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Tamie Smith Scores a Hat Trick at Woodside, Winning All FEI Divisions

By on Oct 11, 2020 10:14 pm -

Tamie Smith and Danito. Photo by MGO Photography.

Tamie Smith swept all three of the international divisions — CCI4*-S, CCI3*-S and CCI2*-S — hosted by Woodside International this week.

Tamie Smith won the CCI4*-S from pillar to post with Danito, an 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Dancier x Wie Musik, by Wolkenstein II) owned by Ruth Bley. They completed cross country on Saturday with 7.6 time penalties to win on a final score of 33.6.

Tamie Smith and Solaguaryre California. Photo by MGO Photography.

Tamie also led the CCI3*-S from start to finish with Solaguaryre California, a 9-year-old Holsteiner mare (Casparo x Solaguaryre Calandria, by Casall) owned by David and Julianne Guariglia. They had 8.4 cross country time penalties to finish on a score of 36.6.

Tamie Smith and AEV Above Authority. Photo by MGO Photography.

Tamie won the CCI2*-S with AEV Above Authority, a 7-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Lancelot x KEC Hazzanni, by Aldatus) owned by Marcella and Kai Ashton. The pair moved from fourth after dressage into the top spot thanks to double clear jumping rounds, to finish on a final score of 27.6.

“The courses were significantly different than they’ve been — super bold for riding and really technical lines and just really proper tracks,” Tamie says. “So it was interesting to see what they were going do because they haven’t really seen a track that that technical and they were all really great.”

Ian Stark’s course tripped up a few in the CCI4*-S field: Andrea Baxter with Indy 500 and Amber Levine with Cinzano both picked up 20; Derek Di Grazia with Ringwood Justice retired after a runout; and Charlotte Babbitt and 2 AM were eliminated. Tamie Smith had a technical elimination with her previously second-placed Fleeceworks Royal, and withdrew her third ride in the division, Passepartout, after dressage. Helen Bouscaren withdrew Ebay and Hilary Burkemper withdrew Undercover after show jumping.

Photo courtesy of Woodside International.

Tamie explained the TE with Judith McSwain’s 11-year-old Holsteiner mare (Riverman x Marisol): “I’m a bit bummed on my Fleeceworks Royal horse, I jumped the wrong blue trakehner but luckily she didn’t need the right the run and I got to get around for the most part and they all felt amazing. It was really fun out there today.”

Tamie had nine rides across the FEI divisions and one horse in the Training horse trial. She credits her Next Level Eventing team for keep the train on the tracks. “I mean they’re hustling so much,” she says. “I couldn’t do it without the amazing people behind the scenes … Bridget [London] kind of runs the show and she keeps everybody in line but it’s every single one — they’re icing and just the attention to detail, I honestly don’t know how they do it but they do and I’m super grateful for them. I couldn’t do it without them.”

Tamie is next headed to Galway Downs International, site of the USEF National 3* Championship, and Tryon International, site of the USEF National 4* Championship, to finish out the year.

Erin Kellerhouse and Woodford Reserve. Photo courtesy of MGO Photography.

 

Erin Kellerhouse and her own Woodford Reserve, a 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Tinaranas Inspector x Laharns Laughton), finished 2nd in the CCI4*-S. The pair was third after dressage and moved up into second following Fleeceworks Royal’s TE. They turned in the second fastest cross country round of the division, collecting just 4.8 time penalties.”He came out of the box wanting to go fast, I didn’t have to push him he wanted to run,” Erin said of ‘Woody.’ This was the pair’s last run before the CCI4*-L at Galway Downs in a couple of weeks.

Emilee Libby and Jakobi, her and Linda Libby’s 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Ustinov x Expression, by Coriano), moved steadily up the CCI4*-S leaderboard throughout the competition, from 11th to sixth to third. Tamie and En Vogue went just a wink faster, collecting 4.4 cross country time to finish 6th after a solid dressage test but a tough show jumping go.

Lauren Billys and Can Be Sweet. Photo by MGO Photography.

Lauren Billys was fourth in the CCI4*-S with her 2016 Rio Olympic Mount Castle Larchfield Purdy, an 18-year-old Irish Sport Horse Karistos x Hallo Purdy) gelding owned by the rider and the Purdy Syndicate.

She recapped her results: “With ‘Purdy’ it was my first Advanced run since Fair Hill last year because of Covid so it was a big track and I was really happy to get out there with him again. He had a great round — he felt super strong and just ate the whole course up, just really happy to be out there. What Ian set was challenging and really was a great test for us and now he’s qualified for Tokyo again so that was a really big thing that we wanted to get done this weekend.”

Lauren is aiming to bring Purdy to either Galway or Tryon. “I have to figure out what the right plan is for him to lead up to Tokyo next year,” she says. “He’s an older horse and he’s done a lot for me, and I just want to make sure I serve him and that we’re prepared but not overrun.”

Lauren also finished second in the CCI2*-S with Can Be Sweet. “He’s just an awesome horse. I had so much fun riding in this — he’s full of scope and he’s just such an athletic partner so I had fun challenging him today on the course and it felt easy for him so we’re shooting for the Galway Downs 2*-L and I think he’s ready.”

Rebecca Braitling and Caravaggio II. Photo by MGO Photography.

Second to Tamie in the CCI3*S was Rebecca Braitling and Arnell Sporthorses’ Caravaggio II. They had a great weekend only adding 3.6-time penalties to their dressage score. “I am thrilled with ‘Ernie’ — he’s such an exciting horse to produce,” Rebecca says. “I can’t speak highly enough of the competition here this weekend, it was top class and the cross country was seriously impressive.” This pair is also headed to Galway Downs in a couple weeks.

Woodside International concluded on Sunday with Beginner Novice through Prelim cross country. Make sure to follow along with all the excitement on Woodside’s Facebook page and keep up with live scores on EventEntries.com.

Woodside International H.T.: [Website] [Final Results] [EN’s Coverage]

Stable View Oktoberfest: A Case Study in Running a Successful FEI Event Amidst Covid-19

By on Oct 11, 2020 2:01 pm -

Meaghan Marinovich and Riviera Lu. Photo by Shelby Allen.

This year’s global pandemic has taken its toll on our sport, including but not limited to the competition venues we depend on to play host. The North American eventing calendar was upended completely, with whole months’ worth of national and international competitions wiped completely or rescheduled. Elsewhere we saw giants around the world fall, including six out of seven five-stars and the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Events left standing were forced to get creative about how they approached things in order to remain financially viable while keeping everyone as safe as possible. Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, is one venue that has continually impressed us with its ability to adapt and adjust to changing circumstances. Throughout the year they have been transparent about Covid-19 protocol (you can view their guidelines here) and sensitive to the uncertainty of the times, generously offering entrants a full refund should their horse trials get canceled for any reason.

The end result is a feeling of reassurance that Stable View always has our best interests in mind, a trust further heightened by its continual quest for self-improvement. From top-notching footing to expanded stabling and expert course design, the venue just keeps one-upping itself. That riders continued flocking there this summer and fall is a testament to Stable View’s commitment to safety and the sense of community that makes our sport special.

Stable View’s marquee fall event for 2020 was Oktoberfest (Sept. 24-27), which accomodated nearly 400 entries across horse trials and FEI divisions and was widely praised as a success — see EN’s live coverage here. We are pleased to share these debriefing notes courtesy of owner Barry Olliff in the hope that other venues may find them useful.

Sydney Conley Elliot and Commando D’ Osthuy. Photo by Shelby Allen.

What were the major differences between Oktoberfest 2020 and 2019?

“While entries were up, the major difference was that we had to treat those that entered differently.

“The normal Saturday evening Competitor Party was subdivided into four parties – Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. To defray the cost of potentially four parties, we offered a charcuterie board each evening with a smaller spare board being kept in reserve to take account of extra demand. As it was, over the four days, around 200 competitors, owners and grooms attended which was a similar number to last year. Social distancing was observed and drinks and food were consumed outside the pub with the cross country jumps being used as tables. No one was allowed to stay in the Pavilion or pub to eat or drink.”

How did you deal with issues associated with the Coronavirus?

“We had five Health and Safety personnel, six Nurses and a State Trooper. Nurses were positioned at all gates. Their job was to ask a few Coronavirus related questions, take non-invasive infra-red thermometer temperatures, provide all who entered with a colored wrist band – different each day — they ensured that an initial screening was achieved.

“The Health and Safety personnel’s job was to go around the Barns and Stalls and undertake “spot checks.” This involved not just taking temperatures, but also checking wrist bands. This was a second line of defense because many people stayed on property. In addition, their job was to transport visitors from place to place using their allocated golf carts. This provided both feedback and an additional opportunity for screening.

“The State Troopers job was to be seen, to provide legitimacy and to act as a final arbiter in the event that there were any problems … there were no problems and, in terms of mask wearing, we’d say we achieved 95% compliance.”

What would you estimate the additional cost of the Coronavirus was?

“In financial terms we’d estimate it was around $20,000. Hopefully this will be a one-off. Having said that, our gut feel is that this is here to stay.

“In terms of those coming on the property, we wanted our procedures to be as fast and as non-invasive as possible. Having run six equestrian events during the run-up to Oktoberfest, we had been able to stress-test our procedures and work out how to ensure that the virus did not get in the way of the competition.”

Was there a difference in the mix of riders who entered Oktoberfest 2020?

“At Oktoberfest 2020, many more riders came from the north west and north east. Our research says that this was to a great extent due to lock-downs and other restrictions in other states. Hopefully they will be back to see us, as according to social media many of them seem to have enjoyed themselves.”

Will Faudree and Caeleste. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Do you intend to change anything for Oktoberfest 2021?

“We’d like to open the Pavilion, the Pub and the Rider Lounges – they were effectively decommissioned this year. We’re going to continue with the complementary charcuterie / hors d’oeuvres / tapas idea. Not only is it more informal, it’s easier to mingle and seems to have attracted more riders and their teams. In addition, for a small fee, they can come more than once!

“Apart from potentially building three or four new Attwood Arenas, we don’t have any additional infrastructure plans. On 1st November, Hart Streubel will be joining Stable View from Trump National Golf Course where he is at present Assistant Superintendent.”

Are there any ongoing additional developments at Stable View?

“Foremost is our ongoing focus on safety.

“On the Tuesday before Oktoberfest, we took the false base of all of our Attwood Arenas down to 3½”. This had the effect of frothing up the footing, initially for dressage. During the event, the arenas were groomed eight times at ½”. By the Monday after Oktoberfest the false base was also back to ½”! Suspensory issues are a major concern and the management of synthetic footing is a critical component of horses safety as riders jump higher, move faster and make sharper turns. And they expect their horses to perform more regularly!

“The cross country courses are continuing to respond to the regimen that we have in place. With six fertilizing and pre-emergent treatments from spring through fall, we believe that we will have some of the finest footing available. The sand around Aiken is a double edged sword. After rain it’s soft, forgiving and produces very good going. During dry spells it can turn into concrete and that’s when it’s not forgiving. Our job is to irrigate, aerate and reduce concussion. Our weather station and ‘Going Stick’ program will we believe continue to turn our soil from good into excellent footing.”

Are there weaknesses (or strengths) in your business plan that you’ve identified as a result of the coronavirus?

“Today it looks as if we wasted a lot of money on our Pavilion. Our Rider Lounge[s] were also decommissioned for Oktoberfest. These investments could at present be considered a significant waste of financial resources. In the event that this is the new norm, we’ll have to work out how to integrate these facilities into the new environment in which we are going to practice.

“We obviously don’t have the benefit of tax dollars from States or Municipalities, and we are not a 501(c)3. This means that we are effectively on our own with little outside financial support or subsidy.

“While the above are weaknesses, having identified these weaknesses, we have [the benefit of] no outside investors and have zero debt. Another upside is that it takes ten minutes to make a decision.

“Also, at HTs the sum total of our rent bill is the odd toilet, and we have enough fixed and other assets to be very competitive from an additional overhead point of view – we might spend $1,000 on toilets, other facilities spend not only much more, but also on tents, hospitality and IT costs etc.

“We’d hope that the present infrastructure, with the ongoing improvements we are committed to, will enable Stable View to remain competitive. We’d also hope that our ongoing push for, and use of, leading edge IT software will enable us to reduce entrance costs to riders.”

Stable View has plenty more on its plate before year-end, including its Eventing Academy schooling days and events, USEF/USDF recognized and schooling dressage shows, schooling jumper shows and a hunter pace. Learn more about Stable View and view a complete calendar of events at the website here. 

Don’t Miss Central Kentucky Riding For Hope’s Annual Tack Sale

By on Oct 2, 2020 11:00 am -

Photo courtesy of Central Kentucky Riding for Hope.

Many nonprofits need an extra leg up this year due to interruptions in their regular fundraising activities. Central Kentucky Riding for Hope (CKRH)’s annual Tack Sale, a tradition that transforms CKRH into a treasure chest of amazing finds and great deals, might look a little different for 2020 but we’re excited to share that the sale is on!

This year’s event will be taking place on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 8 a.m. at the facility’s Kentucky Horse Park location. Community residents and businesses have donated all types of new and slightly used tack, riding clothes and shoes, horse gear and more. From the most seasoned equestrian to a new horse owner, everyone can find exactly what they need. And with proceeds going straight to CKRH, you don’t have to feel guilty about buying another horse blanket or pair of boots.

Maximum capacity will be 75 persons, with masks and social distancing required. You can learn more about the Covid-19 protocols here.

Founded in 1981, CKRH’s mission is to improve the quality of life and the health of children and adults with special physical, cognitive, emotional and social needs through therapeutic activities with the horse.

Can’t make it to the sale? There are many different ways to help CKRH — learn more here. Keep up with all the latest from the Tack Sale and more at CKRH’s Facebook page here.

Yoshiaki Oiwa & Calle 4 Win LOTTO Baborówko Horse Sale Show CCI4*-S

By on Sep 29, 2020 9:20 am -

Yoshiaki Oiwa and Calle 44. Photo by M&R Photo.

Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa and Poland’s Paweł Spisak traded places back and forth throughout the course of last weekend’s LOTTO Baborówko Horse Sale Show CCI4*-S, but it was Yoshiaki would ultimately come out on top in the Polish event’s headline division.

Sunday saw the show’s finale, which hosted not only international classes but also Polish championships for seniors and young riders as well as in the Polish Cup in four age categories.

CCI4*-S winner’s ceremony. Photo by M&R Photo.

Yoshiaki and Calle 44 took the lead after Friday’s dressage, when the rider’s own 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Cristo 5 x Sara IV, by Quebec) posted a 27.4. They gave the lead to second-placed Paweł Spisak (POL) with Banderas after having picked up a bit of time cross country, but earned it back again on show jumping day to win the class by just eight-tenths of a point. Harald Ambros (AUT) riding Lexicon finished third.

The CCI4*-S class also determined the medalists of this year’s Polish national championships for seniors. The gold medal went to Paweł Spisak (POL) for the eighth time in his career. Mateusz Kiempa (POL) took the silver, and Małgorzata Korycka (POL) went home with the
bronze.

Yoshiaki Oiwa and The Duke of Cavan. Photo by M&R Photo.

Yoshiaki also dominated the CCI3*-S class for the prize of Kuhn Maszyny Rolnicze. He won the division from pillar to post with The Duke Of Cavan. Second place went to Nadine Marzahl (GER) with Vally K, and Johanna Pohjonen (FIN) was third with Conner K.

Kamil Rajnert and Emilia of Chin. Photo by M&R Photo.

Kamil Rajnert (POL) established his leading position in the CCI2*-S after dressage with Emilia of Chin, and he kept his score until the last day. Katharina Kopp (GER) was second with Clintina, and third place went to Karolina Ślązak (POL) with Tores P.

For complete results visit the website here.

CCI4*-S Final Top 10: 

 

Yoshiaki Oiwa & Calle 4 Lead Poland’s Baborówko Horse Sale Show CCI4*-S + Live Stream Info

By on Sep 25, 2020 6:20 pm -

Yoshiaki Oiwa and Calle 4. Photo by M&R Photo.

The dressage phase wrapped up today for international classes at Poland’s LOTTO Baborówko Horse Sale Show. Yoshiaki Oiwa of Japan leads the banner CCI4*-S division with Calle 4, his own 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Cristo 5 x Sara IV, by Quebec). This experienced pair finished fourth in the same division last year and have had good results through the five-star level — they were 6th at Luhmühlen in 2019 and finished 20th at the 2018 WEG in Tryon. They sit on a score of 27.4 heading into the jumping phases.

Polish rider Mateusz Kiempa is second with Lassban Radovix. The CCI4*-S will also determine the medalists of Polish national championships for senior riders — Kiempa’s second place in the class makes him the leader for the moment. The athlete rode three horses in the class and is also currently fourth in the overall classification with Libertina. Fellow Polish rider Paweł Spisak with Banderas sits in third place and second in the championships.

Mateusz Kiempa and Lassban Radovix. Photo by M&R Photo.

Yoshiaki Oiwa also leads the CCI3*-S, for the prize of Kuhn Maszyny Rolnicze, with The Duke of Cavan, and is in fifth with Bart L JRA. Second place for now belongs to Paweł Warszawski (POL) with Lucinda Ex Ani 4, and Maja Wyszkowska (POL) riding Sacramento is third. This position made her the leader in the Polish championships for young riders. Kamil Rajnert (POL) took the lead in the CCI2*-S with Emilia Of Chin. Malin Hansen-Hotopp (GER) riding Monsieur Schnabel is second, and William Nilsson Fryer (SWE) sits in third.

The best result in the CNC1* class belongs to Oliwia Paździora (POL) with Quintus Junior. Ewa Schweitzer Wojcieszek (POL) with Waterloo is currently second, and third place belongs to Erkki Hoim (EST) riding Ally Nightingale. Josephine Schnaufer (GER) with Skyfall AS leads the CNC 100 class. Eliška Orctova (CZE) is second with Kirea, and Klaudia Kostrzewska (POL) with Ivory ES is third. Mariusz Kleniuk (POL) is the leader after dressage in the CNC 90 with Weppetano M. Diana Jaroszkiewicz (POL) with Intuicja Koński Gaj sits in second, and Carmen Peussa (EST) with Corda is third.

Tomorrow is cross country day in Baborówko. The CCI4*-S will be transmitted live via TVP Sport and at sport.tvp.pl. Sunday’s showjumping in the CCI4*-S, CCI3*-S and CCI2*-S will be streamed online via Youtube and Facebook of Baborówko Horse Sale Show as well as ClipMyHorse.

Visit the website here. View complete results here.

14-Year-Old Ontario Eventer Dies in Trail Riding Accident

By on Sep 22, 2020 1:48 pm -

Photo via Zara Buren’s Facebook page.

We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Zara Buren, a 14-year-old Canadian eventer who has died after being trapped in a marshy bog while riding out with her mother.

The Hamilton Spectator and other sources have reported details of the accident, which occurred in Flamborough, Ontario, on Monday evening.

Zara, who trains with Holly Jacks-Smither and Jill Stedman, was a GRIT (Great Rider Intensive Training) Team member involved in the provincial athlete development initiative. Two weekends ago she placed third in the Open Training division at Glen Oro aboard Make My Day. Earlier in the year she competed in Florida at Three Lakes, Rocking Horse and Ocala Winter II with Meadowbrook’s Pollyanna.

Eventers have taken to social media to share their remembrances.

Holly Jacks-Smither said, “Your infectious smile, your drive, determination, work ethic, love for your fellow riders and especially, what stood out to me most, your love for your horses and the pride and horsemanship you showed everyday. You were a strong force to be reckoned with. You were brave until the very end. An old soul who was not only my student but my friend.”

Sarah Shoniker wrote, “You were an amazing individual; a compassionate horsewoman, a bundle of infectious energy and always had a smile on your face even in the pouring rain and thunderstorms!”

Tracey McCague-McElrea, Executive Director of Ontario Equestrian, shared this statement with Horse Sport: “OE is devastated by the sudden passing of Zara. As the youngest member of Ontario Equestrian’s GRIT team, Zara was inquisitive, dedicated, passionate and always lit up the room with the smile on her face. Zara’s passion for this sport could be felt by everyone around her and her drive for excellence was inspiring. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, coaches.”

We share our very deepest condolences with Zara’s family, friends and connections.

Clinic-ing in the Covid Age: Boyd Martin at North Jersey Equestrian

By on Sep 7, 2020 9:00 am -

Screenshot courtesy of Lauren Healy.

2020 has been the year of “training” for most equestrians, and a uniquely-formatted clinic series that combines virtual and in-person learning with Boyd Martin in New Jersey is taking it to the next level.

Laura Healy worked with Boyd to create a three-part series held over three consecutive months starting in July; the final session takes place today, Sept. 6. The series has been hosted at North Jersey Equestrian in Branchville, NJ, with trainer/operator Kim Clouse. Laura originally developed the idea after speaking with Boyd about developing a format that would enhance the standard clinic experience. “We have attempted something different to give exposure to beginner and lower level riders, up and thru pro-am, to work with Boyd over a number of sessions in a more personal way,” Laura explains.

With the pandemic in full swing, many events canceled and Boyd taking some time out of the saddle to mend from surgeries, it allowed him to devote more time to this type of format. To kick the clinic off each rider was asked to share a video of them riding with no specific emphasis except to give Boyd a good picture of what level they are riding and areas that Boyd and the rider can work on at the first of the three in-person sessions. In addition, each rider was asked to give an outline of what challenges they are facing, areas they would like to focus on, and a set of goals they would like to achieve.

Some examples of the challenges riders were facing, which seems to cross all levels, were how to successfully navigate ditches, ride combinations and keep momentum. Some riders were working with new and/or young horses and wanted advice on how to navigate a course successfully and work towards a bright and future partnership.

Each in-person clinic was broken into groups of two or three riders all riding at or near the same level and geared towards either cross country or show jumping. The sessions ran approximately an hour and a half but sometimes stretched further if there were areas that the riders could benefit from additional support from Boyd. The sessions were fantastic to watch, as Boyd was not afraid to test the riders’ tenacity and the riders rose to the challenge, sometimes with a slight smile — “You mean that jump??”

Boyd Martin and Laura Healy. Photo courtesy of Laura Healy.

Between in-person sessions the clinic held group video chats, cocktails allowed, wherein each rider could give Boyd and the group updates on what they have been working on, events they had attended, and potential challenges they had faced. No one was shy about sharing the spills and thrills they had encountered which helped create a real comradery within the group. This virtual experience offered unparalleled access to a top U.S. rider – exactly what Laura and Boyd discussed.

Laura and her husband Brian started Bayboro Equestrian in 2019, with the long term goal of bringing top equestrian talent like Boyd Martin, Kim Walnes and others to their community in Sussex County, NJ, while rethinking what the clinic format looks like. They carefully considered what riders gravitate towards and want, and factored in how costs and formats can deter many from attending.

“Our goal right now is small and focused on growing rider awareness in our community here in North Jersey but our vision is large. We are passionate about the sport, we have a huge support in the rider and equestrian community here and want to help build something special and eventually grow into other areas, ” Lauren says.

“In addition, we both feel very fortunate for the advantages we have had however small they may be, eventually I hope to create a program to bring horses into the lives of children who would otherwise not have exposure – and by nature bring some little diversity to the sport. I myself fell into this sport purely by chance (I am originally from Trinidad and Tobago) and would love the opportunity to expose children of all income levels and races to the wonderful equestrian world that we love so much!”

Three Reasons Why We’re Counting Down the Minutes Until Stable View Oktoberfest

By on Sep 4, 2020 2:13 pm -

Phillip Dutton and Z, winners of the 2019 Stable View Oktoberfest CCI4*-S. Photo by Shelby Allen.

The stage is set for a no-miss 5th annual edition of Stable View’s Designer Builders Oktoberfest Horse Trials, to be held this year Sept. 24-27 in Aiken, South Carolina. National entries close next Tuesday, Sept. 8th — have you got yours in yet? The national divisions are filling up very quickly as is capacity for on-site stabling, so get your entries in today!

Here are five reasons why we’re extra-pumped about this year’s event.

#1. Oktoberfest 2020 is going to be bigger and better than ever. With so many event cancellations, eventers are flocking to Oktoberfest — last year’s event saw 338 horse and rider combinations entered, and this year is expected to draw even more up to a 400-entry max. “We have many more out-of-town riders than we could have expected,” says Stable View owner Barry Olliff. “Three-quarters are from out of state.”

The event is anticipating a third of its entries to be for the FEI divisions, which include a CCI2*-S, CCI3*-S and CCI4*-S, one of only two events at this level on the east coast this fall. The 1* has been canceled. As of Sept. 3 there were 36 combinations contesting the feature CCI4*-S class, which is now entering its third year, up from 27 last year.

It’s an exciting lineup with some fan-favorite five-star veterans to cheer for like Elisa Wallace with Simply Priceless, Joe Meyer with Clip Clop and Johnny Royale, Waylon Roberts and Lancaster, Hallie Coon with Celien, Matt Flynn with Wizzerd, and Doug Payne with Vandiver (winner in the 2019 CCI3*-S class). Plus four-star never-bet-against-’ems like Colleen Rutledge with multiple four-star winner Covert Rights, Liz Halliday-Sharp with Fernhill by Night, Doug and his Pan Am partner Starr Witness, Dana Cooke with her Pan Am partner FE Mississippi, Sara Mittleider with her West Coast four-star winner La Paz. We’ll also see the return of Sydney Conley Elliott with QC Diamantaire, who finished 3rd here in 2019, as well as Will Faudree and Caeleste, who finished 4th. Clayton Fredericks’ FE Stormtrooper is hot off a win in the Advanced at Chatt Hills. Jacob Fletcher will be out with his four-star winner Van Gough and 5o1 Mischief Managed, who finished 2nd here in the 3* in 2019. Rebecca Brown is hitting up her first four-star as a partner to Jenny Caras’ former ride Fernhill Fortitude, as well as Dassett Choice.  The other divisions are stacked as well — Boyd Martin just popped up on the CCI3*-S roster with two rides — and we’re excited to see Maddie McElduff go round the CCI3*-S with Spring Easy, whom she’s purchased from Caroline Martin, as well as Jennie Brannigan’s great partner Cambalda in Intermediate. We could keep going!

Suffice it to say, it’s a heck of a field and we’ll look forward to seeing in-house stats guru Maggie Deatrick’s “By the Numbers” predictions for who will take the CCI4*-S win (she was just one off the mark in 2019). And during the event Shelby Allen will be EN’s boots on the ground, bringing you all the action, so do be sure to keep it locked here!

The other two thirds of entries will comprise the National horse trials, which will include Beginner Novice through Intermediate divisions. To accommodate there are 275 permanent stalls, 75 of which are deluxe with paddocks — horses who are at Stable View as a stopgap between events can stay up to six days with no extra charge. And then they are working with Fredericks Equestrian International Stabling to accommodate up to another 160 horses with premium temporary stalls.

Zeus is out and about on mask patrol! Photo courtesy of Stable View.

#2. Stable View takes safety seriously. We know that eventers want to feel confident going out competing amidst a pandemic that they’re going to be as safe as possible. Throughout 2020 this venue has led the way as an exemplary example of an event that is being conscientious of the current environment (view Stable View’s social distancing guidelines here) and also sensitive to the plight of competitors in these uncertain times, generously offering a full refund should their horse trials get canceled for any reason. Spectators are discouraged but here’s a #protip workaround — sign up for a volunteer position here!

For Oktoberfest Stable View is upping the ante, hiring special security duty to not only look after competitors’ effects but also keep an eye on the barn to make sure that everyone is adhering to safety protocol, including the USEF mandate that masks be worn when not mounted. Also, honorary security guard Zeus will be out strutting his stuff and keep an eye on business — mark my words, you don’t want to cross a toy poodle!

Unfortunately there won’t be a competitors party this year and the rider lounges won’t be open, due to social distancing protocol. But you can bet Stable View’s signature hospitality will be back with a vengeance once this virus is in the rearview, and until then we applaud the event for doing its part to keep our sport going in the most responsible way possible.

Lynn Symansky and Under Suspection finished 2nd in the 2019 Oktoberfest CCI4*-S. Photo by Shelby Allen.

#3. Stable View just keeps upping its game. Last year’s first runner up in the CCI4*-S, Lynn Symansky, told EN afterward that she wasn’t familiar with the venue before visiting for the team training sessions in advance of the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru. After that she made it her plan to return. “I saw everything they were doing with the facility and track,” she said. “I was so impressed with their commitment, which is why I decided to come back.”

Stable View has never been content to rest on its laurels when it comes to self-improvement. From footing to stabling to course design, the venue just keeps one-upping itself. The cross country footing is reliably top-notch, as is the course design by Capt. Mark Phillips for the FEI levels and  Mogie Bearden-Muller for the national divisions. Capt. Phillips says he feels confident he can make it stateside to tend to his roles at Stable View and Tryon International Equestrian Center, but just in case the event has extensive notes from him — “so it will be a real Mark course,” says Barry, no matter what — and they have John Williams on call as backup.

The devil is in the details, and Stable View is as detail-oriented as they come. The event leaves no stone unturned to bring competitors the very best possible experience. For example: With so many divisions running and jumps flagged, Barry admits that the cross country course may look pretty busy. They’ll be removing obstacles from the course as the event goes, as to look less intimidating and cut down on distractions for the national divisions. “We cater to the lower levels as well as the upper levels,” Barry says.

Also … Zeus! Photo courtesy of Stable View.

Ready to get your entry in? Here’s the USEA calendar listing. If you can’t make it to Oktoberfest, Stable View has two more Eventing Academy schooling weekends this fall (Oct. 17-18, Nov. 14-15 and Dec. 12-13) as well as dressage and hunter/jumper shows. You can view a full calendar of events on the website here.

 

Germany Wins the Nations Cup in Strzegom; Ingrid Klimke Is 1st & 2nd on Individual Podium

By on Aug 30, 2020 12:35 pm -

Photo by Mariusz Chmieliński.

German riders were victorious in the second leg of the FEI Nations Cup in eventing, taking the top spot on both team and individual podiums. The Netherlands finished second and Poland third.

The win for the German team was guaranteed after the cross country phase, relegating the previous leaders – the Netherlands – into second place. Ingrid Klimke with SAP Asha P had the best result (2nd place on a score of 30.2) on the team, which also included Andreas Dibowski with FRH Corrida (5th), Beeke Jankowski with Tiberius 20 (7th) and Heike Jahncke with Mighty Spring (17th). SAP Asha P was the only horse in the division to post double-clear jumping rounds, moving them from 10th after dressage into the penultimate spot. The reigning European champion also won the class individually, leading from pillar to post with SAP Hale Bob OLD. They finished with a dressage score of 21.7, a four-fault show jumping round and 2.4 cross country time penalties for a final score of 28.1.

Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.

The Dutch team (Merel Blom with Ceda N.O.P, Jordy Wilken with Burry Spirit, Raf Kooremans with Dimitri N.O.P and Laura Hoogeven with Wicro Quibus) were in the lead after dressage and show jumping but dropped a podium step after cross country. The best result in the team and third place individually belonged to Merel Blom.

The cross country trial saw the Polish team (Mateusz Kiempa with Lassban Radovix, Joanna Pawlak with Fantastuc Frieda, Jan Kamiński with Senior and Michał Hycki with Moonshine) move up into the third place. The best result among them belonged to Mateusz Kiempa, who moved from second after show jumping into fourth due to cross country time penalties.

Yoshiaki Oiwa with Tullyoran Cruise JRA. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.

Placings were shuffled after cross country and then shuffled again after show jumping in the CCI4*-L division. New Zealander Jonelle Price with Grappa Nera stole the lead from husband Tim Price after cross country, but then gave it away with a rail in show jumping to Japanese rider Yoshiaki Oiwa with Tullyoran Cruise JRA. Jonelle ended second with Grappa Nera and third with McClaren; Tim ended up in fourth.

More photos:

Watch a replay of CCI4*L cross country:

#LottoStrzegomHorseTrials: follow the last XC today 🔴 LIVE. Watch CCI4*-LVideo by Świat koni#shtstrzegom #wkkw #eventing

Posted by Strzegom Horse Trials on Saturday, August 29, 2020

The win in the CCI3*-L class belonged to German rider Julia Mestern with Monarts Masterpiece. Second place went to her teammate Malin Hansen-Hotopp with Quidditch K, and Merel Blom from the Netherlands was third on Crossborder Radar Love.

The best athlete of the CCI2*-L was Merel Blom with Corminta vom Gwick. The next two places on the podium were taken by German riders: Andreas Dibowski with Calahari before Katarina Tietz with Chapeau Claque 49.

As for the short format classes, Dirk Schrade won the CCI3*-S class riding Casino 80, second place went to Arthur Duffort from France with Gredington Mailthyme, and Sonja Buck with Carla Bruni finished third. Greta Busacker from Germany was the best in the Young Riders category with Coco Maurice 2 and Julia Gillmaier from Poland took home the third place, riding Red Sunrise 2. Dirk Schrade was first and third in the CCI2*-S class with Cold Red Rum and La Duma. Second place went to Ingrid Klimke riding Cascamara. The best Junior rider was Greta Busacker aboard Scrabble 15. The CCI1* Intro was won by Sophie Leube (GER) with Skyjacker 3.

German athletes dominated the podium of the CCIP2*-L class for ponies. Jule Krueger was the best with Steendiek’s Max Edition, Pita Schmid with Sietlands Catrina was second, and third place went to Linn Zepke with Betty Boo 14.

More than 217 horses from 17 countries competed in 11 classes at this year’s LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials. Visit the event’s Facebook page for more videos, interviews and photo galleries.

Strzegom Links: Website, Results, EN’s Coverage

Dutch Lead Strzegom Nations Cup; Ingrid Klimke & SAP Hale Bob OLD Atop Show Jumping Scoreboard

By on Aug 29, 2020 5:04 am -

Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.

The second leg of the 2020 FEI Eventing Nations Cup series is underway at Poland’s LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials, with Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD in the individual lead and the Dutch team on top after Friday’s CCIO4*-NC-S dressage and show jumping phases.

Ingrid was on form with “Bobby,” the reigning European champion and her 2018 Tryon WEG and 2016 Rio Olympic partner. They posted a 21.7 in dressage then added a rail for a score of 25.7 heading into cross country. Ingrid also sits 10th on SAP Sasha P.

#LottoStrzegomHorseTrials: Ingrid KLIMKE – GER – SAP Hale Bob OLD result after the dressage test: 21,7Ingrid KlimkeVideo by Świat Koni#shtstrzegom #wkkw #eventing #FeiEventingNationsCup

Posted by Strzegom Horse Trials on Saturday, August 29, 2020

Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.

An interview with Ingrid Klimke, the leader after two trials in the CCI4*-S class.

Posted by Strzegom Horse Trials on Friday, August 28, 2020

“I’m very happy, especially with Bobby,” Ingrid says. “He remembered what he had done in the arena three years ago [when they won the European Championships at Strzegom], so he did a wonderful job in the dressage. He was quite excited in the jumping and a little bit fresh, so he’s ready for the cross country. Asha was quite tense in the dressage in the beginning, but then she became calm and did a wonderful round in the jumping today.”

Mateusz Kiempa and Lassban Radovix. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.

Polish rider Mateusz Kiempa and Lassban Radovix are 2nd individually, 1.1 points behind Ingrid.

“Dressage and jumping are Lassban’s strong suits, so I was counting on him today,” says Mateusz. “It went 100% according to our plan. You always have to be fully motivated for the cross country trial. I hope everything goes as well as it did today.”

Mateusz Kiempa and Lassban Radovix. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.

The Netherlands’ Merel Blom and Ceda NOP are 3rd, and the Dutch team that also includes Laura Hoogeveen on Wicro Quibus NOP, Raf Kooremans on Dimitri NOP and Jordy Wilken on Burry Spirit lead the Nations Cup team standings. Germany sits 2nd and Austria is 3rd, followed by Poland and Italy.

Merel Blom and Ceda NOP. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.

An interview with Merel Blom from team Netherlands after the jumping trial in the CCI4*-S NC class.

Posted by Strzegom Horse Trials on Friday, August 28, 2020

Cross country takes place on Saturday — take a look at the 4* courses via these videos.

Check out a bit of the coursewalk of the cross country track in the CCI4*-S Nations Cup class with Italian rider Andrea Cinncinati.

Posted by Strzegom Horse Trials on Friday, August 28, 2020

Check out the CCI4*-S coursewalk video with #2 of the world rankings – Tim Price Team Price.

Posted by Strzegom Horse Trials on Friday, August 28, 2020

Friday was the last day of the dressage tests in the short 3* and 2 * classes. Germany’s Dirk Schrade has the lead in both of them with Casino 80 and La Duma. The 2* class for juniors and 3* class for young riders were dominated by German rider Greta Busacker with Scrabble 15 and Coco Maurice 2. It was also a showjumping day for the 1* Intro class, led by Sophie Leube riding Skyjacker 3.

New Zealand’s Tim and Jonelle Price hold the top four positions in the CCI4*-L — you can read our dressage report on that division here.

The Strzegom live stream will be broadcast on both the event website and on Facebook. The remainder of the broadcast schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Aug. 29 
Cross Country from 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. CEST / 3 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT

Sunday, Aug. 30 
Cross Country from 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. CEST / 3:30 – 8 a.m. EDT
9:30 a.m. CEST – CCI2*-S/CCI2* -S -J cross country
12:15 p.m. CEST – CCI3*-S/CCI3* – S – YR cross country

CCIO4*-NC-S Top 10 After Show Jumping:

Strzegom Links: Website, Timetable, Start Times, Live Scoring, EN’s Coverage

Tim and Jonelle Price Dominate CCI4*-L Dressage at Strzegom

By on Aug 27, 2020 1:44 pm -

Tim Price and Wesko. Photo by Mariusz Chmieliński.

The first horses cantered down the centerline today at Poland’s LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials, with New Zealand’s Tim and Jonelle Price taking the top four positions in the CCI4*-L.

Tim is first and second with Wesko and Spartaco. Watch his test with Wesko, who won Luhmühlen CCI5* in 2014 and was 2nd at Kentucky and 3rd at Pau in 2015, here:

Tim PRICE riding Wesko in the CCI4*-L class with the result of 28,7 – the current leader. Tim PRICE na Wesko w klasie CCI4*-L z wynikiem 28,7 – aktualny lider konkursu.

Posted by Strzegom Horse Trials on Thursday, August 27, 2020

Jonelle is third and fourth with Grappa Nera and McClaren, Sir Mark Todd’s 2018 WEG mount whom she’s taken over the ride since Sir Mark’s retirement.

“I was really pleased with both horses,” Jonelle says. “Grappa Nera is only 9 years old, so she’s quite unestablished in some of the work on this level, but every time she’s getting better and better. McClaren is a new ride for me this season, he’s got so much talent. I don’t think we’re quite there, where I know he can get to, but he’s doing some lovely work.”

An interview with Jonelle Team Price after her dressage tests with Grappa Nera and McClaren.

Posted by Strzegom Horse Trials on Thursday, August 27, 2020

The current leader of the 3* long class is Dutch rider Mara Van de Ven with Lexington van de Vinkenhof, and the leader of the CCI2*-L is her teammate Merel Blom riding Corminta vom Gwick. In the CCIP2*-L, Matti Garlichs has taken the lead with Andante. The top position in the Intro class belongs to Sophie Leube from Germany with Skyjacker 3.

The second leg of the 2020 FEI Eventing Nations Cup series kicks off on Friday. Teams from Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland are set to compete, along with individuals representing the Czech Republic, Sweden and New Zealand. Big names on the start list include Andreas Dibowski with FRH Corrida; Dirk Schrade with Ingrid Klimke, with SAP Hale Bob OLD and SAP Sasha P; and Tim Price with Falco. 

The Strzegom live stream will be broadcast on both the event website and on Facebook. The remainder of the broadcast schedule is as follows:

Friday, Aug. 28 
Dressage from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CEST / 3 – 6:30 a.m. EDT
Show jumping from 3 – 6 p.m. CEST / 9 a.m. – noon EDT
9 a.m. CEST CCIO4*-S Nations Cup dressage
3 p.m. CEST CCIO4*-S Nations Cup show jumping

Saturday, Aug. 29 
Cross Country from 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. CEST / 3 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT
9 a.m CEST CCI1* Intro cross country
10:30 a.m. CEST CCIP2*- L cross country
11:15 p.m. CEST CCI2* – L cross country
1:10 p.m. CEST CCI3* – L cross country
2:15 p.m. CEST CCIO4*-S Nations Cup cross country
4:15 p.m. CEST CCI 4* – L cross country

Sunday, Aug. 30 
Cross Country from 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. CEST / 3:30 – 8 a.m. EDT
9:30 a.m. CEST – CCI2*-S/CCI2* -S -J cross country
12:15 p.m. CEST – CCI3*-S/CCI3* – S – YR cross country

Strzegom Links: Website, Timetable, Start Times, Live Scoring, EN’s Coverage

Watch the FEI Eventing Nations Cup Live from Strzegom

By on Aug 26, 2020 11:28 pm -

Photo courtesy of LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials.

The second leg of the 2020 FEI Eventing Nations Cup series kicks off today at Strzegom in Poland. Teams from Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland are set to compete, along with individuals representing the Czech Republic, Sweden and New Zealand. Big names on the start list include Andreas Dibowski with FRH Corrida; Dirk Schrade with Ingrid Klimke, with SAP Hale Bob OLD and SAP Sasha P; and Tim Price with Falco. The CCI4*-L will be another exciting one to watch, with Tim Price riding another three horses including Wesko and Jonelle Price riding McClaren.

Following the cancellation of the first three FEI Eventing Nations Cup legs (Ballindenisk in Ireland, Houghton Hall in Great Britain, and Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy), the series got off to a late start at Le Pin du Haras in France two weeks ago. To recap, Team France won that leg, followed by The Netherlands and Great Britain (read EN’s recap here). Two legs remain after Strzegom: a rescheduled Ballindenisk (Sept. 24-27) and Montelibretti in Italy (Oct. 22-25). You can learn more about the Nations Cup series has adapted to a disrupted competition calendar year, along with complete rankings, at the website here.

The Strzegom live stream will be broadcast on both the event website and on Facebook. The broadcast schedule is as follows:

Thursday, Aug. 27
Dressage from 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. CEST / 3 – 11:30 a.m. EDT
9 a.m. CEST CCI2*-L dressage
2:15 p.m. CEST CCI4*-L dressage 
4 p.m. CEST CCI3*-L dressage 

Friday, Aug. 28 
Dressage from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CEST / 3 – 6:30 a.m. EDT
Show jumping from 3 – 6 p.m. CEST / 9 a.m. – noon EDT
9 a.m. CEST CCIO4*-S Nations Cup dressage
3 p.m. CEST CCIO4*-S Nations Cup show jumping

Saturday, Aug. 29 
Cross Country from 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. CEST / 3 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT
9 a.m CEST CCI1* Intro cross country
10:30 a.m. CEST CCIP2*- L cross country
11:15 p.m. CEST CCI2* – L cross country
1:10 p.m. CEST CCI3* – L cross country
2:15 p.m. CEST CCIO4*-S Nations Cup cross country
4:15 p.m. CEST CCI 4* – L cross country

Sunday, Aug. 30 
Cross Country from 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. CEST / 3:30 – 8 a.m. EDT
9:30 a.m. CEST – CCI2*-S/CCI2* -S -J cross country
12:15 p.m. CEST – CCI3*-S/CCI3* – S – YR cross country

Strzegom Links: Website, Timetable, Start Times, Live Scoring, EN’s Coverage

Monday News & Notes from Fleeceworks

By on Aug 24, 2020 1:01 am -

Chinch says: WEAR YO’ MASK!!!!! (And no, you aren’t seeing double, I had this bad boy custom printed.) Photo courtesy of Leslie Wylie.

First off, good citizens of the sovereign state of Eventing Nation, I want to pat 99% of you on the back for not only dutifully wearing a mask but also somehow making it look fashionable. I’m scrolling through these CCI3*-L jog pics from MARS Great Meadow and thinking 🔥🔥🔥. Charlotte Collier especially — somehow the mask just ties her outfit together? These masked judges, too … surely they must have color coordinated outfits in advance.

But then I get on social media and see a handful of folks openly defying US Equestrian’s mandate that face coverings are required unless mounted/driving. It’s like, why don’t you take a selfie of yourself violating a tack/equipment or prohibited substance regulation while you’re at it? Don’t be ding-dongs, people — you’re representative of this sport, don’t make me have to start posting a “Social Media Wall of Shame” on here each Monday morning. Not only does another American die of coronavirus every 80 seconds, so there’s THAT, but I also just want us to have a proper eventing season in 2021. So everybody, let’s just mask up and get through this thing together, m’kay?

National Holiday: National Waffle Day

U.S. Weekend Results:

Great Meadow International: Results
Caber Farm H.T.: Results
Shepherd Ranch H.T.: Results
The Event at Archer H.T.: Results
Feather Creek Farm H.T.: Results
Town Hill Farm H.T.: Results
War Horse Event Series August: Results

Major International Results: 

Burgham International: Results

Monday Reading List: 

Just now tuning in to recaps from MARS Great Meadow International? Recap EN’s reports here, and deep dive with Chronicle of the Horse here and US Eventing here.

The aftershocks of a concussion can show up days or even weeks after the initial head injury. Horse & Hound speaks to a British young rider who, after carrying on as usual following a concussion, found herself paralyzed from the waist down three weeks later due to a condition called functional neurological disorder (FND). [‘Don’t give up on your dreams’: young rider’s determination to overcome life-changing condition]

Best of Horse Nation: Redingote Equestrian LLC, best known as the maker of a one-piece insulated outerwear design that keeps riders warm, dry and clean in all weather and circumstances, and is way cuter than your Carhartts jumpsuit, has partnered with GallopNYC to keep its team outfitted in the colder months. [Standing Ovation by Ovation Riding: Redingote Equestrian]

Just in on Jumper Nation: Blenheim EquiSports Announces Cancellation of All Seasons Summer Classic

Donation Station: For 33 years Ebony Horsewomen in Hartford, CT, has been providing equine therapeutic services, activities and events to children, youth, families, and veterans who wouldn’t have the opportunity or access to meaningfully connect with horses or benefit from equine-assisted therapy and psychotherapy due to lack of access. Many cannot afford services, but none are ever denied thanks to generous donations. Lift a spirit by donating so that they can continue to bring joy to children who need to smile. [Ebony Horsewomen]

Listen: In episode #124 of the Major League Eventing Podcast, Karen and Rob chat with USEA Developing Rider list member Jacob Fletcher.  Jacob has been a consistent member of the U25 training list and has graduated to the Developing rider list. Listen in to hear about his experience training in Europe as well as how he manages full time riding with balancing a career in the family business. [Major League Eventing]

Watch: Sharon White and Claus 63 storm around CCI3*-L cross country on their way to a wire-to-wire win at MARS Great Meadow International. Read EN’s recap of the CCI3*-L here, and if you missed it check out Sally Spickard’s great feature on Sharon and her success-producing, horse-first program from last week here.

Sharon White and Claus 63 stormed around the cross country yesterday to maintain their lead at the Great Meadow International CCI3*-L. Watch the competition live on Horse & Country TV!

Posted by USA Eventing on Saturday, August 22, 2020

Saturday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: This 4-Year-Old’s Mini-Trial Debut Is … SQUEE!!!

By on Aug 22, 2020 5:44 pm -

Photo by Lauren Alexander.

Congrats to Laila Alexander, age 4, who recently completed her first mini horse trials! Her mount: Dilly, who mom Lauren describes as “her 20-year-old superstar pony who can literally do no wrong.”

Laila made her debut at Big Cheese Schooling H.T. in Walnut Grove, Georgia. Lauren says, “We love this show for her as it’s so laid back and the organizer Caroline Martlett makes it special for her — and a few exceptions like allowing us to coach Laila!”

Photo by Lauren Alexander.

“She has been working so hard these last few months and her quarantine time has been spent going to the barn with me and taking lessons,” says Lauren.

Laila and Dilly, you guys look AWESOME!!! That big grin and “Do it again!” at the cross country finish is what it’s all about!

Go Eventing.

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A Fond Farewell to Ireland’s Tattersalls International Horse Trials

By on Aug 21, 2020 10:10 am -

Three-time Tattersalls winner Izzy Taylor and PSH Gazelle will be Tattersalls’ final CCI4*-L victor. Photo from her victory lap at the 2019 event, by Tilly Berendt.

Ireland’s Tattersalls International Horse Trials, held in early summer each year in in Co Meath, Ireland, is withdrawing its fixture from the FEI eventing calendar. Tattersalls is an event oft attended by U.S. riders; last year Will Coleman and Off the Record finished 3rd in the CCI4*-L. This year’s edition, scheduled for May 27-31, was canceled due to the pandemic.

The event released a statement today:

“It is with great regret that Tattersalls have announced that they are to withdraw from hosting and sponsoring the Tattersalls International Horse Trials. First established by the late George Mernagh in 2006, the annual event had become a popular feature in the international horse trials calendar.

“Despite the tireless efforts of the Organising Committee and the generous support of the ‘George Mernagh Memorial Fund’ which was set up in 2012 following the death of George Mernagh, the commercial realities of staging such an event have proved insurmountable and the Trustees of the ‘George Mernagh Memorial Fund’ have concluded that the Trust can best achieve its long term objectives of promoting youth participation in Irish equestrian sports by supporting a broader range of equestrian disciplines.

“Tattersalls will continue to host equestrian sports at the Tattersalls Ireland site in Fairyhouse. Several national events, as well as the successful July Horse Show, are already held at the venue.

“Tattersalls Chairman, Edmond Mahony, said:

” ‘I would like to thank our Organising Committee led by Jean Mitchell MBE, our various sponsors at all levels, and those who volunteered on an annual basis, for making the Tattersalls International Horse Trials an event of which the country could be proud. I would also like to thank the many owners and riders from all over the world who supported this event over many years. Sadly, due to the financial challenges that all of us are facing following the coronavirus outbreak, we regrettably feel unable to continue hosting such a large and costly international event, coming as it does in the middle of a very busy sales period for the company. I would also like to pay particular tribute to the Trustees of the ‘George Mernagh Memorial Fund’ without whose financial support this difficult decision would have inevitably come sooner.

” ‘I look forward to Tattersalls continuing to host equestrian events at Fairyhouse, including our successful July Show, which is run annually for the St. Francis Hospice in Blanchardstown. In the meantime, all of us involved in the Tattersalls International Horse Trials can look back with pride on what the event achieved in its 15 years and the contribution it has made to the sport of Eventing in Ireland.’ “

We thank Tattersalls for its many years of service for our sport. Go Eventing.

Welcome Back to Windurra, Otis Barbotiere!

By on Aug 18, 2020 3:33 pm -

Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere at Luhmühlen. Photo by Jenni Autry.

We love seeing veteran eventing superstars whose international careers might be far in the rearview, but they aren’t quite ready to spend their weekends playing shuffleboard in a Florida retirement community yet. A little encore performance? Yes please!

Boyd Martin has had some special ones come through his barn, who just when we thought we’d seen the last of them have popped back up on entry lists. Neville Bardos, the blaze-faced comeback kid who twice cheated death to finish 4th at the 2010 WEG among other top five-star finishes, had a last hurrah at some Beginner Novice and Novice events earlier this year with Shelby Fromm in the irons. Looking pretty feisty for a 21-year-old!

Now Otis Barbotiere, who in 2012 finished 3rd at Kentucky and was Boyd’s Olympic mount, is having another crack at his favorite game — we spotted him in a Training division with Mia Mata Blake at Fair Hill last week. Since we saw Otis last, at Luhmühlen in 2014 where he finished 15th, Otis went into the show jumping world and we’re glad to see him back on course at age 18.

Boyd wrote on the Windurra blog:

“Earlier this year, Tricia Boone called me and said that my 2012 Olympic partner Otis Barbotiere wasn’t doing too much at his new home in Kentucky. He had a great career in the jumpers with both Catie and Ali Boone, but was ready for retirement. Tricia said that she was looking for a home for the old boy, and I jumped at the chance to take him back and give him a home at Windurra.

“When he arrived at the farm, I must say that he looked amazing. The Boone family had Otis in magnificent condition. Some of the credit must go to Debbi White whom is in charge of the care of some of the horses at the Boones’ farm in Kentucky. Even though Otis is about 18, he looks like a 10-year-old!

“I have a young girl named Mia working for me who doesn’t have a horse; she is a younger rider without much backing that has plenty of talent. I have her riding and training him each day and I must admit that is awesome having Otis back at the farm. His tongue is still hanging out in the dressage and he is still jumping massive.

“Last weekend, Mia gave Otis a good ride around the Training division at Fair Hill Horse Trials. He ripped around the courses well! Otis jogged up like a champion this morning. Mia is looking after him like liquid gold.

“Sadly Tricia passed away earlier this year after having a tough go with cancer. She would have to be one of my most favorite people: she was a very vibrant, upbeat, positive personality – just a great person. I seriously miss her.

“I think we will just continue with a semi-retirement plan with Otis at the farm. He has a home here for life. Obviously this horse has a special place with all of us.”

Welcome home, Otis!

Who Jumped It Best? Huntington Farm Jr. Elementary Edition

By on Aug 18, 2020 11:00 am -

Time for an extra-adorable edition of “Who Jumped It Best?” This week we’re heading to Huntington Farm in South Strafford, Vermont, which celebrated its 50th year as a USEA event last year but this year is running unrecognized. Nonetheless there was a good turnout for the weekend event, which featured Elementary through Training divisions.

Twelve riders duked it out in the hotly contested Jr. Elementary division, with Elizabeth Speed and Hollie taking the win on a score of 29.4 (view final results here). Photographer extraordinaire Joan Davis of Flatlands Foto was on the scene snapping pics — riders, you can view your proofs here.

Who jumped it best? Feel free to weigh factors such as cross country colors, shininess of tail, ability to pull off a pom-pom helmet cover, and other miscellaneous subjective opinions into your analysis.

Ellie Armstrong and Phoenix. Photo by Joan Davis / Flatlands Foto.

Elise Smith and Glenvaugh Holly. Photo by Joan Davis / Flatlands Foto.

Amelia Peters and Summer. Photo by Joan Davis / Flatlands Foto.

Nadia McCollister and Guinness. Photo by Joan Davis / Flatlands Foto.

Skyley Hudson and Chicky Chicky Boom Boom. Photo by Joan Davis / Flatlands Foto.

Adeline Hanford and Penny. Photo by Joan Davis / Flatlands Foto.

Morgan Ellis-Makovsky and Rhythm ‘n Blues. Photo by Joan Davis / Flatlands Foto.

What’s the Rest of the 2020 Eventing Calendar Looking Like?

By on Aug 13, 2020 5:36 pm -

Photos by Leslie Wylie.

How promising the year 2020 started! But a different takeoff, or flight trajectory, or something, mighta been good, and now we’re already picking the dirt out of our teeth, thinking about the next re-route, eventer-style. Good news: While the season has been sliced and diced, there’s still plenty of eventing left to be done this year for those who want to do so (we respect those who are choosing to just peace out for a while, too). We thank our friends at USEA for working so diligently to keep the 2020 event calendar up-to-date and we sympathize especially with organizers — we’ll be back out to support you as soon as we can!

As eventers look to reroute their trajectories from AEC or other championship goals, we’ve tried to collate a current list of what’s been canceled and what’s still standing, on the 2020 event calendar:

CANCELLATIONS (As of Aug. 12)

Events Still Scheduled (As of August 12) 

Area I: Genesee Valley Riding & Driving Club H.T. (Aug. 15 – 16), Town Hill Farm H.T. (Aug. 22), Course Brook H.T. (Sept. 5), GMHA September H.T. (Sept. 12-13), Apple Knoll Farm H.T. (Sept. 19), Larkin Hill H.T. (Sept. 27), Genesee Valley Riding & Driving Club Spring H.T. (Oct. 4), Hitching Post Farm H.T. (Oct. 10)

Area II: Waredaca Farm H.T. (Aug. 15 – 16), Great Meadow International (Aug. 20-23), War Horse Event Series August H.T. (Aug. 23), Flora Lea Farm YEH and Mini Event (Aug. 23), Five Points H.T. (Sept. 5-6), Seneca Valley Pony Club H.T. (Sept. 5-6), Bucks County Horse Park H.T. (Sept. 6), Blue Ridge Mountain Horse Trials at TIEC (Sept. 11-13), Flora Lea Fall H.T. (Sept. 12-13), USEA MDHT FEH/YEH/NEH Qualifier (Sept. 13), CDCTA Fall H.T. (Sept. 13), Plantation Field International CCI-S (Sept. 16-20), Marlborough H.T (Sept. 20), FEH Qualifier at Loch Moy Farm (Sept. 25), FEH Championships at Loch Moy Farm (Sept. 25-27), The Middleburg H.T. (Sept. 26-27), ESDCTA New Jersey H.T. at the Horsepark (Sept. 27), Morven Park Fall International H.T. & CCIS (Oct. 1-4), WindRidge Farm Fall H.T. (Oct. 3-4), MDHT at Loch Moy Farm Classic BN3 Day Event and H.T. (Oct.9-11), Radnor Hunt H.T. (Oct. 10), War Horse Event Series October H.T. (Oct. 11), Hunt Club Farms H.T. (Oct. 17), Waredaca Classic Three Day Event & H.T. (Oct. 22-15), The VHT International & H.T. (Oct. 29-31), Full Moon Farms H.T. (Nov. 8), War Horse Event Series November H.T. (Nov. 8), Morven Park Spring H.T. (Nov. 14-15)

Area III: Full Gallop Farm August HT (Aug. 15-16), Ocala Summer H.T. II (Aug. 15-16), Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Aug. 29-30), Ocala Summer H.T. I (Sept. 12-13), Stable View Oktoberfest 1/ 2/3/4* and H.T. (Sept. 24-27), Poplar Place Farm H.T. (Oct. 2-4), Horse Trials at Majestic Oaks Oct. 3-4 in), Ocala Fall HT (Oct. 10-11), Tryon Riding & Hunt Club “Morris the Horse” Trials (Oct. 17-18), Grand Oaks H.T. (Oct. 24-25), Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Oct. 24-25), Rocking Horse Fall H.T. (Oct. 31-Nov. 1), River Glen Fall H.T. (Nov. 7-8), Horse Trials at Majestic Oaks (Nov. 7-8), Full Gallop Farm November H.T. (Nov. 15), Grand Oaks H.T. (Nov. 21-22), Pine Top Thanksgiving H.T. (Nov. 28-29), Rocking Horse Spring H.T. (Dec. 5-6)

Area IV: Silverwood Farm Fall H.T. (Aug. 29), Silverwood Farm Fall H.T. (Sept. 11-13), Sundance Farm H.T. (Sept. 18-20), Heritage Park H.T. (Oct. 2-4), Windermere Run H.T. (Oct. 23-25)

Area V: Feather Creek Farm H.T. (Aug. 22), MeadowCreek Park H.T – The Fall Social Event (Sept. 19-20), Central FEH Championships at Haras Hacienda (Sept. 24), Fleur de Leap H.T. (Sept. 26-27), Pine Hill Fall H.T. (Oct. 17), Holly Hill H.T. (Oct. 24-25), Texas Rose Horse Park Fall H.T. (Nov. 7-8)

Area VI: Shepherd Ranch SYVPC H.T. II (Aug. 21-23), Copper Meadows H.T. (Sept. 4-6), Twin Rivers Fall H.T. (Sept. 17-20), Woodside International H.T. (Oct. 8-11), West Coast FEH/YEH Championships at Twin Rivers Ranch (Oct. 23-24), Galway Downs International Event & H.T. (Oct. 29-Nov. 1),

Area VII: Caber Farm H.T. (Aug. 21-23), Caber Farm September H.T. (Sept. 4-6), Spokane Sport Horse Sixth Annual Fall H.T. (Oct. 1-4)

Area VIII: Chardon Valley H.T. (Sept. 5-6), Flying Cross Farm H.T. (Sept. 10-13), Stone Gate Farm H.T. (Sept. 12-13), Hagyard Midsouth Three-day Event & Team Challenge H.T. (Oct. 14-18)

Area IX: The Event at Archer (Aug. 22-23), The Event at Skyline (Sept. 11-13), The Event at Archer (Sept. 26-27)

Area X: The Event at Isaacks Ranch (Sept. 26-27), St. Johns H.T. (Oct. 10-11), Southern Arizona H.T. (Nov. 21-22)

View the complete USEA calendar list of Event Cancellations and Responses to Coronavirus here. You can view the USEA event calendar here.

Go Eventing.

Picky Horses, Rejoice! Cosequin ASU Is Now Available in Pellets

By on Aug 12, 2020 12:22 pm -

“On the international stage, it’s important to keep horses in top athletic shape. That’s why I rely on Cosequin to maintain healthy joints for all my horses on the road to peak performance.” Cosequin user Phillip Dutton and Z at the Wellington Eventing Showcase in February 2020. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Like many eventers (and veterinarians), Cosequin® is my go-to joint supplement. In particular I like Cosequin ASU, which offers broad spectrum joint support though its trademarked formulas of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate plus Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables (ASU), which has been shown in cell culture studies to be more effective in reducing the breakdown of cartilage than glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate alone. Plus it has MSM and Boswellia to provide a winning combination of bioavailable ingredients. All in all for hard-working sport horses it really covers its bases.

Not all horse are into the taste of the powder, though, so we’re excited to help share news that Cosequin® ASU is now available in PELLETS! “Horse owners let us know, pellets are by far the preferred delivery form for supplements,” says Melissa Consalvo, Equine Brand Manager at Nutramax. “Utilizing our high-quality, researched ingredients and strict manufacturing standards, we now have the technology to produce pellets in-house with the quality expected of Nutramax products.”

Photo courtesy of Cosequin.

Three distinct ways that the new Cosequin® ASU PELLETS cater to horse owners:

1) They are easy to feed.
2) The tasty, tiny pellets are palatable to horses, helping to ensure they will consume their servings.
3) Cosequin® ASU Pellets contain the trademarked ingredients that horse owners have come to know and believe in, now offered in the horse owner’s preferred administration form.’

Cosequin is celebrating the launch with an introductory offer that includes a COLLECTIBLE storage bucket for added product protection from environmental conditions, such as pests, moisture, and dust. The NEW Cosequin® ASU PELLETS can be purchased at select online and in-store retailers, your veterinarian, and DIRECT from Nutramax by visiting CosequinEquine.com/pellets.

 

Jen Spencer: Meet the Creator of Instagram’s ‘Black Equestrians’

By on Aug 11, 2020 9:00 am -

In summer 2020 we launched a 1st Annual $5,000+ Diversity Scholarship with the support of generous donors, inviting minority equestrians to contribute to the discussion of diversity and inclusion in equestrian sport. It is the mission of this annual bursary, which we intend to expand in coming years, to call for, encourage, elevate and give a platform to minority voices in a space where they are underrepresented.

How do we build a more diverse, inclusive and accessible sport? In the coming weeks we will explore this question alongside many of the 27 Scholarship recipients as they share with us their essays in full. Collectively, their perspectives coalesce into a body of work that will no doubt help inform a viable path forward for equestrian sport, and we are committed to connecting their actionable ideas with the public as well as leaders and stakeholders of the sport.

Today we welcome Jen Spencer, creator of the Black Equestrians Instagram page. More voices: Caden Barrera | Madison Buening | Anastasia Curwood | Deonte Sewell | Dawn Edgerton-Cameron | Jordyn Hale

Hi, I’m Jen. I’m 26 and from Toronto, Canada and I’m a Black equestrian. Let me tell you a little bit about myself and my background in riding.

The first time I fell in love with horses was actually in a bookstore. I noticed this book with a beautiful horse running across the cover and I was completely captivated so I begged my mom to buy me the book. She did, and I think I read that book every day for two years until I finally took real horseback riding lessons. My parents were not horsey people and I think they saw it as, you know, the usual girl-likes-horses kind of interest as opposed to like a real passion. My my mom immigrated from Jamaica in the 1970s and my dad was raised by a single mom, so in their world having a horse was such a weird and foreign concept to them.

So because I couldn’t ride, instead I learned as much as I could about horses by watching as many horse videos as I could and reading as many horse books as the library had to offer. It really wasn’t until I had a job of my own and I could drive myself to my own lessons that I really got into horses the way that I wanted to consistently. I’ve been riding for four years now. Two years ago I adopted a retired racehorse named Piper. I got really lucky with Piper — he’s incredibly talented, very sweet and he’s done so much for me in terms of realizing some of my dreams like attending my first horse show. I’ve grown as a rider so much because of him.

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From@camtay747: “Gem & I are similar in color. We’re both brown. However, I deal with racism in the equestrian world & in my everyday life. He doesn’t, but he & the rest of his species don’t have the brain capacity to understand racism & injustice. In fact no other species on earth that I know of has that kind of brain capacity. In this case there are role models all around us: animals. My horses don’t discriminate, they groom each other & their coats are all different colors. Why can’t we be more like them? It’s a more simple way of life instead of having to be taught & understand hatred against races. They’ve done it for millions of years. We’ve done it thousands & look where it got us.” #equestrian #blackequestrians #horse #horsesofinstagram

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I don’t currently have the means to show so instead I love going to watch other people show, and when I go to these show venues I’m very aware that out of the hundreds and hundreds of riders I’m the only Black person I see all day. I’ve always been aware of the huge racial disparity in equestrian sports, but I wasn’t really sure what I could do about it. Then during the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020 this year, I started to really think more critically about race, and I’ve always been passionate about social justice and Black issues as separate interests outside of riding, and the idea of bringing them together was something I hadn’t really considered. Then at one point an acquaintance of mine reached out to me about joining a group of Black equestrians so I thought, great, it’s a chance to connect with a few people that I have two things in common with.

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From @kirstieeemarie: “How much weight can a horse carry? “In my experience, a horse can carry an infinite amount. They can carry the weight of broken hearts, broken homes, and broken bodies. Countless tears sometimes comb their tangled manes. Moments when parents and friends cannot be there to help and hold a person, horses embrace and empower. They carry physical, mental, and emotional handicaps. They carry hopes and dreams; and they will carry the stress from your day when you can't carry it anymore. They carry graduations, they carry new careers, they carry moves away from everything familiar, they carry marriages, they carry divorces, they carry funerals, they carry babys before they are born, and sometimes they carry the mothers who cannot carry their own baby. They carry mistakes, they carry joy, they carry the good and they carry the bad. They carry drugs and addictions, but they also carry the celebrations. They will carry you to success when all you have felt is failure. They will carry you, never knowing the weight of your burdens and triumphs. If you let them, they will carry you through life, and life is hard, life is heavy. But a horse will make you feel weightless under it all.” Written by Sage Sapergia Photo by @kirstieeemarie

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I was literally shocked at how many people were in this group of Black equestrians. We had to make a second group because the first one got too big and we couldn’t fit any more people into it. There are tons of Black equestrians. We’re still very much a minority in this sport but there is a much bigger group than I anticipated.

I thought I knew a lot about race before the protests and I really started to dig deeper into social issues and realized even as a Black woman I didn’t really know that much. There are so many layers to race and the way it relates to the social sphere — politics, history, culture, far beyond anything I ever knew and I grew up learning a lot about race. Another thing I’ve noticed is how often a lot of history of race and racism ended up going back to horses. Of course as a horse girl this was a subcategory I was fascinated by — for example 25 percent of cowboys were Black but they were never portrayed in western movies. I also didn’t know that horse racing was largely Black people at one point.

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From @nytimes: “When videos of a Black man on horseback wearing a bulletproof vest spread widely on social media in late May, some users suggested that he had stolen a policeman’s horse.⁣ ⁣ But Adam Hollingsworth, a 33-year-old Chicagoan, is no thief. The horse in the video, Prince, is 1 of 4 he owns and rides around the city, where he is known as the Dreadhead Cowboy.⁣ ⁣ But as the false accusations piled up, Hollingsworth said that his car was vandalized and that he received death threats. The experience hammered home for him that his reason for riding — to expand people’s ideas about Black masculinity and to promote a message of unity in some of Chicago’s most racially segregated neighborhoods — remains urgent.⁣ ⁣ The fallout from the viral posts about him and Prince left him scared and concerned about how quickly bad information travels online. But he is harnessing his growing fame to give back to his community by raising money to build a barn in the city. He’s also taking recommended precautions for the virus.⁣ ⁣ “I’m social distancing being on top of the horse,” he said. “Being a Black man, I’m taking a chance every day by stepping outside.”⁣ ⁣ Tap the link in our bio to read more about how a Black cowboy became a disinformation target. Photos by @dascruggs_⁣” ⁣

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Anyway I knew I had a lot of learning to do and so did everyone else. I had so many ideas and so many things I wanted to talk about but I wasn’t sure where to begin, so I just started and created an Instagram page called Black Equestrians which just hit 3,000 followers [update at time of publication: over 4,100+]. Initially my goal was to just feature Black riders and show diversity within horseback riding, but then I quickly decided that it wasn’t good enough. It needed more. There’s so much privilege in equestrian sports. As we all know that is by no means a bad thing but it can really cloud your perception of the world outside of you, so I figured what a better audience to tackle issues of race and privilege than equestrians.

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From @horse_celebrities: “When Shariah Harris’ (@shariah_h) mom stumbled upon the Work to Ride program’s West Philadelphia horse stable, no one could have predicted Harris would become one of the most groundbreaking riders in the sport’s history. But Harris quickly took to the horses—she remembers feeling fearless even when she first began to play polo. In a male-dominated sport, she was a natural leader with undeniable skills. • After the Postage Stamp Farm team owner Annabelle Garrett suffered a back injury before the prestigious Silver Cup tournament at the Greenwich Polo Club in 2017, she tapped Harris to take her spot on the team. That’s when Harris became the first-ever African American woman to play at the highest tier of US polo. “I just can’t stop thinking about it,” recounts Harris, who had been introduced to Garrett at a tournament in Argentina, but was still surprised when the call came in. “It was a big moment for me to be playing with and against the professionals that I’ve looked up to just coming into the sport,” she says. “I’ve always watched their games, but to be on the field playing with them was just mind-boggling for me.” • Now at Cornell University Harris is busy studying animal sciences and leading the women’s polo team to the National Intercollegiate semifinals, while also mentoring kids in the Work to Ride program. As for her big advice to young polo players? “Trust yourself and trust the horses,” she says. “It’s what I believe makes you a better player and rider—that fearless factor.” | #equestrian #blackequestrian #ralphlauren #horsepolo #polo

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In the first month I’ve been writing Black equestrians I’ve learned three really valuable lessons. The first lesson: A lot of people don’t know what they don’t know. Race is very much like good riding or a good horse. When you grow up with it you know exactly what to look for and you can really see those subtle nuances from miles away. In the realm of racism a lot of white people are beginner crossrail riders. We have the basics down, we all know that racism is bad, but a lot of people legitimately cannot recognize the varying spectrum of more subtle racism. There are so many variations in levels, microaggressions, lack of diversity, inclusivity cultural appropriation, the list goes on.

I thought I knew a lot about race but I now realize I really don’t. And this is a world I grew up in in the sense that I had a Black mother who was always teaching about racism. A lot of people have a hard time talking about racism because they don’t see it. There needs to be a huge shift and we need to remind people that racism is very much alive. The civil rights movement of Martin Luther King dealt with the more loud racism, like segregation and lynching. In the new generation of the civil rights movement we need to start learning about quiet racism and the subtle racism so we can stamp it out.

The second lesson is that white people are really keen to learn. Since I started Black Equestrians I have been pleasantly surprised at how white people are responding. They’re engaged, they’re sharing, I get messages all the time saying stuff like I didn’t know that or that’s a really great point, I hadn’t thought about it like that. For an industry like riding, where as I mentioned before it’s a particularly concentrated hub of privileged white people, I really thought that this would be more of an uphill battle. Not to say that there aren’t people who aren’t as open to learning or examining their own privilege, but ultimately people seem willing to listen and learn. And so it’s important that we create a medium to express Black issues for everyone to learn and what will be great as Black Equestrians develops is that we’ll be able to tackle the very niche problems about Black equestrians and what they face and we now have a platform to amplify those voices to people who are listening.

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From @savannahskeete: “With everything going on in the world it has taken me a long time to formulate my words and thoughts. Silence is conformity with the opposition – and I condemn racism to rule any part of my world. So I am going to speak my truth about how institutionalized racism has effected me in the equestrian community. As I grew up riding along side everyone else I realized how I was unlike my counterparts, I didn’t quite fit in, and it was hard to make friends. I look back now and see how rarely I ride with people who look like me, are sponsored riders globally recognized, or are coaches or professionals in the community. The inability for people who look like me to be in the equestrian community is a key example of the inequalities and inequities that have lead to injustices throughout history. People who look like me do not have the opportunities to enter a community riddled with white privilege. Instead people who look like me are murdered, killed, and demonized for their colour by a system that refuses to treat them with justice, equality, and equity. This fact has always effected me in the equestrian community. And to move forward voices like mine, voices of black people and people of colour must be heard. And when they are heard, when there words are seen as fact, and only then will change take progress. I implore everyone in and outside of the equestrian community to listen and educate themselves. Become an ally for justice, equality, and equity throughout the world and in the future I hope and will fight for more people who look like me to be able to have the opportunity to be in the equestrian community.” • #equestrian #horse #horsesofinstagram #blackequestrians #ridersofcolor #blackgirlmagic #blackexcellence

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And the third and final lesson is that the best way to increase diversity in equestrian sports is to create an environment where everyone can see this as something that they can do. There isn’t a lot of diversity reflected in equestrian product advertisements or in magazines, and when we watch professionals compete at upper levels it’s again not particularly diverse. Those areas will take different amounts of time and resources to reflect diversity, but it’s important that we start. Diversity in equestrian sports is small but it’s there and it’s strong. In expanding the way equestrian sports are represented we can move away from the widely held idea of what a traditional equestrian looks like.

This sport has people from all walks of life, different income brackets, different races, different sexual orientations and different ages. The best way to increase diversity within our sport is if we create a sport where everyone sees a reflection of themselves, where where they can see this as something that they can do and be a part of especially because that really is what horses are about. They are the true reflection of Martin Luther King’s dream —  they don’t care about the color of your skin, they only care about the content of your character.

Get Involved: First things first, if you aren’t already following Black Equestrians on Instagram, do it right now! Black Equestrians also has an Etsy shop with a bunch of fun, feisty tee-shirts — I just ordered this one … 

… and this one … 

Social media is a powerful tool in the fight for social justice and social change. What are some of your favorite diversity-and-inclusion focused social media accounts to follow, equestrian or otherwise? Share them in the comments so that we can follow them, too!

Nation Media wishes to thank Barry and Cyndy Oliff, Katherine Coleman and Hannah Hawkins for their financial support of this Scholarship. We also wish to thank our readers for their support, both of this endeavor and in advance for all the important work still to come.

Take 5 With Phillip, Presented by Equilume: Watch Phillip Dutton’s Fair Hill CCI3*-S Win

By on Aug 10, 2020 9:45 am -

Equilume sponsored rider Phillip Dutton topped the CCI3*-S division at Fair Hill over the weekend riding Fernhill Singapore, an 11-year-old Dutch gelding (Singapore x Riedellia, by Animo) owned by Ann Jones, Thomas Tierney and David Vos. The pair, who finished 5th at the Fair Hill International CCI4*-L last fall, added just two cross country time penalties to their dressage score of 22.5 for the win.

Phillip had four horses in the division: Sea of Clouds finished 9th, Fernhill Pickpocket finished 18th, and borrowed mount Tsetserleg was among several horses seen cantering casually around cross country to finish 24th.

“Fair Hill ran a great competition this weekend,” Phillip recapped on Facebook. “The CCI3*-S was a very useful fitness and training run for my three horses and Boyd Martin’s Tseterleg, and happily Fernhill Singapore ended up coming out on top. The additions and improvements made to the Fair Hill International make it an incredible venue — it’s really very exciting for our sport. Everyone seems to be getting the hang of the not-so-new COVID guidelines by now, and it’s encouraging to see the eventing community work together to keep our sport going as safely and sensibly as possible. Our heartfelt thanks to the organizers and volunteers, and we look forward to returning next year for the inaugural 5*.”

Other five-star notables in the CCI3*-S: Lauren Nicholson with Landmark’s Monte Carlo picked up 20 and time to finish 35th, Will Coleman and Tight Lines took their time to finish 26th. Lillian Heard was 5th with LCC Barnaby, Lauren Nicholson was 4th with Vermiculus, and Ariel Grald was 2nd with Leamore Master Plan.

More in the Intermediate divisions: Sharon White and Cooley on Show won Intermediate A, second to herself and Cooley Quicksilver. Liz Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night were 3rd. Meg Pellegrini was 11th with RF Eloquence, with whom Ellie MacPhail O’Neal completed Kentucky. Liz also won Intermediate B with Deniro Z. Buck Davidson took a spill from Jak My Style. Lynn Symansky won a division of Preliminary with her 2019 Pan Am Games mount RF Cool Play.

Speaking of five-star horses, we’d be remiss not to mention that Otis Barbotiere, who in 2012 finished 3rd at Kentucky and was Boyd Martin’s Olympic mount, was spotted in a Training division with Mia Mata Blake. Since we saw him last, at Luhmühlen in 2014 where he finished 15th, Otis went into the show jumping world and we’re glad to see him back on course at age 18. Mia and Otis have done a couple events this summer and we wish the best of luck in his eventing encore!

Area II eventer Emma Hinke captured tons of CCI3*-S footage while out volunteering — we’ll have her cross country reel featuring the brand new course posted later this afternoon so keep an eye out for that! You can find video recaps of other big events Emma has attended on her YouTube channel, along with videos chronicling the training of her OTTB gelding.

You can view complete Fair Hill results here.

CCI3*-S Final Top 10: 

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  • Visit the contest announcement on Facebook for more details on the prize and how to enter.

Equilume is an Irish equine biotech company providing scientifically validated lighting solutions to the global equine industry. Their patented blue light technology strengthens circadian rhythms and has profound effects on equine health and behaviour.

The Equilume Cashel Light Mask is an individual headpiece that provides timed, low-level blue light to a single eye throughout the day to stimulate optimum health, performance and coat condition.

The Equilume Stable Light provides horses with biologically effective light in a system that replicates the benefits of Nature’s light indoors, designed to maximise health, performance and breeding efficiency for stabled horses.

Equilume products are backed by science and trusted by equestrians and veterinarians worldwide. 

Celebrity Course Walk: Fair Hill With Shia LaBeouf

By on Aug 8, 2020 8:00 am -

I don’t know too much about Shia LaBeouf except that he’s in some movies and seems like a pretty intense guy, especially when it comes to making your dreams come true. I admire a person who really goes all in, and Shia was recently in the news for getting his entire chest permanently tattooed with the word “CREEPER” for an upcoming role. That’s commitment. Seems like somebody Jon Holling would really get along with.

Commitment is a must when you leave the cross country startbox so Shia is guiding this week’s Celebrity Course Walk, following in the footsteps of Leslie Knope a lá Parks & Rec who led us around Bicton Arena and of joy-sparkin’ painter Bob Ross who took us on a happy stroll around Barbury. If you have a request for a future celebrity course walk, do submit yours to DJ Chinch at our 24-hour all-request hotline.

Many thanks to Holly Covey for these photos from the new course at Fair Hill! In the CCI3*-S Phillip Dutton and one Fernhill horse lead the division after dressage on a penalty score of 21.9, with also-Phillip and another Fernhill horse hot on their heels. Phillip has two more rides in the division: some horse named Tsetserleg, currently 7th, and the OTTB Sea of Clouds in 13th. Lots of fun combos to keep an eye on.

Who’s ready to go a little bit aggro on Fair Hill cross country?!?!!!!

Alright! Here we go!

Fence 2. Photo by Holly Covey.

Photo by Holly Covey.

3ab left turn. Singerly road is on the right, the new turf course to left. Photo by Holly Covey.

A signature Ian Stark hump log cabin at the top a steep downhill to a trakehner. Photo by Holly Covey.

Photo by Holly Covey.

Photo by Holly Covey.

Haystack with a scotch plaid bow on the sheep for Ian. Photo by Holly Covey.

Photo by Holly Covey.

The first water, duck to skinny stump – 6ab. Photo by Holly Covey.

Photo by Holly Covey.

7ab offset tables with pheasants. 8 is a covered wagon rolltop on the way to the back field. 9 is a cabin drop. 10 is a blue table with beach decor. Photo by Holly Covey.

11abc coffin– really steep downhill to a, really steep to b. Photo by Holly Covey.

Frangible open oxer – 12. Photo by Holly Covey.

Photo by Holly Covey.

13ab drop into water after rooftop, wedge out. Photo by Holly Covey.

Fence 16. Fence 17 is a ditch and brush. Photo by Holly Covey.

18ab, red top table to corner. Photo by Holly Covey.

Photo by Holly Covey.

Last water 20ab. Photo by Holly Covey.

Final fence, 21. Photo by Holly Covey.

Thanks coach Shia! That was really inspiring. Now let’s all go out and …

Fair Hill International HT: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores] [Schedule]

 

Well-Wishes to Paul Tapner Following Hacking Accident

By on Aug 7, 2020 5:02 pm -

Paul Tapner and Bonza King of Rouge in the 2018 MS Amlin Eventers’ Challenge. Photo courtesy of the All England Jumping Course, Hickstead.

Our thoughts and well-wishes are with Australian five-star eventer Paul Tapner and his connections, who issued the following statement on Facebook today:

“Paul took a fall out hacking on Wednesday evening.

“Following scans it has been found that he has two tiny bleeds on his brain. One of the bleeds has unfortunately caused him to have a very mild stroke.

“He has remained conscious and is starting to be less distressed and more restful. The consultant says she can not see why he will not make a full recovery, but that this will be slowly over weeks and possibly months.

“Georgina, Joshua and Madison would like to thank everybody for being so supportive and of course are so grateful to the medical teams. They have been overwhelmed by support and offers of help.

“We will update as necessary when we can. Please bear with us and understand that Paul’s family would appreciate a bit of space at this distressing time

“With thanks
All at Team Tapner”

We will keep this post updated.