI3*-S and CCI4*-S winners were Caroline Martin with Redfield Dexter and Phillip Dutton with Fernhill Singapore, respectively, and we’ve got their winning cross country rides for you right here! There is always something to learn from watching good cross country riding, so pull up a seat and soak it in:

Caroline Martin and Redfield Dexter – CCI3*-S:

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Singapore – CCI4*-S:

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Germany Names Participants for 2021 FEI Eventing European Championships

By on Aug 25, 2021 11:00 am -

Anna Siemer and FRH Butt’s Avondale. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Teams and individuals named for the upcoming FEI Eventing European Championships are beginning to emerge, and Germany is the latest nation to announce who will be representing the country in Switzerland next month. The European Championships will be hosted at Avenches September 23-26.

Each nation has the ability to send a four-member team along with two individual competitors. In alphabetical order, the following combinations have been named to the German squad:

  • Andreas Dibowski and FRH Corrida (12-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by the Dibowski family)
  • Michael Jung and fischerWild Wave (9-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Klaus and Sabine Fischer and the Jung family)
  • Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD (17-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Ingrid Klimke)
  • Dirk Schrade and Casino 80 (11-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Freya Rethmeier)
  • Anna Siemer and FRH Butts Avondale (14-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by Dr. Volker Steinkraus)
  • Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S (12-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Lena Thonenies and Christoph Wahler)
  • First Reserve: Andreas Ostholt and Corvette 31 (13-year-old Westphalian mare owned by Rudolf Westmeyer)
  • Other Reserves: Emma Brussels and Dark Desire GS (12-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by Jürgen Brüssau/ Sophie Leube and Jadore Moi (11-year-old Bavarian mare owned by BG Jadore Moi and Sophie Leube)

FEI Eventing European Championships: [Website]

Wednesday News & Notes from Haygain

By on Aug 25, 2021 12:01 am -

Don’t forget: the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics are happening now! Dressage officially kicked off on Wednesday, Tokyo time, with the First Horse Inspection, and the competition will open tomorrow (very early Thursday morning, U.S. time) with Grade II riders leading off. Click here to view the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic schedule and results.

Let’s catch up a bit with the U.S. team. Be sure to give them all a follow and support their efforts this week. Good luck to all!

U.S. Weekend Preview

Five Points H.T. (Raeford, Nc.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]

Seneca Valley Pony Club H.T. (Poolesville, Md.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Volunteer]

Shepherd Ranch H.T. (Santa Ynez, Ca.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Town Hill Farm H.T. (Lakeville, Ct.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Major International Events:

Land Rover Blair Castle International H.T. (Atholl, Scotland): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Times/Scores]

Millstreet International H.T. (Millstreet, Ireland) : [Website] [Scores]

Wooroloo Bates Saddles International H.T. (Perth, Australia): [Website]

Wednesday News & Notes:

The long-awaited USEA American Eventing Championships are almost upon us! With a record number of entries received following last year’s postponement, and with it being the last year AEC is hosted at Kentucky Horse Park (for the foreseeable future at least), it’s sure to be a weekend to remember in the Bluegrass State. Get all the info you need to know for next week in the USEA AEC info hub here.

We heart volunteers! Spotlighted in the most recent VIP Volunteer column on the USEA is California’s Golly Martin, who has been an invaluable help to both riders and events alike. Read all about her lifelong dedication to the sport here.

German gold medalist Andreas Dibowski keeps it simple when it comes to teaching cross country riding. The word you need to know? “Forward”. In this article from Practical Horseman, learn more about the foundational skills Andreas uses to instill proper instincts and good riding in his students.

You won’t want to miss out on Equitana this year, happening in October at Kentucky Horse Park! With a Phillip Dutton clinic, bodywork seminars, a full shopping experience, and many other exhibitions aimed at all aspects of equestrian sport, Equitana promises to be a true celebration of the horse. Click here to find your tickets.

Wednesday Video:

Get to know the Para-Dressage competition happening in Tokyo:

Looking Ahead to the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill: Have You Sent Your Entry Yet?

By on Aug 23, 2021 11:30 am -

Entries for the inaugural Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill are officially open! The Fair Hill Organizing Committee is excited to welcome athletes and their horses to compete in the 5 Star (CCI5*-L), the 3 Star (CCI3*-L) featuring the USEF 3 Star Eventing National Championship, and The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships! Entries will close on Tuesday, September 14.

Athletes can visit maryland5star.us/entries for more information and to access a link to the EventEntries.com or USEA XEntry portal to submit their entry. Entries will be accepted until September 14, 2021. Get your entry in today to compete at one of only 7 equestrian events of its kind worldwide!

Visitors and athletes will also have the opportunity to take part in the Maryland 5 Star Beer, Wine & Spirits Showcase from Grow & Fortify as well as a Fresh Food Fest, presented in partnership with the Maryland Department of Agriculture. The Beer, Wine & Spirits Showcase on cross country day will feature tasting and sampling opportunities from local breweries, wineries and distilleries, and on Sunday participants can take part in the Fresh Food Fest to sample seasonal fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meats and seafood, and much more.

The Maryland 5 Star promises to be an event like no other, a true intermingling of the best of our sport and the flavors of the local community. EN will have a full team on site for the second North American five-star and we cannot wait to see you there!

Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill: [Website] [Entry Info] [Omnibus] [Tickets] [Special Events]

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Singapore Take MARS Great Meadow International CCI4*-S Title

By on Aug 22, 2021 4:52 pm -

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Singapore. Photo by Sally Spickard.

This week’s coverage of MARS Great Meadow International is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products. 

It was an exciting day of eventing sport this afternoon at the MARS Great Meadow International. We were blessed with some mild weather and overcast skies just in time for the headliners to come out to tackle David O’Connor’s cross country track. We thought the track might be a fair test for the horses and riders, and some questions certainly shook up the standings enough that we had a new victor emerge: Phillip Dutton and David Vos, Ann Jones, and Tom Tierney’s Fernhill Singapore.

Fernhill Singapore (Singapore – Riedellia, by by Animo) is 12 this year, and Phillip says he’s been one that he’s had to produce carefully. After purchasing Singapore from Julie Richards (originally sourced from Carol Gee at Fernhill Sporthorses) as a four-year-old, Phillip took his time to coax the talent out, and this year he says he’s beginning to feel that work pay off. This weekend, the Irish Sport Horse gelding earned one of his more competitive FEI dressage scores at this level and would go on to add some time in the jumping phases. But after overnight leaders Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous fell at the first water jump today, the door was left open for a speedy clear to take the win.

“You know he’s got plenty of move and plenty of jump,” Phillip said. “But he wouldn’t be the fastest horse that I’ve ever had. So you know, today our conditions were good, I was in a competitive position so I thought now’s the time to really work and try to pull the trigger on him and make him go quick. We’ve got to work on getting him a bit faster but I was impressed with him today.”

Phillip Dutton and Sea Of Clouds. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Phillip will aim both Fernhill Singapore as well as the Sea of Clouds Partners’ Sea of Clouds (7th – 39.2) at the upcoming Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill in October.

Will Coleman caps off a banner weekend and puts a fresh injection of confidence into his two horses in the CCI4*-S, with the Off the Record Syndicate’s Off the Record (VDL Arkansas – Drumagoland Bay, by ARD Ohio) finishing second on a score of 32.0. This pair added 3.6 seconds of time to their overall score as one of the quicker rounds on a day that saw just two riders make the adjusted time of 6 minutes, 15 seconds.

Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Will will next head to Aachen as a member of Team USA for the FEI Nations Cup of Eventing, and this weekend’s run should be just the lead-up he was looking for to ensure “Timmy” is in fighting form for his next big test. Will also finishes his second ride, Hyperion Stud’s Chin Tonic HS in fifth position on a score of 35.4, a big success for the 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding.

“I wasn’t super concerned about going for the time,” Will said of his ride on Off the Record. In fact, he said, he actually forgot his watch in the end. “I know he can do the time, but he has only had one run kind of real run since Kentucky and Aachen is pretty frenetic. In the beginning is usually hits you in the face hard. So in the beginning, I just wanted to make sure that he was listening and that he was a little bit more relaxed. He’s pretty aggressive. And I think we did that and he’s a good boy. He just tries really hard, he gives you everything that he has. So, I’ve never want to extinguish that, but I just tried to let him go out there and be himself, but still keep a little bit in the tank for what we got to do.”

Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Will’s also thrilled with Chin Tonic HS’ (Chin Champ – Wildara, by Quinar) efforts today — this was the first Advanced for the gelding who was purchased by Hyperion Stud as a two-year-old. Will told us earlier this week that he’s taken his time producing Chin Tonic, and that patience has really paid off for him today.

“Vicky Castegran (owner of Hyperion Stud) asked last night what my plan was, and I said ‘I’m not going to go there and protect him the whole way around,” Will explained. “I don’t think we’re going to learn anything about him if we go and do that. I wasn’t going to go and try to find his limit, but I wanted to go out and kind of put a little pressure on and just see how he responded. I mean, even halfway around I couldn’t stop patting him. Every time you ask for a little bit he gave you some more, and so in that respect, I think the horse showed his character, and that’s sort of what was our goal. A double clear wasn’t necessarily going to be what we had to do to accomplish that, but I think he showed me enough to he’s ready for this, and we’ll just keep going from here.”

Finishing third and fourth in the CCI4*-S is Lauren Nicholson with Ms. Jacqueline Mars’ Vermiculus and Landmark’s Monte Carlo, the latter of whom finished bang on the optimum time to be the second horse to make the time. Vermiculus ends his weekend on a score of 32.5 and will next head to Aachen as an individual competitor.

Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus. Photo by Sally Spickard.

“At this point, they’ve done so much and kind of have nothing to lose with either them. And they both have about you experience under their belt. So, you know, I went out to kind of have a crack at it.”

It’s always special when riders on horses owned by Ms. Jacqueline Mars can come here to compete in The Plains, as Ms. Mars can always be heard cheering from her vantage points around the track. Lauren says this is one of the best things about coming here, especially with Landmark’s Monte Carlo (Formula One – Glamour), who is a Ms. Mars homebred.

Lauren Nicolson and Landmark’s Monte Carlo. Photo by Sally Spickard.

“These two horses (Landmark’s Monte Carlo and Kimmy Cecere’s Landmark’s Monaco) are really special to her because they’re homebred,” Lauren said. “They’re her babies and for someone who’s had so many horses do such big things, she likes to get so involved from the ground up. So even kind of the little, little successes as they go up is important to her so. And I can always pick her voice out around course!”

Nation Media’s own Ema Klugman and Bendigo were the second to go this afternoon in the CCI4*-S, and they made excellent quick work of the track to blister home as the only other double clear of the day. This effort would rocket the pair up into sixth place all the way from twenty sixth place. Ema completed her first CCI5*, representing Australia, with Bendigo, who is 19 this year, and will be aiming for the Maryland 5 Star in October — and she’s also headed off to start law school this week.

Ema Klugman and Bendigo. Photo by Sally Spickard.

The course caused some problems throughout, in particular at the final water at fence 18, the MARS Sustainability Bay. An angled drop in followed by a bending line to a narrow arrowhead caught some horses out, prompting them to take the option that was the original CCI3* entrance to the water. Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous both took a pretty hard tumble into the water at fence 15A after “Kitty” lost impulsion coming up to the big log in. Both horse and rider were up and seemed to be ok after taking a swim. Jill Thomas also had a hard fall from OBOS Darko at the table at fence 17, and Elizabeth Bortuzzo fell from Belongs to Tuefer after a refusal at fence 15A. In total, 59% of the CCI4*-s riders who started jumped clear.

Caroline Martin and Redfield Dexter. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Looking to the CCI3*-S, which wrapped up as the first division out on cross country this morning, Caroline Martin held on to her lead aboard Redfield Dexter (Dexter R – Zyreina Weering, by Solitair), an 8-year-old KWPN gelding who picks up his first FEI win today on a final score of 26.2. Caroline has an immense amount of confidence in her string of rising stars, and she credits the opportunity to produce them as they began their eventing careers for her blooming confidence. In fact, she told me in our interview yesterday that she’d go out and win on “Dexter” today — naturally, I didn’t want to be the one who jinxed her so I left that out of print!

“I’ve known them from their first cross country log all the way through, you know, where we are now, so I know they know me inside and out,” she explained. “So it’s definitely a different ballgame.”

“I think this was his fifth or sixth Intermediate, but I took an extra long time going Prelim levels,” Caroline said of “Dexter”. “I’ve put really put a lot basics into him, so going out here walking the course I thought, there’s nothing he can’t do. He has all the talent and he’s got all the scope, all the rideability. So the biggest thing is just being able to navigate it and make sure I explained all the questions properly.”

At the start of her upper-level career, Caroline had the benefit of learning from several experienced horses — but she said she much prefers getting to put her stamp on them early on and form a partnership. She’s been very selective — “a lot of trial and error”, she laughs — about how she plans out her schedule, wanting to go for the win at some events and take it easy at others. It’s a formula that certainly has brought her much success, and she credits her business partners Paul Hendrix and Emil Spadone for helping her find the best of the best, as well as her partner at home Casey McKissock, who Caroline says is absolutely invaluable in terms of any success she has. We talk often of needing a “village” to make this crazy life work, and Caroline definitely seems to have found hers (she also trains with Anne Kursinski and Betsy Steiner at home).

Kurt Martin and D.A. Lifetime. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Kurt Martin and Debbie Adams’ D.A. Lifetime (Lingh – Timeless, by Carpalo) finished their weekend in second on a score of 28.2, adding just two seconds of time on the clock this morning. This is the best FEI finish for this 9-year-old Holsteiner mare, who looks to be a real talent for Kurt’s string.

“‘Clarence’ was an absolute star,” Kurt said. “Today was a huge step forward for our partnership.The course was exactly what we needed at this point of the season. I truly can’t thank Debbie and Tony [Adams] enough for this opportunity. Thank you to the organizers of Great Meadow International – they did a super job.”

Third in the CCI3*-S is Buck Davidson with Sami Crandell’s DHI Showman, a 7-year-old Anglo-European gelding by Elvis Ter Putte, who finished their weekend on a score of 29.5. “Elvis” came to Buck a bit by accident after owner Sami Crandell had to undergo back surgery (not riding related) last year. In the interim, Buck took the ride and thinks he’s maybe got a horse to contest the World Young Horse Breeding Championships at Mondial du Lion this fall.

Buck Davidson and DHI Showman. Photo by Sally Spickard.

“He’s a bit like a pony, he can sort of drop off the bridle so last year we galloped him with the Advanced horses to get him ready for the one-star,” Buck said. “This year he’s really picked up. You need a horse (for Le Lion) that’s good in all three phases and I didn’t want to go over there with one that wouldn’t be fast enough. So two weeks ago at Millbrook I put the pressure on a bit more and said you’ve really got to get closer to the time, and he made it easily. Same thing here, he got a bit tired and it was a bit heavier, hilly ground for him, but he didn’t drop off the bridle.”

This is actually the horse who connected a hind hoof with Buck’s face last year, rendering him with multiple broken bones, a split jawbone, injured eye socket and more. He’s soundly recovered from that and now it’s a running joke in the Davidson camp — we’re glad to see they’ve formed a strong partnership in the intervening months! But Elvis is still “quite a character”, Buck says — “he can’t go out in the field because he jumps out all the time!” As they say, the best ones are typically the quirkiest, anyway.

It’s been a wonderful weekend in Virginia and I have to say thank you to Kira Topeka, who ran press, organizers Darrin Mollett and Max Corcoran for a smooth and safe weekend for all, and all of the officials, volunteers, vendors, sponsors grooms and everyone else to comes together to pull off these massive events. I can’t wait to come back! Also a big thank you to MARS Equestrian, who truly pulled out all the stops this weekend with an epic VIPet Experience, a ringside lounge, and much more.

If you missed out on any of the action from this weekend, H&C+ generally has replays up within 24 hours, so be sure to sign up so you can watch everything back — I know I will be as soon as I get home!

Thank you as always for following along with us. Go Eventing.

#MARSGMI: Website, Final Scores, H&C+ Live Stream, Show Photographer, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter

Sunday Video: Watch Tamie Smith and Danito Sail Around Arville CCIO4*-S Cross Country

By on Aug 22, 2021 3:00 pm -

We were a little late to the party and didn’t discover the live stream from Arville until, well, tonight — but have no fear, Tamie Smith is keeping us well in the loop on her Instagram page all week long.

Tamie’s got three horses (the Ahearn family’s Mai Baum, Ruth Bley’s Danito and Julianne Guariglia’s Solaguayre California) with her on her latest international journey, and while this weekend was intended to be a pipe-opener, she nonetheless impressed with two impressive clear cross country rounds. Well, two and a half, if you could Mai Baum’s clear run that ended in a planned retirement. Mai Baum is headed to Aachen next to contest the Nations Cup as a part of Team USA.

“I was so pleased with them,” Tamie said. “Arville is stunning! The officials and staff were amazing! What more can you ask for! It was great getting back out there.”

Catch up with Tamie and Danito, whom Tamie says “zipped around like it was just another day at the office. I’m so proud of him!”

And for fun, a bit of Solaguayre California.

Tamie reflects, “And California … well what can I say about her just blazing around her first four-star! Wow! What a horse and how lucky am I to be riding her! I have only run around Twin Rivers as a school before we flew the horses over to meet up with the black stallion and I was super pleased with them both! They put in three solid phases to knock off some rust before gearing up for our fall long format at Boekelo.”

And hey! Why not warm-up the black stallion with one of the all-time greats, Michael Jung?

“Lexus was like letting a dragon out of his cage,” she said. “I was so happy to be out galloping him after having to keep him up for so many weeks leading up Tokyo and then him not getting to run was difficult. We let him down a bit after he returned to Germany to help him put some weight back on and just take a breath. Arville was more of a prep run for Aachen and originally I wasn’t going to go cross country but after he bolted in his canter depart in the dressage, I thought I should probably take him out for a spin. I sure wanted to keep going before I pulled up to retire but I knew I needed to do what was best for him and his preparation and well being.”

Preview David O’Connor’s Cross Country Courses at MARS Great Meadow International

By on Aug 22, 2021 8:00 am -

The 4* coffin complex. Photo by Sally Spickard.

It’s cross country day at the MARS Great Meadow International in The Plains, Va. and we’re getting set for a thrilling finale that will see the CCI3*-S and CCI4*-S divisions run in reverse order of standing. David O’Connor is the designer this weekend, and he’s set up some proper, fair tests for the riders competing this weekend. As we’ve mentioned before, many riders here will be using this weekend as a fitness run, a set-up for the fall season, or as a move-up. With that in mind, the track wouldn’t be the biggest one you’ve seen — but that doesn’t mean David’s left the door open to just cruise on autopilot.

We did a fence-by-fence preview on our Instagram page (look for the story highlight titled “GMI XC Walk”), so be sure to check that out if you want a little of a close-up view (and a bit of commentary from Sharon White). I’ve also embedded the 3* and 4* tracks below thanks to the efforts of Course Walk App.

Angled logs out of the first water. Photo by Sally Spickard.

H&C+ members can check out the live stream of cross country beginning at 9 a.m. EST with the CCI3*-S and followed by the CCI4*-S, which will kick off at 12:36 p.m EST. To gain access to the live stream, click here.

CCI4*-S: Optimum time 6:57

CCI3*-S: Optimum time 6:19

#MARSGMI: Website, Schedule, CCI3* XC Order of Go, CCI4* XC Order of Go, Live Scores, H&C+ Live Stream, Volunteer, Show Photographer, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter

Top of the Board Remains Mostly Unchanged in MARS Equestrian Great Meadow International CCI4*-S

By on Aug 21, 2021 7:02 pm -

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Sally Spickard.

This week’s coverage of MARS Great Meadow International is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products. 

Chris Barnard’s show jumping tracks, which tested all levels here at MARS Equestrian Great Meadow International, caused their fair share of issues throughout the day, but the marquee CCI4*-S saw its top five relatively unchanged after wrapping up the day here in Virginia. Marilyn Little will hold onto her lead aboard Phoebe and Michael Manders and Ms. Jacqueline Mars’ RF Scandalous, notching a double clear effort that added nothing to their dressage mark of 23.4.

Marilyn stated yesterday that tomorrow’s cross country goal is fitness, so while she’s got a few seconds in hand over Phillip Dutton and David Vos, Ann Jones and Tom Tierney’s Fernhill Singapore (2nd – 27.6) she may well put them to good use over David O’Connor’s cross country course. Indeed, this event is full of competitive riders, but many of them are using this as a pipe opener after the spring season or as a set-up for bigger fall plans. That being said, the time here — 6 minutes, 47 seconds this weekend — is notoriously difficult to get, so between that and a bigger picture in mind tomorrow you might expect to see the final standings shuffle just a bit.

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Sally Spickard.

“Kitty felt like she jumped a lovely round,” Marilyn said. “She was confident and rideable. She always tries so hard and just seems to get better with age, but she absolutely jumps better when she’s in front of a crowd. She loves an audience. It’s fun to see her celebrate her clear rounds when she goes through the timers. She’s a very proud horse, and totally deserves those moments.”

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous produced a foot perfect clear round to maintain their lead in the 4* heading into tomorrow's cross country at the Great Meadow International. Coverage begins tomorrow at 9am ET with the 3* on HorseandCountry.TV

Posted by Horse & Country TV on Saturday, August 21, 2021

Will Coleman saw his two rides swap places and move up after picking up one second of time with Off the Record. Chin Tonic HS jumped an absolutely gorgeous double clear as the final horse of the day and will remain on a 28.2 in third place overnight. This is the first CCI4*-S for Chin Tonis HS, who we told you yesterday has been one that Will and the horse’s owners at Hyperion Stud have chosen to produce carefully as he grew into himself. Expect to see Will take this one out for an educational go-round tomorrow to up his confidence ahead of his fall season. Off the Record is bound for Aachen in a few weeks, so tomorrow will also be used as a set-up to ensure the 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding is feeling prime and ready for his big trip to Germany.

Will Coleman and Off the Record. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Lauren Nicholson would be the only rider in the original top five to lower a pole, just having one unlucky rail with Ms. Jacqueline Mars’ Vermiculus, but she’ll still retain a top-five position on a two-phase score of 31.7.

Kevin Keane and Sportsfield Candy. Photo by Sally Spickard.

The remainder of the top 10 in the CCI4*-S is full of movers and shakers, as rails rattled and fell throughout the division and opened the door for a clear round to make leaps and bounds up the board. Kevin Keane and Sportsfield Candy rocketed up from 16th into sixth place, adding no penalties to their dressage mark 31.8.

Phillip Dutton and Sea of Clouds. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Phillip Dutton and Sea Of Clouds, who is also aiming for Maryland this fall along with stablemate Fernhill Singapore, moved from 17th after dressage into 7th after show jumping. Kimmy Cecere and Landmark’s Monaco (8th – 32.6), Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby (9th – 33.2) and Will Coleman and Tight Lines (10th – 33.4) complete the top 10, each moving up from outside of the top 20 on the wings of clear show jumping rounds. Ariel Grand and Leamore Master Plan (10th – 33.4) will tie with Will and Tight Lines to remain in the top 10 despite lowering one pole.

Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus. Photo by Sally Spickard.

You can check out a preview of the cross country track the CCI4*-S riders will be tackling tomorrow on our Instagram page (look for the story highlight titled “GMI XC Walk” and also here on Course Walk App. I had the opportunity to walk with Sharon White, who’s currently in 13th with Cooley On Show, yesterday, and her general assessment of David O’Connor’s track is that it’s very fair and that the questions are right out in front so that the horses can see and understand them. There are definitely some legitimate questions — the final water at fence 19 features a big ol’ jump into the splash — and the rolling terrain here is certainly going to play a part. You can tune in for the CCI4*-S cross country beginning at 1:06 p.m. EST.

Caroline Martin Takes Hold of CCI3*-S

Caroline Martin and Redfield Dexter. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Show jumping also played mix-maker in the CCI3*-S, where problems were mostly scattered throughout, and it will be Caroline Martin with Redfield Dexter who take the lead into tomorrow’s cross country finale on a two-day score of 26.2. Dressage leaders Kurt Martin and Debbie Adams’ D.A. Lifetime did not have a rail in hand and did lower one but will still be in a competitive spot in 2nd place on a score of 27.2.

Caroline’s here with six horses this weekend, and she’s over the moon to have so many rising stars in her string. A few years back, Caroline started up her own business selling and competing horses for Paul Hendrix and Emil Spadone, along with Kelly Hutchinson, and she says she’s eternally grateful to have lucked into such a wonderful partnership. Every horse that comes into Caroline’s program is for sale, but if they stick around they begin competing with her — and now she’s looking at some truly competitive horses that collect top placings left and right as they progress up the levels.

Caroline Martin and HSH Vamonos. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Caroline says she systematically selects her horses’ schedules, having to balance being away from home competing with also being available to sell horses back at home. So she’ll select events where she gives her horses more educational runs and then others, which may keep her away longer, where she really goes for it and wants to win. At the end of the day, she wants to make sure her horses are properly produced and confident, even if they show incredible talent that can be tempting to move up and increase the pressure.

“The biggest thing is my business partners,” Caroline said. “They have such great eyes for horses and they send me a little bit of everything from amateur horses to quality young horses to going eventers. I honestly think some of my four- and five-year-olds could be even better than this group, but I’m just so lucky.”

The top five in this division is also rounded out by big movers who collected double clear rounds this afternoon. Buck Davidson and DHI Showman, who is owned by Sami Crandell, moved from 9th into third, adding nothing to their dressage score of 27.5. Ariel Grald and Annie Eldridge’s Isla de Coco as well as Chris Talley and Hannah Salazar’s Faramund ironically will hold on to the tie they found themselves in yesterday, only now the pairs move into a tie for fourth instead of 14th.

Alyssa Phillips and Cornelius Bo Do It Again in CCI2*-S

It’s been a year of winning for Alyssa Phillips, who is celebrating her 25th birthday today and did so in style thanks to two fault-free jumping rounds to finish on a score of 27.5. The pair collects their 11th consecutive win at this level — Alyssa laughed as she told me if she hadn’t moved Cornelius Bo up to test the waters at the Intermediate level last month, this would have made 11 wins in a row. Even so, it’s a remarkable accomplishment for this pair, and Alyssa says right now she’s working on teaching the 7-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Concours Complet to become more efficient over cross country. But it’s also all about confidence; clearly she’s found a recipe for success with her up-and-comer, and she wants to ensure he keeps his confidence as his career progresses. Alyssa will also take home some extra prize money as she also takes home the Piedmont Equine CCI2*-S Under 25 top honors.

Caroline Martin had herself a successful weekend in the CCI2*-S as well, taking home second and third aboard Galwaybay Blake (28.1) and HX Group Redfield Kings’ King’s Especiale (28.4).

Looking to the Preliminary divisions, which also wrapped up today, Sharon White and I-Quid (27.3) and Ryan Wood and Bellavista (29.6) won their respective divisions are dominant cross country performances. We were thrilled to see a very happy looking Donner back out for a spin with Lynn Symansky; Lynn always planned to take it easy today to stretch her 18-year-old off-track Thoroughbred’s legs, and the pair ended their weekend in eighth place with just some time added on cross country.

Strides for Equality Equestrians and Great Meadow International Welcome White Oak Stables

Ava Lambert was one rider from White Oak Stables to come take in the action today. Photo courtesy of Amaya Lambert.

It was particularly special to go and hang out with the group from White Oak Stables, whose diversity program and efforts to provide access to horses to the local community are worth checking out. Thanks to efforts from both MARS Equestrian Great Meadow International as well as Strides for Equality Equestrians (SEE), a tailgating spot was donated to members of White Oak Stables, who came today to take in the show jumping. We’ll have an opportunity to spend more time with these young riders tomorrow on cross country, and a special congratulations to Ava Lambert, who was able to hand out prizes to the CCI2*-S top finishers at the end of the day today.

It’s easy to get caught up in the competition itself — and for good reason, especially at an event of this caliber — but seeing new riders get to see the sport at its top levels for the first time will always be one of my favorite experiences. I hope that this is the first of many events who will partner with SEE to welcome more programs like White Oak’s to the show. The more, the merrier, if you ask me!

Ava Lambert and Alyssa Phillips at the prizegiving. Photo by Sally Spickard.

I’d also like to give a massive thanks to the organizers and volunteers who have been working tirelessly in the heat to ensure the event is running smoothly. I don’t always hear many thank you’s — and am certainly guilty of not saying it enough myself — so please remember to thank a volunteer, or better yet to spend some time volunteering when you have the chance.

We’ll have much more for you tomorrow, so stick with us for the grand finale of an epic weekend in Virginia! This post will be updated further with more photos.

Go Eventing.

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Marilyn Little In Charge of a Competitive MARS Great Meadow International CCI4*-S

By on Aug 20, 2021 7:54 pm -

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Sally Spickard.

This week’s coverage of MARS Great Meadow International is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products. 

Day one of CCI4*-S competition is done and dusted (and rinsed, thanks to some early showers), and unsurprisingly it’s Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous, owned by Phoebe and Mike Manders as well as Ms. Jacqueline Mars, who’ve taken the early lead on a score of 23.4. In truth, it wasn’t the most “on” the 16-year-old Oldenburg mare has been, but Marilyn is always grateful for her horse of a lifetime who even on a less than perfect day can still throw down to lead a large four-star division.

“It’s such a goalpost event, a big date on the calendar, but it comes early in the season and the horses definitely get a sense of the moment in there,” Marilyn said. Indeed, this morning dawned much cooler than yesterday’s Tokyo-like conditions and added a fair bit of rain on top of it, so these conditional changes made for some spicier moments, particularly in the warm-up. “There were a lot of explosions, a lot of exuberance happening in the warm-up arena, so on a day like today you just have to adjust your expectations. There are some days where you can go out and think, ‘Ok, this is going to be awesome’ and really go for it — and this just wasn’t that day. So it certainly wasn’t one of our best tests, but I was so pleased with how she just stayed focused and relaxed. I’m thrilled with her nonetheless.”

This is “Kitty’s” first event of the fall season and her first since finishing 25th at Kentucky in April, and Marilyn is planning to use this run as fitness as she looks ahead to the $60,000 USEA American Eventing Championships Adequan Advanced Final in two weeks and the inaugural Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill.

“This is a big fitness run for her,” Marilyn, who bases in Florida year-round, said. “It’s interesting trying to train in Florida during the summer. It’s been a slow, easy prep up towards this. We don’t have a lot of terrain in Florida, so this will be a great prep.”

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Singapore. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Second-placed in the early going and also aiming at Maryland in October are Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Singapore, who scored 27.6 from judges Robert Stevenson and Valerie Pride. Fernhill Singapore (Singapore – Riedellia, Animo), owned by Annie Jones, Tom Tierney and David Vos, stretched his legs in the Intermediate at Fair Hill after his post-Kentucky break, and Phillip says he’s really beginning to step into his potential.

“Singapore has always show tons of potential and talent on the flat, but it’s been really hard for me to bring it out,” he said. “I was really pleased today and hopefully this will continue on for us.” Phillip is also on the Maryland track with the Sea of Clouds Partnership’s Sea of Clouds, who’s 17th after dressage on a score of 32.4.

Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus. Photo by Sally Spickard.

It’s a special weekend for all the riders who have horses owned or partly owned by Ms. Mars, as she’s been posted up in the VIP area cheering on her horses. Particularly adorable were Lauren Nicholson‘s Vermiculus (Sazeram – Wake Me Gently) and Landmark’s Monte Carlo (Formula One – Glamour), who both peeked over to check out the source of the cheers after their final salute. Vermiculus will be the highest-placed of the Nicholson rides, earning a 27.7 to sit third after dressage.

“It’s an event I can hear Ms. Mars cheering from wherever she’s watching and that always gives me a boost,” Lauren said. “We’ve had both [Vermiculus and Landmark’s Monte Carlo] from their first tides and events and we’ve been around so many tracks together. I think the horses know her cheer as both of them looked right at Ms. Mars after their final halts like, ‘That was good mum, right?'”

“‘Bug’ had an early draw but put in a good test,” Lauren continued. “At this point in his career, he’s fairly consistent and we’re focusing on just inching out some more points in the work. We’ve changed the warm-up a bit the last couple events and although it’s not his best score there was a lot of work I liked better, and we can clean up other things for the big events.”

Landmark’s Monte Carlo, who put in a strong effort for a 30.5 to sit in 10th, has become a consistent and accurate performer for Lauren. And while perhaps not the flashiest, he’s one she can ride to squeeze as many points as possible from the judges. “‘Patty’ is just one of my best pals at this point,” Lauren said. “In his own way, he tries so hard every time. As long as the course has been wheeled tight he’s in for a chance at being competitive [remember, this is the horse with whom Lauren came home bang on the optimum time at Kentucky a few years back, earning her a Land Rover lease for a year]. He’s a horse that you love a track that no one makes the time on because he loves to be quick.”

Will Coleman and Off the Record. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Will Coleman finishes the day with two horses in the top five in the Off the Record Syndicate’s Off the Record (4th – 28.0) and Hyperion Stud LLC’s Chin Tonic HS (5th – 28.2). Will is soon to be once more Aachen-bound with Off the Record as they’ve been named to the U.S. team for the FEI Nations Cup happening in Germany September 15-19. He and “Timmy” also traveled to Aachen as an alternate pair for the U.S. Olympic team but were ultimately not needed to join the team. With that in mind, this will just be a final prep run for Off the Record (VDL Arkansas – Drumagoland Bay, by ARD Ohio).

“He’s in a good place and I just want to give him a nice run this weekend and continue to prepare Aachen,” Will explained. “Anytime you get a chance to go to Aachen it’s really special. It’s a very magical place. If you look at that Wall of Champions there, it’s truly the greatest horsemen and horsewomen we’ve ever seen. It’s Olympic level competition — basically a seven-minute five-star, and it exemplifies excellence. So you’ve got to come there with all your ducks in a row. I’m just privileged to be able to go and compete there.”

Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS. Photo by Sally Spickard.

As for the 9-year-old Chin Tonic HS (Chin Champ – Wildara, by Quinar), who is contesting his first CCI4*-S this weekend, there’s still room to grow, but a sub-30 in your first attempt at the level is certainly not a bad way to start. Chin Tonic HS is a very flashy, elegant horse with an immense amount of presence, and though Will was the very last for the judges to see today they surely perked up in their seats a bit to see this one coming down centerline. That said, some of that flash comes from excitement, so Will says he’d like to think there’s even more in there once the Holsteiner gelding has a few more miles. This is one he’s taken his time producing, as so often such natural brilliance requires some tact and maturity to properly harness.

“His owner, Hyperion Stud, and I have always felt like we wanted to give this horse a lot of time as we’ve brought him up the levels,” Will said. “We’ve had him since he was two-and-a-half years old. He was slow maturing but we feel like he’s approaching his physical peak and we feel like hes ready to kick on and earn his stripes at the four-star levels.”

Kurt Martin and D.A. Lifetime Shine in CCI3*-S

Kurt Martin and D.A. Lifetime. Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography.

Leading the way in a huge CCI3*-S division will be Kurt Martin aboard Debbie Adams’s D.A. Lifetime (Lingh – Timeless, by Carpalo) on a score of 23.2. This 9-year-old Holsteiner mare is aiming for the CCI3*-L at Maryland in October. “It’s been such great opportunity to have another great mare under me,” Kurt said. “I can’t thank the owner enough for this fantastic horse. We have built a great partnership in the last two years and the sky is the limit. We’re looking forward to a great weekend at a great venue, and we’re lucky to have this event so close to home. ‘Clarence’ always tries her best so I’m excited for the future with her.”

Nearly all of the top five in the CCI3*-S divisions are sitting on sub-25 scores, with Missy Ransenhousen and Jeff Kibbie’s Slow Heart Break sitting second on a 24.2, followed by Ariel Grald — who took the lead yesterday and weren’t threatened until later today — and Annie Eldrige’s Diara in third on a 25.6. Dan Kreitl and Kay Dixon’s Horales sit in fourth after a beautiful test that earned them a mark of 25.8.

Truthfully, it’s incredible that Dan is here competing, as life has thrown his family a horrific amount of curveballs recently. Dan’s wife, Alyssa, is currently undergoing chemotherapy to battle pseudomyoxa peritonea, or cancer of the appendix, and also recently gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Magnolia, who has had to stay in the NICU. In an effort to help the family get through this exceptionally difficult time, friends of the Kreitls started a Meal Train donation site, and I’m sure they’d much appreciate any assistance. You can do so here.

Jennie Brannigan and Keepsake Lead CCI2*-S

Jennie Brannigan and Keepsake. Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography.

You may recall hearing about a horse that had gone missing in Florida in the spring of 2020. Keepsake, a 6-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare by National Anthem bred and owned by Nina Gardner, jumped out of her field at Jennie Brannigan‘s farm and ran away last March. This is a particularly special mare to the Gardners and to Jennie, who competed her dam, Vidalia through the three-star level. “Peekaboo” was Vidalia’s last foal, and while any horse going missing is cause for panic, Jennie was soon rousing the ranks on social media to put out an all points bulletin. Somehow, miraculously, the mare was found after six days — a harrowing experience for all but certainly one with a happy ending.

Now, Keepsake is making her FEI debut and finds herself leading the way on a score of 26.0. She’s been a consistent competitor for Jennie, finishing no worse than second in all but one of her 2021 starts. Most recently, she finished on her dressage score to win the Preliminary at Fair Hill earlier this month.

Second in the CCI2*-S, keeping it in the Brannigan clan, are Alyssa Phillips and her own Cornelius Bo (Concours Complet – Charlotte, Carismo), whose penchant for collecting blue ribbons has made him quite famous quite quickly. This pair will head into tomorrow’s show jumping on a score of 27.5.

Completing the top three in the CCI2*-S are Jane Jennings on her own Larano 5, who earned a score of 27.3 in the 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding’s FEI debut. This pair most recently finished fourth in the Preliminary at Fair Hill.

Tomorrow brings us the show jumping action, beginning with the Preliminary divisions at 8 a.m. EST, the CCI2*-S at 10 a.m. EST, the CCI3*-S at 12:18 p.m. EST and the headlining CCI4*-S at 3:22 p.m. EST. All divisions will run cross country on Sunday. You can follow along live on H&C+, which has featured excellent commentary from Karen O’Connor and Lynn Symansky — more info on that here.

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