“Every problem is an opportunity in disguise.” Whoever made up that quote clearly did not have horses, because most of our problems are just plain problems — I can think of zero upsides to my horse’s latest injury, dumpster fire dressage test or assorted catastrophic event. But a few problems, I suppose, do have solutions that are entertaining or DIY genius enough to post to Instagram. Enjoy!
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Weekend Results Roundup: Heart of the Carolinas, MCTA, Poplar Place, Skyline
Badminton may have had the international spotlight this weekend, but the feel-good three-day event of the year was unfolding elsewhere, at Southern 8ths Farm in Chesterfield, South Carolina. The facility hosted the eighth annual Heart of the Carolinas Three-Day Event & Horse Trials, the only event offering riders the chance to contest a USEA recognized traditional long-format event at all four levels of Beginner Novice, Novice, Training and Preliminary.
Join us in issuing a job well done to the event’s hardworking organizers, a big thank-you to sponsors and volunteers, and a hearty congrats to competitors. A great time was had by all at this destination three-day — consider putting Heart of the Carolinas on your event calendar next year!
One shout-out, and then we’ll move on to a roll call of event winners. The honor of lowest finishing score in the country this weekend goes to Conor Rollins and On Target, who scored a 24.8 in Open Novice at Heart of the Carolinas. Way to go, Conor!
Weekend Winners:
Heart of the Carolinas 3DE & H.T. [Website] [Results]
Beginner Novice Three-Day: Brenda Hutton & WYO Dun Maid (27.7)
Novice Three-Day: Audrey Wiggins & Spookhill At Last (28.5)
Preliminary Three-Day: Jodie Potts & Wapiti Byrd (41.0)
Training Three-Day: Mary Clare & Furl the Main (33.7)
Open Preliminary: Danielle Dichting Busbee & Fernhill Allure (28.5)
Modified: Emma Reid & Love Like Crazy (35.5.)
Open Training: Paytin Schaeffer & Fernhill Tito (29.5)
Preliminary/Training: Dana Cooke & Master the Moment (34.4)
Open Novice: Conor Rollins & On Target (24.8)
Open Beginner Novice: Chelsea Kang & Daffy Doozies (28.9)
Saturday Open Advanced CT: Lindsay Kelley & Cooley Cruise Control (40.9)
Saturday Open Intermediate: Boyd Martin & Contessa (35.7)
Saturday Jr/YR Open Preliminary: Joe Bowersox & Minotaure du Passoir (45.4)
Saturday Open Preliminary A: Chris Talley & Faramund (30.2)
Saturday Open Preliminary B: Boyd Martin & Ringo Star (31.1)
Sunday Open Preliminary: Nora Battig-Leamer & Little Miss (35.2)
Saturday Open Modified: Kristen Gray & Corsen SR (36.4)
Sunday Open Modified: Cindy Anderson-Blank & Wahoo Legal (34.1)
Saturday Jr/YR Open Training: Katelyn Duda & More Ways Than One (33.1)
Saturday Open Training A: Mackenzie Williams & Get Serious (29.5)
Saturday Open Training B: Kim Severson & Exclusively Cooley (33.3)
Sunday Jr/YR Open Training: Delaney O’Neil & An Irish Blessing (27.6)
Sunday Open Training A: Michael Pendleton & Espri Fidele (33.3)
Sunday Open Training B: Emily Beshear & Templewood (30.2)
Saturday Open Novice: Holly McEwen & Cool Jack (36.4)
Sunday Open Jr/YR Novice: Meredith Chance & Bell Of The Ball (31.9)
Sunday Open Novice A: Lindsay Kelley & Cooley Romance (32.4)
Sunday Open Novice B: Susan Gallagher & Chacco Chip (31.2)
Sunday Jr/YR Open BN: Christina Welch & We Will (31.3)
Sunday Open BN: Noa Crowley & Charlie’s Angel (32.4)
Poplar Place Farm H.T. [Website] [Results]
Intermediate/Prelim: Leslie Law & JKF Vogue (33.9)
Intermediate Rider: Melanie Smith & Shakedown Street (46.0)
Open Intermediate: Leslie Law & Harthill Diamond (30.3)
Open Preliminary: Jonathon Holling & Sportsfield Two Doors Down (32.6)
Preliminary Rider: Savannah Blackstock & Garryndruig Albie (33.1)
Open Training: Julie Richards & Fernhill Copas (25.0)
Prelim/Training: Katelyn Finch & Rocket Man (51.4)
Training/Novice: Haley Hughes & Roanoke II (31.7)
Training Rider: Brie Murray & Fernhill Disco (30.0)
Novice Rider: Carrie Stryker & Just For Today (30.2)
Open Novice: Julie Richards & Beaulieu’s Cecelia (27.6)
Beginner Novice Rider: Sher Schwartz & Gorse Hill Gem (31.9)
Open Beginner Novice: Jessica Shull & Free Radical (31.4)
Starter: Samantha Halo & Hosanna (38.0)
The Event at Skyline H.T. [Website] [Results]
Intermediate / Preliminary: Emma James & Marley (49.2)
Preliminary: Erin Hofmann & Darkwatch (25.7)
Prelim / Training: Lucy Hawes & Uluru (35.6)
Training: Bajian Fernald & Young American (27.1)
Novice-A: Andrea Wilcox Brown & Clark (AKA) Superman (26.4)
Novice-B: Julianne Calder & Lismore (36.9)
Beginner Novice-A: Tara Miller & Adonis (30.0)
Beginner Novice-B: Lindsay Wagner & This Lad Is Gold (26.9)
Beginner Novice-C: Sophia Hardesty & San Marco (21.9)
Intro: Rosie Smith & Peppered Peregrine (36.1)
Go Eventing.
Pony Club Proud at LRK3DE!
Leah Lang-Gluscic thanked the Pony Clubbers for volunteering and let them give AP Prime a pat after his dressage test. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Everyone got their start in eventing somewhere, but nearly half of all the competitors at this year’s Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day event got their start in Pony Club.
Name, Rating, Pony Club
Andrea Baxter, A, Black Oaks Pony Club
Hawley Bennett-Awad, Groe and Langley Pony Club (Canadian Pony Club)
Tim Bourke, A, Clew Bay Pony Club (Irish Pony Club)
Buck Davidson, UR, Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds Pony Club
Ellen Doughty-Hume, A, Trinity Hills II Pony Club
Phillip Dutton, A, Nyngan Pony Club, New South Wales (Pony Club Australia)
Savannah Fulton, D-2, Full Moon Far Pony Club Riding Center
Lillian Heard, B, Seneca Valley Pony Club
Ashley Johnson, A, Amwell Valley Hounds Pony Club
Alexandra Knowles, A, Sierra Gold Pony Club
Marilyn Little, Frederick Pony Club
Elinor MacPhail O’Neal, C-2, Hunter Run Pony Club
Boyd Martin, Forest Hills Pony Club, New South Wales (Pony Club Australia)
Jennifer McFall, C-3, Sierra Gold Pony Club
Joe Meyer, Wainuioru Pony Club (The New Zealand Pony Club)
Colleen Rutledge, A, Frederick Pony Club
Kim Severson, B, Diamondback Pony Club
Erin Sylvester, C-2, North River Pony Club
Lynn Symansky, A, Difficult Run Pony Club
Ellen Doughty-Hume wore her alumni pin throughout the event. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Pony Club alumni are everywhere. They walk among us, disguised as humans, identifiable by their superhuman bandaging skills, freak knowledge of obscure equine trivia and legendary horse management neuroses. Not sure if you’re in the presence of an alum? Hang a water bucket in front of them with the snaps facing outward. If they start twitching, they’re in the Club. As this USPC Blog blog post puts it: “Regardless of your level or how many years you spent in the organization; once a Pony Club Member, always a Pony Club Member!”
Not every Pony Club grad goes on to become a four-star rider, but the organization is known for instilling within its membership a number of healthy, hard-won qualities: discipline, work ethic, focus, drive and myriad other character traits that contribute to a lifetime of success in the equestrian realm and beyond.
The USPC’s Pin Promise campaign makes it a little easier to give credit where credit is due. Launched in 2012 and Macy Carman, former Chair of Pony Club’s National Youth Board, it’s an initiative encouraging members, volunteers and alumni to wear their Pony Club pins outside of USPC affiliated functions, mirroring the impact that Pony Club has had on many members’ lives.
When you wear your pin, you are reminding others that Pony Club is one stepping stone to success in the equestrian community. Wearing your pin can inspire a D3 Pony Club Member watching at a local jumper show, or the thousands watching a former Pony Club member gallop by at Kentucky.
Chinch stopped by the Stop by the United States Pony Club booth in the Sponsor Village to sign the Pin Pledge banner. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
The Pin Promise was one of many irons Pony Club had in the fire at this year’s event. There were Keeneland Pony Club Quadrille and Pas de Deux demonstrations in the Walnut Ring, a Shapley’s grooming demo and autograph signing with Emma Ford in the Pony Club boot, and member-only course walks with designers Guilherme Jorge for the CSI3* Grand Prix course and with Richard Jeffery (a Pony Club grad!) for the CCI4*.
There was a Celebrity Games Challenge, and the annual Prince Philip Cup Games were fierce as usual! The four teams were the MidSouth Region Picks, Sunshine Region Butterfingers, Sunshine Region Yellow Jackets and an Eastern Pennsylvania/Old Dominion/Tri-State Region Mix Team called Switch Blade. 2018 marks the competition’s 18th consecutive year it has been hosted during Kentucky.
We were happy to meet the two recipients of the 2018 USPC Media Internship, who joined two returning interns for this year’s event. The crew: Brynn Hawley (Delaware PC), Isabel Brunker (Keeneland PC), Allison Bailey (Delaware PC), and Kaila McCormack (Metamora Hunt II PC). During a tour of the media center, we interviewed THEM about their internship experience — sounds like it’s been a fun and educational one!
Learn more about USPC by visiting the website here. Go Pony Club. Go Eventing!
#LRK3DE Links: Website, Live Stream, Final Scores, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Ultimate Guide, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
A Shrine to Insanity: Recapping the 6th Annual EN Tailgate Party, Presented by Amerigo
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Roaming amid the various tailgate setups on cross country day at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, you encounter a lot of impressive setups — fancy to-dos tricked out with bloody mary bars, tiny snacks on toothpicks, and ornamental shrubbery, inhabited by classy-looking people in interesting hats.
The EN tailgate, presented by Amerigo, is … something else.
“The decor aesthetic we’re going for is ‘chinchilla acid trip nightmare,'” I chirped to the crew of volunteers who showed up early to help set up, preferably with mimosas in hand. And they delivered: from a few cardboard boxes full of random red-white-and-blue crap from Party City emerged a sprawling wonderland of eventing insanity.
Its centerpiece: Chinch himself, roaming free against a backdrop of fluttering selfies. This photographic memoir told the story of a life well lived, filled with globe-trotting adventure and four-star friends.
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Fans visited him throughout the day, passing him around and posing with him for photos.
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
At some point during the day, another random stuffed animal friend showed up:
Notice the guy getting an EN temporary tattoo tramp stamp in the background. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Around here you just never know what’s going to happen next!
This year’s tailgate featured a signature cocktail, a spiked lavender lemonade featuring vodka from Prohibition Distillery in Roscoe, New York.
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
We also gave away swag, including EN sunglasses and W.W.MJ.D. bracelets — which we may have to change to W.W.OT.D. for next year’s event.
Many thanks to all the EN friends and family who stopped by, to our volunteers (especially chief chinchilla wrangler and hostess-with-the-mostest Courtney Paige Tiedt), and to our fabulous sponsor Amerigo.
We may have been overlooked for the official Land Rover Best Tailgate award, but if there was an award for Most Insane Tailgate, we’d have it on lock.
Photo by Janer Oxenden.
Red on right, white on left, insanity in the middle. Now more than ever, Go Eventing!
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
#LRK3DE Links: Website, Live Stream, Final Scores, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Ultimate Guide, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
#EventerProblems Vol. 140 from Ecovet: Thank the Lord for Live Streams
What did we did before Kentucky Three-Day Event live streams? Just, like, wait around for scores? Look at some pictures? How neanderthal.
Nowadays we can all follow the action as it unfolds, thanks to the fine folks at USEF Network. Check out our “How to Watch” guide here or skip straight to the live stream here.
If your #EventerProblem this week is that you aren’t here watching LRK3DE in the flesh, this one goes out to you:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiDHOqtANKW/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiCQXSOgXbk/
Go Eventing.
#LRK3DE Links: Website, Ride Times, Schedule, Live Stream, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Ultimate Guide, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
Dandelions in the Park
Originally published on EN in 2012, this essay’s relevance has remained intact over the years. On the eve of this year’s event, we thought it appropriate to re-share as a reminder that this collective experience we know as Kentucky is much bigger, and more complex, than we sometimes give it credit for.
Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos on course at Kentucky in 2011. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Some people believe there are spiritual vortexes scattered around the world, energetic super-centers so powerful that you can practically feel the stuff circulating in the air. Mystics and metaphysicists flock to them — Stonehenge, the Giza pyramids, ancient Inca ruins — hoping to catch a whiff of the divine.
I don’t know how much I buy into that crystal visions claptrap, but I do think there’s something to the idea of a place retaining its history in mysterious ways. The Kentucky Horse Park, in particular, is a plot of earth that I’ve always sensed had more going on than meets the eye. There’s a magic to it, and it’s more than just the pastoral combination of majestic oak trees, plush bluegrass and pristine rural air. Rather, it’s layers upon layers of emotion, saturating the soil and rustling through the leaves.
The poetry of a flawlessly executed dressage test, the cheer of a crowd gathered round the Head of the Lake, the thunder of a victory gallop — that energy lingers in the air long after everyone has packed up and gone home. But the source of the Park’s magic is more multidimensional than that.
On Jimmy Wofford’s cross country walk at WEG in 2010, he told the crowd that there was a dandelion on the course for every heart broken at the Park. I remember looking down, seeing a patch of the weed’s sharply scalloped leaves, and wondering in earnest whose tears had fertilized them.
I’m sure I’ve got a few dandelions out there myself, not from the four-star, but from other Horse Park events that felt equivalently serious at the time. When you’re 13 and you’ve saved your $4-an-hour stall mucking wages all summer to compete at some event, only to have your pony jump out of the dressage ring … dandelion. When you’re 17 and your horse hangs a leg in the water complex at Pony Club championships and you feel like you’ve let down your entire team … dandelion. When you’re 29 and you pull up halfway around the course with the sinking realization that you’re simply not prepared … dandelion.
I could go on and on, and I’m sure some of you could, too. Certainly these moments weren’t the end of the world, but perspective is a function of the mind, not the heart.
This weekend there are going to be riders who don’t make it around the course. They’ll make the same long walk back to the barn that so many have before them, replaying a split second over and over again in their minds, trying to figure out what went wrong. Some of them will get a leg up on their next ride or have the opportunity try again next year. Others might not get a second chance.
If you’re at Kentucky this weekend, take a quiet moment at some point to look around you. Acknowledge the dandelions and the horses and riders who planted them there. Remember that it’s all connected. Without attempt, and the risk of failure that goes with it, there can be no glory. The hit and the miss both begin with a leap.
Go Eventing.
Your Guide to EN’s 6th Annual ‘Insanity in the Middle’ Tailgate, Presented by Amerigo
It’s happy hour all day at the EN LRK3DE Tailgate, presented by Amerigo! Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Eventing Nation has the best readers in the land. And because nothing says “thank you” like free refreshments and swag, we are once again partnering with Amerigo to throw EN’s 6th annual Reader Appreciation Tailgate Party!
Consider this your official invite.
When: Cross country day! Saturday, April 28, from when the first horse sets out on course until the last horse passes the finish flags.
Where: We’ll be in tailgating spaces S294 and S295, near the jog strip and announcer’s tower overlooking the infield. Red on right, white on left, party in the middle … we’re kind of hard to miss.
What: All the fun, all day long. Stop by to get EN temporary-tatted up, schmooze with a certain celebrity Chinch, quench your thirst, enjoy a snack, and win some sweet swag.
This year we’re excited to feature a signature cocktail, a lavender lemonade featuring vodka from the fine folks at Prohibition Distillery in Roscoe, New York!
Always the life of the party. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Win!
- Submit your best “What’s the REAL Story Behind Chinch?” conspiracy theory for a chance to win prizes from Amerigo.
- Pick up a W.W.MJ.D. wristband!
- Are you the proud horse parent of a CANTER adoptee? Grab a free shirt or hat from CANTER USA.
What would Michael do? Win, clearly!!! #ThisAintNoRolex
Why: Because you’re awesome.
We’re expecting a few eventing celebs to stop by — keep an eye on EN’s Twitter (@eventingnation) and Instagram (@goeventing) for updates!
Go eventing party people!
#LRK3DE Links: Website, Ride Times, Schedule, Live Stream, Live Scores, Course Preview, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Ultimate Guide, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
The Thoroughbred Superfan’s Guide to LRK3DE
Love this commemorative 2018 LRK3DE poster of Elisa Wallace and OTTB Simply Pricelesss, created by Retired Racehorse Project.
Love Thoroughbreds? If you’ve come to the 2018 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, you’ve come to the right place. Not only is Lexington the heart of Thoroughbred country, the event itself features a number of ways to celebrate the breed, which is well represented on this year’s entry list — see Erin Harty’s “Meet the Thoroughbreds of Kentucky CCI4*, 2018 Edition.”
Here are a few ways to get your Thoroughbred fix at LRK3DE!
- Stop by the Retired Racehorse Project Booth. Located in tent booth #91 outside the Covered Arena, RPP is a hub of activity. Pick up your Thoroughbred order of go to follow all your favorites; get a commemorative Elisa Wallace and Simply Priceless poster; stock up on your RPP gear; or try your hand at the RPP Scavenger Hunt on Thursday and Friday! Click here for a full RPP event schedule.
- Walk the cross country course with Nick Larkin. Nick won the first Kentucky CCI4* with Red, a New Zealand Thoroughbred, and has been involved with the breed in both the realms of horse shows and racing. The walk, organized by RPP, starts at 2 p.m. Friday at fence #1.
- Get pumped for the 2018 Thoroughbred Makeover! RPP is hosting two previews: Friday, April 27 at 4 p.m, and Saturday, April 28 at 10 a.m. in the Walnut Ring. Thoroughbred Makeover-bound riders Isabela de Sousa, Emily Brollier Curtis, Elizabeth James, and Clark Montgomery share their secrets for making racehorses into sporthorses, with commentary from Nick Larkin and Tik Maynard. View horse and rider bios here.
- If you’re a Makeover Trainer, join RPP for a Meet and Greet Breakfast on Sunday, April 29 from 8:30-10 a.m. at the USHJA Wheeler Museum. Click here to purchase tickets.
- Visit the Thoroughbred Charities represented in the Trade Fair. Among them: New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program in booth #225, Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center in booth #231, and KY Equine Humane Center in booth #232. The Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center is located on-grounds, in case you feel like doing some OTTB shopping while you’re there!
- Attend the New Vocations Open Barn and BBQ, which will once again be hosted at the conclusion of the dressage phase on Friday, April 27, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The event takes place at New Vocations at Mereworth Farm, which will open its doors for tours, a meet-and-greet with the horses, educational demonstrations and a delicious BBQ meal. Click here to purchase tickets.
- Are you the proud parent of a CANTER adopted horse? Stop by the EN Cross Country Tailgate Party to pick up a CANTER shirt or hat. It’s limited supply and first-come first-serve, so get there early! The tailgate is located in spots S294-S295 in the infield near the jog strip.
Go Thoroughbreds. Go Eventing!
[RRP at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event]
#LRK3DE Links: Website, Ride Times, Schedule, Live Stream, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Ultimate Guide, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
Two Must-Have Mobile Apps for Keeping Up With Kentucky
EN + LRK3DE apps: All things Kentucky, all at your fingertips.
Do you want/need/have to have all the latest reports from the 2018 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event as soon as they hit the Internet stratosphere? Make sure you have these two apps downloaded to your smartphone:
The Official LRK3D App
Features include essential event info including schedule, grounds map, ride times, details on the Sponsor Village and Trade Fair, news, social media links and more. You can even use it to purchase tickets or check the Lexington weather forecast! The app is available on Google Play and in the iTunes Store.
The Eventing Nation App
Never type “eventingnation.com” into your mobile or iPad browser search bar again! Just tap the app and boom, you’re here. With a single click you can text, email or share stories to social, or save stories as favorites so you can read them later. Activate push notifications so you know the minute we publish a new LRK3DE report! The app is available on Google Play and in the iTunes Store.
Bonus!
What would Michael Jung do? Download the EN app, obviously! Stop by the EN Tailgate Party on cross country day to pick up your W.W.MJ.D. wristband. The tailgate is located in spaces S294 and S295, near the jog strip and announcer’s tower overlooking the infield. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Go forth and download. Go Eventing!
#LRK3DE Links: Website, Ride Times, Schedule, Live Stream, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Ultimate Guide, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
I Woke Up Like This: EN’s Unofficial Jog Awards
Forty-six horses passed the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event first horse inspection, blah blah blah. Real talk time! Which pairs were bringing the style heat?!
We’ll leave the official best-dressed award-giving to the fine folks at Dubarry of Ireland, against whose dapper tweed blazers and jaunty caps we here at EN cannot compete. (We are more … is “homeless journalist chic” a thing?) But we have, collectively, watched just enough episodes of Project Runway to be dangerous, and thus vaguely qualified to decree our own human and horse turnout superlatives.
Best Braids Not on a Horse: Hawley Bennett
Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
The “Real Men Wear Bowties That Look Like Polkadots From a Distance …
Waylon Roberts and Kelecyn Cognac. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
“… But Are Actually Skull and Crossbones” Award: Waylon Roberts
Or are they, as one reader suggested, canoe paddles? Waylon also won the Dubarry of Ireland award for Best Dressed Man. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Best Horse-Human Color Coordination: Sara Gumbiner and Polaris
And … winner of the Dubarry of Ireland award for Best Dressed Lady. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Best Use of Purple Shampoo: Wembley
Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Most Likely to Be Swarmed By Bees: Ellie MacPhail O’Neal
#FlowerPower. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Seriously, tho, love this dress! Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Best Equine Kite: Tight Lines
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Idea: Attach some lunge lines to a fit four-star event horse and float it through the streets of New York City. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Smoothest Recovery From a Snot Bath: Lillian Heard
Ah-choo, LCC Barnaby! Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
It’s gonna take more than a few airborne boogs to wash away Lillian’s smile. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Most Kentucky Derby Ready: Leah Lang-Gluscic
When in Kentucky …. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Most Unique Mug Shot: Wundermaske
Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
The “I Woke Up Like This” Perpetual Trophy: Phillip Dutton
Flawless. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
We’ll be back with much, much more tomorrow. Go Eventing!
#LRK3DE Links: Website, Ride Times, Schedule, Live Stream, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
60 Seconds With Lynn Symansky Ahead of the 2018 Land Rover Kentucky 3DE
Donner was four-star fresh at the first horse inspection! Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Lynn Symansky and Donner are no strangers to the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. This year marks their fourth crack at the iconic four-star event — they were 5th here in 2013, 12th in 2015 and 17th in 2016.
Lynn and Donner, a 15-year-old Thoroughbred (Gorky Park x Smart Jane, by Smarten), are fan favorites and veterans of the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team. This preview video shows the pair settling into the Kentucky Horse Park and lends insight into what it’s like to tackle the centerpiece of the cross country course, the Head of the Lake.
“Riding into the Land Rover Kentucky Head of the Lake is one of the most exciting parts of being an eventer on this cross country course,” Lynn says. “You come in and you have the entire crowd cheering for you, the adrenaline is up, your horse is fired up, and it is just a spectacular feeling to go through clear and head back to the end of the course.”
Lynn and Donner canter up the centerline at 2:02 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Here’s wishing them a happy event!
#LRK3DE Links: Website, Ride Times, Schedule, Live Stream, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
What Are We Supposed to Call ‘The Event Formerly Known as Rolex’?
EN readers weigh in on what to call … whatever it you want to call it.
Since Rolex Watch U.S.A. signed on as title sponsor of Kentucky Horse Trials in 1981, the event’s name has become interchangeable with that of the Swiss watchmaker. The new official name is, of course, Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, but all those syllables can be a drag in casual conversation. What are we supposed to call this thing colloquially?
I’ve heard a number of interpretations. There’s just plain Kentucky, which the international eventing community outside of North America has already been calling it for years. The event itself has been using LRK3DE in press releases and on social media. Others are referring to it as Land Rover or Rover, an extension of the decorum given to the event’s previous title sponsor. Some sentimental contrarians are refusing to call it anything other than Rolex. Other variations abound, my personal favorite of which is “KY Jelly Rover” — creative but seems unlikely to win the popular vote.
“The Event Formerly Known as Rolex” is an anomaly in that no other CCI4* has had its name absorbed by its title sponsor. Land Rover is the title sponsor of Burghley, Mitsubishi Motors is the title sponsor of Badminton and Adelaide, and DHL is the title sponsor of Luhmühlen. But in casual conversation, we refer to them simply as Burghley, Badminton, Adelaide and Luhmühlen. (Pau does not have a designated title sponsor at this time.)
Here at EN, you’ll likely encounter Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event on first reference in a story and then something shorter and less formal after that, like LRK3DE or Kentucky. (Or maybe just a string of random emojis, who knows — things get weird in the Kentucky Horse Park press room.)
Even if we’re not calling the event “Land Rover” colloquially, let’s be sure to show them lots of love in return for the support they are showing this special event and the sport at large. If you’re Kentucky-bound this week, take the time to thank a Land Rover rep, do a test-drive, wear your LR hat, follow LR on social, or consider purchasing one as your next vehicle like I did (see “Eventing Sponsorship Matters or, Why I Just Gave Land Rover Literally All of My Money.”) They haul like a dream and make you feel like a gangster when you roll up ito the pony show, just sayin’.
We look forward to a bigger and more interactive Land Rover presence than ever at this year’s event. In addition to Land Rover’s popular driving course and tailgating competition, there will be a teen off-road driving course, mini Land Rovers for kids, canine-friendly Rover Lounges, and a fleet of vehicles creatively incorporated into the cross country course. The rider will receive a one-year lease on a brand new Land Rover Discovery.
As for Rolex, it’s still around. While the watchmaker has shifted its equestrian sponsorship focus to show jumping, it remains the official timepiece of LRK3DE/Kentucky/🚘🐴🏆💕. And its sponsorship of the Kentucky Horse Park’s Rolex Stadium, a $1.2 million deal with the state of Kentucky, runs through 2020.
“The name is new, but the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event is still … The Best Weekend All Year!” You know that’s right. See you there, EN.
#EventerProblems Vol. 139 from Ecovet: Keep Smiling
Whether you’re a horse or a human, it’s helpful to have a sense of humor in this sport. Exhibit A: this horse …
Love it! Here’s your latest batch of #EventerProblems.
Dear 2018 training level tests, Will Taylor remember…. #eventerproblems #eventing #firstshowoftheyear #newdressagetests #stress
— Taylor Mohr (@xcjumpertm3) April 15, 2018
You know it’s been a mild winter when a bird makes a nest in your horse’s winter blanket! #eventerproblems @StormTeam8WFLA #flwx #florida @eventingnation pic.twitter.com/mpukwoUo1q
— Jennifer Bement (@rdheadstepchild) April 15, 2018
My body makes more clicking noises than a bowl of rice krispies #eventerproblems
— Claire Drey-Brown (@clairedreybb) December 30, 2015
How eventers tell if they’ve lost/gained weight:
How snug or loose their xc vest is from the last time they wore it #eventerproblems— Shit Eventers Say (@ShitEventersSay) February 15, 2016
Spent the rest of my tax return on my horse’s chiropractic exam. #worthit because look at how handsome and happy he is. #eventerproblems pic.twitter.com/2bDWNnMyms
— Jojo (@eventerjo) April 17, 2018
When autocorrect thinks it’s clever turning ‘Xx’ into ‘XC’ 🙈 #EventerProblems
— Pumbaa Goess-Saurau (@PumbaaGoess) June 12, 2016
When you have no hot water at the barn and you have to bathe your horse. We improvise! #eventerproblems pic.twitter.com/oW2dMTawHI
— Sophie Mairin (@eventingisluv) April 11, 2018
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhsXlDyAxzl/
Go Eventing.
#Eventer(Almost)FailFriday: Behold This Amazing ‘Mom Save’
“Mom mom mom mom too fast TOO FAST AHHHHHHHHHHH!” When a pony ride at Rosefield Farm Sport Horses, an eventing barn in Brimfield, Illinois, starts going south, mom leaps to the rescue.
Go moms. Go Eventing!
U.S. Weekend Results Roundup: Ocala, Fair Hill, Twin Rivers, FENCE
A big victory smile from Carter McInnis and Greystone Lad, winners of Open Novice at at FENCE H.T. Photo via Carter McInnis.
Lots happening around the sovereign state of Eventing Nation this weekend! Let’s recap winners and a few notes from Ocala International CCI & H.T. in Ocala, Florida; Fair Hill CIC & H.T. in Elkton, Maryland; Twin Rivers CIC & H.T. in Paso Robles, California; and FENCE H.T. in Landrum, South Carolina.
- Andrea Davidson and Mr. Poppers posted the lowest finishing score of the weekend in the country, a 20.2 in a division of Open Training at Ocala International. We love the story of this special partnership between the Davidsons and this handsome black horse, who meant so much to the late Christine Brown. Well-done, you two.
- FENCE H.T. was compressed from a two-day to a one-day due to impending severe weather on Sunday. What could have been a mad scramble ran smoothly thanks to a classic case of eventing camaraderie. As my buddy Katherine McDonough, who finished 2nd in Open Beginner Novice A with Irish Red, recounted, “Shout-out to the approximately 591,583 moms, dads, friends, fellow competitors, organizers, officials and volunteers who helped all of us when our two-day got changed to a one-day due to impending storms and kept us fed and watered and held horses and put in studs and helped us cool out horses and tack up and ran and got this and carried that and told us what time is was and helped us run through our courses in our head and and and … what a sport, what a crew.” Indeed!
- The name game: As the lady-in-waiting to an event pony named Princess myself, I love seeing fellow royal equine family out and about in the sport. There were several of them roaming the kingdom this weekend: at Ocala — Princess B, Princess Sophia, Prince of Kiltealy, Prince Renan, King Lear, King of the Swamp and King Richard; at FENCE — The African Queen and King’s Ransome; at Fair Hill, King Bust and Kings Council; at Twin Rivers, Prince Eric, Zena Princess Warrior, Princess Ita and Orion’s Bold Princess.
- It’s great to see events putting so much effort and attention into quality footing. Ocala International has a new irrigation system in use at The Florida Horse Park, along with two huge new irrigated arenas. Ocala organizer Equiventures, LLC was also able to purchase an aerator made possible by contributions from the eventing community and help from Mark McCleerey and Will Whiddon, and it was put to good use over the weekend. A snapshot from Fair Hill, which also takes pride in providing competitors with top-notch turf:
Your weekend winners:Ocala International CCI & H.T. [Website] [Results] [EN’s Coverage]
CCI Two Star: Liz Halliday-Sharp & Cooley Quicksilver (31.4)
CCI One Star: Alexandra Knowles & Princess B (25.3)
Advanced Combined Test: Buck Davidson & Park Trader (30.3)
Intermediate Horse: Alexander O’Neal & Fury H (30.9)
Intermediate Rider: Ava Wehde & Butts Leonie R (50.7)
Open Intermediate: Anna Loschiavo & Prince Renan (32.1)
Open Preliminary: Sara Kozumplik Murphy & Rubens D’Ysieux (23.7)
Preliminary Horse: Joe Meyer & May Ryloa (25.9)
Preliminary Rider: Denise Goyea & Carrick Finest Lad (28.5)
Open Training-A: Andrea Davidson & Mr Poppers (20.2)
Open Training-B: Sam Kelly & Robinstown Ballivor (27.5)
Training Horse-A: Maya Black & Miks Master C (25.7)
Training Horse-B: David O’Connor & My Man Cooley (24.8)
Training Rider-A: Audrie Stanka & Sydney Ardeo (28.0)
Training Rider-B: Diana Craven & Mr. Fernhill (32.3)
Novice Horse-A: Elisa Wallace & Reloaded (29.4)
Novice Horse-B: Alexander O’Neal & I’m Special VG (26.0)
Novice Rider-A: Alston Kerr & Sir Earl Grey (28.8)
Novice Rider-B: Robin Barr & Tout Fini (23.1)
Novice Rider-C: Susan Martin & Alice Alice (30.0)
Open Novice: Janelle Phaneuf & Landmark’s Jungle ROC (21.0)
Fair Hill CIC & H.T. [Website] [Results] [EN’s Coverage]
CIC Three Star: Matthew Flynn & Get Lucky (36.5)
CIC Two Star: Will Faudree & Hans Dampf (27.7)
CIC One Star: Kelli Temple & Metallica (28.5)
Advanced: Will Coleman & Obos O’Reilly (31.2)
Intermediate: Boyd Martin & Shamwari 4 (31.0)
Preliminary-A: Ryan Wood & Ruby (27.8)
Preliminary-B: Courtney Cooper & Tender Bravissimo (27.8)
Training-A: Courtney Cooper & Caia Z (28.9)
Training-B: Ryan Wood & Ben Nevis (23.6)
Training-C: Kelli Temple & Caleesi (27.5)
Twin Rivers CIC & H.T. [Website] [Results] [EN’s Coverage]
CCI2*: Amber Pearson & Patagonia (40.6)
CCI1*: Liza Horan & Lafite (34.9)
CIC3*: Heather Morris & Charlie Tango (37.1)
Advanced: Dana Chase & Aerolite (152.6)
Advanced CT: Andrea Baxter & Indy 500 (23.6)
Open Intermediate: Maddy Mazzola & So Cool (36.0)
Open Preliminary: James Alliston & Cassio’s Picasso (25.4)
Preliminary Rider A: Molly Gibbons & Zero Gravity (25.0)
Preliminary Rider B: Charlotte Babbitt & 2 A.M. (29.5)
Jr. Training Rider A: Ashley Long & Rochambeau (35.3)
Jr. Training Rider B: Madison Santley & Excellence (30.0)
Open Training: Gina Economou & Swizzle (28.8)
Sr. Training Amateur: Louise Leslie & Souvenir (27.0)
Sr. Training Rider A: Lauren Henry & Stony Creek (30.6)
Sr. Training Rider B: Kate Helffrich & Coquette (35.3)
Training Horse: Alexis Helffrich & Graceland’s Lincoln (28.3)
Jr. Novice Rider A: Kira Niyogi & Astro NSF (27.9)
Jr. Novice Rider B: Gabriella Ringer & Get Wild (31.7)
Novice Horse: Allyson Green & Frigal (23.1)
Open Novice: Michelle Emmermann & WHF Warsong (26.2)
Sr. Novice Amateur: Nancy Read & Caribe PCH (25.0)
Sr. Novice Rider A: Natalie Burk & Laced Sensation (30.7)
Sr. Novice Rider B: Jeanne Carley & Shannondale Fionn (29.2)
Jr. Beg. Novice Rider A: Seika Streets & By Special Request (27.2)
Jr. Beg. Novice Rider B: Savannah Carter & Ballustree Dun Believable (26.4)
Open Beg. Novice: Nikki Lloyd & Wil’ya Dance (30.6)
Sr. Beg. Novice Rider: Annie Desmond & Little Elf (26.9)
Future Event Horse 3 Year Old: Krystal Clemente & Alfrathul (69.9)
Future Event Horse Yearling: Alexandria Dubin & Makers Mark (69.8)
Young Event Horse 4 Year Old: Amber Levine & Juniperus (68.4)
Young Event Horse 5 Year Old: Marc Grandia & Sunsprite’s Watusi (80.7)
FENCE H.T. [Website] [Results]
Junior Young Riders Open Preliminary: Leah Elgart & Punch Line (48.0)
Open Preliminary: Melanie Smith & Shakedown Street (38.8)
Open Training-A: Kristin Schmolze & Monty’s Revenge (34.6)
Open Training-B: Sierra Shurtz & Zach Eyed Pea (27.6)
Open Novice-A: Carter McInnis & Greystone Lad (27.1)
Open Novice-B: Emily Thomas & Ohio (31.0)
Open Novice-C: Lauren Lindsay & FGF Robin Hood (29.1)
Open Beginner Novice-A: Ruth Ahearne & Justified (27.0)
Open Beginner Novice-B: Marissa Griffin & Poppyfields Tiger Shark (36.9)
Open Beginner Novice-C: Alexa Ehlers & Clear Laveer (21.0)
Starter Divison-A: Kylee Casey & Belle (31.7)
Starter Divison-B: Coti Hausman & Rivendells Annaleis Sparrow (29.7)
Go Eventing!
#EventerProblems Vol. 138 from Ecovet: Mud, Hair and Other Springtime Woes
It’s spring, and we’re all emerging from our winter caves to a sea of mud, hairballs and slightly rusty skill sets. Let those springtime #EventerProblems rip, EN!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhSJpJZnaYh/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhb0Er9Aii7/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhUcqYvlL0Y/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhAVwjfjPUJ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg0w6kwljkW/
Go Eventing.
#EventerFailFriday: The Road to Success Is Paved With Fail
I don’t know why this series is called #EventerFailFriday. All the riders and horses in these photos and videos are putting themselves out there, going for it, living their best lives. In my book, that’s not failure. That’s just a speedbump on the road to success. Shoot for the moon and even if you miss you’ll land among stars, as the saying goes. Or maybe you land in a water jump. The important thing is that you get up, wring the water out of your shirt, and try-try again.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhNCDptBdVH/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhP-nUmgQoq/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhgSAgcAoqZ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfioxRXnm9D/
Go Eventing!
153 Days Until WEG 2018: Is Tryon International Equestrian Center on Track?
Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
There’s a lot of red clay dirt being pushed around at Tryon International Equestrian Center. It rises up in jagged tiers behind the George H. Morris Arena, where CIC3* dressage and all levels of show jumping took place last week for The Fork and WEG Eventing Test Event. Giant bulldozers push it around on the venue’s periphery, piling it up or flattening it out, adding or subtracting layers of earth from burnt orange hillsides.
Construction is underway for the 2018 World Equestrian Games everywhere you look: piles of rebar, stacks of lumber, steel beams, all earmarked for new structures. There’s a concrete foundation where a hotel is meant to be built, a three-story skeleton that will house a new media center and VIP hospitality decks, and a half-functional indoor arena. When TIEC is in use for horse shows — as it will be for 75 out of the next 153 days, roughly half of the time between now and WEG — work within the venue must take place at night.
“Will it get done in time?” was the whisper on everyone’s lips during The Fork at TIEC. The absence of knowledge is always a petri dish for speculation, rumor and concern, but it’s rooted in a very legitimate question.
Hosting all eight WEG disciplines within a central venue is a logistical Rubik’s Cube — in addition to some 800 human and equine athletes, plus officials and volunteers and all the other moving parts, the venue must accommodate half a million spectators over the course of two weeks. WEG is allegedly the largest sporting event in the U.S. this year, and the fourth largest in the world behind the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup and Tour de France.
The infrastructure required boggles the mind. And objectively speaking, there is still so much to be done at TIEC, so much red dirt everywhere, and the clock is ticking. Is TIEC on track to host WEG?
“It depends on what your definition of ‘on track’ is,” a TIEC spokesperson said when we pressed for an answer.
At the end of the day, the only definition that matters is the one by which Mark Bellissimo, managing partner of Tryon Equestrian Partners, is operating. His bid to host WEG 2018 was accepted just over one year and four months ago, when only two venues were left standing after a fraught selection process: TIEC, and the Šamorín equestrian center in Slovakia. The timeline was expedited from the get-go and will remain so through the homestretch.
Whether TIEC is on track to host WEG is for Bellissimo to know and for us to find out later — the proof is in the pudding, as they say. And not unlike TIEC at the moment, pudding can be messy.
In the meantime, here’s a tour of TIEC as it stands.
First, to orient ourselves, a panoramic view of the venue from left to right: the Derby Field, to the established “Tryon Village” and George H. Morris arena, to stabling, to the indoor arena and venue entrance. The area in the foreground will host the World Equine Expo, which includes a trade fair, demos, educational seminars, clinics, panel discussions, an equine art/film festival and the WEQx Games. A wayfinding firm will be brought in this summer to help connect the various parts of the venue and create signage to direct human flow.
The 12-acre Derby Field will become the site of a semi-permanent stadium that will host eventing show jumping and the disciplines of dressage and show jumping. Cross country will also finish in the arena. (Eventing dressage, which is nearly sold out, will take place in the George H. Morris Arena.) The new stadium will be similar to the one built in Greenwich Park for the London Olympics, built on a temporary platform structure with footing atop it and seating for 20,000. Assembly of the stadium will begin after the USPC Championships East on July 26-29, as the Derby Field currently plays host to a portion of the cross country course at TIEC.
The current Derby Field at TIEC will become the site for the new WEG stadium. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Massive excavation work, as seen in the background of these photos, is being done in preparation for cross country, combined driving and endurance. As for all that red clay, the footing will be sodded — money can’t make grass grow faster, but it can buy pre-grown grass.
As they did for the WEG Test Event, horses will walk from stabling to cross country, held on the adjacent White Oak property, via a dedicated hacking path. Spectators may walk to White Oak from TIEC or take a shuttle. The cross country course will have three access points with shuttles running from point to point, and there will be two or three hospitality hubs on course with food trucks and beer. On the subject of food, a topic of grave concern to anyone who attended the 2014 “World Queuing Games” in Normandy, the main venue will have a food truck village in addition to TIEC’s five permanent restaurants.
Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Cross country course designer Capt. Mark Phillips is playing it close to the vest with regard to what we’ll see out there in September, but there are a few clues — check out EN’s CIC3* course preview from the Test Event here. Having ridden the course, some riders noted that the undulating golf course terrain made making time more difficult than expected, and fitness will be imperative with the course ending on a lengthy uphill climb. We spoke with turf guru Dan Fradley at length about the footing and will be posting a separate report on that soon.
Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Moving back toward civilization, a three-story permanent structure between the Derby Field/future main stadium and the George H. Morris arena will house a media center on the first floor and VIP hospitality decks on the second and third. “Summit Club” patrons will be able to watch the action from both arenas simultaneously.
Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Equine accommodations are in working order and are first-class, with rubber mats and fans in every stall. Designated horse walking paths throughout the venue feature the same fiber footing as the rings. WEG stabling will be by discipline, not by country. EN received reports that some horses stabled during The Fork were agitated by the nighttime construction, even to the point of getting colick-y. There is also currently very limited grass designated for hand-grazing, an all-important stress reducer for horses stabled at any competition.
Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
The indoor arena near the venue entrance will host vaulting and reining. Half of it is functional and hosted the WEG Vaulting Test Eventing, which ran simultaneously with The Fork at TIEC, while the other half remains a work in progress.
One half of the covered arena … Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
… and the other half of the covered arena. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Beyond the indoor arena and one-bedroom cabins, acres are being prepared for modular athlete housing. The units are being built off-site at US Precision, a manufacturing plant near Tryon that Bellissimo owns and is using to build the hotel and other resort structures, and will be delivered to the venue at a later date.
The original WEG plan included the construction of on-site hotels, but those now seem to have question marks hanging over them. In the event that they are not completed in time for WEG, blocks of area hotels have been cordoned off by WEG for use by National Federations as backup. The Salamander Resort, a luxury sister resort to the original in Middleburg, Virginia, is planned for the White Oak property but will not be finished by WEG.
Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
That’s the latest from within the venue itself — although considering the speed at which things are changing around TIEC, they’ve likely changed again since the weekend! We’ll be keeping an eye on the venue in the coming months and will bring you updates as they emerge. Visit the Tryon 2018 website for more information and to purchase WEG tickets.
Weekend Results Roundup: The Fork, Chatt Hills, CDCTA, Pine Hill, Spring Bay
Spring Bay Horse Trials … or Winter Bay? Photo by Megan Moore.
Lots going on out there in the Eventing Nation this weekend, some of it colder than others! The Fork at TIEC & WEG Test Event in Mill Spring, North Carolina; Chattahoochee Hills CIC & H.T. in Fairburn, Georgia; Spring Bay H.T. in Lexington, Kentucky; Pine Hill Spring H.T. in Bellville, Texas; and CDCTA Spring H.T. in Berryville, Virginia, all hosted events.
Here are few notes and a shout-out to winners from the weekend that was:
- The weather at Spring Bay H.T. in Lexington, Kentucky, wasn’t so springlike this year. Spring Bay is the first Area VIII event of the year, and the show went on despite winter’s surprise encore. The ground jury allowed riders to wear their winter coats; Megan Moore, who snapped the photo above and won Open Training on Guinness, said she did her dressage test in a winter coat, earmuffs, multiple pairs and hand warmers! A word of reflection from organizer Mary Fike: “Everyone one of us involved with Spring Bay would like to thank all of the volunteers who braved the most interesting weekend weather with smiles and gracious sense of humor. And to all of the riders who supported us in spite of dire forecasts — you guys are the best! I am so glad that Sunday rewarded you all with some sunshine and a good day of sportsmanship. It was so good to see you all and I wish you the best of luck in your upcoming season!” Thank YOU, too, Mary, and everyone who braved what was hopefully winter’s last gasp!
- Congrats to Julie Richards and Fernhill Copas, who posted the lowest finishing score of the weekend in the country. The pair added nothing to their dressage score of 17.9 to win the Open Training division at Chattahoochee Hills. Well-done … please, somebody post a video of that flawless test!
- Pine Hill H.T. hosted a small Area V Young Rider Team Challenge. Congratulations to the winning team of Isabel Puthoff with Bold Statement and Kaitlyn Spacek with The Great Tyrone!
- Congratulations to Lindsey Stucker and Excalibur on winning the “Starter’s Award for Best Turned Out Cross Country Horse and Rider” at Chatt Hills. The pair, who finished fifth in Open Intermediate, looked sharp in their red and black cross country get-up, and props to groom Josie Irish.
- EN’s unofficial award for best horse name of the weekend goes to Toasted Marshmallow, who finished sixth in her first USEA horse trial in Beginner Novice at Chatt Hills with rider Carlee Cefola. The roan Pony of the Americas, owned by Sarah MacKusick, is truly the color of toasted marshmallow and her precious little face is just what the world needs on a Monday morning after. #NailedIt
Photo by Sarah MacKusick Mills.
The Fork at Tryon and WEG Test Event: Website, Results, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
CIC One Star: Natasha Erschen & Fernhill Flutter (34.5)
CIC Two Star: Alexandra Baugh & Ballingowan Pizazz (40.4)
CIC Three Star: Phillip Dutton & Z (28.0)
Advanced Test A: Lynn Symansky & Under Suspection (37.5)
Advanced Test B: Lauren Kieffer & Veronica (36.9)
Open Intermediate: Lauren Kieffer & Landmark’s Monte Carlo (36.3)
Junior Young Riders Open Preliminary: Dylan Phillips & Fernhill Fierce (30.4)
Open Preliminary: Kathy Cain & Legal Limit (28.5)
Preliminary Horse: Doug Payne & Cascor (35.2)
Preliminary Rider: Maddy Luker & Shanghai Fury (75.4)
Modified: Sharon White & Juneau (31.5)
Open Training: Becky Holder & Wishful Thinking (33.9)
Open Training: Becky Holder & Wishful Thinking (33.9)
Training Horse: Kristine Burgess & Malvasia Istriana (31.5)
Training Rider: Coti Hausman & Quantico (30.0)
Chattahoochee Hills CIC & H.T. [Website] [Results]
CIC One Star: Clayton Fredericks & FE Coldplay (31.50)
CIC Two Star: Clayton Fredericks & FE Mississippi (35.0)
CIC Three Star: Jacob Fletcher & Atlantic Domino (30.0)
Advanced: Elinor MacPhail O’Neal & RF Eloquence (38.7)
Open Intermediate: Maddie Lichten & Yarrow (42.0)
Open Preliminary A: Matthew Ulmer & Uno Concerto (39.7)
Open Preliminary B: Matthew Ulmer & Wellview Mister Lux (35.4)
Preliminary Rider: Emma Jenkins & Fernhill Bijzonder (34.6)
Open Training: Julie Richards & Fernhill Copas (17.9)
Training Horse: Justine Dutton & Arctic Tiger (25.5)
Training Rider: Elizabeth Henry & Charlotte La Bouff (26.8)
Novice Horse: Lisa Borgia & Silmarillion (31.1)
Novice Rider A: Deb Grosenbaugh & Starry Night (26.7)
Novice Rider B: Gracie Montgomery & Fernhill Inspiration (31.2)
Open Novice: Susan Beebee & Westwinds Navigator (27.1)
Jr. Beginner Novice Rider: Haley Miller & Mr. Melvin (30.3)
Open Beginner Novice: Brie Murray & Qui Vive (27.8)
Sr. Beginner Novice Rider: Sher Schwartz & Gorse Hill Gem (27.2)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhU-99Onw3P/
CDCTA H.T. [Website] [Live Results]
Open Preliminary 1: Skyeler Voss & Argyle (30.7)
Open Preliminary 2: Sharon Church & Rose and Crown (39.6)
Open Training 1: Emily Beshear & Templewood (24.5)
Open Training 2: Maegen Bingham & Norman (31.7)
Open Novice 1: Rebecca Hagy & Boogaloo (25.7)
Open Novice 2: Darrin Mollett & Beverly’s Get Even (29.0)
Open Novice 3: Carolyn Briggs & Kaiya (27.1)
Open Beginner Novice 1: Robin White & Shirefox Cadence (32.0)
Open Beginner Novice 2: Ellie Solms & Chastian’s Morning Mocha (28.5)
Introductory: Amy Parsons & Wren Wrouge (27.3)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhVDEUKA_-A/
Pine Hill Spring H.T. [Website] [Results]
Open Preliminary: Cynthia Bowers & Just The Ticket (106.9)
Open Training: Savannah Welch & Langcaster (33.8)
Open Novice A: Allison Anson & Into That Good Night (28.1)
Open Novice B: Christie Hovas & Doesn’t Give a Tucker (27.4)
Open Beginner Novice A: Jillian Clark & Harper (32.2)
Open Beginner Novice B: Emily Crews & Osta La Vista (28.6)
Starter: Irene Doo & A Racin’ Star (36.6)
Well Harper and JJ did it, 1st place in their Beginner Novice division at a rated show. So proud of their hard work,…
Posted by Greg Clark on Saturday, April 7, 2018
Spring Bay H.T. [Website] [Results]
Open Preliminary A: Corinna Garcia & Gun Slingin’ Bully (55.9)
Open Preliminary B: Alexis Anderson & Holly Golightly (39.5)
Open Training: Megan Moore & Master Mind (30.2)
Training Rider: Maria Moraniec & Lady Business (29.7)
Training Young Rider: Olivia Hahn & Fernhill Rodger That (30.2)
Open Novice A: Amy Bunt & Recurrent (25.5)
Open Novice B: Marty Riney & War Melody (26.9)
Novice Young Rider: Emma Drury & Aberlour (21.9)
Novice Rider A: Madeline Bletzacker & Drummer Boy (18.3)
Novice Rider B: Beth Geiser & Tough Mudder (34.5)
Open Beginner Novice A: Marty Riney & Calipari (29.4)
Open Beginner Novice B: Marty Riney & Harry (24.2)
Beginner Novice Rider: Mary Clare Owdziej & Deal Me In (26.4)
Beginner Novice Young Rider A: Rebecca Geldner & Dynamic Balance (30.6)
Beginner Novice Young Rider B: Leah Massa & Suspicious Alibi (23.6)
Open Starter: Laura Werner & Clooney (26.5)
Starter Rider: Emily Smith & Finn McCool (28.8)
Cross country helmet cam from Training YR winner Olivia Hahn:
Congrats to all. Go Eventing!
The Fork at Tryon: Lynn Symansky, Lauren Kieffer Are Leading Ladies in Advanced
Lynn Symansky and Under Suspection. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Two boss women, two bay mares, two blue ribbons … the winners are in from two divisions of Advanced here at The Fork at Tryon!
Advanced Test A
Lynn Symansky and Under Suspection won the dressage, dropped to second after cross country, then show jumped strong today to win the Advanced Test A division. The pair posted a clear round with three time penalties, good enough to send them into the lead following cross country leader Whitney Mahloch and Military Mind’s elimination.
“Pippy,” a 14-year-old Holsteiner mare (Contender x Naomagic I, by Exorbitant xx) owned by Mary Ann Ghadban, looked sharp throughout the competition.
“I’d like to take all the credit but she’s had a lot of amazing work put into her over the years and I get to ride a very nice horse right now,” Lynn says. “She was awesome all weekend, really.”
Coming off a 6th place finish in the Carolina International CIC3* two weeks ago, Lynn had no designs on stepping on the gas cross country here at TIEC: “I didn’t want to go crazy quick on her; it’s just another opportunity for me to get to know her before she heads to a CCI3*.”
Today, Lynn says, “she jumped her heart out,” and they’ll next head to the Jersey Fresh CCI3* or, plan B, Bromont CCI3* with confidence, while continuing to develop their partnership. “There are more points to be had in the dressage for sure,” Lynn says. “On cross country she’s strong, she’s a really long horse so she likes to be a bit low, so that’s a different ride for me. I’m usually on more Thoroughbred-y types … so it’s been a little bit of an adjustment for me to figure out how to shave seconds off.”
Show jumping time was tough to make and Pippy picked up three penalties, but Lynn says the mare jumped her heart out. Lynn also finished 3rd on Donner, with whom she’ll contest Kentucky later this month, and was 7th in the CIC3* with RF Cool Play. Leslie Law was 2nd on Voltaire de Tre on a score of 38.6.
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Advanced Test B
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica, a 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Team Rebecca, LLC, picked up a blue ribbon here at TIEC after turning in a clear round with no time in the Advanced Test B division. After inheriting the top leaderboard spot from dressage leaders Will Coleman and Obos O’Reilly, who withdrew his horses after the first phase, the pair hung onto 1st through cross country yesterday and then show jumping today.
“She was really good in there,” Lauren says. “In the past we’ve had the odd time penalty, so especially with the time being tight the goal is to make smart turns and be quick, so I was really happy with that.”
Veronica has performed on some of the biggest eventing stages in the world — Kentucky, Badminton, Burghley, Pau — and started out slightly underwhelmed on this quiet morning at TIEC. “She’s got a ton of experience in the rings, and funnily enough courses like this are the harder ones on her because there’s actually not a ton of atmosphere. She can get a bit blasé now that she’s been around so much, so she was a little tappy in the beginning but then she woke up again. She felt great today and she certainly doesn’t feel like she’s 16 … nobody has told her that!”
The veteran pair is heading across the pond to contest Badminton May 2-6, where they’re aiming to improve upon their top 20 finish from last year. Between now and then, they’ll focus on polishing their dressage, sharpening their show jumping with the help of Scott Keach, and ticking the final fitness boxes. “Same with Lynn and Donner, you know what works to peak them at the right time,” Lauren says.
Lauren has two horses entered at Kentucky, Landmark’s Monte Carlo and Vermiculus, and thought three might be overextending it. Veronica, being the most experienced of the lot, earned the ticket abroad. “Also I’d like another crack at Badminton with her, too, hoping for the same kind of dressage and clear but faster now that I know the course … You’ve got to be competitive anywhere, not just the U.S., so we’ll go have a crack at it.”
Leslie Law and The Apprentice, whom Leslie is keeping tuned up while Caroline Martin recovers from a foot injury sustained at Carolina, finish 2nd on a score of 47.0; Boyd Martin and Steady Eddie were close on their heels, finishing 3rd just a tenth of a point behind.
Boyd Martin and On Cue finished 3rd in the CIC2*. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
CIC2* & CIC1*
The clock has played a determining factor here at TIEC, both in cross country and show jumping, across all divisions. For quick horses and efficient, gutsy riders, that could translate to a big jump up the scoreboard throughout the weekend. Both winners of the CIC2* and CIC1* were hovering just inside the top 10 after dressage and steadily climbed their way up the top.
In the CIC2*, Alexandra Baugh and Ballingowan Pizazz, a 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Obos Quality x Rocklea, by Leabeg), moved from 9th after dressage to 4th after show jumping and then into the lead today, having collected just 0.4 time penalties. Boyd Martin, in 1st and 2nd heading into cross country with Contessa and On Cue respectively, dropped to 3rd and 4th; Tim Bourke and Quality Time posted another big jump in the placings, from 18th after dressage to 2nd overall.
In the CIC1*, Natasha Erschen and Fernhill Flutter, a 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Puissance x Warrior Queen, by Euphemism) flew from 10th to 1st, adding just 2.8 time penalties to their dressage score. Ashley Kehoe and Cinco de Mayo were 2nd on a 26.7; Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Sebastian were 3rd, just a tenth of a point behind.
Besides both being 16-year-old ISHs, both Ballingowan Pizazz and Fernhill Flutter have accomplished upper-level resumes before moving on to teach young riders the ropes. The former went to the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara with Shannon Lilley and was campaigned at the three-star level with Michael Pollard; the latter competed through the four-star level with Kevin Keane.
Advanced Test A Final Scores:
Advanced Test B Final Scores:
CIC2* Final Top 10
The Fork: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
WEG Test Event: Website, Schedule, Show Jumping Order, Live Stream, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage
The Fork at Tryon: Whitney Mahloch, Lauren Kieffer Lead Advanced + CIC2*/1* Roundup
Whitney Mahloch and Military Mind. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Deep indigo storm clouds loomed on the horizon but ultimately kept their distance from The Fork and WEG Test Event at Tryon today. It made for a cool, overcast day of sport — here’s a roundup of what went down in the Advanced, CIC2* and CIC1* divisions. (Check out our CIC3* report here.)
Advanced Test A
Two divisions of Advanced are running this weekend, giving competitors the option of riding Advanced Test A or Advanced Test B.
Whitney Mahloch and Military Mind rose from 6th after dressage into the lead of Advanced Test A after posting the fastest cross country time in either division. Whitney and “Milo” collected just 2.4 time penalties and will advance to show jumping on a score of 33.8.
“We don’t usually worry about the time too much,” Whitney says. “He covers a lot of ground and moves pretty quick, so it’s not usually a big issue for us.”
Whitney, age 27, and Milo have a great story. She has had the now 12-year-old off-track Thoroughbred (Military x Smart Balance, by Beau Genius) since he was 3 and developed him herself. He was bred by the University of Kentucky and pulled off the track after raking in a whopping $140 in three starts; Whitney purchased him for $500 as a sophomore in college from the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation in Putnam, Indiana. They moved up the levels together and are holding their own at the top of the sport, most recently finishing in the top 10 at Red Hills last month.
“This is my first time here (at TIEC) so I was getting to know the track a little bit,” she says, praising Milo for today’s performance. “He was quite good. Some of those tough corners I added a little stride in there to make sure we were really accurate, but he was great and brave.”
Lynn Symansky occupies the next two spots on the leaderboard with Under Suspection and Donner respectively, who were one-two after dressage but picked up a smidgen of time today.
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Advanced Test B
Dressage leader Will Coleman withdrew his two entries, Obos O’Reilly and Boris O’Hara, before cross country, as was his original plan. Lauren Kieffer and Veronica, a 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Team Rebecca, LLC, inherited the lead and held onto it through cross country, picking up 10.8 time penalties.
“It was my first time here so it was all new to me, but both the horses I was on (Veronica in Advanced and Vermiculus in the CIC3*) are quite experienced,” she says. “They’re heading into Kentucky and Badminton so I wanted to be quick and efficient, but it was important to me that they stay rideable.”
Of the course, she says, “Walking it you kind of felt like there were a lot of gallop fences, but you didn’t get to just settle into the gallop with the golf course undulations so that was really good to learn about the course. It thought rode overall quite well, although I think Mark [Phillips] is probably luring us into a false sense of confidence at this point — it’s probably not going to ride like that in September!”
Boyd Martin and Steady Eddie rose from 5th to 2nd; Erin Sylvester and Paddy the Caddy are 3rd.
Advanced Test A top five after cross country:
Advanced Test B top five after cross country:
CIC2*
Boyd Martin was one-two heading into show jumping and he retained both positions, albeit with a reverse of his horses. Contessa moved from 2nd to 1st when On Cue pulled a rail to drop to 2nd. Boyd and Contessa, a 9-year-old Holsteiner mare (Contender x Veritas, by Esteban), are looking for a happy result after the misfortune of a flag penalty in the Red Hill CIC2* last month. Joe Meyer and Buccaneer sit third.
CIC2* top 10 after show jumping:
CIC1*
Rebecca Brown and Dassett Choice tiptoed into the CIC1* lead when dressage leader David O’Connor and Cooley Dream pulled a show jumping rail, dropping to 2nd by a tenth of a point. Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Sebastian round out the top three.
Rebecca, of Dallas, Texas, has been to TIEC to coach students at the American Eventing Championships but this is her first time competing here herself. She and “Junior,” her own 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Caricello x Vilja, by Hemmingway), turned in a clear round with no time to lead the division on a 29.7. “Junior is awesome. He is just the best,” she says of her horse, whom she has developed from the Novice through two-star level.
Rebecca and Junior won the CCI2* at Colorado Horse Park last year and placed 2nd in the CIC2* at Texas Rose. This year’s they’ve been traveling east to challenge themselves and up their game. “It’s been kind of a hard transition to East Coast eventing,” she says, explaining that the busy atmosphere of Carolina International got the best of his attention span. “He just needs miles and that’s why we’re here.”
She says tomorrow’s cross country course looks great for her horse, and they’ll be doing their best to hang onto the top spot on the leaderboard. “I’m planning to go fast!” she laughs. “I would really like to beat David — no offense to David.”
Somebody’s got to, Rebecca! We unfortunately didn’t catch any photos of Rebecca, but here’s a video of her dressage test from yesterday:
Junior fancy prancing at The Fork ❤️
Posted by Rebecca Christine Brown on Saturday, April 7, 2018
CIC1* top 10 after show jumping:
Other overnight horse trial division leaders include:
Open Intermediate: Bobby Meyerhoff & Almanac (29.3)
Junior Young Riders Open Preliminary: Amanda Beale Clement & Fernhill Hustler (29.9)
Open Preliminary: Jordan Linstedt & Peter Parker (29.8)
Preliminary Horse: Doug Payne & Cascor (27.2)
Preliminary Rider: Maddy Luker & Shanghai Fury (38.0)
Modified: Sharon White & Juneau (31.5)
Open Training: Becky Holder & Wishful Thinking (33.9)
And for a few divisions, the final winners are already in!
Open Training: Becky Holder & Wishful Thinking (33.9)
Training Horse: Kristine Burgess & Malvasia Istriana (31.5)
Training Rider: Coti Hausman & Quantico (30.0)
The Fork: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
WEG Test Event: Website, Schedule, XC Starting Order, Live Stream, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage
Cross Country in Motion at The Fork and WEG Test Event at Tryon
We have gotten pretty spoilt with our eventing live streams, and while we’ve been able to follow much of the in-ring action at TIEC this weekend (see “How to Watch“), the cross country course isn’t set up for virtual spectating quite yet.
Alas, we’ve got at least a few clips to watch thanks to social media — and of course you can check out EN’s cross country live updates and stay tuned for a full report soon. Until then, here are a few videos to keep you satiated!
The Fork: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
WEG Test Event: Website, Schedule, XC Starting Order, Live Stream, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhRyoVFlS5q/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhRvJF1hL0t/
Go Eventing.
Party in the Sandbox: Dressage Snapshots from The Fork at Tryon
Dressage needn’t be stuffy. Horses just wanna dance! Loosen up your stock tie and enjoy these footloose, good-timin’ postcards from The Fork at Tryon as shared to Instagram by press, riders and friends.
The Fork: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter
WEG Test Event: Website, Schedule, Friday Dressage Order, Live Stream, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhNHIhelSxB/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhO7W7rH-7q/
You know what to do, EN. Keep it here for all the latest! Go Eventing.
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