After the lunch break, an intense storm rolled in over downtown Lexington.  Thankfully, it managed to stay south of the Horse Park.  I was only able to catch the afternoon rides, but that included the day’s leader, Lauren Clark and Yosche Bosche who used their beautiful canter work to earn a top score of 47.7.  Yosche Bosche is a classic event-type horse, very racy and athletic-looking.  They should be fun to watch on cross-country.

Another standout test for the day was  Nicole Doolittle and Tops, currently in second.  The pair had a flashy test with good impulsion to score a 48.1 for Area III.

Area V currently leads in the team standings.  [Scores]

Erin Critz is our recently-crowned winner of the 2013 EN Blogger Contest.  She is currently enjoying her cash and prizes on vacation in the Caribbean… no, actually, she’s busy cleaning chinchilla cages and bringing John another can of Mtn Dew with a Mickey Mouse curly straw.  In all seriousness, we are proud and very excited to have Erin as a member of the writing team and we look forward to the fun she will bring to the site.  

Patrick inspecting helmet cover installation to endure maximum fierce-factor.

Erin Critz is a former radio DJ, current IT professional and recovering Hunter/Jumper rider. Erin and her Morgan mare Akira Beijing compete in the Beginner Novice division on the West Coast. She aspires to tackle the N3D at Rebecca Farms in 2014 and finds writing 50-word bios challenging.

This past weekend, Stephanie and I jumped in my SUV and headed off to to the Bay Area. Jenny was riding with David O’Connor at Woodside and the rest of the Dragonfire crew was also headed that direction to slip in one last cross country school before Rebecca.

The plan started out simple – drop in at Woodside, say hi to my old friend John Robertson, and watch some of the session with David O’Connor. Watching others is often very helpful for me, so even just to squeeze in a few minutes was a great opportunity. There was also a tack-swap over at Stanford’s Red Barn that we’d heard about, so we figured we’d pop in and take a look around and maybe find some things we didn’t know we needed. Tack Swaps have recently become one of my obsessions. Who can say no to an Irish knit sheet for $20, or a new-to-you cross country vest for $75? I know I can’t – which is probably why I’m broke, but that’s another story for another time.

We arrived at Woodside in time to catch a little bit of the cross-country work. I got in some quality down-bank therapy watching folks work through a sunken road, then two strides to a skinny. David stressed that one of the goals is to get the horse to hunt for the fences and that schooling fences ought to be flagged as well, especially if they are skinnies. He also talked about jumping to the clear path being the better approach, because an optical illusion on the off side of a fence can often be the cause for a stop or an awkward fence. Stephanie and I watched a bit of the work at the water complex before the urge to shop over came us – either that or we were too overcome by the awesome and felt the need to depart before we dorked up the whole affair.

We headed over to Stanford’s Red Barn for the tack swap and were pleasantly surprised by the things we found. Normally tack swaps are very hit-or-miss. Occasionally you can find Very Nice Things and sometimes they’re a steal of a deal – a practically new triple stitched leather halter for $30, or a very gently used Herm Sprenger bit for $55. Very often the people with the Very Nice Things know exactly how nice those things are though, and in those cases you’re pretty much paying pretty close to retail which sort of takes the shine off of the experience.

There’s another kind of find at tack-swaps that I find even more exciting – the Under Appreciated Classic. The last tack swap I went to I managed to find two sets petal bell boots, in practically brand new condition, and a brand new set of Ulster boots. The folks selling them did not have the same appreciation I had for them and let me walk away with all four bell-boots for $4 and the Ulsters for $10. Being that I have a small cob-sized mare, this is really more like four bell-boots with enough spare petals to build a fifth one should I ever stumble upon a strap, and a set of pretty Ulster boots that I can admire.

My tack-swap obsession started with one of these finds – a pair of rust breeches by Harry Hall. Often I find myself daydreaming that I’ll find a magical trunk bursting with rust breeches at one of these tack swaps. It never happens, but on luckier trips I find a stray unloved pair that I take home and stuff in to my collection. One day when Marty McFly comes stumbling out of his Delorian I will bribe him with secrets from the future to bring me enough rust breeches to last a life time. That’s probably not a responsible use of access to a man with a time machine, but no one’s ever accused me of being responsible.

Predictably, there was no magical trunk full of rust breeches anywhere to be found – not even a single wayward pair. From what I understand Shaw’s donated a lot of items to the tack swap as it was a benefit for the Stanford Equestrian team so it was mostly Very Nice Things. Stephanie, who has the longest arms in the known universe, has been looking for a show coat with long enough sleeves since we were kids. She managed to find a brand new Pikeur coat for something like $60. I wasn’t quite as lucky, but I did manage to pick up something I had been coveting for a while. I scored a skull cap – new, in the box, all tags still on for dirt cheap, as well as a few helmet covers for a buck each – all in red and black.

I must confess that even if I didn’t find a single pair of rust breeches, I am stupidly excited about finally having a skull cap. After a vest, the skull cap really is the next piece of Eventer specific gear. Hunter Princesses and DQ’s wouldn’t be caught dead in something so peculiar, so you know when you see someone rocking one, odds are they’re an Eventer. It’s taken me a few years to get accustomed to the flipped up brim of a helmet cover, but there’s a certain appeal to it now and that appeal marks a transition in me. It is a bit like when you start to recognize a new place as “home” and think of the previous “home” as “the place where I grew up” or “the old place.” Eventing is home now and I’ve got the members only gear to prove it.

Go Team DF. Go Skull Caps and Shopping. Go Eventing.

Rowdie Adams and No Money Down will compete for Area V in the 2-star.  Photo from Rocking Horse Winter II HT, by Samantha Clark.

It’s July, it’s hot, and Young Riders is upon us!  Once again the 2013 North American Junior and Young Riders Championships is being held at the grand Kentucky Horse Park.  Riders under the age of 21 will be competing in most of the FEI disciplines, including dressage, eventing, show jumping, reining, and endurance.

Here are your eventing team members for the CCI*-J (18 and under) and CCI**-Y (16-21).

CH-J

Area I & IV (scramble team)

• Marissa Ashton / S.S. Bank   (I)
• Isabella Carrara / Crystal Clear   (I)
• Melanie Rousseau / Menai Creek    (IV)
• Patrick Zinck / Steeley Dan     (IV)

Area II

• Morgan Booth / Lucky Little Spy
• Caroline Day / Malibu
• Madeline Parison / Hope to Star
• David Pawlak / Just Bailey
• Chase Shipka / Victory Shetan

Area III

• Lily Barlown / Grayboo
• Victoria Clayton / The Secret Agent
• Ashley Dodds / Manhattan
• Nicole Doolittle / Tops
• Diane Portwood / Cinerescent

Area V

• Reagan LaFleur / Orient des Touches
• Bailey Moran / Loughnatousa Caislean
• Elizabeth New / Uppercrust D
• Ann O’Neal Pevahouse / Don Bosco
• Calvin Ramsay / Hoodwink
• Grayson Wall / Stryker

Area VI & IX (scramble team)

• Natalie Kuhny / Case Closed   (VI)
• Brynn Littlehale / Forgotten Emblem  (VI)
• Erika Carson / Celtic Prince   (IX)
• Amy Gilbertson / One Honest Man   (IX)

Area VII & VIII (scramble team)

• Ashlynn Meuchel / Morning Star (VII)
• Mary Peabody Camp / Rave Review  (VIII)
• Emily Macauley / Canadian Exchange  (VIII)
• Margaret Ragan / Surefire’s Anwar   (VIII)

Ontario

• Lauren Clark / Yoscha Bosche
• Moira de St. Croix / Blue Ben
• April Simmons / Impressively Done
• Jamie Kellock / Don’t Blink
• Mia Dover Terrattaz / Etoile

Alberta

• Rebecca David McIsaac / Irish

Quebec

• Rae Becke / Tyne Be Merry

CH-Y   

Area II & IV  (scramble team)

• Hanna Krueger / Pinney North  (II)
• Abigail Wilson / Fernhill Flag  (II)
• Alexander O’Neal / Corinthian (IV)

Area III

• Mary Atkins Hunt / Nuance
• Matilda Segal / Guinnes
• Jenny Caras / Fernhill Stowaway
• Caroline Martin / Quantum Solace

Area V

• Mary Cargile / Take the Mick
• Rowdie Adams / No Money Down
• Elexa Ehlers / In Any Event

Area VII, VIII, & IX (scramble team)

• Lizzie Snow / Ringfort Tinkaturk  (VII)
• Erin Strader / Radio Flyer  (VIII)
• Jacqueline Larouche / The Gingerbread Man   (IX)

Ontario

• Haley Armstrong-Laframboise  / DeJavu
• Dasha Ivandeaeva / Autorytet

Ella Rak impressed us with her writing ability and fun style so much that she made it to the Final Four of EN’s 2013 Blogger Contest.  As with the rest of the finalists, we invited Ella to contribute a weekly piece to the site.  Thanks to Ella for writing, and thank you for reading.

Ella Rak, 16, is a High School student, Aspiring Lower Level Eventer, C2 Pony Clubber and Equestrian-procrastinator extraordinare. Defining Characteristics: Strong willed, Easily distracted by horses (I should be studying for final exams right now, but instead cleaned tack and wrote this article), and slightly OCD (that record book WILL be perfect).

As Eventing Nation’s resident Pony Clubber, I thought I would share a little bit about eventing in the group that started so many of us off. With East Coast Championships only a week away, the best Pony Clubbers east of the Mississippi congregate at a massive week long competition at the Virginia Horse Center for a USEA-recognized Pony Club rally. That’s right, we are on the Omnibus. Every person has their own rituals and procedures when it comes to eventing, but Pony Clubbers have a very unique view of horse showing and eventing. You can tell a Pony cCubber at an event from a mile away from their impeccably clean EVERYTHING, independent demeanor and predisposition to be early. Most eventers you run into have had some sort of background in the organization, so it should come as no surprise when that the majority of the two disciplines overlap, but certain traits are uniquely Pony Club and quite visible at any rally.

Turnout wise, no one can beat a Pony Clubber. You think no one will notice that you didn’t polish your metal? Oh no. You think that a little dandruff won’t hurt anyone or that it doesn’t matter if your stitching is a little loose? Think again. If events had formals before them, things would not be pretty, but when you head into that dressage ring, it will show. Even in the jumping phases, though the colors may be crazy, you can be sure that a Pony Clubber is jumping in safe tack on a well-cared-for horse.

‘Prepared’ is a Pony Clubber’s middle name. The rally kit has the answer to any problem you could possibly run into. Medical, tack, grooming… if something goes wrong, find your nearest Pony Clubber and he or she is guaranteed to be able to help, trust me, I’ve tried. There is an extra EVERYTHING. Bridle miraculously disappears? Got one. Horse broke his halter? What size do you need, I have 2 of each. This also leads to a variety of very interesting multi-use items when God forbid your missing something. You forget your belt? Just use the extra stirrup leathers. Stirrups slippery? Vet wrap and adhesive tape and you’re good to go.  You can never go wrong with asking a Pony Clubber.

Pony Clubbers are safe. Though ‘safe’ is a very relative term when running thousand-pound animals at solid objects, when you are required to read rule books from front to back, you have a good idea of what the limits are. The horse comes first no matter what, and your horse better be fully cooled out, clean and happy as a clam before you go check scores. I am a major proponent of the vet box, and Pony Club does a great job of teaching riders to quickly and efficiently cool out their horses. On the flip side, you learn very quickly how to work the loop holes. Of course that isn’t an entire bottle of Listerine in my horse’s tail! I have worked SO hard to get rid of that rain rot but Microtex just won’t work (as you find the crud)! This skill can come in very helpful when talking to judges, stewards etc. when things don’t go as well as planned. The only way to work the rules is to know the rules and you can bet your behind a Pony Clubber will.

So as you go to your next event, try to pick out the Pony Clubbers. The ones with schedules written out on note cards down to the minute; the ones whose boots gleam and horses sparkle; the kids who take more meticulous care of their ponies than most adults. The ones winning.

Several years ago when this site was in its infancy, John and I were positively thrilled to learn that 25 unique users visited Eventing Nation in a 24-hour period. We had readers! Real live people, other than our parents, best friends and dogs! We struggled to find two or three posts per day, usually highlighted by some random YouTube video mixed with John’s lame attempt at humor. (Don’t pretend, you know sometimes you smiled reading it just to be polite, meanwhile thinking, “I hope this guy has a real job.”) We recruited a few of our friends to write for us because I didn’t have enough grooming tips to last every day, and even John’s dog was getting bored with YouTube videos. Our mission was to develop a fun, creative site to support the sport of eventing and to publish things that we would want to read ourselves.

Somehow, the baby blog began to grow and pick up a few more readers. More than 90 people actually participated in our first-ever Census! We even had UPPER-LEVEL riders reading our posts! How exciting! John ran around the Rolex course with a video camera, making us all sick with flashbacks of “The Blair Witch Project.” More of our friends started to realize “hey, this is a cool thing going on!”  And we asked them to write something because our other friends had given up. We begged readers to send us submissions because finding enough material to fill seven days is a lot harder than you realize. I’ll never forget the first time I went to an event and overheard someone in the stabling say, “I read on this site, Eventing Nation, the other day …”  Total random strangers were now reading our site!  Every other day, at least!

And the site continued to grow. John went to another USEA convention and again managed to sit through all the boring stuff to bring us everything we really needed to know, all while he was bumming a room off a friend to save on travel costs. A few cool upper-level writers blessed us with some guest blogs, and now we looked really legit. We could bring you the inside scoop straight from the horse’s mouth!  We broke a few big stories by being in the right place at the right time. The mainstream media that had tried to ignore us couldn’t anymore, and we started getting links from the big guys. The site kept growing, sponsors started noticing and suddenly the site could afford to pay its writers a nominal amount for their hard work writing chinchilla poems at 1 a.m. Sweet!

Success was not without its growing pains, however. Today, people check EN for their daily dose of the latest news and ridiculousness about eventing. We used to be more “ridiculous” than “news.” But at some point people started coming to us for a comprehensive overview of news and inside information from all over the world of eventing. We welcomed that challenge as an honor, but it was every bit as intimidating as you would expect. Suddenly, more people were aware of what we were saying, so we had to be more careful and think a little bit more before we speak, lest we be accused of being a “tabloid” or gossip column or reporting false rumors. We broke the scoop on the U.S. 2010 WEG Team minutes after the riders were informed and hours before the higher-up USEF committees were scheduled to rubber-stamp the selections. And then we found out the Big Whigs, the Powers That Be, actually read what we write, and that somehow they also had our phone number.  The chinchillas let John take those calls.

How would you feel knowing that David O’Connor reads what you write? Even the ridiculous chinchilla poems?  (OK, maybe he skims over those.)  It can make you sit up a little straighter in your sofa typing on your laptop at 3 a.m, knowing that your upcoming dressage judge, leaders of the USEA/USEF, and editors from “The Chronicle of the Horse” will read (and possibly even care) about your assessment of the USET training sessions or view your photos from cross country at the day’s event. We’ve learned that if you’re not careful, these things can encourage you to get too serious and forget about why you started doing this in the first place. One thing we’ve also learned is that you can’t make everyone happy! But as long as our readers keep coming back, we must be doing something right.

We have always been a lot more concerned with who we are than what we are. Fundamentally, we’re eventers and horse people first. I have five horses and a foal to take care of seven days a week and two or three to ride each day. I look forward to going novice and training level with my youngster, just like you do. I fall off, just like you do. I chase my horse around the field because he won’t come in, just like you do. I clean stalls, fill water buckets and clean tack — just like you do. I’m glad Eventing Nation can be my job, but horses will always be my life — just like you. We perhaps have a louder voice than most, but we’re every bit as committed to positively and fairly promoting our great sport and its competitors as you are. So while we’ve come a long way here at Eventing Nation, we’ll always stay true to our roots.

Erin Critz is our recently-crowned winner of the 2013 EN Blogger Contest.  She is currently enjoying her cash and prizes on vacation in the Caribbean… no, actually, she’s busy cleaning chinchilla cages and bringing John another can of Mtn Dew with a Mickey Mouse curly straw.  In all seriousness, we are proud and very excited to have Erin as a member of the writing team and we look forward to the fun she will bring to the site.  

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Erin Critz is a former radio DJ, current IT professional and recovering Hunter/Jumper rider. Erin and her Morgan mare Akira Beijing compete in the Beginner Novice division on the West Coast. She aspires to tackle the N3D at Rebecca Farms in 2014 and finds writing 50 word bios challenging.

It is very busy at Dragonfire as Team DF prepares to make the annual trek from California to Rebecca Farms in Montana. Jenny has something like four rides, Earl is taking at least one, Caroline is going, Cori, Sophia, Megan and Taylor too. I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few names at this point, but seriously just about the entire crew from Dragonfire is going. My internet friends are making plans for lunch over Facebook and it seems like everywhere I look there is some sort of count down to the big event or another repost of that totally sweet commercial.

Yes, it seems like everyone is going – except for me.

In mid-June when the pre-Rebecca chatter started picking up I thought to myself “Oh, I’ll just take a day off of work and fly out for a long weekend. If I can’t get the extra day off, I’ll just pop out for Cross-Country and pop back the next morning.” It seemed so perfect – a fun little jaunt over to Eventer-Vegas to cheer on Team DF and slip in some shopping. A few days, then a week, then two passed – I was preoccupied with work and all of that other ordinary life stuff that gets in the way of planning fun things. When I finally sat down to price out tickets for my little endeavor I was dismayed to find that tickets to a very small airport on very short notice were exactly as expensive as I should have expected them to be. I checked other airports – even considered renting a car and driving a few hundred miles from a larger airport. No matter what acrobatics I did with airports and car rentals, I was still looking at shelling out an unreasonable amount of money to get there. Unreasonable? No – obscene.

So I’m staying home. And that’s not a bad thing – staying home means that I can throw the money I’d originally budgeted for a plane ticket back in to the horse show or horse trailer fund. Staying home means I can avoid the panic that comes when I realize I’ve forgotten to repair the zipper in my tall boots. (As a side note, I don’t know why that zipper repair keeps getting put off – my tall boots are in my car, I drive past the shoe place every day on the way to the barn. It takes all of ten minutes to stop in, fill out the little form, run my debit card and get on with my day. Pick up takes maybe three minutes, and boom – no panic attack before my next event.)

Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be going but this is not a pity party. This is a moment of action because most importantly, staying home means I can start to sketch out a plan about how to get from my here and now to there a year from now.

There will be challenges, no doubt. Physically, I’m overweight and out of shape. I have a desk job that keeps me tied to a computer all day, a fierce addiction to Pepsi and an amazing ability to find something more pressing when the opportunity to go to the gym arises.

Mentally, I am still sorting out my feelings about down banks. It baffles me that they weren’t a worry as a kid, and now as an adult I find them so unpleasant, especially when I don’t really have a reason or an event to anchor that feeling in. I don’t even know what to call my down bank “thing.” Phobia is not the right word. Aversion is the closest I can come up with, maybe malaise, but I can’t nail it down to something I can name. Admittedly, down banks are getting easier. The self-imposed exposure therapy and good-natured antagonism from my friends all seem to be working but I want another run or two before I move up to Novice.

Also, lest we forget – horses like to injure themselves at inopportune times or when you’ve made plans. These technically count as plans and so I should expect to see my vet’s smiling face soon. As if that wasn’t enough – Money. The cost to haul to Rebecca Farm and back is not something I’ll be able to gloss over as just another horse show expense when my husband realizes the full scope of this endeavor.

There are challenges, yes – but I can get there from here. It isn’t an unattainable goal. I’ve three hundred sixty-five days to make steps towards the goal. All of the core elements are in place – the desire, a capable horse, trainers that are top rate, a best friend to join me on my quest and a supportive barn family to help keep me motivated. I might even be able to improve my Dressage between now and then or at least come up with a new punchline.

The path to get from here to there is really a series of goals – get stronger, get fitter, regain some of the edge I had as a fearless seventeen-year-old –-and pursuing them together as part of the larger goal will result in a better me. I’m pretty awesome as it is, but there’s always room for improvement. Even if I don’t make it there next year to compete, that’s okay – adventure and a better me is calling.

Go Team DF. Go Goals. Go Eventing.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Christine Brown, a event rider from Versailles, KY.  Yesterday, her husband Dr. Stuart Brown (a vet at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute) came home to find her dead from an apparent riding accident. She was wearing a helmet, but it seems she suffered a fatal fall while jumping alone.  Christine had ridden up to Intermediate level, winning a preliminary division at Midsouth Team Challenge in 2010 with her mare Rivella.

From LEX 18 News:

Wednesday morning Brown did as she always had, and practiced jumping her horse. Unfortunately Brown was all alone at home. “It appears the horse crashed into one of the hurdles and threw her off,” said Woodford County Coroner Ronald Owens.

Brown’s husband came home hours later and found the horse wandering the field. “He knew something was wrong because the bridle was broke on it and he went looking for his wife and found her laying in the arena,” said Owens.

It’s a risk all riders take, however it is an accident no one saw coming. “Its very surprising for here… because it really don’t happen,” said Boyer.

Now as tears are shed, and family moves forward. Friends and neighbors remember the sweet caring woman they loved, who died doing what she loved. “She was always happy always friendly, just really sweet all around and a good horse person,” said Brinsfield.

“I hope her husband is alright, I hope her family is alright, I hope they can get through this,” said Hodge.

The Woodford County Coroner said Brown was wearing her helmet and was an experienced rider. Her autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

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[via Paulick Report]

Joan Davis of FlatlandsFoto.com has been hard at work bringing wonderful photographs to competitors each weekend.  This time, she has shared some win photos from Huntington Farm HT in South Strafford, Vermont.  Lila Gendal wrote about the challenges facing Huntington this morning, and how the tireless organizers worked hard to get the competition running despite weather setbacks.  Many thanks to Joan as always for the lovely photos!  See more pics from the weekend (and previous events) at her gallery: www.flatlandsfoto.com.

Winners of the Open Novice A division were Paige Skipper and Irish Sea. Copyright FlatlandsFoto.com.

Winners of the JYOP division were Madison Gallien and Beau Voyageur. Copyright FlatlandsFoto.com.

Winners of the Jr Beginner Novice division were Jasmine Jencks and Festive Way. Copyright FlatlandsFoto.

Winners of the Open Training division were Kimmy Cecere and Scarlett OHara. Copyright Flatlandsfoto.com.

What will Badminton look like next year?

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The Horse & Hound reports that Badminton’s cross-country course will have a new designer next year: Giuseppe della Chiesa, who served as Badminton TD from 2008 to 2010.  The course had previously been designed by Hugh Thomas, since 1989.  While the course at Badminton was largely a success this year, some felt that it was “too soft,” and perhaps a change was needed.

From The Horse & Hound:

“It will be evolution, not revolution,” said the Italian course-designer. He has been contracted for three years, starting in 2014.

At the time Hugh, who is also event director, told H&H he had no plans to appoint a new designer. But today (Monday 8 July) it was announced he had stepped down from his role as course designer.

“I am hugely looking forward to supporting Giuseppe in this new chapter of Badminton,” he said. “2013 was one of the most successful ever. We have never had such a high class field and the event will be difficult to match next year.”

If you’re in the Ohio River Valley or eastward, chances are you’re ready to build an ark.  Record rainfall has made eventing difficult in this part of the country, and sadly Stuart Horse Trials in Victor, NY has become another victim of the weather.  On July 4, the organizers of Stuart Horse Trials sent out the following email: 

“It is with our deepest regret that we have to cancel the 2013 Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials. The safety of horses and riders are our top concern, and we could not ensure safe conditions at this time with the extremely wet footing and with more rain forecasted this week and next.

Competitor’s USEA and USEF fees will be refunded as soon as possible. After all expenses are paid, we will see if further refunds are available for competitors. Thank you for your understanding.”

While competitors are surely disappointed at the cancellation of this year’s event, Megan Kaiser took the time to thank the organizers for their concern for the horses and riders in making this difficult decision.  Thanks for writing, Megan, and thank you for reading.

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From Megan:

I had my preview of Stuart horse trials all written up yesterday, it just needed one last read through, and I was going to send it out.  Then I heard the news, for the first time in its 24 year history, they had to cancel.  The strangely wet summer had made Stuart the second horse trails to be called off in our area in two weeks.

Normally, around here we are all starting talk about the ground getting hard – but not this year.   It’s wet, it’s hot, it’s buggy, and it’s wet.  Stuart is known for its hilly and challenging cross country. It is part of what makes it so great, but this year, with these conditions, it wouldn’t be great.

I would like to thank Heidi Vahue for all her hard work and for making the difficult call to cancel – it is the right thing to do. It would be unfortunate for everyone, especially those that were planning on traveling from afar to expend that much time, money, and effort, only to be disappointed upon arrival.

Stuart is a staple of my summer and there are people that I only see at this show that I won’t be seeing: my friends from Maine pack up the two kids and two horses and travel down every year – but we know it’s the right thing to do and we are thankful that horsemanship is most important.

I do want to thank everyone who put in a tremendous amount of effort; it does not go unnoticed.

To all the sponsors, patrons, and vendors; thank you for standing behind our sport.

And to everyone: we will see you next year!

We receive wonderful stories and photos in the Eventing Nation inbox each week. This week’s roundup features firefighter Rowdie Adams, an OTTB named Sunny Smiles making a very creepy face and Denya’s story about setting out on a new OTTB adventure. Have a photo you’d like to submit to EN? Send it to [email protected].

From Michael Adams: “This is a picture of my daughter Rowdie Adams, an upper level event rider, fighting a large grass fire with her team from the Cash Texas Fire Department. She wears pink on cross country too!”

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Photo by Maya Kuntze

From Stefania Schuller: “This is my daughter Livia Schuller riding her 5yo OTTB mare Sunny Smiles at Seneca on June 23. Yes, that is in fact her name  A little something to brighten everyone’s day …”

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From Denya Massey: “Once I get my new pony up and running (not literally, of course, he can already to that!) and do a few local competitions, I’ll do a little story on old people keeping at it. He’s a new horse, 5 yr OTTB (gorgeous, chestnut, smart, sassy, sweet). Not what I thought I’d be doing at my age, but what the hell! With all the ‘young rider of the future’ articles, someone has to talk about those of us who still try to challenge ourselves and have fun doing it!”

Many thanks to Joan Davis of Flatlands Foto for sharing a few images with EN from Groton House Horse Trials this past weekend.  View the full gallery at FlatlandsFoto.com.  Look for Flatlands Foto at Huntington Farm this weekend then UNH the following weekend.

Erin Renfroe and Porter Creek were winners of the Open Preliminary A Division. Copyright Flatlandsfoto.com.

Katherine Gieseke and My Combination were winners of the Jr Open Novice Division. Copyright Flatlandsfoto.com.

Rebekah Calder and Jazz King were winners of the Intermediate Preliminary Division. Copyright Flatlandsfoto.com.

Diane Thompson and Back In Boston Again were winners of the Sr Open Training C Division. Copyright Flatlandsfoto.com.

Katie Murphy competed at Groton House Horse Trials  with her own Esccord RGS (“Garth”), the 2012 YEH East Coast Champion Four-Year-Old.  Katie was kind enough to share her blog from the weekend… thanks Katie!

Garth Shines at Groton House!

Garth on XC – Photo compliments of Meaghan Wood

From Katie:

I have ridden at Groton House for many years, beginning as a junior at the Novice level and continuing through my Young Rider years at Preliminary. It was at Groton House that I met Biko and saw many of our country’s finest riders – in 1996, it was a mandatory outing for Olympic contenders. It was also the place where, after jogging Sharri down an oak-lined dirt road, I was asked to join Area 1′s NAYRC team. Groton House is a magical place. For anyone with a history of competing in Area 1, Groton House resonates as the epicenter of old world charm, grace, and formal competition among eventers. This property, only opened to the riding community during the competition and one annual clinic, epitomizes the passion, pursuit, and elegance of equestrianism.

Our adventure began with dressage on Friday, upon which Roger informed me that my competitor number 187 was code for murder. This was news to me – who knew? Warm-up was in a massive open field, and the five dressage rings were placed next to one another in an adjacent grass field. Groton House presents not only fabulous competition, but the opportunity to test the partnership with your horse in a big environment. Garth, though initially distracted, settled beautifully as we navigated the undulating terrain and wet footing. My goal was to touch upon the larger, move powerful gates we achieve at home. As we approached our dressage ring, Garth had a substantial spook at the photographer’s umbrella. Carrying on, we circled the ring and built towards that fabulous trot. I chose not to push for his next gear due to the footing – a slip could have a long last effect on our test, and the weekend. Our test was lovely. He had a slip at the first canter lengthen on the circle, so I asked for less change in the other direction. I was most pleased with him – he maintained his balance, rhythm and engagement beautifully in the wet grass, and never once lost focus during our test. He scored a 23.2, earning several 9s in the movements and collective scores. I later learned that we led our division by 10 points. That was humbling.

Our ride cross-country was in the afternoon, and knowing how quickly my excitement can turn into fatigue, Roger and I enjoyed a mid-morning nap before heading to the grounds. The sun was emerging and the humidity was on the rise – it was hot. The training level course offered many excellent questions, incorporating terrain, lighting, stimuli and long gallops. Garth was a champion. Though the heat was taking its toll on him, he cantered along with pricked ears and an eager attitude. I chose to tap him before several fences to encourage a jump directly out of stride, and he obliged beautifully. I remember galloping towards a table and thinking to myself “That fence doesn’t look nearly as big when I’m riding you, Garth.” Garth is continuing to grow in confidence, and during that course, learned to think quickly out of stride. Our gallop is a gait in progress, and from watching his casual form across the field, I suspect there is quite a bit more in his tank. We had 3 seconds of time, and led the division by 8.8 points. He is a fun horse to ride!

Groton House’s stadium is misleading. The terrain sneaks up on you, and causes problems for horses and riders that rarely incur points in the show jumping. I know this well. I have entered that stadium field three times in first place, each time losing it to a rail or a tie broken by optimum time. Yet, entering the ring in first place  this year had particular meaning – it was Roger’s birthday, and I wanted to win for him. Despite having two rails in hand, I did not take my lead for granted. Rails can drop easily, and confidence can shatter quickly – I could lose this lead just as easily as I had years before. The environment was electric: Spectators lined the shaded fence line, brilliantly painted fences shined in the grass field, and a large patron’s tent loomed within the field. Garth’s fatigued from the heat did not effect his alert awareness, and he spooked throughout the course. Despite rubbing a fence, we jumped clean, and earned a blue ribbon for Roger!

To top it off, we earned The Jim Stamets Award for the lowest Senior Open Training score of the four OT divisions.

 

Thank you for the many volunteers, contributors, supporters and sponsors of the horse trials. Due to their generosity, Garth and I left with a lovely silver cup, poultice kit, dog biscuits,Charles Owen certificate, and Bit of Britain open front boots.

A big thank you goes to Linda Donavan, who graciously hosted us at her beautiful farm. Linda and her team were very flexible given Garth’s enthusiasm for the large paddocks and the prospectus of making new friends. After jumping into another paddock, Megan Howe kindly allowed her pony to befriend Garth and help keep him calm for the remainder of the weekend. Surrounded by elegant granite walls, acres of grass paddocks and lush trees, Roger and I felt like we were on holiday in Old Europe and the stress of competition quickly melted away. Thank you all!

Thank you for riding alongside us!

Katie Murphy

www.MurphyEventing.com

Just over a month ago, Sara Kozumplik lost her promising upper level horse Flagmount’s Sterling Prince in a turnout accident.  She was recently faced with another tragedy, at the unexpected loss of her former Rolex partner, Somerset.  Our condolences go out to Sara and her team as they face the heartbreak of another great horse gone too soon.

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Sara Kozumplik and Somerset, photo by Shannon Brinkman

From Sara:

“When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.”

So soon after losing Prince, I don’t even know how to announce that I have lost my best friend, Somerset. After a 3 1/2 year absence, he made a joyful return to the sport just last weekend at Surefire Horse Trials. He was the happiest, and the healthiest I have ever known him. I then show jumped at a jumper show this week, came home on Friday, and Saturday morning he was found in his pasture. No signs of any stress or injury, it looked as if his heart had given out in the night.

Somer, or Bertie as he was known as a baby in England, was in his own way designed for eventing. He easily had the movement for top dressage, a gallop that made him canter in 3 seconds under the time at Rolex, and the heart which enabled him to take his enormous scope (but admittedly interesting technique) and learn that the poles must stay up when it counts!

Somerset never got a break. He injured himself in the award ceremony at Rolex in 2009. After successfully rehabbing from that, he somehow contracted a bone infection that was almost impossible to diagnose, as there was seemingly no entry point. Edy and Sean Rameika paid for Somerset to be in hospital and rehabilitation for 9 months, including a surgery and daily regional limb profusions. Talk about fairy God parents?

Somerset was a fighter. He always defied the odds. After almost dying from the bone infection, we were told that he would never be sound again. He was. Then that he would never jump again. He did. Finally that there was no way he could even think about eventing again. He sailed around the xc in the magical way he always did, and pulled up sound and happy.

I would like to once again thank my neighbor, Sandy Johnson, for always helping me in the worst times of my life, the people involved with Somerset the longest, Edy and Sean Rameika, Chris and Rob Desino, my parents, and finally Brian…..who always ends up picking up the pieces.

Somerset you were the horse love of my life. At the end of our journey together, as much as it hurts, I cannot help feeling blessed. Blessed that you were my partner. Blessed that you taught me so much about good cross country riding. Blessed that you showed me how to tough it out no matter the odds, and above all, blessed that you left me so peacefully and so happy that you were back in the sport you loved so much. God speed, Somerset…….sweet dreams.

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http://youtu.be/iwoTG5CFyq8

We received a tip that Brian O’Connor stepped out from behind the mic this past weekend to compete in Sharon White’s JUMP Derbycross.  Might we see him try for the team at Normandy 2014??  Thanks as always to Brian for writing, and thank you for reading.

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Brian O'Connor at Sharon White's JUMP Derbycross. Photo sent to us by a loyal EN reader. Thanks Mike!

From Brian:

ICE AGE EVENTER RETURNS AFTER 35 YEARS!

Yes, it is true … Brian O’Connor has returned and the Speakeasy Event Team (SPET) is looking for sponsorship for the upcoming year of trying to impress the U.S. Olympic coach. These photos were taken at the Derbycross competition at Sharon White’s Last Frontier Farm. We all were competing under “CODE ORANGE” for the day, as you can see by the photos that even family members joined in the fun.

Over 150 riders came out to help Sharon with her JUMP ACROSS THE POND day, helping to raise funds for her to possibly go to Blenheim and Boekelo this fall. So it came down to whether or not I was going to participate. Thanks to Alice Sudduth and her wonderful horse, Charlie, I got to go around the Novice course. It made my whole year and I am so glad I did it.

I got on, jumped three warm up fences, and hooked up the Point 2 (a sponsor of Sharon’s) and off I went. I hope we can get the video out to you as the still photos did me proud. Charlie had been an outrider mount for the morning so he was warmed up (a bit tired too, to my benefit) and he carried my … no, me … around with great style.

A couple of chip-ins, yes, but a few nice jumps too; getting the distance back was my greatest fear!  But, I did not fall off, and I think the pics show a good thing or two. Hope you enjoy these, and I hope you all chime in either through EN or Facebook … go EN! I am back!!

P.S.  Any other announcers who THINK they got it … come on down for the throw down this fall at an event to be determined …

Brian

Brian and Charlie, photo by Sara Lieser.

Brian O'Connor with his mother, Sally, and son Ian, photo by Sara Lieser.