Many thanks to Maggie Deatrick for sharing these awesome Fair Hill videos with us.  Check out her blog at http://comediceventing.blogspot.com.

CCI3* Cross-country

CCI2* Cross-country

CCI3* Show jumping

CCI2* Show jumping

While Pau is running a Four Star over in France, Waredaca is hosting a Novice and Training Three-Day Event in Maryland. Yvette Seger is riding two horses at N3D [read Day 1], and 13-year-old Grace Fulton is riding in the T3D [read Grace’s blog]. Best of luck to all competitors!
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Waredaca Novice and Training 3-Day Event Diary:  Day 2

While fellow 3-day competitor Grace Fulton takes artsy shots of ears and trees while hacking roads and tracks, I take highly unflattering (and apparently blurry) pictures of my horses…in the dark.

From Yvette:

Hello EN!  Short update from “The ‘Daca”, as I am slated to be sitting on quadrupeds from essentially 11:20 am until 1:15 pm tomorrow.  I know that’s probably not a big deal for, say P-Dutty or Buck, but remember…I spend the bulk of my time reading EN  Facebooking sitting at a computer writing government reports.  And we all know that this is not just “riding.” There are gates to go through, distance markers and time to monitor, but…

I get FIVE minutes of steeplechase tomorrow, so naner naner boo boo.

Today seemed like a vacation compared to yesterday.  I did have a minor fit early in the morning, stressing over the fact that I’ll only have about 15 minutes from when I finish XC with my pony until I need to be on “the big man”, but stable manager extraordinaire, Cindy Wood, talked me off the ledge, reminding me that this was the time for me to let go of my control freak tendencies and trust that my team would “git ‘er done.”

Overall, I was really happy with my boys in dressage, although the results give you an idea of the competitiveness of this division.  The current leader, Lisa Hannan and Sky’s the Limit, scored a whopping 17.8 – go Lisa!  (I think the only time I ever got a 17.8 on anything was an Organic Chemistry exam)  Finders Keepers won the “Battle of the Brothers” with his 28, but Roger scored a very respectable 32 (he is, after all, older than many of the riders!)

After surviving my time in the sandbox, the boys and I met up with Stephen Bradley and Tremaine Cooper to practice some steeplechase.  Roger seemed delighted to recall his days at the track, and the pony was like, “really?  I can keep speeding up?  SWEET!!!”  Both Stephen and Tremaine provided great feedback and advice that I will put to good use tomorrow.

Max Corcoran (really, do I need to tell you who she is?) was our dinner speaker, and provided her candid thoughts about what our grooms should be doing when and where on endurance day.  I wanted to raise my hand and ask if she wanted to hang out and maybe groom for me tomorrow, but I showed a little discretion (although I guess writing about it in a blog wasn’t the brightest idea, but neither was riding around  Wal-Mart in a shopping cart while wearing full XC  attire and a helmet cam, but I digress…).

Bottom line is…I am freakin’ EXCITED for tomorrow, both for the endurance phases AND the fact that I get a breather from braiding!!!

Until tomorrow…Go Classic Format!

Pumpkins at Stephen Bradley's

Dear readers, the 2012 eventing season has almost come to an end.  A chill is in the air, the fall three-days have almost wrapped up, and you’re starting to see Santas at Wal-Mart.  Before you know it, young children disguised in cute costumes will be begging at your door for individually-wrapped sugar goodies (that, let’s be honest, you’d rather not share and just eat them yourself).  Houses are adorned with rustic dried cornstalks and a familiar orange gourd: the pumpkin.

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Horse Nation has a display of some impressive Halloween horse pumpkins… which got us thinking, why not have an EN Pumpkin Carving Contest?  Admittedly, my skills are rather rudimentary– I’m far better with a set of body clippers than a kitchen knife.  But I know we have some very creative and artistic readers who would love to hack a gourd into a masterpiece of insanity in the middle.  So, what say you dear readers?  Are you up to the challenge?

Send us a photo of your best “Eventing Nation”-theme carved pumpkin.  Entries will be judged on creativity, use of theme, and overall awesomeness.  Email your entry to [email protected]; one pumpkin per person, please.  Photos must be received by November 5– if you don’t already have a pumpkin, they’ll be pretty cheap on November 1st!  The winner will receive a package of 5 FLAIR Nasal Strips, a FLAIR baseball cap, and a $50 VISA gift card.  

Go Eventing and Go Carving.

Watch the first half of Pan American Team Gold Medalist, Michael Pollard’s interview with Dave Dalzell, 25 year Jamco team member, on why Jamco Trailers are uncommonly safe.

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William Fox-Pitt and Chilli Morning, photo by Samantha Clark

So far, the leaderboard at Pau is fairly predictable.  The top three are William Fox-Pitt, Andrew Nicholson, and Mary King.  No surprise there!  Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz scored a 62.2, leaving them in 15th out of the 21 starters today.  EN’s guest blogger from France, Vicky Madsen, scored a 64.8 with her dashing bay By Crikey (William).

[Live Scores]

Pau CCI4* Dressage Top 5 (Day 1) 
1.  CHILLI MORNING /  WILLIAM FOX – PITT  (GBR) 44.7

2.  MR CRUISE CONTROL / ANDREW NICHOLSON (NZL)  45.7

3.  KINGS TEMPTRESS / MARY KING  (GBR)  47.7

4.  CLIFTON PINOT / KEVIN MCNAB  (AUS)  50.2

5.  GORDON / ALICE MONTGOMERY  (NZL)  50.7

As mentioned in some of her Tips for Eventers Living in Itty Bitty Apartments in the City, Yvette Seger is competing this weekend at Waredaca in the Novice 3-Day event.  Good luck to Yvette and all the competitors this weekend!

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From Yvette:

Waredaca Novice and Training 3-Day Event Diary:  Day 1

When Waredaca announced in May that its popular Training 3-Day Event (sponsored by the Area II Adult Rider Program) would be accompanied by a Novice 3-Day division, I immediately knew I’d found my season-end goal.  I was fortunate to compete in two full-formats back in the days when I was young enough to boldly speak my age, and as someone who has a need for speed (as long as it’s not on my own two feet), I was immediately hooked.  My drug had a name…Phase B.  Okay, and D (*ahem* NOT dressage) was pretty awesome, too.

I never thought I’d be able to recapture the thrill of full-format until that fateful day in May when I checked Facebook at work and saw the announcement that the fall 3-day would now include a novice division.  For my 23 year old TB, Roger Rabbit, it seemed to be the perfect way to confirm our solid 5.5 year partnership and send the old boy off into retirement from recognized competition.  For my 14 HH Sport Porgi (seriously, he’s a pony that looks like a Corgi), Finders Keepers, it seemed like a great opportunity to test his mettle and help me figure out where to go from here.

Yes, dear EN readers, I entered two horses in the full-format 3-day.  What the #&%@ was I thinking???

Wednesday was the first official day of our “immersion experience,” and I found myself quickly overwhelmed…my help wasn’t arriving until later in the day, and Roger (you know, the 23-year-old one) decided he wanted to be a fire-breathing dragon.  Case in point – he was the only jackelope who decided to buck and canter in the practice jog (he had a more docile attitude in the ACTUAL jog, thank goodness).  But I did what I always do in these situations…I made snarky jokes, and just kept plugging away.

We learned all the details about preparing and presenting at the jog from Natalie Hollis and Melissa Hunsberger.  Lead clinician, Stephen Bradley tried to soothe all of our anxiety by doing our Roads and Tracks math for us (still working on getting that 4 minute K right on the pony, Stephen…but I’ll get it…promise!) and taking us out for a spin to learn the locations of the gates.  Dressage judge Sue Smithson helped demystify some of the expectations and movements in the special 3-day tests (holy crap…I haven’t ridden a test in a standard arena since…geez…an age that started with a “1”…it may seem like roads and tracks to the pony!).  Novice riders had the chance to do an official (and very encouraging!) course walk with Valerie Vizcarrondo.  Dinner featured more 10 minute box discussion and a session on nutrition.

Oh yeah, and somewhere in the middle, we got into our finest to present our horses to the ground jury.  I’m generally a non-conformist, but today I was happy to hear “ACCEPTED”  – Twice.

So now I’m overwhelmed AND excited!

Tomorrow’s adventures include dressage, walking D a couple more times, hacking around R&T again, and the favorite of every long-format afficianado…steeplechase practice!

Until tomorrow…Go Classic Format.

Haley Benzon sent us a helmet cam competing at novice with her horse “Moto” at the Windy Wyoming horse trials.  Thanks Hayley and go West Coast eventing!

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From the EN inbox ([email protected]), Matt kindly sent us an update on Buck Davidson’s former 4-star ride, My Boy Bobby:

Bobby, enjoying his retirement, went for a stroll on the beach yesterday with his mom, Jessica Kiener.  It was the longest sand arena adjacent to the largest water hazard he’s ever seen.
(Island Beach State Park, NJ)

Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights at the second water at Fair Hill CCI2*. Video by Katherine Vann. Love the “GO MOMMY!” encouragement at the end from daughter Ciana!

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Young Event Horse 4-year-old East Coast Champion: Esccord, a Hanoverian gelding bred by Page Brook Farms.

Vicky Madsen is a British event rider who currently competes at 4* level on her homebred horse By Crikey (William). William is not your traditional 4* horse being 1/16^th Exmoor Pony and 1/16^th Clydesdale and a good dose of Anglo Arab from his sire Tracey X. Last year Vicky and William competed at Luhmuhlen 4* coming 20^thand this year achieved their highest ever placing at CIC3* coming 5^th at Arville. Vicky has one horse competing at this level and last year contemplated selling William because the finances did not add up. William is not a natural dressage horse but he is fast and clever cross country so can often make up for the dressage.

A race car decorating the course at Pau

From Vicky:

I can’t pull the wool over your eyes any longer now that Le Lion has been cancelled: there’s a deluge going on here! Well Le Lion is quite a bit further north than we are, but still, it’s raining and the horses here are right wimps about it. The TBs looked pitifully at me last night when I led them out to the field (in rugs!) to spend the night in the rain!

Luckily Pau is on sand, so it should be fine, and the weather forecast is for an improvement…. Pau really isn’t far from here so the other day when we had to go there anyway we popped into the park where the event is held and had a little look at the arenas and the trade stand village. We could see quite a lot of the course too, some of runs right next to a busy road, and what we could see looks great, nothing like it to get the heart rate up a bit!

A sneak peak at the Pau trade fair

William meanwhile has been testing my mettle: he has a new turnout partner, the delectably cute Tinga, but I fear she may be the one who put a hole in his head, although I’m sure he deserved it. It was a bit swollen the first
few days but I’ve been riding him with just a headstall holding his bit to limit the friction on the graze. He will be fine, just a bit bald. Next day he must have trod on the side of his shoe and came in from the field with a nail poking out from underneath at 90 degrees towards the other leg. Luckily I didn’t succumb to palpitations before we got to the stable to pull the nail out, and our farrier who was just off a flight back from NYC was able to come and refit the shoe the next day.

William's poor head

We’ve had our last dressage lesson, and sadly our hoped-for jumping session with Louise Morley wasn’t a goer due to distances and venues, but I did build a course here at home and she’ll have a look at the video of it for me. I’ll probably pop him over a little grid once more before we set off on Tuesday, and he’ll be having a nice massage on the Monday too.

Yesterday I went to the CDI going on at Biarritz as a friend had got me a slot as a writer for one of the judges, and it was a really interesting afternoon. It’s a bit scary how much you can see going wrong from C! The Pony Team Test has very similar trot work to the test we’ll be using in Pau, so it was great to see what the judge can and can’t see from where they’re sitting. There’s no room for error on the angles of the lateral work, and any contact issues were immediately picked up on, whereas accuracy (in terms of the movement being performed at the letter) was not given as high a priority as I had previously thought. Today I ran through our test at home with all this in mind! Hats off to these dressage riders though, I won’t think of them as prissy again after watching them battle through the rain that had turned all their white breeches transparent!

Tinga schooling at home

I must also mention a really great week we had here last week with a friend from Belgium who came for a week’s intensive training. As we already knew her we shamelessly used her as a guinea pig for various things we’d like to incorporate into our future training clinics, so she had a couple of mounted and unmounted sessions with Karen Gunn, a cranio-sacral therapist who is also very very hot on the biomechanics of horse and rider, along
with some sessions with Margaretha De Klerk, a clinical psychologist and hypnotherapist who works a lot with riders. By the end of the week she was unstoppable on our range of TBs here, schooling Arodd for me, jumping a course on Jonas (a resident here), and working with Tinga too. It was really rewarding to see the difference a week of focusing solely on her riding made to her technique but mostly to her confidence and enjoyment of these wonderful animals!

Thanks for reading, I’ll try and keep you updated from Pau.

Vx

Photo by Samantha Clark

Starting in 2014, Badminton Horse Trials will revert back to the traditional Thursday to Sunday competition schedule and move to the weekend after the May Bank Holiday.  The 2014 dates are May 8^th – 11^th , while in the following years they are May 7^th – 10^th 2015, and May 5^th – 8^th 2016.  These dates will also avoid any conflict with Rolex Kentucky CCI4* and the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

The BBC has extended their contract to broadcast the event through 2016, continuing their coverage of Badminton since 1956.

[Read the full article on Badminton website]

EN blogger finalist Yvette Seger is back with more Tips for Eventers Living in Itty-Bitty Apartments in the City.  Yvette will always be remembered for the famous Insane Walmart Ride, and we welcome her contributions to Eventing Nation.

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From Yvette:

Tips for Eventers Living in Itty-Bitty Apartments in the City:  The “Appropriate Dress” Edition

A small sample of shoes I’ve deemed as horribly inappropriate for my upcoming 3-day jogs

Hey there, Eventing Nation!  I don’t know about you, but I am pretty exhausted from the Dilly in Fair Hill-y.  Part of it might be the stress of taking food bribes from children being responsible for the U.S. Pony Club President’s Cup competitors all weekend, but I’m thinking it’s probably the fact that I did the walk from the fairgrounds stabling to the CCI warm-up ring three times…on my own two feet.  In Wellies.  While trying to keep up with “energetic” games ponies.  I so earned that funnelcake that I devoured in 0.2 seconds on Saturday.  (Note:  if you’ve never been to Fair Hill, trust me – it’s a looooong, hilly walk.)

Now that my hip flexors hate me, I’m on to my next adventure – preparing for my OWN three-day experience this week at Waredaca!  Woo-hoo!  I’m excited to compete in my first full format since…um…a really long time ago (1995 Essex CCI*).  And of course, since I’m an overachiever, I decided to enter both of my horses in the three-day…what the #@%* was I thinking?!?

As the photo above indicates, I’m a little fixated on what to wear (or more like, what NOT to wear) for the three-day jogs.  I mean, seriously – the grey?  SO many fashion opportunities…but then there’s my little flashy paint porse.  Suddenly, my closetful of polka dot, plaid, and animal print skirts are just looking like a bad idea…*sigh*…

Frustrated, I went back to packing the more “expected”  fashions for a three-day…you know, the jacket, white shirt, white breeches, and…everyone’s friend – the stock tie.  Ahhhhh, the stock tie!  Who doesn’t revel in the opportunity to wear a tourniquet around their neck?  Anyway, my philosophy is that if you’re going to choke yourself with a crazy piece of fabric, at least take the time to starch and press it.  So I drag out my full-size ironing board (deftly hidden behind the refrigerator in my itty-bitty apartment), press the tie, and then put it away.  Since this is my last event of the season, the ironing board probably won’t move again until March, which brings me to this week’s tip…

Tip for Eventers Living in Itty-Bitty Apartments in the City #12:

No matter how itty-bitty your apartment may be, you MUST have an iron and an ironing board. Not for ironing your actual work clothes, however…just for pressing your stock tie. Because, really, it’s the only item in your closet that really needs to be ironed.

From Lauren:

“Why Does My OTTB (insert weird quirk here)?” Volume V

The Quirky OTTB Hunting Edition

Are you tired of watching all of your friends clean up at Events always making time and jumping around in style with their freshly minted OTTB’s while your old plug of a cold blood is just barely eeking out qualifying scores?  Do you peruse CANTER most often than you check your email…or do work at the office?  Well have no fear, friends!  I am here to answer a few of the many questions that I hear week in and week out from friends and clients that are all searching for that elusive OTTB diamond in the rough. Enjoy!

I have finally found my dream mount at (insert seedy racetrack here).  I have set up an appointment with the trainer to evaluate said horse and plan to show up decked out in breeches with an English saddle on my arm. 

Whoa back! (racetrack slang for “hold on just a second”)  If you plan to evaluate horses seen on CANTER or other similar websites in person that are still at the track and in the care of their trainer, do not, under any circumstances, plan to ride this creature.  Occasionally advertisements will feature one-liners detailing the location of a horse to be on a farm and perhaps that horse has even been started under saddle as a riding horse.  However, this is not par for the course.  There are numerous liability issues that arise when prospective buyers demand to actually ride a horse at the track and it simply is not a good idea for any of the parties involved.  If you wish to see a racehorse go under saddle, politely ask the trainer what his or her training hours are and if they would mind you coming to watch that horse train one morning.  Also, it is best to observe from the rail of the track and be on your way instead of haunting the barn like a spirit not ready to move on.  Things move very quickly each morning in racing barns and respect must be paid to this way of life.  Also, only wear breeches if you want to stand out like a sore thumb and risk molestation by the local skeezy male contingent (or at the very least, cat calls and whistles).

The listing for my dream horse says he is a 100% sound and just too slow to race.  Therefore, I really don’t need to vet him, right?

WRONG!  First off, very, very few horses are just “too slow” to race. This is a common excuse by trainers to mask the fact that there is some kind of underlying soundness or behavioral issue preventing this horse from making its first start.  While there are exceptions to every rule, do not assume that your dream horse is one of them.  Vet them to within an inch of their lives if you are truly on the hunt for a lifetime partner or even a big money sale project.  I routinely spend $500 to vet a $500 OTTB and often end up saving a lot of time, money, and frustration in the long run.  Flex them, radiograph them, ultrasound them, scope them, and be as thorough as your resources, veterinary help, and the trainer allow.  If the trainer will not allow the horse to be vetted, there is a reason.  If he or she recommends a vet or insists that there is only good vet in the area, probably get another one.  I hate to sound like such a skeptic, but it is far better to be skeptical than to be had.

The local adoption agency has the perfect resale project for me!  I’m picking him up tomorrow after seeing his picture on Facebook!

Programs like New Vocations, The Secretariat Center, Finger Lakes Finest, and even CANTER are absolutely indispensable to the Thoroughbred industry.  Without these organizations, horses at every racetrack in the country would face bleak outlooks at the end of unsuccessful racing careers.  However, all of these organizations typically require that lengthy adoption contracts be signed upon the purchase of a horse that they represent.  While these contracts are necessary to protect the well-being of their charges, be advised that these contracts often include stipulations that limit or prohibit reselling of the adopted horse or require the next buyer to agree to the terms and conditions of the original adoption contract.  While this shouldn’t deter resellers from searching adoption agencies for their next stars, it is something to keep in mind.

I have always lusted after the elusive OTTB but I live far away from any racetracks.  What is a girl to do?

Many people are discouraged from buying an OTTB simply because they do not live near a track.  Do not despair!  Most trainers are highly motivated to sell their horses and fill those empty stalls with horses that will bring home checks from the track. Because of this, they will often be willing to video the horse jogging in hand and sometimes even at liberty in the round pen for evaluation by buyers.  If you are in search of your first OTTB and have expert assistance from your trainer who has purchased many OTTB’s in the past, there are no major drawbacks to purchasing OTTB’s sight unseen.  If you can watch the horse move, evaluate its conformation, and vet it extensively, the only litmus test that is can’t pass from a distance is a temperament evaluation and most OTTB’s, while on the track, will exhibit a much different temperament than they will once they are allowed to  live like normal horses anyway.  Tread with caution but forge on ahead!

Sssssh!  I have found a horse with beautiful conformation, four white socks, and a blaze to die for.  I pulled his pedigree up online though and don’t recognized a single name on it.  Is this a problem?

No!  Good breeding does not a world beater make.  Plenty of G1 willing mares and stallions have been bred to each other and their progeny have been absolutely abysmal on the track.  There are, however, numerous sire and dam lines that are known to produce jumping ability (just as there are similar lines known to produce unsoundness) and it is my suggestion that prospective OTTB buyers seek the help of knowledgeable parties in their lives, on the internet, or at their local Thoroughbred organizations to enable them to better understand the lineage that their prospective dream horse possesses.  This knowledge is just another tool in the toolbox towards building a capable competitor but should not be viewed as a make or break in any OTTB buying decision.

I do hope that some of my answers to the questions above have demystified some of the OTTB hunting process and I encourage you to send any further questions regarding OTTB hunting or OTTB quirks to me via email ( [email protected]) for more in-depth and on-point answers.  Dearest EN readers, keep those questions coming and please don’t be discouraged if I don’t answer immediately, I will get back to you I promise! Go Eventing and go gallop a (former) racehorse!

Doug Payne and Crown Talisman finished 4th place in the CCI2*.  Here’s another of Doug’s famous cross-country helmet cams with commentary, and also a video of them in Show Jumping.

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With all the excitement from Fair Hill last week, we unfortunately missed out on publishing Vicky Madsen’s guest blog from France.  Our apologies to Vicky for posting it so late!  Check back tomorrow for this week’s edition of Vicky’s blog leading up to Pau CCI4*.  

Vicky Madsen is a British event rider who currently competes at 4* level on her homebred horse By Crikey (William). Vicky has recently made the move to the South of France from Belgium and this blog will follow her as she prepares for Pau 4* and a leap into the unknown of life in France.  Previous entries:  [Part 1]  [Part 2] [Part 3].

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From Vicky:

It’s been all go here, in fact maybe too much! End of last week I had a super gallop session on the hills here with William, one of those days where I’m thankful I have such a fun horse to ride and that we’ve been given the opportunity to move to such a picturesque place. I went up the incline 4 times, and he really towed me up the last section every time, I was barely anchoring him in the pelham, although he knows where we pull up, so it’s more a question of regulating speed during the gallop!

Two days later we had a dressage lesson, and he was far more difficult than normal to load, then just wasn’t interested. Physically there didn’t seem to be anything amiss, he just didn’t want to be there and be working. Tough stuff, as if there’s a mechanical problem you can fix it, whether through feed, training, management tweaks or whatever. I discussed his routine in detail with Jean-Paul and he told me just to back off for a few days, and to let him tell me when he wanted to work again. Doing nothing, or as good as, is pretty challenging this close to Pau! Tell me to go out and train for 5 hours every day or suchlike and I’m happy, tell me to do nothing and I’m a bit meep! He also told me to knock off the number of times up the hill in his gallop work, so he doesn’t over-do it.

I’m pleased to report it seems to have worked. He had a day off after that, a massage from Karen Gunn who lives locally, then the next two days just went for a long walk on a long rein. Since then he’s had another gallop
session, but just twice up the same hill, a couple of flatwork sessions – I even got some photos from today’s – and a really fantastic jumping session using a little gymnastic exercise, where thanks to tall stands and a tall
friend helping with poles we ended up cantering rather nonchalantly over a 145cm ascending spread, well out of our usual comfort zone!

So the good news from all that is that physically he seems to be doing well. The problem with equine athletes is we can’t explain to them that their intense work regime is for “just one more week”, and it’s so easy to
get caught up like I did in the train harder, faster, longer, better line of thinking. In the remaining time before Pau we’ll have one more dressage lesson, a couple of gallops, but just going up the two times, and one or
two jumps, interspersed with some slow hacking and flatwork sessions.

Tingasix jumping

I’ve thrown myself into the TBs somewhat to keep myself busy in the mean time. Arodd impresses me more and more every time I ride him. I’ve started hacking him now too and he’s a joy. Ideally I’ll find an owner for him, and I’ll be able to spend the Winter preparing him (mostly mentally) for an eventing career starting next Spring. Chiara is being given time to chill, and I’ll start doing some gentle work with her after Pau. Tingasix is a new
arrival, also a TB but never raced, here’s a photo of her first session jumping. She’s a really lovely mare to work with, very straightforward, I think she will be easy to sell as will suit so many different riders. Jonas is also a TB who was already here when we arrived, she’s been back in work a month and is coming along nicely, although we’ve a long way to working on her topline she is very rewarding to work with as you can see from her
sweet face.

Thanks for reading!

Vx

Trotting on a youngster

Marsha Spencer kindly sent us a short piece about going to Fair Hill  in the YEH Championship.  With all the excitement of the CCI2* and 3*, the Young Event Horse Championship gets a little overshadowed.  Here’s a recap of the competition, where homebred Thoroughbred Salute The Captain finished 10th in a very competitive division. Thanks to Marsha for writing, and thank you for reading.

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From Marsha:

First thing that comes to mind about the YEH championship was what a truly fun time we had.  Fair Hill is a beautiful venue and being there in October during a two- and three-star event is very, very special.

The young horses that competed were all well-prepared for the event and absolutely beautiful!  Something about that much potential is so exciting.  We arrived on Wednesday and the riders of the young horses were able to familiarize their mounts with the dressage ring for a short period.  They had a brief block of time to walk and trot around the outside of the actual test ring and give the young ones the best chance to perform well on Thursday.

Captain and Erin went up and pranced with the 2* and 3* riders that were also doing some last minute tuning.  A ring steward made the remark that she could tell the young horses because they moved so fluidly.  Hummm, makes one think.  Captain was doing some of his nicest dressage work with the infused energy of the new venue, wish we could bottle that!

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Thursday, the five-year-olds began dressage in a standard arena and first in were Kelli Temple on Scirocco.  Going first is always a quandary but did she ever set the bar on a truly exceptional young horse!  He was stunning in his movement and presence and was trying very hard to cap that electric performance with being obedient.  I’m glad we didn’t have to follow him, but there were many very good tests and it looked to be a real competition.  The four-year-olds went in the afternoon and Captain and Erin warmed up great.  The wind picked up and the flags were popping but Captain held it together to put in his best dressage to date.  The dressage judge underlined an encouraging “upper level” in the comments but still needs to work on his uphill balance.

We then removed tack outside the arena and presented for the in hand inspection.  This is where Captain usually stands like he just put in a long day at the ranch, so Erin had to work to keep his attention. It made for great photos.  Our score for Thursday was 6^th after conformation and type and 8^th after dressage.

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Friday, the weather was a big factor and as the first two five-year-olds were on course the skies opened up. Scirocco, with Kelli Temple up, was so energized because of the wind and rain that he almost jumped her out of her rain-soaked tack.  Her experience and skill soon got him back to put in a beautiful jump and cross country test.  Thunder and lighting then put the competition on hold for over an hour.  After the competition resumed, stadium fences were first, (then continues without stopping to cross country) and there were quite a few with rails down. I was able to watch more horses and riders have a go and it was interesting how a few pros went off course or even left a fence out all together!  Sometimes even the best riders have those moments.

Erin and Captain put in a clean, rhythmic stadium round and jumped cross country without a glitch.  Along with a brush, ditch, and some training level jumps, there were two water questions with a ledge out to a jump and later a jump back to the water.  When Captain went through the second water, he was so excited he let out a big buck and kicks in the air.  The last jump ended with a very forward gallop to show off the stride of our future four star youngsters. All the babies thought that was as good as Christmas morning and a few were hard to pull up.  What a fun competition!

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Erin and Captain finished 10^th in a very competitive four year old division.  He so exceeded our expectations and I am proud that a home bred American thoroughbred can hold a place at such a lovely showcase of the best young horses on the East Coast.  Well done Erin!

Yvette Seger is at Fair Hill for the Pony Club games, and kindly put together a note about the competition and their course walk with Sharon White.  Thanks Yvette, and go Pony Club!

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From Yvette:

The Other Side of Fair Hill –

Pony Club President’s Cup Games!

Shops?  Pony Club Games?  The Pub?  Choose wisely, my friends…

Hello Eventing Nation!  Like much of the East Coast eventing brethren, I’ve made the pilgrimage to Fair Hill for some awesome crab bisque cross country tomorrow.  But before I’m allowed to troll the trade fair and watch riders tackle Derek DiGrazia’s thoughtful courses, I have some very important business to take care of on the other side of the Fair Hill property – making sure the three teams vying for the U.S. Pony Club’s President’s Cup are well-turned out, keep their stables tidy, and arrive on the CCI side of the property on time to start playing games like Mug Shuffle, Stepping Stone, Spillers, and my personal favorite, Old Sock.

The Pony Club Presidents’ Cup competition was inaugurated at the Fair Hill CCI*** in 2003 as an opportunity to showcase the very popular discipline of mounted games to the competitors (many of whom are current or graduate Pony Club members) and spectators at the event. Eligibility for the President’s Cup competition is determined by the top four placings in the Senior Division (ages 13-15) of the immediately preceding USPC Championships East, held this past July at the Virginia Horse Center.  This year, three teams are participating in the competition – The Metropolitan Region Starbursts, the New York/Upper Connecticut Region Wild Things, and the Western New York/Virginia/Capital Region Lucky Charms.  The Fair Hill blog posted a nice summary of the riders and their ponies earlier this month.

 PRO rider Sharon White describes how to ride the CCI** Sunken Road

The President’s Cup competition doesn’t officially start until Saturday morning, so today competitors had the special treat of walking the CCI**course with PRO rider Sharon White, who reminded riders that “with practice, you can do anything.” It was great to hear Sharon break each element of the course down to the movements and exercises we should all be practicing at home (although our jumps are probably a little bit smaller).  Thank you, Sharon, for devoting your time to such a great course walk!

Sharon White and the 2012 USPC President’s Cup Competitors!

If you have a chance, DO stop by and cheer on our Pony Club Games riders!  They will be competing in the CCI Warm Up ring (right by the Trade Fair and Barnyard complex) from 9:30 to 10:30 am and then again in the afternoon, 2:30 – 3:30 pm.

Go President’s Cup!

Jennifer Dougherty and Bayside in the Training 3-Day dressage, photo by Alexa Ehlers

Things are looking good so far for the competitors at Hagyard Midsouth Team Challenge.  It’s a cool 55 degrees, but mostly sunny at this point.  Thanks to Alexa Ehlers, volunteer ring steward, for the photo.  Samantha and I will be out covering the event this weekend.  Good luck to all competitors!
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Update:

Here’s a video of Dorothy Crowell and Distinguished riding in the T3D dressage.  Distinguished did not have a great day in dressage; Dorothy did a great job keeping the lid on, but  it’s cool and blustery here at the Horse Park, and several of the horses would much rather be jumping than dancing in the sandbox!

Well, Fair Hill isn’t the only event suffering bad weather.  We regretfully announce that the 6- and 7-year-old championships at Lion D’Angers has been canceled.

From the Mondial website:

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Due to the exceptional climatic conditions, and after having studying all the possible alternative solutions of replacement preserving the horses, riders and public security…no satisfying solution could be found.
Consequently, and in accordance with the FEI officials, we have the regret to announce the cancellation of the 2012 Mondial.

Let’s hope Fair Hill doesn’t get to this point!   So far, the weather is clear here in Lexington, Kentucky for the Hagyard Midsouth CCI*, but there is a 40% chance of showers predicted later this afternoon.  It is not expected to be a heavy downpour, but the way things are going today, who knows what the weather may bring.

Dressage is rolling at Fair Hill, and many thanks to Jenni Autry for covering the event for EN.  Here’s Will Coleman and Zipp scoring a 45.8 in dressage today, putting them in 7th place so far.

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Across the pond, Le Lion d’Angers is running in France.  The event hosts Young Horse Championships for 6-year-olds (CCI1*) and 7-year-olds (CCI2*).  Americans Tiana Coudray and Logan Rawlings are both competing in the CCI1*.  Tiana  is competing Nick Gauntlett’s Saxon Legacy, and Logan rides S’prit Coeur Volant.  Both of them do dressage tomorrow.   There is a 6-hour time difference between time zones (US eastern).  Tiana goes at 10:24am local (4:24 EST) and Logan at  10:38am local (4:38am EST).

The one-star dressage has completed today’s rides, with Laura Collett leading aboard Obos Cooley (43.1).  There are still about ten rides left to go in the two-star, but so far Kitty King and Persimmon are on top with a 41.3.

[Live Video]

[Live Scores CCI* – 6 yr-olds]

[Live Scores CCI** – 7 yr-olds]

[Main Website]

Fair Hill International officially started today with the First Horse Inspection.  All 30 horses presented in the CCI3* were accepted.  However, four horses in the CCI2* were held and will not move on to dressage.  Jessica Bortner-Harris and Beth Perkins chose to withdraw Win the War and Fernhill Cove respectively in hold. Canadian Callie Evan’s ride Glendening Avis and American Natalia Gurmankin’s Tequesteris were not accepted upon re-inspection.  Best of luck to all competitors, thanks to all volunteers, and go eventing.

[Ride Times]

[Riders order-of-go]

[Fair Hill website]

[USEF Press Release]

A few days ago, we published a nice little write-up from the Event at Grass Ridge, authored by Taren Atkinson.  Here’s a helmet cam from the Arizona event, courtesy of Stephanie Callihan riding Compelling Chris around the Preliminary level cross-country.
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