View Classifieds
Articles Written 1,919
Article Views 4,869,444

Tilly Berendt

Achievements

Become an Eventing Nation Blogger

About Tilly Berendt

Latest Articles Written

Burghley’s Back – And Here’s How to Watch It, Wherever You Are

By on Aug 29, 2022 11:00 am -

Pippa Funnell wins Burghley – again. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We’d never advocate wishing one’s life away — but we’d be telling a dirty rotten fib if we said we haven’t been quietly counting down the days ’til the return of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials here at EN. After three years off the boil, due to that pesky pandemic situation, it’s back and looking better than ever, with a new directorial team, a new course designer in Derek di Grazia, and an exciting field of entries from around the world. In simple terms, what we’ve got here is nigh on a week of live-streaming action to glue ourselves to, and we couldn’t be happier.

Like Badminton this spring, Burghley is running its own streaming subscription service, which will cost £20 ($23.47) for the year and includes plenty of archival content. You’ll not only get wall-to-wall coverage of each phase of this week’s action (including horse inspections!), plus a course preview, behind-the-scenes features, the finale of the Burghley Young Event Horse class, and daily magazine programmes — you’ll also be able to watch highlights shows going back to 1990. To sign up, click here.

British-based viewers won’t have the option of tuning in to Burghley via BBC’s red button service this year, but there will be a two-hour highlights programme broadcast on Sunday, September 4, on BBC2. As always, too, we’ll have boots on the ground covering the event from pillar to post, with in-depth reports and plenty of bonus content lined up each day.

Fancy popping in to catch some of the action live? Advance ticket sales have now ended, but you will be able to pay on the gate. Here’s a look at what you’ll get for your entrance charge each day:

Wednesday 31st August    

16.00  (11.00 a.m. EST) Main Arena: First Horse Inspection

Thursday 1st September

7.30: Gates Open

8.00 – 9.30  Members Only: Breakfast served in the Members’ Enclosure

9.00 – 17.30: Shops Open

9.00 – 17.00 (4.00 a.m. — 12.00 p.m. EST) Main Arena: Dressage

12.30 approx. Main Arena: Yogi Breisner Jumping Masterclass

9.00 – 17.00 Ring 2: LeMieux Pony Club Team Jumping Competition

18.00: Showground Closes

Friday 2nd September

7.30: Gates Open

8.00 – 9.30 Members Only: Breakfast served in the Members’ Enclosure

9.00 – 17.30: Shops Open

9.00 – 17.00 (4.00 a.m. — 12.00 p.m. EST) Main Arena: Dressage

12.30 Main Arena: Carl Hester Dressage Masterclass

9.00 – 17.00 (4.00 a.m. — 12.00 p.m. EST) Ring 2: Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse Final

18.00: Showground Closes

Saturday 3rd September

7.30: Gates Open

8.00 – 9.30 Members Only: Breakfast served in the Members’ Enclosure

9.00 – 17.30: Shops Open

10.30 approx: Shetland Pony Grand National

11.00 – 17.00 (6.00 a.m. — 12.00 p.m. EST): Cross Country

18.00: Showground Closes

Sunday 4th September

7.30: Gates Open

8.00 – 9.30 Members Only: Breakfast served in the Members’ Enclosure

9.00 – 17.00: Shops Open

9.00 (4.00 a.m. EST) Main Arena: Final Horse Inspection

10.30 (5.30 a.m. EST) Main Arena: Showjumping

12.00 Main Arena: The Fell Pony Society Display

12.20 Main Arena: Racehorse to Riding Horse (HOYS) Qualifier

13.55 Main Arena: Military Band

14.30 (9.30 a.m. EST) Main Arena: Showjumping

15.25 Main Arena: Parade of Hounds

15.40 (10.40 a.m. EST) Main Arena: Presentation of Prizes

9.00 – 17.00 Ring 2: BSPS Gold Cup Sports Pony Competition

17.00: Showground Closes (No admittance to Burghley Park after 15.30)

Weekend Winners: Great Meadow International, Shepherd Ranch Pony Club H.T., Town Hill Farm H.T.

By on Aug 29, 2022 9:51 am -

It’s been a small but perfectly formed line-up of eventing over the weekend, and notably, a great weekend for double wins, with riders taking home a duo of blues at each of the three events running. Congratulations to Liz Halliday-Sharp, Booli Selmayr, and Jolie Wentworth for getting the job done in fine style!

MARS Great Meadow International: [Website] [Results]

CCI4*-S: Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Quicksilver (25.6)

CCI3*-S: Liz Halliday-Sharp and Shanroe Cooley (26.1)

CCI2*-S: Alyssa Phillips and Cornelius Bo (27.2)

Preliminary A: Hannah Sue Hollberg and J (23.7)

Preliminary B: Erin Kanara and Windchase Lionstar (27.1)

Piedmont Equine CCI2*-S Under-25: Benjamin Noonan and Street Fighter (31.6)

Piedmont Equine CCI3*-S and CCI4*-S Under-25: Nicholas Beshear and Rio de Janeiro (32.1)

Shepherd Ranch Pony Club H.T. (Santa Ynez, CA): [Website] [Results]

Open Preliminary: Jolie Wentworth and KF Klosterbrau (29.0)

Preliminary/Training: Deborah Rosen and Cascaletto Blue (31.9)

Open Training: Allyson Hartenburg and Karel H (28.3)

Training Rider: Emma Weber and Phiero SR (37.6)

Training/Novice: Ashton Benefiel and Libris Charlotte (32.6)

Novice Rider: Emma Pistone and Paulank Pepper Pot (29.2)

Open Novice: Jolie Wentworth and Denfer du Banney (29.2)

Novice/Beginner Novice: Avery Jones and Manaslu (28.6)

Beginner Novice Rider: Piper Huntley and The Sun Feels Good (30.3)

Open Beginner Novice: Lindsey Smith and Fleeceworks Sprout (21.3)

Open Introductory: Valeska Davis and Veneration (23.7)

FEH Yearling: Sarah Cullum and Cape Fear (89.0)

YEH 4 Year Old: Maxance McManamy and Indelible (85.3)

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

Preliminary: Booli Selmayr and Quality Touchdown (45.4)

Training A: Booli Selmayr and Just My Style (28.3)

Training B: Elisabeth Libby and Irish Silk (33.6)

Novice A: Constance Sharp and Hazel Rock Sun (31.7)

Novice B: Anneka Paelinck and Maleficent (35.4)

Novice C: Laura Fazio and Royal Dancer 43 (26.7)

Novice D: Marcia Kulak and Who Can Charm (24.7)

Beginner Novice A: Quinn Ellis and Good Harbour (28.2)

Beginner Novice B: Tara Astacio and Money To Burn (24.4)

Beginner Novice C: Kimberley Sevigny and Cruiser (30.0)

Beginner Novice D: Amie Loring and Excel Star Cast Away (22.7)

Starter A: Elizabeth Sacksteder and Ballylee Comic Storm (31.3)

Starter B: Abigail Reiners and Quincy (24.3)

Starter C: Jillian Hoag and Dark Secret (31.0)

Monday News & Notes from FutureTrack

By on Aug 29, 2022 8:09 am -

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mia Farley (@_miafarley)

Got a case of the Mondays? Mia Farley illustrates perfectly what that feels like with this, the photo to end all photos. That’s one way to beat the heatwave, I guess!

National Holiday: It’s National Uprising Day in Slovakia. On this day in 1944, the country begin its resistance against the Nazi regime, helping contribute to the fall of the Third Reich.

US Weekend Action:

MARS Great Meadow International: [Website] [Results] [Erin Gilmore Photography] [EN’s Coverage]

Shepherd Ranch Pony Club H.T. (Santa Ynez, CA): [Website] [Results]

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

UK Weekend Results:

Land Rover Blair Castle International H.T. (Pitlochry, UK): [Website] [Results]

Scottish Grassroots Eventing Festival at Blair Castle: [Results]

Llanymynech (2): [Results]

Shelford Manor (2): [Results]

Wellington: [Results]

Your Monday Reading List:

Andrew Nicholson’s three-time Burghley winner Avebury was undoubtedly a modern-day legend of the sport. But his arrival into the world was inauspicious — in fact, as it turns out, he was only ever bred as a way to finagle cheaper bills at Andrew’s yard. The unlikely prospect then went on to become one of his rider’s greatest-ever partners. [The strange story of Avebury]

Regular readers of EN will be familiar with Daniel Stewart, whose book excerpts we frequently share. He’s one of the leading equestrian sports psychology pros, and his instructional content has helped so many riders shift their headspace into a more productive place — and even better, he teaches clinics, too! This clinic report gives you a feel for the work he does and how it could help you and your horse. [Fix your mindset to fix your riding]

Did you know that horses can get the hiccups? These diaphragmatic spasms are referred to as ‘thumps’ and are most commonly found in horses who exert themselves at a high level, such as racehorses and eventers. They can actually have an impact on performance, though, so getting familiar with them isn’t a bad idea. [Don’t try to make them drink water upside-down]

Still panicking about the possibility of ulcers? Assuage your stress by learning more about how they form, the symptoms they present, and the treatments used to get rid of them. [Essential reading for horsey folks]

The FutureTrack Follow:

 

I’m loving the Lucinda Green XC Academy for its useful snippets of wisdom — almost all of which are applicable no matter what level you’re at.

Morning Viewing:

Head to Hartpury Horse Trials with vlogger and Horse&Country presenter Rhi:

Friday Video: Behind the Scenes at Badminton with Fairfax & Favor

By on Aug 26, 2022 5:00 pm -

There’s nowhere in eventing that has quite the hustle and bustle of Badminton, where upwards of 100,000 people will inevitably jostle through the gates and straight into the enormous shopping village before heading out on course on the Saturday of the event. So what does that experience actually look like for the good folks manning all those trade stands? Vlogger Lucy Robinson headed to the Fairfax & Favor stand at this year’s event to find out what it takes to keep one of the most popular shopfronts running smoothly — plus, she shows off some of her favourite goodies, heads out to see some of the toughest fences on course, and interviews sponsored rider Rosie Fry, too. It’s a totally different perspective of one of our favourite events, and we loved getting the chance to see it from the other side!

Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant Committee Forms to Honor Late Rider

By on Aug 26, 2022 1:00 pm -

Photo courtesy of Christine Quinn Photography.

Just over a year after the tragic passing of event rider Annie Goodwin, an extraordinary legacy program is set to carry her dreams on to fruition via other young, aspiring competitors. The Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant is the joint brainchild of Annie’s parents, Putter and Tina Goodwin, and the staff at the Aiken Horse Park Foundation, and will seek to reward a rider with a drive, passion, and work ethic that matched that of Annie. En route to that end goal, the Goodwins and AHPF have formed a committee, which was announced this week.

The committee will work together to decide each year’s grant recipient, with a broad array of perspectives brought to the table through their shared and varied experience. Beyond that, “each member… had a strong connection to Annie that transcended sport, friendship, and family,” says the committee in a press release. The committee will be made up of:

  • Daniel Geitner – Aiken Horse Park Foundation board member and hunter/jumper professional
  • Putter Goodwin – Annie’s father
  • Gene ‘Tiger’ Kneece – Polo professional
  • Boyd Martin – Eventing pro, of course, and the current rider of Annie’s top horse Fedarman
  • Catherine Stumberg – Amateur hunter/jumper rider
  • Caitlin Silliman – Eventing pro
  • Bobby Stevenson – Eventing pro

The Annie Goodwin Rising Star Fund currently sits at $122,274 after an initial round of donations from Annie’s friends and family, and this will serve as the jumping-off point for the annual grand program. Donations remain open for anyone who wants to contribute to the fund. Though there’s no firm date yet for applications opening, it’s looking like it’ll happen at the end of 2022, with a selection announcement set for the Grand Prix Eventing Festival at Bruce’s Field in March.

 

Are You Ready for the T.I.P. Championships at Stable View?

By on Aug 26, 2022 11:00 am -

Thoroughbreds can strut their stuff for serious prizes at Stable View this October. Photo courtesy of Christine Quinn Photography.

Thoroughbred owners, take note: the Thoroughbred Incentive Program Championships are winging their way to us pretty swiftly, and from October 6-9, some of the country’s coolest ex-racehorses will be battling for top honours at Stable View in Aiken. This year, Stable View will be hosting a number of divisions: beyond the combined training class, we’ll also see hunters, jumpers, English pleasure, and English in-hand championships, plus the East Coast Dressage T.I.P. Championship show.

This year, there have been some exciting changes made, with an extra day of competition added in to make the Championships bigger and better the ever. Combined test competitors will now compete on the Friday, which will also see the start of the dressage championship, and the Graze & Gaze will be open from 5-7pm on Friday and Saturday evenings, making your Championship experience as jolly as possible. We’re also highly excited about the Rider Lounges, which will be well-stocked with water, tea, coffee stations, fruit, and snacks. We love snacks around here.

Frankly, though, we’ve got to talk about the prizes – because T.I.P. isn’t messing around this year! There’s a total of $50,000 in prize money up for grabs across the divisions, which will definitely buy you a few more Thoroughbreds, if you’re a savvy shopped — and beyond that, there’s ribbons, sashes, coolers, hats, bags, tumblers, and more for the lucky winners and High Point Junior and Adult Amateur riders. There’s also special prizes and awards for horses who’ve been adopted through Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredited organisations, and for those who’ve taken part in the Retired Racehorse Project Makeover series. Plus, there’s a cheeky $500 up for grabs for the In-Hand Championships, which seems like a pretty good day in the office to us.

The qualification and entry deadline for the T.I.P. Championships at Stable View is coming up fast — you’ve got until August 31 to get those declarations in here. For information on qualifying, click here. Heading to the Championships? Make sure to use the #goeventing hashtag so we can see your horses thriving in their second careers — you could even appear on EN!

Belgian Team Announced for Pratoni

By on Aug 26, 2022 9:00 am -

Karin Donckers and Fletcha Van’t Verahof. Photo by William Carey.

Roll up, roll up — get your team fixes here! The latest billing to splash across our news desk is that of the Belgian contingent, who deliver us a team that pairs up serious experience with some of the stars of tomorrow. The team and individual competitors are as follows:

  • Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Hermione d’Arville – 9-year-old Belgian Sport Horse mare (Birkhof’s Royaldik x Kyra du Relais Pachis, by Kashmir van Schuttershof). Owned by Five Star Eventers SPARL and Larga SPRL.
  • Karin Donckers and Fletcha van’t Verahof – 17-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Vigo d Arsquilles STX x Southern Queen, by Southern Gale). Owned by Joris de Brabandere, Carl Bouckaert, and the rider. Direct reserve: Leipheimer van’t Verahof – 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion (Vigo d Arsquilles STX x Southern Queen, by Southern Gale). Owned by Joris de Brabandere.
  • Senne Vervaecke and Google van Alsingen – 11-year-old KWPN mare (Watch Me x Pinot Brun VH Pannehof, by Forever). Owned by BVBA Alsingen.
  • Jarno Verwimp and Mahalia – 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Elvis ter Putte x Cohiba, by Condrieu). Owned by Marc Rigouts and the rider.
  • Individual: Maarten Boon and Gravin van Cantos – 11-year-old KWPN mare (breeding unknown). Owned by the rider.

The team’s lynchpin pair is Karin Donckers and the veteran competitor Fletcha van’t Verahof, who represented Belgium at the 2016 Olympics, the 2014 and 2018 World Equestrian Games, and the 2015, 2017, and 2019 European Championships. Their best result at a championship was individual fifth place at the 2014 World Equestrian Games. Karin also enjoys the luxury of a direct reserve in the form of Leipheimer van’t Verahof, the full brother of Fletcha, with whom she competed at last year’s European Championships.

Five-time National Champion Lara de Liedekerke-Meier also brings considerable team experience to the line-up, though her homebred horse has less mileage: it’ll be a championship debut for the nine-year-old, who stepped up to four-star last season and, after some educational early efforts at the level, has produced some exciting results and earned placings at both short- and long-format. Lara herself has long been a stalwart of the Belgian line-up: she’s got 11 European Championships under her belt, from Pony through to Senior level, and has ridden on three World Championships teams previously. She also competed at the Tokyo Olympics last year, but withdrew before cross-country. Her experience will undoubtedly be an asset to the team, which is then on filled with exciting new faces: Senne Vervaecke, who has six Junior and Young Rider European Championships under his belt, makes his Senior team debut with his eleven-year-old Google van Alsignen, as does 21-year-old Jarno Verwimp, who rides Mahalia, his partner at last year’s Young Rider European Championships. In their last six FEI runs, they’ve notched up five top-five finishes, and look to be an enormously exciting pair for the future.

Rounding out the line-up for Pratoni is individual competitor Maarten Boon, who rides his own Gravin van Cantos in their first-ever Championship. The reserve rider will be  four-time Olympian. Joris Vanspringel with Creator GS, who jumped a steady clear around Badminton this spring.

Final entries and team/individual designations are due to the FEI on September 5. Want to see more from #Pratoni2022? Click on over to our Ultimate Guide to FEI World Championships for more!

Thursday Video: Burghley’s First Decade

By on Aug 25, 2022 5:00 pm -

I always find it fascinating to look back at eventing’s early iterations and get a sense of how much has changed — and, in many cases, how much has stayed the same. The British Pathé archives tend to be a goldmine of old news footage, and they’ve collected plenty from some of the UK’s major equestrian events over the years, too, including these action shots from Burghley back in 1967 — that’s just five years into its existence. These days, it’s the world’s biggest, beefiest five-star, and it certainly wasn’t a track for the faint-hearted back then, either!

Swedish Team Announced for Pratoni World Championships

By on Aug 25, 2022 2:49 pm -

Aminda Ingulfson and Joystick are best of the Swedish team in eleventh at the Pratoni test event. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Sweden is the latest team to release their line-up for next month’s European Championships, at which they hope to consolidate their excellent Nations Cup form into Championship results. The five selected horses and riders are as follows:

  • Frida Andersen and Box Leo – 12-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Jaguar Mail x Box Qutie, by Quite Easy). Owned by Therese Örup.
  • Aminda Ingulfson and Joystick – 14-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Jaguar Mail x For Joy SN, by Cardento 933). Owned by Helena Gunnarsson and the rider.
  • Malin Josefsson and Golden Midnight – 14-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Goldmine x Duva, by Maraton). Owned by Karin Berglund.
  • Sofia Sjoborg and Bryjamolga van het Marienshof Z – 11-year-old Zangersheide mare (Bamako de Muze x Cryloga M, by Lord Z). Owned by Juliet and Mattias Sjoborg and the rider.
  • Individual: Niklas Lindback and Focus Filiocus – 15-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Feliciano 823 x Blue Bells, by Be My Chief). Owned by Tun Albertson.

The team mixes stalwart experience with exciting new talent: Malin Josefsson and Golden Midnight were on the 2019 and 2021 bronze-medal-winning European Championships team, while Sofia Sjoborg and Bryjamolga van het Marienshof Z, who made their Senior championship debut at last year’s European Championships as individuals, finishing thirteenth, will step into the team role this time. 24-year-old Sofia brings plenty of team experience in her own right, though: she’s represented Sweden five times at Junior and Young Rider level, taking two bronze medals along the way. Aminda Ingulfson, who has stepped up to Nations Cup teams over the last season, will make her Championship debut with the excellent Joystick, with whom she finished eleventh in the World Championships test event in May this year. Frida Andersen‘s Box Leo will also enjoy a Championship debut, though Frida herself has previously ridden for Sweden at Pony and Young Rider Europeans and the 2013 European Championships, and the 2016 Olympics.

The individual competitors, Niklas Lindback and Focus Filiocus, returned to competition last year after a year and a half out of action, and have picked up some consistent results since, including second place in a CCI4*-S at Strzegom last spring and a win in the CCI4*-S at Sopot this May. The gelding, who jumped clear around the 2017 and 2019 European Championships and the 2018 World Equestrian Games, also made his five-star debut, delivering a steady clear at Luhmühlen for a top twenty finish.

The first reserve for the team will be Christoffer Forsberg and his 2021 Europeans mount Hippos Sapporo, who have enjoyed an excellent season with wins at both CCI4*-S and CCI4*-L this spring, as well as a third place finish at Maarsbergen CCI4*-S and a swift clear at the final selection trial at Haras du Pin.

Final entries and team/individual designations are due to the FEI on September 5. Want to see more from #Pratoni2022? Click on over to our Ultimate Guide to FEI World Championships for more!

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Win a Prelim Aboard Sharp Decision

By on Aug 24, 2022 5:00 pm -

As a truly mediocre event rider, I often think that winning a Prelim would be rather like taking Olympic gold, relatively speaking. Of course, for some of these pros, it’s just par for the course, but those pros also don’t need leak-proof knickers on whenever they think about jumping trakehners, so bully for them, I guess. Anyway, I’m currently sidelined from riding, so catch-riding other people’s horses via hatcam footage is my only way of getting that cross-country rush — and so I’m particularly grateful to Elisa Wallace and Sharp Decision for winning the Open Prelim at Ocala Summer II for me, just so I can feel what it’s like. And you know what? It feels great.

Equi-Jewel®

Simply put, horses need energy.

Energy is traditionally supplied by cereal grains such as oats, corn, and barley. These feedstuffs deliver energy as carbohydrates or starch. But what if you want to supply more energy to your horse without increasing the feed intake? Feeding a fat supplement is an excellent way to achieve this.

Fat is considered a source of “calm” energy and is thought to modify behavior in some horses, making them more tractable. This, in turn, allows horses to focus their energy on work rather than nervousness.

Learn more at https://kppusa.com/2017/10/20/high-energy-advantages/

The horse that matters to you matters to us®.

KPPusa.com

Tuesday News & Notes from Ocala Horse Properties

By on Aug 23, 2022 7:48 am -

If there’s anything in the world more to-the-point than ponies, it’s the people who own them. Thanks to Marti Mitchell for giving us all a good giggle with this sign spotted in the stables at The Event at Archer Area IX Championships. You can almost hear the deep sigh of the person who wrote it.

Events Opening Today: Morven Park Fall International CCI4*-L,CCI3*/2*YH-S, CCI4/3*/2*-S & HT, WindRidge Farm Fall H.T., Ocala Fall Horse Trials, Radnor Hunt H.T., Middle Tennessee Pony Club H.T., Hitching Post Farm H.T., Heritage Park H.T.

Events Closing Today: USEA MDHT YEH/NEH Qualifier, CDCTA Fall H.T., GMHA September H.T., Flora Lea Fall H.T., Chardon Valley H.T., Five Points H.T.

Tuesday News & Notes from Around the World:

Considering taking your love of horses to degree level? Check out some of the equine-related programs in North America, which could help get you on an exciting professional pathway. [You’re probably better off getting a degree that’ll lead to a really well-paid job though tbh]

French artist André Brasilier is at the centre of a new exhibition at Sothebys Hong Kong. The 93-year-old’s extraordinary oeuvre dates back to 1959 and features a number of vibrant, expressive horse paintings, which are inspired by some of his favourite places in France. [We’ll admire them from afar because we don’t have half a million dollars]

The latest in US Eventing’s series on long-standing events takes us to Vermont. There, we’re learning about the rich history of Huntington Horse Trials, the roots of which stretch back to the USET’s 1970s heyday. [At home at Huntington]

Ocala Horse Properties Dream Farm of the Week:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by @ocalahorseproperties

The idea of living within an equestrian park appeals to my sense of convenience and community enormously, and this stunning smallholding sits comfortably within Ocala’s Saddlebrook Equestrian Park, just moments away from WEC. With seven stalls in its airy barn and more than six acres of turnout, it’s a little patch of paradise in horse heaven.

Listen to This: Ariel Grald and five-star groom Brooke Massie, who will head to Pratoni next month with Colleen Loach, are the guests of the week on the latest edition of the Heels Down Happy Hour podcast — and they’re discussing all things la dolce vita.

Watch This:

If you’ve not yet tuned in to Lucinda Green‘s enormously informative cross-country video series and seminars, you’re missing out — but you’ve got such an extraordinary wealth of content to catch up on that’ll arguably redefine how you view the pivotal phase of our sport.

Monday News & Notes from FutureTrack

By on Aug 22, 2022 7:17 am -

It’s been a huge year for top-level retirements, but I’m not sure any of us were prepared to bid farewell to the fierce and feisty legend that is Bolytair B, who will hang up his horseshoes after jumping successfully around several of the world’s biggest tracks with Dom Schramm in the irons. Kudos to Dom, though, for making a sage call for his horse, and for sharing the words of wisdom that “there’s no trophy for squeezing the last drop out of a horse”. That’s something we could all do with remembering.

National Holiday: It’s National Pamela Day. All hail our lord and saviour, Ms Anderson.

US Weekend Action:

The Event at Archer and Area IX Championships (Cheyenne, WY): [Website] [Results]

Caber Farm H.T. (Onalaska, WA): [Website] [Results]

Genesee Valley Riding & Driving Club H.T. (Geneseo, NY): [Website] [Results]

Huntington Farm H.T. (South Strafford, VT): [Website] [Results]

Ocala Summer H.T. II (Ocala, FL): [Website] [Results]

Waredaca Farm H.T. (Gaithersburg, MD): [Website] [Results]

UK Weekend Results:

Blindley Heath: [Results]

Frickley Park International Horse Trials and Area Festival: [Results]

Solihull (2): [Results]

Global Eventing Round-up:

It’s been a double-dip weekend of Nations Cup action, with legs in both Canada and Belgium over the last couple of days. Here’s some highlights from each:

FEI Eventing Nations Cup CCIO4*-S + International H.T. (Bromont, Canada): [Website] [Results] [EN’s Coverage]

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lily Dal Cin (@lilyscreatives)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Andrew McConnon (@andrewsmcconnon)

Team USA took top honours in the three-team competition in Bromont, while Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C were victorious on the individual leaderboard after a seriously tough day of cross-country.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tine Magnus (@tinemagnus)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Manon Minner🌸 (@manon_minner)

FEI Eventing Nations Cup CCIO4*-S + International H.T. (Arville, Belgium): [Results]

Meanwhile, over in Belgium, the home team was successful in both the Nations Cup competition and on the individual leaderboard: they beat Germany by an impressive margin of 17.3 penalties, while Italy took third place. Tine Magnus became the Belgian National Champion after winning the CCIO4*-S with Champagne Pia Z, who climbed from 13th after dressage after adding just 5.6 time penalties across the country and tipping a rail in showjumping – such was the intensity and influence of this competition. The top six placings went to Belgian riders, with Manon Minner taking second aboard Cool Dancer and Laura Loge finishing the weekend in third with Absolut Allegro. Just two of the 59 competitors went clear inside the time: fourth-placed Lara de Liedekerke-Meier, who’s based at Arville, managed it with Ducati d’Arville, as did Germany’s Anna-Katarina Vogel and DSP Quintana P, who finished seventh.

Your Morning Reading List:

When it comes to producing young horses for future success and longevity in the sport, there’s no one set way to do things. Some riders prefer to take all the pressure off in the formative years, while others factor in plenty of outings to help their baby horses realise that leaving the farm is no big deal, and I always find it fascinating to dive into the philosophies behind each decision — and all the other decisions that go into plotting out an education. In this piece, Tamie Smith goes through her general plan for hitting the ground running with a youngster — and how that worked for some of the horses who would go on to be stars of her stable. [How to train your dragon — erm, event horse]

We’re calling this one as a member of the 2035 British Pony Europeans team right now. Dressage supremo Charlotte Dujardin has announced that she’s pregnant with her first child, and is looking forward to welcoming her daughter to the world early next year. No word yet on whether the little one has been practicing the flying change aids in the womb. [Talk about a performance pedigree]

If you’ve had a bad day out eventing, it can be incredibly hard to put that aside on your next trip out. That’s particularly true if you’re a one-horse rider, because you might have weeks between competitions to dwell on what went wrong — but it can affect the pros, too, who need to be able to compartmentalise and get straight on the next horse with an unblemished frame of mind. In any case, learning to take control of your own thoughts will lead to some of the biggest gains you’ll experience as a rider. [Here’s how to get started]

The FutureTrack Follow:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sarah Clark (@sarah_clark_equestrian)

I’m really enjoying following the journey of Sarah Clark, who’s made the long trip over from Australia to tackle her first Burghley with five-star partner LV Balou Jeanz. Give her a follow for some fascinating insights into her biggest adventure yet.

Morning Viewing:

Rewind to 1991 with this vintage footage of Mr Stickability tackling Blenheim’s CCI4*-L aboard Park Grove.

 

Friday Video: Check out Burghley’s Best-Ever Dressage Test

By on Aug 19, 2022 5:20 pm -

Just making it to Burghley as a competitor is an extraordinary accomplishment in its own right, but for those who do fulfil their entries and start their competition in a short couple of weeks, there’ll be plenty of further goals on the table: a coveted completion, of course, but also the chance to make a bit of history. One way of doing that is to set a record, which is exactly what Chris Burton did in 2016 when he and Nobilis 18 put a 30.2 (that’s a 20.1 in today’s scoring!) on the board, giving themselves such a decisive lead that even a handful of rails down on Sunday couldn’t take the win from them. Relive their performance with today’s video.

Oliver Townend Takes Pathfinder Role at Burghley (Again)

By on Aug 19, 2022 1:29 pm -

The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials draw has been revealed ahead of this year’s renewal (August 31 – September 4), and once again, multi-horse entrant Oliver Townend will be first out of the start box. Though he’s been drawn in the first position with either 2017 winner Ballaghmor Class or former Andrew Nicholson ride As Is, the former has been named to next month’s World Championships team, and so As Is will hold the pathfinder position. Oliver has three other rides entered, and can ride a maximum of three: Tregilder takes 38th position, while Swallow Springs or Lukas will be the last horse in the line-up.

With 68 horses currently on the list, Burghley’s line-up is looking pretty stacked — reigning champion Pippa Funnell has two horses entered in Majas Hope (63) and Billy Walk On (4), while 2018 winner Tim Price brings forward Bango (3), Tokyo mount Vitali (37), and former Chris Burton ride Polystar I (66). 2019 Badminton winners Piggy March and Vanir Kamira have drawn number 22, followed closely behind by 2018 Badminton winners Jonelle Price and Classic Moet (27), which will give both Thursday dressage times.

Other highlights from among the list include 2021 European individual bronze medallists Sarah Bullimore and Corouet (30), William Fox-Pitt and Oratorio II (48), Kitty King and Vendredi Biats (60), and 2019 European individual bronze medallists Cathal Daniels and Rioghan Rua (64). A solid US contingent is entered, too: Woods Baughman will be first up to bat for the Americans with C’Est la Vie 135 in draw number 11, followed by Cornelia Dorr and Daytona Beach 8 in number 14. Draw number 23 goes to Meghan O’Donoghue and the ex-racehorse Palm Crescent, while Emily Hamel and Corvett will put a cap on their season abroad in number 29. Boyd Martin has drawn number 46 with Tsetserleg TSF, but is unlikely to run as the pair have been selected for the World Championships. British-based American Tiana Coudray will take number 57 with Cancaras Girl, who took a top-ten finish at Bramham this year, while US-based Aussie Clayton Fredericks sits pretty in draw number 10 with FE Coldplay.

Here’s the full draw:

Or, to put it simply:

Reigning World Champions Great Britain Announce Eye-Wateringly Good Team for Pratoni

By on Aug 19, 2022 12:01 pm -

Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Photo by Abby Powell.

Few teams for Pratoni have been so hotly anticipated as that of the Brits, who currently hold most of the medals available in the sport of eventing and are, predictably, absolutely front-loaded with formidable talent ahead of this year’s World Championships. And so, without further ado, let’s take a look at who’s been picked to fly the Union Jack, in alphabetical order:

  • Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo – 10-year-old British-bred Sport Horse gelding (Grafenstolz x Cornish Queen, by Rock King), owned by Michele Saul. Groom: Sarah Charnley
  • Laura Collett and London 52 – 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Landos x Vernante, by Quinar Z), owned by Keith Scott, Karen Bartlett, and the rider. Groom: Tilly Hughes
  • Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir – 11-year-old Selle Français gelding (Nouma d’Auzay x Gerboise du Cochet, by Livarot), owned by Jeanette Chin and Sue Davies. Alison Bell
  • Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser – 15-year-old Selle Français gelding (Diamant de Semilly x Ariane du Prieure II, by Papillon Rouge), owned by Fred and Penny Barker, Jane Inns, and Ali McEwen. Groom: Francesca Gorni
  • Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class – 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Courage II x Kilderry Place, breeding unknown), owned by Karyn Schuter, Angela Hislop, and Val Ryan. Groom: Charlotte Holifield. Direct reserve: Swallow Springs – 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Chillout x Kilila, by Cult Hero), owned by Paul and Diana Ridgeon

The reserve combinations are as follows, listed in alphabetical order by athlete surname:

  • Sarah Bullimore and Corouet
  • Ros Canter and Pencos Crown Jewel
  • Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI 
  • William Fox- Pitt and Little Fire
  • Kitty King and Vendredi Biats

The British team incorporates the entirety of last year’s gold medal winning Tokyo Olympics team, and features reigning World Champion Ros Canter, though this time, aboard the exciting up-and-comer Lordships Graffalo, with whom she finished second in a tough renewal of Badminton this year. Similarly representing the young guns is eleven-year-old Banzai du Loir, who was second in his five-star debut at Kentucky this spring with 25-year-old Yasmin Ingham, who makes her Senior championship debut in Italy after representing Great Britain at the Pony and Young Rider levels.

Great Britain have previously won team gold six times, in 1970, 1982, 1986, 1994, 2010, and 2018. They’ve also claimed five of the fourteen individual gold medals awarded since the inception of the World Championships at Burghley in 1966, and will come to Pratoni as the double reigning champions. The final assignations of the four team slots and one individual place will be allocated and announced closer to the competition.

Thursday Video: Take Vassily de Lassos for a Spin Around Haras du Pin

By on Aug 18, 2022 5:00 pm -

Aussie Andrew Hoy is back with a new hat-cam video, which gives all us Vassily de Lassos superfans the chance to see life through his happy orange ears once again. This time, it’s a special edition from the final selection trial at Haras du Pin CCIO4*-S last week, where they finished in the top ten and after which, they were duly selected to represent Australia next month.

What’s really cool about this video is that you get a true sense of the scale of Haras du Pin’s inclines, which don’t always seem significant — even when walking! — but which do add up to a real stamina test, and what Michael Jung describes as the perfect Pratoni prep course. The other thing I find fascinating about it is the rhythm that Andrew puts Vassily in — it’s super consistent and not at all hairy, but actually, they delivered the fastest round of the day in that huge line-up, which shows the power of being able to skip the lengthy set-up process and create a cross-country gallop that’s workable all the way to the fence. (I also love how constant Andrew’s verbal communication is with him; my own word vomit on course sounds an awful lot more frantic, if I’m honest.)

The Netherlands Announces Two Individual Competitors, But No Team, For Pratoni

By on Aug 18, 2022 3:00 pm -

The Netherland’s Sanne de Jong and her homebred, Enjoy. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We’re being well and truly inundated with team announcements ahead of Pratoni, but there’s also a number of nations that will be sending individual competitors in lieu of teams. The Netherlands is one such nation, with just two pairs on the nominated entry list, and both confirmed to be attending the FEI World Championships for Eventing next month.

This isn’t the first time that the Netherlands, who finished in team bronze position in famously tricky conditions at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy, haven’t brought a team forward at a World Championships: they fielded solely individual riders in 1998, 2002, and 2010, and did the same at last year’s Olympics.

Jordy Wilken and Burry Spirit. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Both riders named for Pratoni will make their World Championships debut next month, after each making their Senior championship debuts at last year’s European Championships at Avenches. The named pairs are as follows:

  • Sanne de Jong and Enjoy — 13-year-old KWPN mare (Cartano x Next Joey, by Haarlem), owned by Jantien van Zon and the rider
  • Jordy Wilken and Burry Spirit — 16-year-old KWPN gelding (Casco 4 x Retina H.H., by Indoctro), owned by the rider

 

Nominate Your Eventing Heroes for the Horse & Hound Awards

By on Aug 18, 2022 1:00 pm -

Tom McEwen was the winner of the Uvex Helmets Professional Rider of the Year at the Horse & Hound Awards (In partnership with NAF) held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham in Gloucestershire In the UK, on the 1st December 2021

It feels a bit naughty to start thinking about the Horse&Hound Awards, which are one of the highlights of the British off-season, already – it’s a bit like walking into the grocery store and discovering that the Christmas decorations are already on the shelves in mid-August. But these winter shindigs take some serious planning, and in the case of the H&H Awards, which take place in the midst of a glittering gala evening at Cheltenham Racecourse, there’s plenty of prizes to plan, too. Once again, the awards will be open to the public for a first round of nominations, which you can submit until 5.00 p.m. BST (12.00 p.m. EST) on September 22, after which there’ll be a round of voting.

“The Awards seek to recognise both the big names who have made 2022 special and the unsung heroes who make it possible for all of us to enjoy equestrian sport and our horses,” says the team at H&H. “Last year’s successful Awards achieved record participation from the equestrian community, with nearly 103,000 votes cast. The Awards return this year, with a glittering ceremony planned for 30 November at Cheltenham Racecourse. Some 300 people, including Olympic and Paralympic medallists and other legends of our sports, will enjoy a glamorous evening of champagne, winner reveals and dancing.”

Though the awards are open across the disciplines, a number of eventers have previously been victorious, including Lucinda Green, Tom McEwen, Jonty Evans, who won for his successful crowdfunding effort to secure Cooley Rorkes Drift in 2017, Piggy March, and plenty more besides.

The award categories for 2022 are as follows:

●  Bloomfields Horse of the Year

 

●  Equo Pony of the Year

 

●  Pikeur Professional Rider of the Year

 

●  PIVO Amateur Rider of the Year

 

●  Equipe Moment of the Year

 

●  Tommy Hilfiger Equestrian Young Rider of the Year

 

●  NAF Five Star PROFEET Farrier of the Year

 

●  Absorbine Groom of the Year

 

●  The Horse & Hound Podcast Volunteer of the Year

 

●  Baileys Horse Feeds Vet of the Year

 

●  HorseDialog Inspiration of the Year

 

●  Agria Horse of a Lifetime

 

●  Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement (no voting)

H&H editor-in-chief Sarah Jenkins says: “We cannot wait to welcome once again our shortlisted stars, supporters and guests to Cheltenham Racecourse to honour their achievements in 2022. We are very grateful to our longstanding headline partners NAF, and to all our individual Awards sponsors, without whose support these Awards wouldn’t happen. It has been fantastic to see support for these Awards grow year after year, and quite how much readers want to both nominate and vote for their heroes in such large numbers.”

Isla Boxall-Loomes, UK Marketing Manager at NAF, adds: “2022 has already given us a number of incredible accomplishments and performances to celebrate at both amateur and professional level. With that in mind, we are already looking forward to a fantastic evening in which the nominees and winners’ achievements will be recognised and shared. We very much look forward to the Horse & Hound Awards every year and have been delighted to see how they have grown. We’re excited to see who the shortlisted candidates will be alongside, of course, the eventual winners.”

To make your nominations, click here.

Learning Opportunity Klaxon: Join STRIDER’s Equine Careers Webinar (For Free!)

By on Aug 18, 2022 11:30 am -

All participants are invited. Even the ones without opposable thumbs.

We never like to consider equestrians a monolith, but if there’s one thing that pretty solidly unites us all, it’s our ceaseless desire to learn – and even better when that learning opportunity doesn’t cut into our emergency vet bill-and-beers fund. That’s why we’re so keen on STRIDER’s Professional Development series, which allows you access to some of the industry’s leading professionals through free, super-informative webinars, which can be watched live or on-demand.

The next of the series will take place on August 30 at 7.00 p.m. EST, and will focus on Equine Industry Careers. With insight from Alexandra Cherubini, founder and CEO of EquiFit, superstar equine photographer Erin Gilmore, and the one and only Max Corcoran, whose own career has spanned from Olympic grooming to becoming the USEF Eventing Elite Program and Team Facilitator, it’ll be absolutely packed with wisdom, advice, and inspiration from a broad cross-section of the industry.

It’s totally free to get involved, but you’ll need to make sure you’re registered before the seminar, which you can do here. The webinar will take place live on Zoom, and will be interactive, so you can ask all your burning questions — and if you fancy rewatching some of STRIDER’s previous webinars, you can do so here. Happy learning — and Go Eventing!

 

 

 

 

On-Form Switzerland Reveals Team of Stalwarts for Pratoni

By on Aug 18, 2022 9:00 am -

The Swiss team takes Nations Cup victory in the Pratoni test event in May. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Switzerland is the latest team to reveal their five-strong line-up for next month’s FEI World Championships for Eventing, and it comes after what has been an extraordinary season for the developing nation. They began their year with a decisive double victory at the Pratoni test event back in May, taking top honours in the Nations Cup competition and also scoring an individual victory, claimed by Robin Godel and the excellent Grandeur de Lully CH, who competed at the 2018 World Equestrian Games. The team followed that victory up with another win in the Avenches leg of the series, where Robin and Grandeur de Lully once again topped the bill — and the Olympian, who turns 24 today, has also enjoyed a CCI4*-L victory at Strzegom this season, riding Global DHI.

Robin and Grandeur de Lully will be joined on the squad by team stalwarts Mélody Johner and Toubleu de Rueire, who’ve only finished outside the top ten in three of their international runs as a partnership, and were 17th individually at the Tokyo Olympics, and 22-year-old Nadja Minder, who was part of that winning Pratoni team in May, delivering two of the seven clear rounds inside the time, made her CHIO Aachen debut in July, who will be making her senior team debut next month with Toblerone, the horse with whom she contested her last Young Rider European Championships in 2021. Rounding out the team line-up is perennial success Felix Vogg, who has the luxury of choice between two horses: Cartania II, with whom he was eighth at last year’s European Championships, or Colero, with whom he won Luhmühlen CCI5* this year.

Switzerland’s swift ascent over the last few of seasons has much of its genesis in the appointment of New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson, who joined the squad as cross-country coach in 2018, with the intention of training them through the European Championships and helping them to secure a spot at the Tokyo Olympics. Though they didn’t ultimately nab their berth there, they managed it by the end of 2019 through Nations Cup successes, and since then, Nicholson has stayed in situ as a lynchpin of the team. The results are self-evident, whether looked at on paper or in the flesh: Switzerland’s riders and horses have always had all the raw materials and talent to be truly great, but it’s with Andrew at the helm that they’ve learned to achieve success not by playing it safe, running slowly, and waiting for other teams to make expensive mistakes, but instead by taking clever, calculated risks and training for all the possibilities on course. Now, we’re enjoying a real renaissance for the squad, who have come into 2022 with the bit between their teeth and a palpable desire not just to participate on the world stage, but to win. This will be a seriously exciting team to watch in Pratoni, where they’ll be aiming to try to capture Switzerland’s first-ever eventing World Championships medal.

The final line-up for Pratoni is as follows:

  • Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH – 14-year-old Swiss Sport Horse gelding (Greco de Lully CH x Miola, by Apartos), owned by Jean-Jacques Fünfschilling
  • Mélody Johner and Toubleu de Rueire –15-year-old Selle Français gelding (Mr Blue x La Guna de Rueire, by Bayard d’Elle), owned by Peter Thuerler and Heinz-Günter Wickenhäuser
  • Nadja Minder and Toblerone – 15-year-old Swiss Warmblood gelding (Yarlands Summer Song x Medelyne, breeding unknown), owned by Nicole Basieux
  • Felix Vogg and Cartania II – 11-year-old Holsteiner mare (Cartani 4 x Z-Schatzi, by Clinton), owned by Phoenix Eventing S.à.r.l. and the rider OR Colero – 14-year-old Westfalian gelding (Captain Fire x Bonita, by Bormio xx), owned by Jürgen Vogg

The individual rider will be:

  • Patrick Rüegg and Fifty Fifty – 14-year-old Hanoverian mare (Fidertanz 2 x Meerfuerstin, by Friedensfuerst 1), owned by Angela Häberli

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Zoie Brogdon Smashes Her Goals – and Other People’s Expectations

By on Aug 17, 2022 5:00 pm -

“Lack of diversity – it’s often seen as an anomaly, rather than a product of systematic racism.”

Thus begins this fascinating short documentary on teenage show jumper Zoie Brogdon, who isn’t just wise well beyond her years — she’s also making a real name for herself in the West Coast show scene. Now 17, she began riding with L.A.’s. Compton Jr. Equestrians, the youth-oriented sideline of the famous Compton Cowboys, before beginning to train more intensively with Olympian Will Simpson. She’s taken individual gold in the USHJA Zone Team Jumper Championships, was Reserve Champion in the USHJA National Championships, and was named the 2021 Horse of the Year Champion — and she’s not done yet. Get to know her in this fascinating video, and get inspired.

Equi-Jewel®

Simply put, horses need energy.

Energy is traditionally supplied by cereal grains such as oats, corn, and barley. These feedstuffs deliver energy as carbohydrates or starch. But what if you want to supply more energy to your horse without increasing the feed intake? Feeding a fat supplement is an excellent way to achieve this.

Fat is considered a source of “calm” energy and is thought to modify behavior in some horses, making them more tractable. This, in turn, allows horses to focus their energy on work rather than nervousness.

Learn more at https://kppusa.com/2017/10/20/high-energy-advantages/

The horse that matters to you matters to us®.

KPPusa.com

Live This Week: How to Watch Arville’s Nations Cup

By on Aug 17, 2022 3:30 pm -

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Eventing Arville (@eventingarville)

We’re being rather spoiled this week by the FEI Nations Cup series, because there’s two whole legs running concurrently on different continents, which means a whole lot of action coming your way from the media folks on the ground. While we haven’t yet got confirmation of a live-stream from Canada’s Bromont leg, we can confirm that there’ll be a live-stream of both the cross-country and showjumping phases from Arville in Belgium.

Showjumping will take place on Saturday, August 20, with cross-country to follow on Sunday, August 21. ClipMyHorse.TV members will be able to follow along through their accounts, but if you’re not signed up, never fear — the FEI YouTube channel will also be showing the action live, and you can even add the streams to your viewing schedule so that you get a reminder before they begin.

There are five teams going head to head in Arville: the Brits, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, and Italy will all be battling for coveted series points in the grounds of this stunning venue, and you can check out the entry list in full here. Among the 60 combinations entered are many of Europe’s most exciting up-and-coming riders and horses, so it’s a great chance to get to know some of the names you’ll be hearing pretty regularly in a few years’ time. Happy streaming!

Australian Team Named for Pratoni World Championships of Eventing

By on Aug 17, 2022 8:54 am -

Australia wins silver: Kevin McNab, Shane Rose and Andrew Hoy. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Prepare yourself for a big week in team announcement land: many of the major nations are planning to drop their final line-up over the next few days, well ahead of the final deadline of September 5, and first under our radar today is the smoking hot team picked by the Australians.

Australia is on serious form at the moment, despite some issues within the federation, which went into administration in June of 2020 and left it in February of last year. The focus since then has been on rebuilding at a structural level, while its riders — many of whom are based in Europe — have focused on continuing their reign of success, which they consolidated with an excellent team silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. All three of those team members – Kevin McNab and Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam, Shane Rose and Virgil, and Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos, who also took individual bronze, have been named for the squad, and are joined on the final list of five by three-time Adelaide CCI5* winners Hazel Shannon and Willingapark Clifford, who have been based in the UK with the McNabs since the tail end of last season, as well as Aussie-based Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture, who won this year’s CCI4*-S at Tamworth and the CCI4*-L at Werribee. Four of the five named combinations will be part of the team, while one will ride as an individual — though this allocation hasn’t been announced yet.

The final list of five is as follows:

  • Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos – 13-year-old Anglo-Arab gelding (Jaguar Mail x Illusion Perdue, by Jalienny), owned by Paula and David Evans, groomed by Clémentine Girardeau
  • Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture – 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Devaraja x Royal Zam, by Zamoff), owned by the rider, groomed by Olivia Barton
  • Kevin McNab and Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam – 14-year-old KWPN gelding (Quidam x Nairoby, by Amethist), owned by Scuderia 1918 and Emma McNab, OR Willunga – 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Olympic Lux x Ringmoylan Beauty, by Coevers Diamond Boy), owned by Samia Murgian and Emma McNab, groomed by Lucy Hartley
  • Shane Rose and Virgil – 17-year-old Warmblood gelding (Vivant x unknown dam), owned by Niki Rose and Michelle Hasibar, groomed by Jamie Atkinson
  • Hazel Shannon and Willingapark Clifford – 17-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Passing Shot x unknown dam), owned by Terry Snow, groomed by Bronte Buttel

The reserves are as follows:

  • Sammi Birch and Finduss PFB – 12-year-old KWPN gelding (Saffier x Belle Miranda, by Sarantos), owned by Parkfield Breeding and Sharon Bishop, groomed by Helen Tagg
  • Sam Lyle and BF Valour –12-year-old Warmblood gelding (breeding unknown), owned by Charlotte Mavris, groomed by Natalya Bretherton
  • Jessica Rae and Fifth Avenue – 14-year-old Warmblood x Irish Sport Horse mare (Raphael x Tia Breeze, breeding unknown), owned by the rider, groomed by Laura Munt
  • Shane Rose and Easy Turn – 10-year-old Holsteiner mare (Casall x Ressina, by Coriano), owned by Angela Shacklady and Niki Rose, groomed by Jamie Atkinson