Ali Kuhn and Little Hail. Photo by Veronica Green-Gott
Lexington, Va. – After an unseasonably warm weekend, competitors across all divisions took advantage of the crisp fall weather to add some extra energy to their mounts today at VHC Eventing, presented by Capital Square. While three FEI divisions announced their winners, the CCI2*-L will wrap up tomorrow, along with the remaining 14 National divisions.
The winner of the CCI3*-S traveled a long way to accomplish her first place finish with a score of 45.4. Native to Wisconsin, Ali Kuhn and Little Hail, owned by John Crowell, were on the road for more than 15 hours to get to the Virginia Horse Center and had to stay overnight in Dayton, Ohio. According to Kuhn, “Hail” laid down a great performance despite a rocky start, making it well worth the trip.
“He was really lazy in warm-up, so that was kind of alarming. I thought, ‘If he wants to pull up because he’s tired, that’s what we’ll do,’” Kuhn said. “Then, we had to have a lead out of the startbox because he was on his hind legs. But then, he came out of the startbox really strong. He came out like fire. If it were up to him, he would steeplechase everything. It took him a bit to settle down, but then he felt awesome. It was my job at that point to just stay out of the way. He jumped right into the second water and he was so awesome. At that point I was like, ‘This is going to be an awesome ride today.’ He came across the finish line and felt like he still had a lot of energy left.”
While Kuhn says she would never leave Area IV, she’s no stranger to long hauls to compete. She attempts to go to a new event every season and is contemplating riding at Rebecca Farm next year. This year, she chose VHC Eventing.
“I’ve never been here before and it’s really cool. Every year I try to go to a new place, I want to see other places. The season is so short in Area IV, but they try really hard to offer great events,” Kuhn said. “I love that it’s still nice fall here. By us, we’re getting ready for winter. Conditioning this late in the season by us is hard. Coming out here and knowing that it’s going to be nice and dry was really great. It’s nice to come out here and show with other people who are doing this level. It’s nice to meet other people and see how other people do things– other ideas, other ways of doing things, and walking courses with people I’ve never walked with before. It’s been really helpful to get that variety and learn how other people do it.”
Sharon White and Arden Augustus. Photo by Haley Boothe
Spectators could be excused for experiencing some deja vu when they looked at the scores for the CCI2*-L. The winner of May’s CCI2*-S, Sharon White and Arden Augustus, are once again in the lead with a score of 30.2. Owned by Anita Antenucci, White has had a hand in “Gus’s” development since before birth.
“I bred him with Anita– we bred him together. I competed his mother, Juneau, so I’ve been there from the beginning. Mel, who works for Anita, started him in the beginning, which she always does, and she does a great job,” White said. “When it came to me, it was really just so easy. All the hard work was done. He’s a trier, and he’s solid in his mind. And he just always says, ‘Yes.’”
White credits Gus’s excellent work ethic with today’s result. “He’s been just a little rock star. He’s like a young teenage boy who just tries really hard,” White said. “I was really proud of him. He does not consider it to be a big deal, right? I thought it was a bigger deal because I think the hills here are impressive. But he was like, it’s fine.”
As the last FEI division to wrap-up, the two-star competitors still have to face the challenge of show jumping at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow. While she’s thrilled to be in the lead, White is trying not to dwell on her position prior to heading into the ring tomorrow morning.
“I’m really excited to be in the position of getting the challenge of going in there in the lead, which I don’t enjoy,” White said, laughing. “I prefer working my way up. Whatever happens, I’m so proud of him, and this weekend was really about developing his base, right? I do think that these hills will put a base on a horse, and that’s really what I wanted to do.”
Tim Bourke and Sing to Me Cooley. Photo by Veronica Green-Gott
Virginia native Tim Bourke and Sing to Me Cooley were crowned champion in the CCI2*-S division today on a score of 41.5. Owned by Hedgerow Farm, “Melody” was one of five horses Bourke rode this weekend and is new to his string.
“She’s awesome,” Bourke said. “I have only had the ride on her since earlier this year and we’ve gotten along well. She has really good owners. She ran around a pretty tough track there today. The hill at the end always, always comes into play with the fitness and it’s a bit of a step up. But yeah, she was great. I was really happy with her.”
While their partnership is still developing, Bourke says that Melody has an easygoing personality that’s making her a barn favorite. “She’s very easy. She’s simple to do everything with,” Bourke said. “Like the girls clipped her during the week and she just stands there eating hay out of the wheelbarrow while they’re clipping her from her toes up. She’s so chilled out about everything.”
Located two hours north of the Virginia Horse Center, Bourke has become a regular face at VHC Eventing and an avid supporter of the facility. “We’ve always tried to support the Virginia Horse Trials,” Bourke said. “With the new management and everything that’s done there, I think they’ve done a fantastic job of just making it more rider friendly and more all about the horses. And it’s showing– they had a big waitlist to get into the show. I think that that bodes well for what’s to come in the future. Every time you go there, they’re trying to do something new. They’re trying to make something a little bit better. It’s always on our calendar twice a year.”
In the CCI1*-L, Ruth Rosendaul and Bonhunt Bertie were able to celebrate a big achievement. Not only riding a new partner, this weekend also marked Rosendaul’s first completion at the FEI level. Together, the pair has steadily moved up the leaderboard over the weekend after starting in seventh place. Rosendaul has only had the ride on Christa Schmidt’s 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse/Dutch Warmblood for the last year. With Bonhunt Bertie showing her the ropes, Rosendaul crossed the finish timers in first place with a score of 31.8.
The show jumping round proved extremely influential in the one-star division. Only three riders (Rosendaul, Claudia Iannuccilli & Ready Freddy, and Jennifer Duelfer & Cocky Kianna) managed to finish inside the time with no rails down. While finishing inside the time wasn’t much of an issue for many riders, even after the judges dropped the optimum time to 80 seconds, keeping all the rails in the cups proved to be a challenge for many. Rails fell across the course with no particular fence causing more problems than others.
While the FEI levels have nearly wrapped up, the CCI2*-L will finish tomorrow morning with the first rider entering the show jumping ring at 9:30 a.m. After that, all attention will turn to the National divisions, as they tackle a full day of show jumping and cross country.
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