[Barbury Live Scores]

Ringwood Magister and Tiana Coudray went mid-morning and currently (lunch break) sit just inside the top 20 on a score of 50.4. Tiana rode an extremely accurate test with no mistakes, but perhaps a touch conservative. I didn’t know why until I saw ‘Finn’ going sideways and just barely keeping it together on the way back to the barn but in the arena it was pure showmanship.  Every now and then in the trot work his knee action would betray a little tension, but the canter work was all perfect with smooth changes and Tiana looked like she felt more comfortable to push him forward more in this gait.

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I saw almost the entire US contingent walking the xc course later in the morning and they seem in good spirits, only Boyd and Remington have their dressage still to do this afternoon.

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Trying to keep up with both the CIC*** arena and the 4* Olympic Combined Test on top of the hill has me running around like the weather – the sun is in and out, the wind is blowing a gale but thank goodness the rain has stopped, for now. I’m glad I made it to see Holstein Park Leilani and Chris Burton who currently lead the 4* Test after a flawless performance, completely unaffected by the flags or the cold. I was also really impressed with Laura Collett’s test on Rayef, and she sits a couple of marks behind him.

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Rayef and Laura will not be representing GB at the Olympics, this time, and nor will Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz, incredibly, but today they in the CIC*** dressage they looked a little off their game – the trot looked a bit hurried with some unsteadiness in his head and he jogged in the walk, but Nicola finished the test well with some nice canter work.

Opposition Buzz and Nicola Wilson

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Mary King finishing the second of two very respectable tests on Imperial Cavalier, scoring 49.2 in the CIC*** arena and 48 in the 4* Combined Test.  Although he looked like he wanted to spook at the flapping flags, he concentrated really well once in the arena, and didn’t make any major mistakes, was slightly exuberant in the canter changes but also had some stunning moments in both the trot and the canter and I imagine Mary must be pleased with him today.

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“Can’t. Possibly. Go. Near. That. Kryptonite. Flowerpot.”

Naughty Easy Target on the other hand picked this morning as the day he could not possibly go anywhere near a flower box at A and used that as an excuse to behave like a bratty child –  I have two, I know how it feels. Francis kept calm and carried on regardless, and managed to salvage a score of 52.6, AND made him look at the dreaded article on the way out! He rides his Olympic reserve horse Sir Percival later this afternoon.

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Borough Pennyz, the amazing jumper, going quite nicely on the flat too for a score of 52.4 with Vittoria Panizzon.

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Sam Watson, his fiancee “Sparkles” and Horseware Bushman after his test. They scored 55.

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I have to rush off to see more dressage now but who better to leave you with than Mark Todd. Grass Valley may not be the best mover, at all, but Mark rode every mark out of him in the 4* test, and rides Campino later in the CIC***. Thanks for visting Eventing Nation, Go Barbury and Go Eventing!

Phillip Dutton rode a consistent, smooth rhythmical test on Mystery Whisper, with just one very small mistake in the first canter changing early  turning down the centre line which he corrected immediately so that it was barely noticeable. Otherwise it was a joy to watch,- even, forward and correct and of course Mystery Whisper has those beautiful, elastic paces with such suspension. Even more impressive was the fact that just half an hour earlier he’d been showing off some rather swanky but completely uncalled for piaffe and passage when he came back down to the warm-up and saw the cross country running next door. Phillip said that’s the first time he’s been really “high” in the warm-up, a misnomer if ever there was one, (it’s really cold, blustery wind and driving rain makes it feel like April – flaming June? Ha! To all my friends sweltering in Kentucky , be careful what you wish for! We are wearing thermal underwear!) although the rain has stopped for now. Phillip had ridden him earlier this morning while Will Faudree did his test but said that in between then and his dressage time, the novice cross country started right by the warm up area, and MW had been standing in his stall watching with interest!  Phillip’s mark was definitely disappointing, and as of now he has scraped into the top 10 with a 48.

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Andromaque/Missy thinks she did a good test!

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Will Faudree rode in the worst of the weather this morning, and I spoke to him briefly after his test,

“She tries 100% all the time, and with the wind flapping and the cold breeze she just got a little tight in her back. You can’t control the weather so I’ve got to learn to ride her through that.  She has a great walk and she’s had a ten for her extended walk before but she was a little tight through her back and I think my tails were flapping in the wind against her so I probably got a five or a six on that which hurt my score. Her canter work definitely got better although I did miss one change, so for the amount of mistakes we made today I’m happy to come out with a 52 – if I make the Olympic team and come out with a 52 in four weeks time I’m going to be pissed! One thing that makes this arena very hard is that it’s very claustrophobic, it’s very tight in there and there’s incredible atmosphere with the flags flapping etc, and having ridden at the test event last year that ring is much bigger and much more spacious and not as claustrophobic which is a little bit how she felt for me today, but she’s perfect there’s nothing that mare could do that could be wrong.  She’s like Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, she’s so incredibly businesslike and so incredibly stylish in the way she does it, even if she’s having a bad day she carries it off with class, and I love her!”

I also asked him what he thought about the cross country course, “I like it, I was lucky enough to ride here last year; these hills get to them and the jumps come up quick. You need to hold your line and it’s going to be a good test and a good preparation for London, and even for Burghley for those of us who may end up going there (Will confirmed that is the plan B with Missy). If I make the Olympic team on Missy I’ll be sitting in the start box revving the engine because she is a very fast horse that doesn’t pull and is easy to control. Time faults will be a huge factor at the Games, she’s a good cross country horse, everything suits her as long as I give her the tools she needs to answer the questions.”

The CIC***, which includes all the Americans, show jump on Saturday and go cross-country in reverse order on Sunday, but we still have Tiana’s dressage shortly, and then Boyd’s test on Remington later today. Go away rain, thanks for making Eventing Nation part of your day, and go Barbury Eventing!

I’m really looking forward to watching Tiana ride her test on the lovely Ringwood Magister late Friday morning; I spoke to Tiana on Wednesday and have been trying to upload this video ever since, don’t ask…! Anyway, I think Tiana is one of the most intriguing combinations on the short list – with the least experience under their belt, and yet having taken the huge step to spend a year alone in England and stick it out when the going got tough I take my hat off to her. On paper you shouldn’t really want to take them to London, but as John wrote last week, they’re a high risk high reward pair who might be worth it, and when you see them working in the flesh, for me anyway, all the rationalisation goes out the window, this is such a stunning horse with so much expression, suspension and elevation in his paces!

I’d like to see them blow everyone away in the dressage, which they are capable of, and of course they need to post a solid round on Saturday to prove that the blip at Saumur was just that. Tiana is mature and composed, and I think has spent the year learning from her mistakes, and never underestimate what  a year in the UK can do for you!   There’s a sizeable US support group going on here at Barbury, I spotted Derek and Bea Di Grazia today in the crowds, as well as Mike Huber enjoying the sunshine. Go Tiana and Go Eventing!

Designed by Captain Mark Phillips, the course twists and turns and doubles back on itself, whilst also making full use of the terrain. There are plenty of massive fences and a few tricky combinations that may definitely catch a few people out.

Two narrow wishing wells on a curving left hand bend, five strides.

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The Owl Hole on top of the mound and then down to the brush skinny/narrow triple brush – am I English or American?

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Downhill approach, then a right hand turn

9 and 10, a double of corners, four or five strides depending on your line. (The bears in the CIC** on the right remind of the Rebecca Farm course in Montana which Mark Phillips also used to design; in a strange way Barbury reminds me of Rebecca Farm in many ways, I’m not sure why, jet lag?!)

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There is water in here too

The Quarry: A decent rail in, bounce down the drop and then back up and over the wall at C

17b might be the skinniest skinny I think I’ve ever seen!

At the entrance to the arena, will be moved into place after all the dressage

In the middle of the short side, this comes off a tight turn and is followed by

Two angled houses, one directly coming out of the water, and the second with a fair drop behind it.

Back up the hill almost to fence 20 again for this fence

Down the hill to the Land Rover Arches where the last skinny awaits

And the final fence (we walked this on Wednesday, I think this may be trimmed, I”ll check it on Friday!) Good luck and safe rounds to everyone, Go Eventing!

Kitty King and Zidante slip into the lead of the CIC*** at Barbury Castle with a score of 43.6  after some breathtaking trot work. One judge gave her 190, another 166, with the third in the middle. Clayton lies a close second on Walterston Don with 44.8, you can see all the scores here.

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Will Coleman was the last of the American riders to go today, but put in the best performance, just edging into 7th place on 48.2, ahead of Allison Springer and Arthur by 0.2.  Twizzel occasionally shook his head but that was the only sign of any impatience, and Will rode him forward into a wonderful smooth rhythm, but with a tact and intuition that only comes from  years of partnership together.

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In time I have no doubt we shall see the same from Boyd and Otis Barbotierre but right now they are still solidifying their relationship, and although they test was fluid, forward and generally mistake free bar for the second “expressive” change, Otis is a tiny bit more argumentative, manifested in his somewhat frequent head shaking. Boyd rides him beautifully though, and all the movement is there so what an exciting combination to watch develop.

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Phillip Dutton conjured a lovely test out of Mighty Nice – is it crazy to think that these two horses, Otis and Mighty Nice, both just need another year or so’s  experience with their riders at this level and they’ll be virtually unbeatable, even as they compete here in the Final Selection Trials for the US Olympic Eventing Team and put in very legitimate performances against the best in the world? Perhaps I’m speaking too soon, but I’ve also seen them all Spring, and they are here for a reason, it’s exciting for the future of US eventing.

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Poor Lauren Shannon was having the ride from hell on Nicola Malcolm’s former ride McFly, who I always used to admire zooming around the cross country courses, but that’s definitely what he looked like he wanted to be doing this afternoon.  I have to admire her for stopping mid-canter and schooling him in the ring, why not, at that point she had nothing to lose, she just halted, reined back a couple of steps and then continued, although I’m sure there will be people who disagree.

I have to also mention the music, I can’t decide if it was coincidence of if certain tracks were chosen specifically for each rider, but Lauren who grew up in Utah rode her test to “American Pie”! Boyd and Otis got “Hot Stuff”, which makes sense, Allison rode in to the end of James Brown’s “Sex Machine”, (absolutely no comment!), Oliver Townend did his test to the strains of “I’m Coming Out” (see Allison!) Karen O’Connor is apparently “The Girl From Ipanema”, and inexplicably, Will Coleman, a self-confessed music fan, (which reminds me we’re waiting for the Barbury/UK/London playlist please,) but was given “Don’t Look Back in Anger”? Luckily it seems all the riders can focus much better than I can and rose/rode above it!  Also, a little gem of trivia for you, did you know that Oliver Townend’s ride Pepper Anne,  is a half sister to William Fox-Pitt’s Olympic mount Lionheart? They’re both out of the same mare, and were sourced out of Germany by Uptown Eventing.

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Cadoc Z and Takeaki Tsuchiva for Japan.

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Barbury Castle is hosting 900 horses this weekend from all over the world, and yet as I was discussing with a couple of people this afternoon, despite having the creme de la creme of the sport assembled here, you could probably drive down the road that runs past  the Estate and have no idea it’s even taking place.

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I saw so many really quality tests  by the very best horses and riders, and I think a few of the Americans were surprised at their scores, some of them have never been in the 50’s before. There is another jam-packed day of dressage Friday in the CIC*** , with the first horse starting at 8:30am and the last going in at 5:35pm, as well as the Olympic Combined Training Test that also runs all day. I hope to be unencumbered by my poor children tomorrow who didn’t sign up for getting off the plane on Monday and spending most of the week at another horse event!  I was worried Harry was getting really sick today too, but he seemed to make a miraculous recovery as soon as we left the competition site!  Props to all the organisers and volunteers who have a mammoth task ahead of them but seem to be coping amazingly, and also to the weather Gods – Thank you for the Sunshine as more events around the UK had to cancel again this weekend. Go Barbury and Go Eventing!

Clayton Fredericks on the big-bodied, big moving Walterstown Don take the lead at lunchtime in CIC*** Section A at Barbury Castle on a score of 44.8, from Lucy Jackson on Animator on 46.2. You can keep an eye on all the live scores here. 

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Allison Springer and Arthur are best of the US contingent so far, sitting in 3rd place on 48.2. Allison kept riding forward and positively despite a couple of little spooks from Arthur. I spoke to her after her test and would put the video up if the internet was faster, but no dice!  Unlike in the US, there is no ring familiarisation here in England, so when she entered the arena this morning that was the first time either of them had been anywhere near it, and as Bettina Hoy, who’d been warming them up agreed, it is one of the spookiest arenas there is. Allison showed Arthur one of the flower pots and then barely got a chance to trot down half the far long side before the bell rang so the odds were against her, and although she didn’t feel like she brought the spectacular work she had outside in the warm-up into the arena, there were some stunning moments.

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I was annoyed to miss Boyd and Sinead’s test although Meg told me Sinead is very disappointed, that Manoir de Carneville worked beautifully outside and then got tense in the arena.  Sadly this was also true for Clark Montgomery’s Loughan Glen who looked stunning in the warm-up with Sandy Phillips, but then got very tense as soon as he entered the main arena. Jess told me he did NOT get any Mrs Pasture’s cookies when he got back to the stable today!  Luckily Sandy has arranged for Clark to ride the test ride on him tomorrow morning, and he will carry a schooling whip. He didn’t do anything terrible just curled up a little bit short and backed off the leg, or broke into canter whenever Clark tried to ride him forward in the trot more, very frustrating and disappointing.

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Clark, Loughan Glen and Sandy Phillips

Despite the tension which led to some bobbles, mostly in the trot work Clark still scored a respectable 53.4.

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Karen O’Connor suffered from the opposite effect – her smooth ride only garnered a rather disappointing 52.4 on Mr Medicott. I stood and watched her test next to Marilyn Little-Meredith who arrived here in the UK on Monday, and is here to support her good friend, and indeed gave Karen a jump school the other day. I wasn’t at Bromont but Marilyn told me she thought this test was slightly better.  Marilyn is stabling her horses at the lovely Lynham Heath Farm in Oxfordshire while she’s here, and will be aiming for the British Festival of Eventing at Gatcombe in a couple of weeks time.

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Boyd goes again this afternoon on Otis, Phillip goes on Mighty Nice and Will Coleman goes on Twizzel so we’ll bring you reports and pictures, as well as photos of the cross country. Go USA (and GB!) and Go Eventing at Barbury!

The US short list assembled themselves at Barbury Castle, just outside Marlborough, Wiltshire on Wednesday afternoon, arriving in various lorries and cars from a few different locations, but with one common goal – to impress the selectors this weekend and make the Olympic team for London 2012.  The horses to a fault all look wonderful – fit, strong and healthy and have obviously benefited from a week at the lavish Lavendar Hill Stud, and in Sinead’s case, Maizey Manor for a bit longer.  Far from taking it easy, they have been galloping at the magnificent Jackdaws, and taking dressage and jumping lessons with team trainers Lauren Hough, Linda Zang and of course Captain Mark Phillips, as well as in some cases, their own trainers too.

Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen  – ready for their GQ shoot!

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Clark’s wife Jess, and her mother arrived in England early Wednesday morning which is a relief as the mother in me definitely thought Boyd, Clark and Will Faudree looked as if they were in need of a couple of square meals, and as I’ve been lucky enough to have dinner chez Montgomery I know that now they’ll be in good hands! Jess was recently a guest on the Eventing Radio Show and described Glen’s strict fitness regime that Clark has implemented since Rolex after consulting Philip Dutton, and indeed Glen looks much leaner, lighter and ready to run for his life.

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Not only that, Michael Barisone, Silva Martin’s trainer, who is here helping Boyd was also admiring Glen, and told Jess he thought that with another year’s maturity under his belt he had the makings of a real dressage horse.  I chatted to Clark briefly before he rode and asked him about how he’d settled back in to England, and how he’s dealing with all the unknown quantities.

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Clark worked Glen for a short while with Linda Zang, and he looked fresh and seemed to be moving really well and freely.  The horses all worked in a huge open warm-up area on the side of a gentle hill. Come Thursday and Friday the dressage will be in the main arena.  The footing is absolutely superb – Tiana told me this was one of the first events she came to in the UK last year and she remembers walking around in awe NOT being able to hear the horses galloping on course! I caught up with her and Ringwood Magister (“Finn”) made a cameo appearance, but unfortunately she’d already ridden in the morning so I didn’t get to see them go.

(VIDEO INTERVIEW OF TIANA TO COME, UPLOADING INCREDIBLY SLOWLY!)

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Will Faudree’s Andromaque looks well but I missed them riding, and I haven’t laid eyes on Phillip Dutton or either of his horses, and only saw Will Coleman and Twizzel in the distance.  The Americans share a barn with the Irish, and as I drove in I bumped into (not quite literally, thank God!) Captain Geoff Curran riding his relatively new ride, the striking chestnut Shanaclough Cercora. My Eventing Radio Show Co-host John Kyle (Happy Birthday Wednesday!) had talked about this horse and sung it’s praises when we were discussing Tattersalls a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve been curious to see him ever since. I’m glad to report he does not disappoint one bit in the flesh, he’s exactly what you’d expect a typical Irish stamp of a horse to look like, and all athlete. Geoff told me that even though he’s young, just 10 years old, and quite green, he would be his first choice for Greenwich for Geoff said although his dressage still has a lot of improvement, he’s very capable of staying on that score. Last year at Boekelo in a field of 120 horses in the CCI*** Geoff rode the fastest clear on this horse, AND with the lowest heart rate, he told me proudly. Go Irish and Go Eventing!

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Boyd has a strong hand with three horses running on the short list, and it’s a credit to his programme and to his groom Lindsey that all three are still in the game at this point and running at Barbury this weekend, and always look immaculate.

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Lindsey and Otis

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In between rides Boyd stopped quickly to grab a sandwich and chat briefly about his horses,

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Boyd and Otis working on the flat with Michael. Boyd was borrowing  Clark’s helmet and spurs as his were coming in the next lorry load!

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After some rain earlier in the day, the sun did come out briefly but unfortunately I don’t think it’s forecast to stick around, looks like we’re going to have more rain Thursday and for the duration of the weekend.

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Mr Medicott looks as good as I’ve seen him all year; in his coat and condition, but also mentally he seems very settled and ready to work.  I only talked to Karen very quickly as they headed back to the stables, but she also seems quietly confident, as well she should.

Q-time: Max and Mr M.

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I haven’t seen Sinead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville (“Tate”) since their guinea pig test at Rolex, and just as Sinead tweeted a couple of days ago, Tate is indeed great. He looks really strong and despite a couple of ‘French’ moments, (asserting his independence!) he showed some really solid work in his session with Linda this afternoon. I stood next to Sinead’s mother Bernadette, and couldn’t resist asking her how she deals with her own nerves, and Sinead’s, and if she has a plan to help her daughter cope with whatever the outcome may be after this weekend?

“I’m a big believer in what’s to be will be, and at the end of the day you put the work in, and if it’s supposed to be it will be, and if it’s not, then the  time’s not right. With horses, you live every day and just enjoy every day;  I find myself getting caught up in the “what if” and then I just take a deep breath and say if it doesn’t go for whatever reason, there’s a reason. Something else better, or something else different.”

That’s not to say Bernadette doesn’t suffer from nerves – she shared that if Sinead does make it to Greenwich she’ll be watching from a moving vantage point as she finds it impossible to sit still and watch from a screen, “I’ve got to be moving around and I’ve got to be somewhere where I feel I can run if I have to.”

“At Kentucky she had this look on her face the whole time; it was like she was in a different world, she was in a zone and she stayed there, and she feels almost the same now, she’s got this zone going. Everything else is outside it – she can carry on a conversation and do all this other stuff but it’s not touching on where she is.”

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Harry and I walked around most of the CCI*** cross country course Wednesday, and we’ll post those pictures sometime Thursday hopefully, (we’re already stressing my mother’s internet to the point of detonation by trying to upload the videos , “it’s the thick walls” (?) and God help us if it starts raining too because apparently that makes it even slower, surely not possible?!). However there are plenty of massive tables and hedges to be jumped, as well as questions starting as early as 4A and B, two narrow but stocky wishing wells on a bending line where it would be all too easy to have a cheap run-out and kiss those Olympic dreams goodbye. The course will be a great selection trial for those nations who haven’t yet picked their teams as it twists and turns and doubles back on itself, and makes full use of the terrain, plus as a bonus for the spectators we can see almost every single jump from the main arena area. More pictures to come Thursday, as well as dressage news and the usual ridiculousness. Don’t forget to get on twitter at 5:45pm GB time Thursday, which is 12:45 pm US Eastern and ask Mark Todd questions via the @BarburyCastle twitter feed; Laura Collett did the same thing a couple of days ago and it was very interesting, and entertaining, PLUS, just by taking part you’re giving yourself a chance to win his new book – what’s not to like? Thank you for making Eventing Nation a part of your day, Go Barbury and Go Eventing!

As promised, I can reveal that the answer to last weekend’s Quiz Question was Snip. Twice in the top 20 at Badminton, 11th at Rolex and 24th at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, you can hear Snip’s rider Joe Meyer in a new segment on the Eventing Radio Show this week – Short Format, although I have a feeling it won’t be long until we have him back for a more extensive discussion. Many thanks to all our guests this week  – Jon Holling, Hugh Thomas, Tiffany George-Kete and Jessica Hart, and Dr Laura Werner. I’m also delighted to welcome John Kyle as my regular co-host. We’ll both be at Barbury this weekend so please do listen and let us know what you think. Go Eventing (Radio Show!)

After a cracking early spring season in Florida, Peter Atkins and HJ Hampton have had a European campaign that they’d rather forget  – the cancellation of Badminton, a badly broken leg,  the longer than expected recovery…. I was happy to bump into Peter at Barbury  and catch up with him quickly before he heads back over to Germany to re-join Henny and Bettina Hoy where they’ve been in Dressage boot camp preparing for hopefully a more succesful autumn that will include the Hartpury CIC*** as a prep for Burghley CCI****.

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Good luck Peter, Run Henny Run, and Go Eventing!

Do you know which vastly experienced four star campaigner this is, Eventing Nation? All guesses in the comments section below, please.

In a slight departure from our regular routine you can hear the rider on next week’s Eventing Radio Show, online on Thursday, as well as John (Kyle)’s chat with Hugh Thomas following his resignation, Jon Holling and much more.  Go Eventing (Radio Show)!

This week’s Quiz was in fact London Olympics-bound Lionheart, above being prepared for his dressage test at Bramham below. William  and his equally talented wife Alice are  the proud parents of two sons, age 5 and 6, and recently announced that they are expecting a third child. Hearty EN congratulations to them both!

Lionheart was sourced for William as a five year old by Uptown Eventing; you can hear a short interview with founder Rachel Wakefield on the Eventing Radio Show this week, online on thursday,  as Lionheart is just one of five potential Uptown horses headed to London 2012 this summer, that’s an entire team! Go Dads, and Go Eventing!

Alex Hua Tian burst onto the international eventing scene four years ago when he was the youngest ever Olympic Equestrian, and the sole Chinese Equestrian at the Beijing Olympics. Garnering heaps of media, and mass adulation not only in China where he ranks alongside the Beatles for superstardom status, but also around the world.  He is well deserving of all the adulation and handles it with remarkable aplomb.  Now, as he prepares for the London 2012 Olympics, four years older and wiser, but still incredibly popular, he finds himself in a completely different situation. I was very grateful that he managed to squeeze some time into his busy schedule at Bramham to talk to Eventing Nation about his horses, his life and his hopes for the future.

Many, many thanks to Alex for his time, and wishing him the very best of luck for the future; we look forward to following him closely and catching up again soon. Go Eventing!

Do you know which four star horse this is, Eventing Nation?

Clue: He’s ridden by a father. Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there, but especially to Brian Rutledge who’s been holding the fort at home while his talented wife adds another CCI**** to her bow. You can hear Brian on next week’s episode of the Eventing Radio Show, along with Horse and Hound’s Pippa Roome with a full Luhmuehlen report and much more. Answer to the quiz question on Monday – Go Eventing!

I am happy to announce the winner of the Team Frankie T-shirts as picked by Suzie Harrison, who featured in our article a couple of weeks ago, and also on the Eventing Radio Show. Please could the following email me at [email protected] with their addresses and I’ll get them out to you as soon as possible.

Tracey: “Why aren’t the judges interested in seeing that I can go backwards almost as fast as I can forwards?”

time2fly: “If the apple flavored wormer actually tasted like apples, do you think you’d have to hold my head up to make my swallow it?!?!”

Lynseysteinberg: “Lets be frank….first you bathe and braid me, and now you want me to jump into a dirty pond? Trust me I’d doing you a favor…”

McKenna:”I needed a little adventure in my life, you really expect me to stay in my own stall and field?!”

Many thanks to everyone who took part, we had some great entries, and I’m relieved it was Frankie’s owner, Suzie and not me who had to make the difficult decisions. Go Team Frankie and Go Eventing!

Congratulations again to William and his team, what an amazing achievement – winning both of Bramham’s extremely competitive  three star classes, his sixth Bramham title and 49th 3 Day Event. Two weeks ago at Houghton William had a fall from Neuf Des Coeurs, but they were impeccable this weekend. Lying 2nd after the dressage they added nothing to their first day total to win by almost four points from Andrew Nicholson and Nereo.  William discussed the difference the last fortnight had made, “Sometimes you need a wake up call, you almost need things to go wrong to make you think about things a bit more. I rode him quite cautiously around Houghton because the ground was hard and maybe our blood wasn’t up enough and we ended up making that mistake. Here at Bramham, that wasn’t the case, the ground was soft and I went a good crack and he felt like a totally different horse actually.  It’s great that, particularly with Oslo being off this year, that Neuf Des Coeurs has really stepped up.”

Lenamore for London!

This weekend at Bramham belonged to William Fox-Pitt and his team, but there were plenty of other rounds to get excited about, and lots to keep the Selectors of many nations’ teams scratching their heads over the next day or two. New Zealand are going to be hard to beat, especially if they have this flying grey on their team – Lenamore skipped around the track for fun, and who doesn’t think he’d be perfectly suited for a venue like Greenwich?

Adding nothing to his dressage score of 45.3 (17th) they finished 4th overall.

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Zara Phillips’ third place with a double clear jumping and a personal best in the dressage cemented the form this partnership have been promising all along, and makes it strengthens her hand considerably. High Kingdom didn’t look to be traveling at all fast for the first half of the course, but then she let the handbrake off and with his huge stride High Kingdom came home with about ten seconds to spare. Zara talked about her round afterwards, “It was nice to have a run for once! I’m really pleased with him , he jumped well and was listening, and felt better than last year.” On whether she thought High Kingdom would be suited to the terrain at Greenwich, “It’s hilly here, it’s hilly at Burghley and he’s managed to cope with that. He’s quite nippy, but he covers the ground as well”. Zara added that she hadn’t felt particularly under any extra pressure this weekend, “until I saw all the selectors moving around in a group! It was probably good to have a bit of pressure on though and see if we could come up with the goods.”

Andrew Nicholson finished 2nd on Nereo, above, and 5th on Avebury, below

Andrew rates the New Zealand chances of Team Gold at London pretty highly, “I think if we can get there with our A team, our best pairs, we’ll have a very good chance of winning.  We don’t have a lot to choose from but if we can get our best bunch we’ve got a live chance.”

Laura Collett had a great round on Rayef which had been her top priority of the weekend, bringing him home with just 1.2 time penalties to finish in 6th place.

Karin Donckers was the best of a good bunch of Belgian rides, finishing 7th on Exterbaria Van Het Verahof, above, and 20th on Lamicell Unique.

Fellow Belgian Marc Rigouts clocked up just a handful of time penalties cross country to finish 13th. Joris Vanspringel was clear and finished 18th, while Carl Bouckaert was 28th with Mensa and 31st with Cyrano Z, both jumping clear cross country.

 Georgia resident Carl Bouckaert on Mensa. Carl has been staying and training in Belgium with both of his Bramham horses for the past six weeks and just came over to England for this event. His date of return to the US now hinges on the Belgian Selectors.

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William Fox-Pitt’s CCI*** overnight  leader Chilli Morning passes the trot-up and goes forward to the show-jumping with slightly more of a cushion after 2nd placed Sylvain Davesne withdrew Oregon Du Coty from the holding box. Sam Griffiths’ horses, now in 2nd and 3rd place, both looked fabulous, as did Joy Dawes’ two.  Six horses in total were sent to the holding box; Rodolphe Scherer’s Makara du Montiege was not accepted upon re-inspection, leaving only Didier Dhenin and Encore Une Medaille remaining in this division to represent France. The remaining three, Sam Penn’s Seven O Seven, Izzy Taylor’s Thistledown Popowski, and Julia Dungworth’s Untouchable were all accepted and go forward to the show-jumping.  Not coming forward to the trot-up were Mark Kyle’s Durlas Aris, William Fox-Pitt’s Avoca Alibi, Tom Crisp’s Coolys Luxury and Giovanni Ugolotti’s Stilo Kontika.

Laura Collett and Noble Bestman were accepted and go into the U25 Division show-jumping in pole position, and Astier Nicolas is hot on her heels with Piaf de Bneville, less than a show-jump behind her. Angus Smales, who was first to trot-up in both divisions, has two in this section, the 3rd placed Ballyvooney and Clover Hero in 11th. More photos later, but rushing off to watch the CIC cross country. Go Bramham Eventing!

Bramham Cross Country Course Designer Ian Stark hasn’t stopped all day – from his basic duties making sure the courses are all in order for the next two days,  to arranging the sun and wind to arrive just in time this afternoon, to shoveling the s**t – he’s a one-man wonder!  Rosemary Barlow who owns Avebury told me that her rider Andrew Nicholson named Bramham as his favourite course to ride out of all the competitions that he’s ridden at all over the world – that’s quite a ringing endorsement, and not only is Bramham special because of it’s cross country but also the fantastic team effort that goes into making such an enormous event (especially this year) feel so friendly and relaxed, whilst still getting everything right – three cheers for Bramham!

Andrew Nicholson and Avebury

Alice Naber-Lozeman (Netherlands) and Coral Estate Mitok

Opposition Buzz was on springs and just barely under control – I can’t wait to see him run across country on Sunday

Nicola Wilson’s second ride Applejack

Arthur Chabert (France) and Opium D Oradour

Constantin Van Rijckevorsel (Netherlands) and Goodwins Reef

Constantin’s Butterfly Boy waits his turn

The trot-up started about five minutes early, and Carl Bouckaert was due to present his horses third in the order, however he arrived just a minute or too later and his groom Steven had already filled in for him beautifully, and they both passed easily. Carl told me he had been walking the course earlier that afternoon and the footing is much improved and he’s looking forward to riding it, this is his first visit to Bramham. After talking to me he walked over to join his friends and, I swear, hurdled/leap-frogged this barrier – I wish I’d been quicker with my camera, it was so unexpected and happened so quickly, he just calmly walked towards them and out of the corner of my eye I presumed he would walk along the fence to the gap, but next thing – he’s leaping in the air, and with such grace! Hidden gymnastic talents, who knew – intriguing!

Carl’s Cyrano Z

Jock Paget (New Zealand) and Clifton Lush. Jock told me earlier that his lovely Rolex horse Clifton Promise is already back in full work and feels great; he has his first event in two weeks time, and he’ll just do the dressage and show-jumping at Barbury. Jock will take him to  Salperton for an easy Intermediate Run and then to Gatcombe but may not run cross country there either, which is a similar campaign to last year preparing for Burghley.

Dag Albert (Sweden) and the experienced Tubber Rebel

Daisy Berkeley and Mopani

Tina Cook and Miners Frolic, lying 8th

Elaine Pen’s (Netherlands) Vira waits his turn while Elaine trotted up her first horse Dostowjewski,much coveted by Carl Bouckaert

Georgie Morrison and Ditch Digger

Rodney Powell and Happy Go Lucky

Polly Stockton waits to trot up with Jeepers Creepers and then…

gets a round of applause from son Jacob on passing!

Jamie Atkinson and Direct Dilemma

Karin Donckers two rides, Lamicell Unique on the left, and Extebaria van Het Verahof

Tim Lips (Netherlands)  and Concrex Oncarlos – I’m pretty sure this is the same horse Tim brought over to Rolex Kentucky a few years ago and lay in first place after the first day of dressage, and third after both days, only to make a mistake, (a fall?) on the cross-country.

Tim’s second ride Keyflow

Dressage leaders Laura Collett and Rayef

William Fox-Pitt and Lionheart

Lucy Jackson and Animator II, lying 5th overnight

Lucy Wiegesma and Woodfalls Inigo Jones

Madeleine Brugman’s (Netherlands) two horses, Katmandu on the left and Edino, the bay with Madeleine

Marcio Jorge (Brazil) and Josephine MCJ

Merel Blom (Netherlands) and Rumour Has It. Eventing Nation met Merel last autumn at Galway Downs with the two horses she has here this weekend. Before the competition even started she had to deal with the stress of an FEI appeal on a ban, and only knew for sure that she would be able to come to Bramham on tuesday.

Nina Ligon (Thailand) and Butts Leon

Pippa Funnell and Or Noir De La Loge

Ruth Edge and Elite Opposition – love her coat!

Ellen Svennerstal (Sweden) and Southway

Stephan Gigot (France) and Orage De Longuenee Ene HN

Takayuki Yumira (Japan) and Nid Or De Barbereau

Tim Price (New Zealand) and Ringwood Sky Boy

Zara Phillips and High Kingdom

Looking forward to two days packed with show-jumping and cross country  from a top class, international field. Go Bramham and Go Eventing!

Naughty Subway was very tense and quite a handful for our US representative in the U25 division this morning. Olivia managed to restrain him for most of the test until turning up the centre line for the final time when he shied violently and bucked – what a bugger! On a more positive note he looks as fit as a fiddle and as if he could gallop all day long, so let’s hope he redeems himself on the cross country.

Speaking of which, everyone here at Bramham has been doing a great job of looking on the great side and staying positive and it seems to be working! The weather forecast has now been upgraded, less rain and more bright spots, and the sun is definitely trying to make an appearance – try harder. Nicola Wilson on Applejack, another lovely test; such a big, impressive horse he tried so hard despite getting a bit stuck in the mud every now and then – the tracks are pretty boggy, several horses were struggling, losing their balance and rhythm and then losing confidence, but Nicola looked delighted with Applejack and their score of 44.7 for equal 10th at the lunch break means she has both horses handily placed at this stage.  You can find all the scores here. 

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