Classic Eventing Nation

AEC Show Jumping Instagram Roundup: Show Us Your Ribbons!

By on Sep 2, 2018 5:41 pm -

Reason #238 to attend the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena: seriously pretty ribbons. Who even wants a boring old blue ribbon when you could have one of these … I don’t even know what places these are.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

You came, you saw, and you conquered, and now it’s time to show off the spoils of your AEC quest. Show us your ribbons, EN!

So proud of this hard working girl! Way to ride 😘

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That’s a wrap for the 2018 American Eventing Championships 🎉🐎💕 We are so proud of Chestnut Oaks Drummer Boy for doing all that was asked of him with such style! Today in stadium jumping, we dropped the second to last fence, which gave us a 5th place finish in the AEC Beginner Novice Horse division. Drummer Boy, “Romeo” will be taking home some well deserved goodies and loot. Thank you to the USEA and the Colorado Horse Park for hosting such a great event and working around the weather to keep everyone safe! With the AEC’s contributing to the 5 events now under Romeo’s belt, we can’t wait to gallop through the rest of the season ❤️ #aec2018 #americaneventingchampionships #colorado #horseshow #drumhorse #idha #championship #useventing @useventing @goeventing @coloradohorsepark @_usea_

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View from the top. #aec #eventing #horsesofinstagram #traininglevel #clouds

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Yay Ruth! 3rd in the Preliminary Amateur division at the #AEC2018

A post shared by Bella Mowbray (@mowbray_sporthorses) on

❤️👑🐉

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Well done — congrats to all! Go Eventing.

AEC: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

 

Mo’ Money, No Problems: Tim Price Cashes in at Burghley

By on Sep 2, 2018 3:56 pm -

Tim and Jonelle Price: eventing’s winningest couple. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

As it turns out, you can put a price on success. Or two of them, actually, as long as those prices are actually Prices and those successes are actually the tangible culmination of a lifetime of intensely hard work, ineffable dreams, and a partnership deeply rooted in mutual ambitions, respect, and most of all, love: love for the sport, with all its inevitable ups and downs, love for the horses around whom everything orbits, and love, at the end of the day, for one another.

Does it seem a bit emotional and frivolous to talk about something as unknowable as love when we’re looking at something as grounded in cold, hard facts as eventing? Maybe. But at the end of the day, it’s the time spent on the immeasurables — the marginal gains in training that no one ever sees, the raw will to win that pushes horses and riders through seemingly career-ending injuries, the unquenchable passion that carves a path through the worst of times — that has the most effect on the measurables. Without love, and all its many shapes and forms, you don’t have numbers. You don’t have stats. You don’t have wins.

If the love don’t look like Price love (and 90s R&B, or whatever), we don’t want it. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

When Tim Price and Jonelle Richards, as she was known then, relocated to the UK from New Zealand in 2005, it was entirely on the strength of those immeasurables that they did so. Could they have, even then, anticipated that some thirteen years down the line, every sacrifice they had made would come good? Perhaps not — but then, perhaps sometimes you keep that flame of self-belief quietly flickering away, season after season.

So much has already been said about Jonelle Price’s incredible 2018 season: a first-ever — and long overdue — four-star victory at Badminton, swiftly followed up by another at Luhmühlen. But Tim has been quietly racking up some very good results indeed through the year, with a win in Blair Castle’s CCI3*, a second-place finish in Jardy’s ERM leg, and, of course, his nomination to the New Zealand World Equestrian Games team alongside Jonelle. But a major result? Well, that had narrowly eluded him.

When we talk about horses who are household names — in eventing families, at least — we’re often talking about four-star winners and Olympic medallists. But sometimes — as in the case of Classic Moet prior to Jonelle’s Badminton victory — we’re speaking of those perpetually consistent top-level horses, the triers, the ones who dig deep time, and time, and time again, with all the guts but just falling short of the glory. Some horses just deserve a four-star win. Ringwood Sky Boy is one of them.

Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy clear the final fence on the Burghley course. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Thirty-nine horses went forward to today’s showjumping test, but only eight of those produced clear rounds. Of those eight, only three were clear with no time penalties. In the morning’s session, not a single combination produced a clear round. Tim and Oz, as he’s known at home, had led after cross country, moving up from second after the dressage after coming home just a second over the optimum time on yesterday’s cross country course. He came into today’s showjumping test with a lead of just over half a penalty point, giving him no margin for error at all — but Ringwood Sky Boy, like Classic Moet before him, isn’t known for his showjumping prowess. In fact, he’d only ever jumped one clear showjumping round in a four-star, out of nine completions. Statistically, it wasn’t a matter of if they’d pull a fence — it was a matter of how many they’d send to the floor.

That moment when…you’ve absolutely nailed it, in every way, in every phase. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

The answer? None, nada, rien, nichego, niente. At the moment when it mattered most, they stayed fluid and communicative over a course that confounded much more reliable showjumpers, and they made it happen. Just as Jonelle and Classic Moet produced their first clear showjumping round in an international in four years to win Badminton, Tim and Oz defied every crunched number, produced the goods, and became the 2018 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials champions.

Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy’s owner Varenna Allen. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“He’s the sort of horse who deserves a big day, but he’s one of those who’s usually sort of in the mix somewhere in the class with a couple of good peaks during his competition,” said Tim, the easy grin he’s known for writ large on his face. “But to pull it all together in one week has been exceptional, and I couldn’t be more proud of him. Varenna Allen, his owner, makes a big effort to be everywhere with him, and it’s just a massive team effort. It wouldn’t be the same without the people in the sport and the team — I look for somebody to have a joke with on the way into the arena, because we’re all friends here.”

Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

For Tim, who also finished in tenth place aboard Bango, Burghley has long been the domain of the legends of the sport — legends who, whether he’s realised it or not, he’s carved a place for himself alongside.

“It’s always been a dream to do Burghley, ever since watching Andrew, Toddy, Blyth and those guys. We got inspired as youngsters, watching it on the television. To be doing it is unbelievable — beyond my wildest dreams,” he said. “It’s everything, isn’t it — it’s Burghley! I like to think of myself as a very natural rider; a horseman who’s just going through the motions of the competition. That’s my background — I work with young horses from the bottom on up, and I just look at Burghley as a place that exemplifies all of that. So to come here and to win it is pretty cool. It’s going to take a while to sink in. It’s amazing — amazing.”

Tim Price and Bango. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

It’s easy to forget the incredible work ethic that Tim, Jonelle, and their backstage team — ably helmed by head girl Lucy Miles — possess, particularly when their ceaseless positivity and good humour make it all look, frankly, rather relaxed, but it’s hard work that’s gotten the team here, and it’s hard work that engineered today’s clear round, too. From the winters spent showjumping on Spain’s Sunshine Tour to the expertly-managed fitness regimes that allow their horses to recover so well from efforts like yesterday’s, nothing is left to chance.

“I’m super proud of my horse for jumping a clear round; he had a couple of taps, but I’m happy with those sort of taps because they weren’t big, klutzy moments – they were just him trying hard,” said Tim about his horse’s performance. “It’s tough to crack the showjumping on that particular horse — he throws his heart over first, and sometimes his head gets left behind. It’s a challenging course, and Oz had given his all the day before and we really needed to work for that. I changed how I was going to ride the middle line after my round on Bango. But they’re different horses — you’ve just got to take your experience and ride them accordingly.”

Tim Price pilots 10th-placed Bango in the prizegiving and lap of honour. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Oz, who came to Tim as an ‘unruly’ six-year-old with a penchant for rearing and bolting, was never intended to stay at Mere Farm — in fact, he spent four years trying to sell him on and recoup the £3,000 he’d paid for him. But now? He wouldn’t be without him.

“He’s a character around the yard, and he’s the first horse I go and say hello to every morning. He’s got his special scratches, where he does this giraffe thing with his neck. He’s just been here so long, and he’s so happy, but that’s not necessarily the sort of horse that goes and wins these things.”

Tim Price – your Burghley 2018 champion. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Just one second over the optimum time on yesterday’s course precluded Tim and Oz from delivering the second FOD of the competition.

“That’s a disappointment, isn’t it?” he joked. “I’ll have to go home and work on it. I’m sure we’ll talk about it in the car on the way back!”

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class finish second. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Last year’s winners Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class might have pulled a rail, but it didn’t drop them a single placing — in fact, it only served to give Tim the slimmest of margins to have his own rail, if needed. The eleven-year-old gelding, who has now been 1st, 2nd, and 5th in his three starts at the level, produced one of the two fastest rounds of the day yesterday, coming in eight seconds within the optimum time of 11:11.

“It’s very special to have him here again,” said a delighted Oliver. “I’ve had him since the word go, and he’s been tricky — I still gave to be careful with him when he’s fresh! — but with extreme talent come the quirks. Last year he came here and won it out of pure naivety — this time, he came and felt like he knew the job. He became a professional this year. There’s always something you can improve on, but I’m so happy — he couldn’t have given any more. To be consistent and to give better and better performances — that’s really special.”

Oliver, who admits that he’s often guilty of “keeping my head down and staying quiet”, has a special place in his heart for the tricky but talented son of Courage II. (Incidentally, this makes Ballaghmor Class a half-brother to winner Ringwood Sky Boy — they share the same sire.)

“He has the main box in the yard,” smiled Oliver. “It doesn’t matter which window I’m looking out of; I can always see Thomas, even from the bathroom! He’s the first horse I look at in the morning and the last horse I see at night. He’s as special a horse as I’ve ever ridden.”

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Oliver, who came to the competition with three rides, finished it with just two after withdrawing MHS King Joules before this morning’s final horse inspection. Cooley SRS finished 12th, adding a pole in the final phase but climbing a placing from his cross-country result. For the incomparably hard-working rider, piloting multiple horses is old hat — but it still has its effect on him.

“Honestly, at this stage, it’s a big relief — I’m quite glad it’s over!” he said. “I couldn’t be happier with my horses; they’ve been unbelievable all week and their form through the year is just unbelievable. And that doesn’t just happen overnight. Full credit to their owners — it takes time to get to this point and I just kept on saying, ‘wait, just wait, we’ll get there.’ It’s very special, and I’m very proud to be on them.”

Second place to a Price is not a new experience for Oliver, who lost out on the final leg of the Rolex Grand Slam to Jonelle at Badminton, but the pragmatic Yorkshireman, for all his blunt exterior, is quick to celebrate his fellow competitors’ successes.

“I’ve got to congratulate Tim — that family has been in my backside all year!” he laughed.

Suited, booted, and sure-footed: Andrew Nicholson and Swallow Springs clock up Burghley’s only FOD. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

One of the most impressive performances across the week’s competition came from third-placed Swallow Springs, ridden by five-time Burghley winner Andrew Nicholson. The four-star debutante began his week in 16th place, after a test that Andrew felt was harshly marked by the ground jury, but an exceptional clear round inside the time across the country catapulted the pair into fifth place. Today, another double-clear shot them to third — and made them the only pair in the competition to finish on their dressage score.

“I’m very pleased with him; he couldn’t have done any better, and I don’t think I could have done any better,” said Nicholson of the eleven-year-old, known at home as ‘Chill’. “I’m lucky to have some very supportive owners; after my injury [in 2015] they were happy for me to downsize my string a bit and send some of the horses to Oliver. The ones that are left are the ones I think are really special.”

Chill, who finished a very impressive second in Bramham’s CCI3* in June, has always shown four-star potential to the vastly experienced Kiwi stalwart.

“I left home thinking that if he could go the way he can, and if I did my job, we were in with a pretty good chance of winning the thing,” he said. “All credit to him — he let me ride him, and he let me tell him what to do. It was a bit rough and ragged at times, but it happened.”

Andrew originally got the ride on Chill because he bucked badly, but now, he says, the horse is a ‘pussycat’ at home. When the youngster arrived on his Wiltshire yard, however, he didn’t have a name — and so Andrew chose Swallow Springs, a nod to Swallowhead springs in nearby Avebury. All starting to sound rather wonderfully sentimental? As it turns out, Chill isn’t the only pussycat in Wiltshire. But could this talented grey in fact be the next Avebury?

“Well, sure — he’s the right colour!” laughed Andrew.

Sarah Bullimore and the notoriously tricky Reve du Rouet add another top five placing to their name. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Sarah Bullimore‘s Reve du Rouet is one of the most topsy-turvy, back-and-forth, Jekyll and Hyde horses in upper-level eventing — but for all that, he’s phenomenally talented and, as he proved this week, when he comes good, he comes very good indeed. They managed one of the very few clear showjumping rounds inside the time today to finish fourth.

“He’s been amazing — he’s a phenomenal jumper, but sometimes things do get the better of him at an event,” said Sarah. “He’s so talented, but he often has one or two things right and the rest goes out the window.”

Piggy French and Vanir Kamira fly the girl power flag. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Last year’s runners-up Piggy French and Vanir Kamira were one of the primary contenders for the Burghley title, sitting in third place going into today’s final phase, but it wasn’t to be, and a heartbreaking rail shunted them down the order to finish fifth.

“To be honest, I think I was quite lucky to just have one — there were a few rubs out there, so I’ll take that,” said Piggy. “Of course we’re disappointed, but it was nice to know that we can both do it and take confidence in each other again.”

Vanir Kamira once again won the prize for the best-placed mare, which gives Piggy the opportunity to take embryo transfers from her talented partner. Le Lions of the future: watch out.

Buck Davidson and Park Trader post a top-twenty finish. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Buck Davidson finished the best of the Americans, pulling two rails with Park Trader to finish seventeenth in the horse’s first Burghley.

“He was a little bit fractious as I went in there, so I didn’t really get his focus back for the third fence,” explained Buck. “I had hoped to do something a bit different at the triple bar to the treble combination — everyone else had the back rail down in the middle, and I had the front, so I managed to do exactly that!”

Buck took over coaching duties for fellow American Lillian Heard this week, after her own trainer Boyd Martin withdrew and couldn’t make the journey over. She finished 37th with LCC Barnaby, adding her first Burghley completion to her resume and finishing with two rails.

“Lillian’s a super girl and she rides great, especially since her horse isn’t the easiest,” said Buck. “I don’t know that I did very much but it was great having her on the team this week.”

Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby tick a huge box on their sophomore attempt. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Lillian, for her part, was delighted to tick the Burghley box and took plenty away from her experience.

“You’ve got to keep your cool in there — confidence is a huge part of that. I was in a position where I didn’t have much to lose, so I could go in there and practice — and that’s exactly what I did. It’s been a funny week — I was disappointed with our dressage, really disappointed with that 20, but the happiest that I had a sound horse this morning, and thrilled with how he came out and show jumped, so you have to be happy with that! We’ll aim for Kentucky in the spring — although I’d love to do Badminton if we could get a grant.”

Andrea Baxter and Indy 500 make Burghley happen. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Andrea Baxter and Indy 500 also added two rails to finish 36th: “She was actually jumping great, like she had springs in her feet, but she got a bit strong to the treble and the third element came down. I probably moved up a bit more than I should have. She just feels a bit proud of herself now — she likes having people in the crowd; it doesn’t worry her at all. Now we’re going to aim for Badminton — if we can afford it!”

So that brings us to the conclusion of our Burghley coverage — it’s been an emotional rollercoaster, but we couldn’t be more delighted with the end result for the Price clan, and for all those hard-working horses, riders, grooms, and connections who came together to make their dreams happen this week. We’ll be bringing you a reporter’s notebook in the next few days with all the bits and pieces that didn’t make the report — we’ll look forward to reliving Burghley in all its glory with you then.

Until then, raise a glass to House Price, rulers of the realm — and, as always, GO EVENTING!

Your final top ten at Burghley 2018. It’s been emosh.

Burghley Links: Website, Entries, Timetable, Start Times & Live Scoring, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram, Form Guide

An Emotional Comeback for Tamie Smith and Mai Baum in AEC Gold Cup Advanced Final

By on Sep 2, 2018 3:44 pm -

“It’s emotional because it’s been a long road to get him back.” A teary Tamie Smith gives Mai Baum a big hug after their winning show jump round. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

The $20,000 check won by Mai Bau this morning in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Advanced Final will at least put a dent in the vet bills he has accrued over the past three years.

“He’s literally tried to off himself multiple times,” Tamie Smith says of Alexandra and Ellen Ahearn and Eric Markell’s 12-year-old German Sport Horse gelding (Loredano x Ramira). “He strained his tendon after Fair Hill (which he won, in 2015) and we rehabbed him from that and then he fell on the trailer and he got a guttural pouch infection and then he had to be in a cast … it was just one thing after another.”

Once all his body parts were back in working order, Tamie faced the not-small task of getting the big, black horse reconditioned after his stint as a couch potato. “It took a long time to get him fit,” she says. “So we took our time and kept saying he’s worth it, and we just have be patient. Gosh, it seems like yesterday but it’s been three years. It’s crazy.”

Their hard work paid off today as Mai Baum took the Advanced title here at the 2018 American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena, clinching the win this morning with a fault-free show jumping round for a final score of 28.0. Mai Baum is the sort of catlike, spring-loaded event horse that looks like he’s manufactured from elastic, and he bounced around the course with apparent ease.

“He’s back and 100% and strong and feels so happy to be here,” Tamie says. “He’s happy, but I’m even happier.”

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Their trajectory to the win began on Thursday with their leading dressage score of 26.4, followed by a clear cross country with 1.6 time penalties and double-clear show jumping. Mai Baum’s commanding presence turns heads wherever he goes, even when he’s just out for a hand-walk, but  his return to the public eye here at Colorado Horse Park was not without some antics.

“He’s actually been completely wild all week,” Tamie says. “He hasn’t been in an atmosphere like this in three years, and so he’s a little spicy and nearly bucked me off in the warm-up before his test. But he’s such a workman and a showman, and he’s just a freak.”

The Advanced cross country course was beefed up with some monstrous tables, and Tamie says he was impressed by the first few jumps — “He jumped five feet over fence four — I was like, ‘Your legs are going to break off!’ — but by the corner at #6 things clicked in and he was back to his old self.

Tamie describes Mai as the equine version of Taylor Swift: talented and attractive, basically a perfect human being, yet down-to-earth. “He looks at the camera and poses all the time, and he knows he’s beautiful and wonderful, but he’s not cocky at all,” she says.

Tamie and her string are en route from California to the East Coast for the fall. Mai Baum’s next stop is Stable View, with eyes on Ocala Jockey Club as their season finale. Beyond that, she says, she’ll talk to his owners and Erik Duvander about big picture plans. Mai Baum is clearly special and a bright, shining, bubble-wrapped hope for the future of the U.S. team.

“We’re trying to keep him preserved,” Tamie says. “He’s going to do minimal — he knows his job. I’m going to keep him a little bit in a glass case: ‘Break in case of an emergency.'”

Jordan Linstedt and Revitavet Capato. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

 Jordan Linstedt and Revitavet Capato Claim the Reserve Championship

Jordan Linstedt and Revitavet Capato, Barbara and Gary Linstedt’s 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Contendro x Annabelle), held fast to the 2nd place position throughout the week. After posting a 27.5 in dressage, the pair added four time faults cross country and dropped two rails today for a final score of 39.5.

“I didn’t go out of the box and really have a plan to be super competitive,” Jordan says of yesterday’s cross country. “I let him run and he just went. I never kicked him once around the entire course; he just flowed. I wanted to be efficient and make inside turns, and I can get in his face a little bit — he’s so big and has such a massive stride — so I have to let him kind of back himself up. I did that, and therefore he came in pretty quick, so I was really happy with him.”

Capato is notorious for throwing a shoe in the warm-up, and he pulled out his favorite trick a couple minutes before they were set to head to the start box here at the AEC. “And then he was a monster for the farrier — luckily there was a guy there, and the farriers here are phenomenal — but Capato is dancing around and I can barely keep him on the ground and he’s trying to tack nails in his feet.”

With only eight horses to start Advanced cross country, there wasn’t much budge room in the schedule. Tamie went straight from jumping around on her first horse, Fleeceworks Royal, to warming up her second ride, Mai Baum, and that bought Jordan a bit of time — although the struggle was real for Tamie as well with her back-to-back rides: “They were like ‘You have to go,’ and I’m like, ‘I can’t breathe!'”

Tamie headed on out with Mai Bau, leaving Jordan as the last rider to go. “I think the TD was coming over to tell me pretty much ‘you’re either getting on or you’re not going to go.’ He got the last nail in so I jumped on, jumped the oxer and trotted to the box,” she says.

Both Tamie and Jordan had big praise for the footing, which was perfect thanks to hard work from the grounds crew and the two inches of rain that forced the postponement of several divisions but worked wonders for the course. “Honestly I was saying some prayers for that rain. I was concerned that it looked hard, I think all of us were,” Jordan says. “But the guys did an incredible job, and we could not have asked for better weather that night even though I know for the organizers it made things much more difficult to run everything and get through the weekend.”

Tamie told the course builders, who worked so hard to get the ground right, that she would give them $1,000 of her prize money if she won. “They had a lot to do on the on the footing out there, and I know they stayed up all night tall night aerovating and working it and watering it, and then we got this torrential downpour which was exactly what we needed. It packed it all in and the footing felt phenomenal yesterday,” she says.

Jordan took the summer easy with Capato, giving him some time off when he came up a little bit sore after the Fork then bringing him back at Woodside. Tamie and Jordan both traveled upwards of 20 hours to contest the AEC; while it’s a pitstop for Tamie, it’s a roundtrip for Jordan and her crew, who’ve had a successful week here as well. Jordan’s student Madelyn Floyd won the Jr./YR Prelim championship.

What’s next for Capato is still up in the air. Jordan really wants to get him to Europe, she’d love to tackle Badminton or Burghley next year, but says that a fall trip abroad for Boekelo or Pau might now be possible thanks to her prize money from the AEC.

Tamie Smith and Fleeceworks Royal. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Tamie Smith and Fleeceworks Royal Finish Third

Rounding out the top three we have Tamie and Fleeceworks Royal, Judith McSwain’s 9-year-old Holsteiner mare (Riverman x Marisol). Hot off a CIC3* win at Rebecca Farm in July, the mare is now on her way to the East Coast for a month of prep before heading overseas to the Dutch CIC3* at Boekelo in October.

“She got selected to go to Boekelo so I knew I was going to have a conservative ride this weekend,” Tamie says. “She went fast at Rebecca Farm and I can’t go fast on her all the time, so as much as I wanted to go for it yesterday I was thinking about the bigger picture.”

Tamie and “Rory” started off their week with a score a 30.8 in dressage. “The ring was quite electric and the horses really came up in there,” Tamie says, which coupled with the threat of incoming weather put the mare a tiny bit on edge. “Right before I went in the wind came up and it sprinkle and I thought, ‘It’s going to monsoon, like right now’ and luckily it didn’t, but I felt her tighten her back. She held it together and was very obedient, I just rode very conservatively to school her in there.”

They picked up 11.6 time faults cross country, which was the easy tune-up trip that Tamie had planned. “She was super over everything, and she show jumped beautifully — it was her best show jump today,” Tamie says. “When I ride her well she jumps phenomenally, and I finally got it.”

Best of luck at Boekelo, Tamie and Rory!

Emilee Libby and Jakobi. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Emilee Libby and Jakobi, her own and Linda Libby’s 9-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Ustinov x Expression, by Coriano), had no jumping and one time fault to finish 4th on a score of 53.6.

Rebecca Braitling and Soaring Bird. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Rebecca Braitling and Soaring Bird, Andrea Baxter’s 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, had five rails and three time penalties to finish fifth on a final score of 84.4.

Kim Liddel and Eye of the Storm. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Kim Liddel and Eye of the Storm, her own 9-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Olympic x Message Of Honey), had six rails and six time faults to finish 6th on a final score of 112.6.

More to come this afternoon as the final 2018 AEC champions are crowned here in Parker, Colorado. Go Eventing!

AEC: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

AEC Adequan Gold Cup Advanced Final results:

Ride Around Burghley Cross Country with Joseph Murphy

By on Sep 2, 2018 7:55 am -

What is it like to ride around the biggest cross country course in the world at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials? Thanks to this helmet cam from Joseph Murphy, we can get a bird’s eye view of Capt. Mark Phillips’s monster track.

Sportsfield Othello, a 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Ricardo Z X Moy View Lady, by Ring of Forde) owned by Alison Schmutz, Andrew Tinkler and Jill Andrews, jumped clear with 10.8 time penalties to sit 25th going into show jumping — a fantastic performance for this stalwart campaigner in his 11th CCI4*.

Want to learn to ride cross country like Joseph? He is coming to the States to teach a cross country clinic on Nov. 5-7 at Boyd Martin’s top facility Windurra USA in Cochranville, Pennsylvania. Click here to view full details on the clinic and to reserve your spot.

Joseph and Sportsfield Othello, better known as Franky, will jump in the final group starting at 2:25 p.m. BST/9:25 a.m. EST. You can watch the thrilling finale of Burghley on the live stream here. Good luck to all! Go Eventing.

Burghley: Website, Entries, Timetable, Start Times & Live Scoring, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Burghley Final Horse Inspection: Top Combinations Bow Out Early

By on Sep 2, 2018 6:25 am -

Piggy French and Vanir Kamira, third-placed overnight, present to the ground jury. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Good morning from the final fray, the hard-won front line of the 2018 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. The day dawned bright and beautiful as the crowds gathered en masse for a tense final horse inspection: would the long night of icing and walking be enough? Would those hardened athletes who had fought so hard and dug so deep in yesterday’s test stride into Sunday fit, and well, and happy? We focus so much on the three phases of eventing that sometimes it’s easy to forget that dreams can be dashed just as harshly in the horse inspections, too — but there will have been little but this moment on the riders’ and grooms’ minds for the past fourteen hours.

Oliver Townend and Cooley SRS. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There was a notable spate of withdrawals before the trot-up even began this morning: Oliver Townend withdrew his pathfinder horse MHS King Joules, who has been so consistent this week and sat in tenth place after the cross country phase. Oliver’s other rides, Cooley SRS (13th overnight, now 11th) and Ballaghmor Class (2nd), were accepted.

Andrew Nicholson and Swallow Springs. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Andrew Nicholson, too, withdrew one of this two rides — Jet Set IV was eighth overnight, but his Burghley ends there. Andrew will ride Swallow Springs (5th) in this afternoon’s final session.

Fellow Kiwi Ginny Thompson (40th) opted not to present Star Nouveau, and Burghley first-timers Hector Payne and Dynasty, who was 29th after a clear cross country round, made the same decision. Rebecca Gibbs (30th) and De Beers Dilletante and the wonderful Julie Tew and Simply Sox, whose incredible story has moved us all so much this week, also decided not to present this morning.

Never mind, we’ll find someone like Tew. (Except we won’t, because she has broken and re-healed our icy cold hearts over and over again, and we are taking this worse than a break-up.)

Tina Cook and Star Witness are held, but then offered a fortuitous shift up the ladder. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

After the initial landslide of withdrawals, though, it was plain sailing across the board, with just one horse sent to the holding box throughout the ground jury’s ministrations. That was Tina Cook‘s Star Witness, who added nothing to their dressage score yesterday to climb an incredible 50 place from 62nd to 12th. Now, in the wake of the withdrawals, she sits in 10th place going into this afternoon’s final session of showjumping. Not. Too. Shabby.

There was an almost disappointing lack of dance moves today, particularly from Harry Meade and Away Cruising, who sit in fourth place on a score of 31.1 after an scorching round across the country yesterday, and who behaved so delightfully badly at the first horse inspection.

“Fantastic! This is going jolly well indeed; perhaps Tilly will stop badly photoshopping me and leave me in peace for five bloody minutes!”

But never fear, Harry – you gave us quite enough material on Wednesday to distract us from doing any actual work for the next six months, at least.

#fillercontent, people. Filler content for days.

“Oh.”

The current leaders, Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy, sailed through the trot-up, and we’re delighted to report that both looked fit, well, and full of running after making such light work of the course yesterday.

Overnight leaders Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy are accepted in the final horse inspection. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Our American entrants, too, saw no trouble this morning — all three will go forward to showjumping, with Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby (now 37th) Andrea Baxter and Indy 500 (now 35th) showjumping in the morning session and Buck Davidson and Park Trader (now 12th) jumping in the final session.

Andrea Baxter and Indy 500. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Buck Davidson and Park Trader. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

One of the most important parts of the final horse inspection — in our humble opinion! — is the awarding of the grooms’ prize for the best cared-for horse over the duration of the event. This morning, it was awarded to Janet Willis, who looks after Willa Newton‘s Chance Remark (10th), and has worked for the Newton family for 33 years.

Janet Willis and Chance Remark. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The morning’s session of showjumping commences at 11.15am BST/6.15am EST, with the final session beginning at 2.25pm BST/9.25am EST. Stay tuned!

Burghley Links: Website, Entries, Timetable, Start Times & Live Scoring, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram, Form Guide

Sunday Links Presented by One K Helmets

By on Sep 2, 2018 12:01 am -

LT wrangles a Fair Hill fox. Photo by Charlie Mann.

It is a proud moment for EN: Our own Leslie Threlkeld passed her licensed officials exam yesterday at AEC! Pending her official approval from USEF, you may see Leslie at a show near you as a Technical Delegate. Well done, LT! If you’re interested in becoming a licensed official click here to learn more.

National Holiday: National Blueberry Popsicle Day

Major Events This Weekend:

American Eventing Championships [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Burghley CCI4* [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Foshay [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

U.S. Weekend Action:

Chattahoochee Hills CIC & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Silverwood Farm H.T. [Website] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Woodland Stallion Station H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Park Equine KY Classique H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

YEH Qualifier at Loch Moy [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

Sunday Links:

‘It was fun out there’: Burghley leaderboard completely changes after cross-country day

Walk the Novice and Beginner Novice Courses at the 2018 USEA AEC

“Safe Sport” training ruled mandatory for US riders

Forage alternatives: What to feed horses when hay and grass are short

Zara Tindall uses Land Rover hose to ensure there are no mucky pups at Burghley Horse Trials

Step Inside The World Of The Hampton Classic

Sunday Video: 

Cross Country Day 3

What a day, what an atmosphere! We've seen some incredible performances from riders round our Cross Country course… #crosscountry #lrbht #lrbht2018

Posted by The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials Official Page on Saturday, September 1, 2018

Your Monster, Mega, Multi-Division Saturday AEC Report

By on Sep 1, 2018 11:16 pm -

The first 2018 AEC champions were crowned today! Shown here: Jr. Training winners Madison Santley and Excellence. Photo by USEA/Leslie Mintz.

The American Eventing Championships is no ordinary event. There’s no hierarchy of prestige here: Every last competitor earned his or her place on the entry list, and nobody’s journey was easy. At the AEC, Beginner Novice is just as important as Advanced. While the jumps may be smaller or larger, the obstacles competitors faced to get here — whether it’s the adult amateur working mom who rides at 5 a.m. because it’s the only time she has, or the professionals who risk everything to hedge their bets on a dream — are all worthy of our respect, and all the riders worthy of our admiration.

That’s why, instead of just focusing on the upper levels, this week we are striving to shine the spotlight on all the championship divisions. But we can’t do it alone — the AEC is simply too expansive.

The comprehensive AEC coverage EN has shared this week would not have been possible without the media teams of the USEA and Colorado Horse Park, who have been working feverishly to make sure each and every division gets the attention it deserves. Even at this moment, with the competitors’ party in full swing just outside the media center, they are hunkered down at their laptops, writing and editing photos, all in the name of sharing AEC rider stories and celebrating their successes with the larger eventing community.

Thank you Leslie Mintz and Jessica Duffy of the USEA, and Kim Beaudoin and Kristin Rashid of the Colorado Horse Park. Teamwork makes the dream work!

And without further ado, here is your sprawling 5,400-word recap of Saturday’s AEC action! (View Advanced here and Beginner Novice here.)

Intermediate

Heather Morris and Charlie Tango. USEA/Leslie Mintz Photo.

>Heather Morris of California and Charlie Tango, the Team Express Group, LLC’s 2008 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Shannondale Sarco St. Ghyvan x Our Queen Bee), jumped around the cross country course clear to continue to lead on their dressage score of 25.8.

“The cross country course was just beautifully done by Tremaine [Cooper] and his crew,” said Morris, “so my hat goes off to them for a job well done. The rain that we had last night made the footing absolutely perfect. It was really, really nice so the horses were quite quick.”

Intermediate completed their dressage phase on Thursday, but inclement weather shut the event down on Friday before the group could run cross country. Despite the day off from competition, Morris stated that ‘Chuck’ “felt better than ever” when he ran early Saturday morning. “Not running yesterday wasn’t a hindrance,” she said. “I’m sure it helped the footing and the horses were fresh to go this morning. It was good for them to be able to run on amazing footing today, so we are really happy.”

Bella Mowbray of California and Ruth Bley’s En Vogue, a 2005 Hanoverian mare (Earl x Laurena), are 2nd on their score of 30.5, followed closely by Julie Wolfert and Iowa Lot of Money, her own 2011 Thoroughbred gelding (Fusaichi Pegasus x Lion N Cheatin), on a 33.1.

Preliminary Amateur

Julia Spatt and 5o1 Macintosh. Photo by
USEA/Leslie Mintz.

Julia Spatt of Arkansas and 5o1 Macintosh quietly stalked the leaders all weekend, sitting in a respectable tie for seventh place on a score of 34.3 following dressage and then moving up into second place after adding just 0.8 time faults on cross country day. Finally, Spatt and her own 2010 Belgian Warmblood gelding turned in a double clean show jumping round this afternoon to take home the title.

Her familiarity with the venue served her well, as Spatt was able to adequately prepare 5o1 Macintosh for the challenge. “We did a lot of trot sets and gallop sets to get conditioned. We have a nice hill at the farm, so we did a lot of nice slow gallops, up a slow, gradual hill, to make sure he was fit and prepared for the altitude. I felt like my conditioning program paid off, he felt very good yesterday.”

“It was really exciting to come back to the AEC this year,” said Spatt, who competed in both the 2012 and 2018 AEC. “I’m actually from Colorado. I’ve been living in Arkansas and it was really fun to come back to my home turf and compete at the AEC, and especially to have such a good result. It was quite a homecoming. I love showing at CHP. It’s always been one of my favorite venues.”

Spatt said, “Show jumping can tend to me my Achilles heel for competing. I was trying to keep mentally calm and keep a rhythm and let him do his job.”

Second place went to Erin Hofmann and her own Darkwatch (Royal Academy x Without), a 2008 Thoroughbred gelding. The pair moved from fifth to first with a double clear cross country round and dropped back into second-place after pulling a single rail in show jumping.

“The AEC has been wonderful,” said Hofmann, for whom the Colorado Horse Park is home turf. “I’m from Utah and have a bit of home turf advantage. I’ve been coming here for a long time. I didn’t really think about the altitude being an issue for some people, but when I got here I heard a lot of people talking about it, but we didn’t really feel a difference.”

Hofmann enjoyed the course that Tremaine Cooper put together. “I loved the big, bold gallops on the course. There were big tables and then you had really coming back and do something technical. It really kept you on your toes.”

Ruth Bley and her own 2005 Selle Francais gelding Rodrigue Du Granit (Robin II Z x Delight Gee) started and finished the competition in third place, dropping back to fourth after cross country with 6.0 time faults, but moving back up into third with a flawless show jumping round.

“It’s been great!” said Bley of competing at the AEC. “It was a lot of fun. This is a great facility. I have loved the trails that we could ride on. We got here on Sunday and we hacked around and tried to acclimate our horses that were coming from [sea level] to altitude. Actually, I think the horses did better than I did. We forget that we need to acclimate, too.”

“On cross country I had to remind myself to breathe,” Bley continued, “but my horse came off and acted like it wasn’t bad. I was like ‘Oh, I could have kicked you harder!’ It’s a very different course than we’re used to because there’s not a lot of track so, I actually got lost, which is why he has time penalties. I stumbled around for a while out there. If I could do it again, I would go walk that part of the course over and over and over again.”

Preliminary Rider

Whitney Tucker Billeter and Karvaleo. Photo by
USEA/Leslie Mintz.

Places shifted and changed once more in the Preliminary Rider division, which saw Californian Whitney Tucker Billeter guide her own 2011 Irish Sport Horse gelding Karvaleo (Kanna x Finod Cavalier) to the blue ribbon. The duo earned a collective score of 70.3. “This is my first AEC and it’s beautiful here. I want to come live here during the summer!” Billeter exclaimed.

Due to yesterday’s inclement weather, the Preliminary Rider division was sent back to the barn before they were set to run cross country. The group resumed on Saturday morning, and then contested their final phase later in the afternoon.

Billeter explained, “I just had to work a little bit harder to get him in front of my leg in the warmup but he answered everything. We had a little bauble. I got too tight coming into a combination and pushed him into the B element, but never got organized. If I had to do anything differently it would have been to ride the 9AB a bit better so I could be more organized to get him into the water. He felt tired warming up twice yesterday and then doing cross country and show jumping today. Luckily he has had practice. He’s a really cool young horse that I’m super excited about.”

Travis Atkinson of Utah rode Don Darco, his own 2009 Zweibrucker gelding (Damarco x Gong Lee), to second place on 74.7 penalties. Of his overall weekend, Atkinson said, “It didn’t go as planned, but it was alright. It was a tough cross country course that eliminated a lot of our division and we were the only two left when it came to the show jumping. It was mine to lose.”

Junior/Young Rider Preliminary

Madelyn Floyd and Clementine. Photo by USEA/Leslie Mintz.

Rails were falling in the Junior/Young Rider Preliminary division, but each of the top three had one rail apiece so their placings remained unchanged. Madelyn Floyd led the victory gallop aboard her own Clementine, a 2009 Hanoverian mare (Carrico x La Belle), making her journey from Washington State well worth it. “She’s a really good jumper, so I tried to stay out of her way,” said Floyd. “I tried to give her her head, let her do her thing, and keep the tempo the same.”

The penalties were hard to track, so Floyd wasn’t sure if she had a rail in hand when she cantered into the ring. “Show jumping is our hardest phase, so I just tried to relax and jump a good round. She was great. I couldn’t have asked her to be any better. I made a mistake at fence two but she was awesome.”

Floyd and Clementine finished on a 33.5 which was good enough to take the win over reserve champion Camryn Holcomb and Michaela Holcomb’s Cloud Nine, a 2005 Thoroughbred gelding. Like Floyd’s Clementine, Holcomb said that show jumping isn’t the best phase for Cloud Nine. “He can be pretty tense,” said Holcomb, who hails from Kansas. “He’s small and he’s shaped so weird, so if you ride him normally that’s when he pulls a rail. You have to go really slow, take your time. I was trying to breathe and stay calm. I knew we could do it. We’ve had double clears before, so we just tried to take it in stride.”

Rounding out the top three was Callia Englund and her own Xyder, a 2010 Cheval Canadien gelding (D D D-Cromwell Prince 2 I x Cosyland Start Kandi). “The AEC was so fun,” said Englund who traveled from Washington State. “I’m so glad we made the trip up here. It’s my first time to the CHP and the AEC.”

“The cross country course was difficult! He’s such a good boy on cross country. He just ate everything up and had a lot of fun with it,” said Englund.

Preliminary Horse

Tamra Smith and Fleeceworks Ghost. Photo by
USEA/Leslie Mintz.

Yesterday’s course was influential in the Preliminary Horse division, which gave Tamie Smith the opportunity to climb up the leaderboard into first. Once Smith had the lead, she wasn’t letting go of it and a double clear show jumping round secured her win. Riding Judith McSwain’s Fleeceworks Ghost, a 2012 Irish Sport Horse/Belgian Warmblood mare (Dhannondale Sarco x Riverlon Mist), Smith finished on her dressage score of 29.0.

“Ghost is just a sweetheart,” said Smith. “My daughter has been riding her and producing her. In the victory gallop they even congratulated her, which was so exciting because she did all of the work! I just sat there on her. She’s just such a professional, so good and careful.”

She continued, “She was a little tired today from yesterday because she’s not as bold as the other horse, but she tries her heart out and she’s careful and you just keep on going.”

Second-place was captured by another California native, Gina Economou, riding Lauren Rath’s 2005 Thoroughbred gelding (Devil His Due x Synful Maid), who also finished on their dressage score of 30.4. Of her experience at CHP, Economou said, “They did a fabulous job here. It’s so nice to have an AEC that is in the Midwest and to have one that we could make it to. It was wonderful this year.

“I came out with the expectations to put in some solid dressage and cross country, which is kind of his forte. He met every expectation that I set and went above that. He jumped very clean and I’m so proud of him. Basically, his owner got pregnant, so I got to ride! It’s beautiful here. We haven’t been here in a long time, so it was really nice to come back.”

Smith also claimed third-place in the Preliminary Horse division, this time aboard MaiBlume, the MB Group LLC’s 2010 German Sport Horse/ Thoroughbred mare (Sir Schiwago x Free Lady), also concluding on a dressage score of 31.9. Of her second Preliminary Horse mount, Smith said, “She was absolutely super. Super rideable, she had a very beautiful round, I was really proud of her. Still full of energy, she’s never tired. She’s spicy so sometimes she can get a little funny in the lines to get to the next jump, but today she wasn’t. She was super and I couldn’t have asked her to be better.”

Smith credited CHP and its facility as a valuable asset to the training of her competition string. “It’s so fun to come here and have both of them do so well. I love the ring. It’s so nice to be able to have those green horses handle that kind of atmosphere.”

Training Horse

McKenzie Rollins and Excel Star Lord. Photo by USEA/Leslie Mintz.

As the first division champion to be crowned at the 15th annual AEC, Training Horse winner McKenzie Rollins was nothing but smiles as she galloped around the Coors Arena in her lap of victory. “It’s just such an honor to be able to come here in the first place,” she said. “To compete at such a beautiful venue, to make the trek out from California, with my best friend. It was just so fun. It’s a dream come true.”

Rollins moved from first place after dressage into second place after cross country with her own Excel Star Lord, a 2012 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Non-Stop x Korea B), then clinched the victory on a score of 34.9.

“He’s still quite young,” Rollins said, “so I really wanted to take my time to produce him, to not skip over anything. It’s really important to me that he’s happy and comfortable to do the job and that I’m not over-facing him with anything and I feel like this is just such a feather in his cap. He’s my first young horse that I’ve brought along and it’s been really fun. He’s such a pleasure to ride. He’s so lovely and he’s so kind and enjoys the work, which makes it that much more worth it.”

Second-place was awarded to Sam Kelly of Minnesota aboard Robinstown Ballivor, her own 2009 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Watermill Swatch x Coevers Dock). The pair made a comeback from fifth place after cross country to end on 37.5 penalties.

“It was a great weekend,” said Kelly. “We traveled 20 hours, so it took forever for us to get here and we’ve been here since last Saturday.” Of her weekend, she said, “Dressage, he was amazing. He had a couple spooks, which is kind of unlike him, but with cross country too, he was amazing. We had time, which was a bummer, but he’s a strong jumper, so I knew he had it in the bag. It was just a strong overall weekend.”

Idaho’s Attila Rajnai rounded out the top three with Maximus de la Tombe, his own 2012 Belgian Warmblood gelding (Esperanto van Paemel x Fidji de la Tombe), earning a score of 39.9. Commenting on his horse’s overall performance, Rajnai said, “The dressage test was very good. He felt like he was pretty relaxed for him. He’s still a very young horse, so I thought he did a good job. On cross country he was a little bit stronger than I wish he had been, so it took me a little time to prepare for the jumps and I feel like that cost us a little time. In the last phase, he was very tight as well so through one turn he got a bit discombobulated and had a rail, but all in all I’m very happy with his performance.”

Junior Training

Madison Santley and Excellence. Photo by
USEA/Leslie Mintz.

The Junior Training division concluded with Madison Santley of California, who moved to finish on top of the podium aboard Excellence, a 2009 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Vaillant x Wolinda), after clear rounds in both jumping phases. 

Santley and her mount finished on their dressage score of 31.7. She said, “This [AEC] has honestly been one of the best experiences of my life. It took a long time to get out here. We had a bumpy road, but he was so good. He was an angel and I love him with all of my heart. I couldn’t have asked for a better horse and a better week.”

Colorado native Cora Severs rode Cuervo, Stacey Severs’ 2010 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Judgement ISF x Alexis Titty 11 Z), to the reserve championship on their dressage score of 35.6. “I had a great AEC experience,” Severs said. “I’ve qualified every year, but this is the first time in four years that I have been able to go. Overall it went really well. I wasn’t able to ride him for two weeks leading up to the event, as I was at college, but all in all, he listened very well and I had a great time.”

Madison Flanders of Oregon finished in third place with Michele Flanders’ Arwen II, a 2008 Thoroughbred mare (Silver Patriarch x Sally Smith), on a final score of 35.8. “I’ve had the greatest AEC experience,” Flanders said. “It’s really cool that it was close, here in Colorado this time. We usually can’t go because it’s on the East Coast. The whole entire weekend was really fun, especially cross country. We went a little bit too fast, but it was so much fun, I don’t even care! My mare was just perfect the entire time.”

Training Amateur

Linda Quist and Belle Gambe. Photo by USEA/Leslie Mintz.

Linda Quist of Colorado led from start to finish aboard her own Belle Gambe, a 2004 Iberian Warmblood mare (Temerario VII x Mojave), in the Training Amateur division, finishing on a score of 27.3.

“I had a wonderful experience here this year,” Quist said. “This is my third AEC, I rode in Novice, Training, and now Training again. I thought the cross country course was fabulous, I had a wonderful time out there. Going into the last phase, all I could think of was ‘Leave the rails up please!'”

Texan Cherye Huber and her own Sam I Am, a 2006 British Sport Horse gelding (Cameo’s Reflection x Castle War Rebel), captured third place with a total score of 34.2. This is Huber’s fourth AEC and the time surrounded by her fellow competitors was one she will remember fondly.

She said, “I always love the AEC. It’s always such a festive group. Riding in the Amateur division, we always cheer each other on. I love it here. We had a nice trip and loved the cross country.”

Dawn Robbins of California and her own Diablo Tejano, a 2003 Thoroughbred gelding (Sandpit x Soar Like An Eagle), earned second place on a score of 31.1. Of her inaugural AEC, she said, “The AEC has been the time of my life. I’ve had so much fun. I’ve heard about it for years and we’ve qualified for many years, but it was always too far away for me. I got this chance to come to Colorado and just had to grab ahold of it. I’ve enjoyed being with all of the competitors and the facility is beautiful. The course was challenging, but not overly so. It was a real championship course.”

Training Rider

Tracy Alvez and Romulus. Photo by USEA/Leslie Mintz.

The AEC is to be Romulus’ last competition, so it is only fitting that he went out on top. Luckily, he and owner/rider Tracy Alvez put in a double clear show jumping round to hold o to their overnight lead and win the division. “The show jumping course was so fun,” said Alvez of the Dutch Warmblood gelding (Contango x Divottii). “My strategy was to keep him in front of my leg. He sucks back really easily.”

Alvez came into the AEC with Romulus in top-notch condition, but also was prepared to withdraw him at any point. “He kept telling me ‘No way, Mom, we’re going,'” said Alvez. She worked hard to prepare and ensure that Romulus was in ideal condition and ready to take on the competition at his age. “I’m really glad we did our conditioning in the heat of the day,” said Alvez. “In California, where I live, we don’t have the opportunity to train at elevation. We train at about 100 feet above sea level, which is nowhere near 5,280 feet.”

Jessica Maranto used her home field advantage to take home the reserve championship in the Training Rider division. “I liked having the AEC here this year because I live about five minutes from here,” said Maranto. She and Czardus, a 2007 American Warmblood gelding (Sweet’s Lucky Moondancer x Cadence), made a steady climb up the leaderboard throughout the weekend. They sat in seventh on a 32.8 after dressage and added nothing to that score in either jump phase.

Third placed Cindy Pavusko, who finished on her dressage score of 34.1, had a bit longer of a journey than Maranto, coming from California. “This is my first AEC. It was such a great experience and such an amazing opportunity to be able to come here and compete,” said Pavusko, who rode her own Sir Walter Raleigh, a 2007 American Warmblood gelding by Call Breeder. “I love it here. It’s beautiful. It’s HUGE! I’d never been here before, but my parents have and I was not expecting such a big venue. The course was a lot of fun.”

Novice Amateur

Erin Contino and Handsome Ransom. Photo by USEA/Jessica Duffy.

In the Novice Amateur division, the top three riders held on to their placings. Erin Contino of Colorado and Handsome Ransom, her 2012 Thoroughbred gelding (Desert Warrior x St. Casmir’s Secret), earned a 25.8 yesterday in dressage to lead the division. Contino said she felt very pleased with her steady mount as she guided him faultlessly around the cross country course.

“When I walked the course,” said Contino, “I thought it had a lot of turns, so I thought it might not ride as fluidly as I wanted, but it actually rolled really well. He hit a rhythm right out of the gate and we didn’t really have any issues. He’s a really honest horse, so I’m very lucky in that he tends to just know that his job is to get to the other side. He does that without questioning me, and he stays very straight, very honest.”

Moving into the final jumping phase tomorrow, Contino has one plan, and she’s sticking to it: “I am really going to work on keeping my nerves in check and not get impatient.”

Michelle Meghrouni of California and Swizzle, a 2011 Holsteiner mare (Blauer Vogel x Swiss Detail), sit in second place on a score of 27.0. The third place pair, Lorilee Hanson of Washington and Hypnotik, her own 2011 Warmblood/Thoroughbred gelding (Montego Bay x Trelawny), are half a point behind on a 27.5.

Junior Novice

Julia Brittain and Haiku. Photo by USEA/Jessica Duffy.

Yesterday Julia Brittain of California, riding her own Haiku, a 2012 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Sir Donnerhall, earned a 29.2 for first place. They jumped clear and inside the time today on cross country to maintain their impressive lead.

“I didn’t think much about the cross country course when I walked it,” said Brittain, “but riding was much different than what I expected. I was a lot more tough than I had originally anticipated, and was a harder ride than what I’m used to. My horse is young, but he hasn’t felt that green in a while, so I was a little unprepared for how he ended up acting to things like the ditch and a few of the combinations. I felt like I had to ride it a lot harder than I had initially expected to.”

Brittain also noted that show jumping is her hardest phase, so tomorrow will be the ultimate test for her. “Show jumping is definitely the phase that makes me the most nervous,” she said. “When I get nervous it hinders his performance, so I think that I just have to stay calm and keep him energetic while moving forward.”

Amanda Boyce, also of California, and her own 2006 Welsh Cob gelding Mercury (Machno Carwyn), sit in second place on a score of 32.3. Madison Boesch and her own Seamless, a 2009 Warmblood mare, moved into third on 33.3 with a clear round.

Novice Horse

Tamra Smith and MB MaiStein. Photo by USEA/Jessica Duffy.

Tamra Smith sits in yet another top place position moving into Sunday’s show jumping phase in the Novice Horse division. This time she’s aboard MB MaiStein, the MB Group LLC’s 2013 Oldenburg gelding, on a score of 28.1.

“He’s ready to go Training and he’s looking to go to the Young Event Horse Championships,” said Smith of her young mount. “He’s such a bright talent for the future. He’s 80% Thoroughbred and is an unbelievable horse. His gallop is tremendous and he just has a great mind. He put a perfect test out and came out to cross country and jumped beautifully. It’s just so fun to produce them from three-year-olds. He used to be really nervous about ditches, so we came to the ditch and didn’t know what was going to happen. He just popped over it and that is so fulfilling to see him grow up and do his job perfectly. I’m just so proud of him.”

Colorado’s own Madeline Backus is sitting in second on her dressage score of 29.5 with Reflektion’s Rio, Lynn Roberts’ 2007 Swedish Warmblood gelding (Reggasoni x L.A. Baltic Reflektion). Whitney Tucker Billeter of California is also heading into tomorrow’s final phase on her dressage score of 31.0, holding third place, and the reins of Bill’s MidnightMagic, John Herich’s 2004 Hanoverian gelding (Espri x Rena Ramzi).

Novice Rider

Chris Kawcak and Maggie Belle. Photo by USEA/Jessica Duffy.

The Novice Rider division saw a new combination rise to the top of the leaderboard as Colorado’s Chris Kawcak and his own Maggie Belle, a 2003 Canadian Warmblood mare, took over the lead after cross country. They head into the final phase tomorrow on a score of 25.0.

“I grew up riding team roping horses and I just started riding her about three-years ago,” said Kawcak, whose wife Erin Contino is currently sitting atop the Novice Amateur division.

“Because Erin has been an eventer for years, we just started competing too. We’ve had some pretty good success over a period of time. The mare has been great. She’s really good at dressage, but she’d never done cross country until just a few years ago. She’s very ‘lookie’ but as long as it’s a confident ride, she’s great. She’s fun and she’ll never owe me anything.”

“We’ve competed here for the past few years and around the Midwest as well. I thought the course today was good. It was a little different because it had a lot of turns on it and a great set-up, but the mare went out and was awesome. I was really proud of her because there were a lot of things to look at.”

Kansas native Anna Howell piloted her own 2003 Thoroughbred-Shire gelding (Kaeson’s Tuxedo Affair x Exclusive Ballerina) to second in the standings, with a score of 25.2. Julie Kuhle of Iowa and her own Orion, a 2008 Appaloosa Sport Horse gelding (JS Ebony N Ivory x Lucinda), sit in third on a 26.0.

Beginner Novice Horse

Alexa Ehlers and Clear Laveer. Photo by
USEA/Jessica Duffy.

Alexa Ehlers of Kentucky and Clear Laveer, her own 2006 Hanoverian gelding (Rascalino x Hauptstutbuch Wincenta 2), cruised around clear out on cross country to lead on their dressage score of 27.4.

“It was fun!” said Ehlers. “It was good. He came out not 100% focused and understanding what his job was, but then as he went along he figured out the game and he became way more confident. That was the goal. I was pleased. By the end he was cantering up to everything, not even looking at them. He had a big peek at the ditch and the gully. I was really proud of him. It’s cool to have that kind of a relationship built up now. He tried really hard!”

Of the course, Ehlers said, “I thought the course was perfect for the level. Just challenging enough. It seemed like good questions for the level. It was really cool how they used the terrain to make it more challenging.”

Taylor Lindsten of Arizona and Chestnut Oak’s Drummer Boy, Claudia Channing’s 2007 Shire gelding (Clononeen Romantic Traveler x Steege’s Beth), remain on their score of 25.0 for second place, followed closely by Sophie Mueller of Colorado and 24Karat Magic, Dawn Holmes’ 2011 Australian Stock Horse gelding by Icewood’s Cadabra, on a score of 29.6.

Junior Beginner Novice

Haley Miller and Mr. Melvin. Photo by USEA/Jessica Duffy.

When the dressage leader of the Junior Beginner Novice division ran into some trouble on cross country, Haley Miller and Mr. Melvin were ready to step into the lead with a double clear round. Miller and her own 2011 Thoroughbred gelding (Compromise x Leona’s Hope) sit on a score of 29.1 heading into show jumping.

Miller does not have a rail in hand tomorrow, which spells some pressure in the final phase: “Going into tomorrow my goal is just to trust him; he’s going to do great!”

“Both CHP and the AEC are amazing!” said Miller, who is from Texas. “My dressage test was okay. I didn’t think that it was the greatest, but, he’s just Melvin. He’s a good boy! I liked the cross country course. I thought it was pretty straight forward. It rode like it walked. There were some spots that he was green, but I just gave him a push and we got over it.”

Sitting on a 30.3 and in a tie for second are Californian Maya Pessin and This Bird, her own 2009 Thoroughbred gelding, and Texan Ella Robinson and Fernhill Fearless des Terdrix, her own 2010 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Nabab de Reve x Untouchable).

Beginner Novice Rider

Tricia Leslie and Inate Dignity. Photo by USEA/Jessica Duffy.

Beginner Novice Rider was one of five divisions that were not able to complete yesterday due to the weather, so the riders performed their dressage tests this morning before setting out on cross country this afternoon. Tricia Leslie of Colorado and her own Inate Dignity, a 2006 Thoroughbred gelding (Subordination x Indygo), held the lead following dressage on 23.3 and added nothing to their score on cross country.

As show jumping is their toughest phase, Leslie has a plan for success for tomorrow. “Our Achilles heel is the stadium phase!” she confided. “The plan is to just make sure that he’s really in front of my leg and to give him as much support as he needs. It’s kind of a fine line, so I hope we are able to find that for him so I’m not pushing too hard. He’s a good boy.”

“You never know [how your test is going to to],” said Leslie, “so when I came out I was like, ‘Gosh, that felt very good.’ It went better than I expected. Going into cross country, I didn’t want to get it over with, so I was totally ready to go. The course was pretty straightforward, so there weren’t any big surprises.”

Fifth-placed Liz Reilman and her own Diamondexpectation, a 2004 Thoroughbred gelding (Valid Expectations x Appeasement), moved up to second place on their dressage score of 29.8 following cross country. Sixth-placed Sarah Sousa and Black Tye Affair, her own 2002 Thoroughbred gelding (Haymarket x Gone Lady), also jumped up the leaderboard into third-place on 31.5 after putting in a double clear round.

Beginner Novice Amateur

Cami Pease and Vibrant. Photo by USEA/Jessica Duffy.

Washington D.C.’s Cami Pease and her own Vibrant, a 2000 Belgian Warmblood gelding, dominated the Beginner Novice Amateur division today and lead on a score of 24.5. They have a rail in hand heading into show jumping tomorrow. 

“Cross country was really good,” said Pease, “really fun, big, open, nicely set up and well designed. Gorgeous scenery. He was bold, confident, and positive. That’s what I wanted.”

Looking to the final phase of competition, Pease just hopes to successfully maneuver the track. “Show jumping is actually my favorite phase,” she said. “That’s where I’m most comfortable and cross country is where I’m most nervous. I’m the opposite of most eventers. Now I feel like the hard part is over. Tomorrow I’ll go in the ring and just go around. Sit up and put your leg on, that’s all you have to do.”

Kelly Green of Texas piloted her own Woodstock Classic Rock, a 2009 Thoroughbred gelding (Rock Slide x Sally Q), to second place on a score of 28.5, while California resident Nikki Lloyd and Wil’ya Dance, a 2012 Hanoverian gelding (Wild Dance x Paloma Paz), sit third on a 29.3.

More to come tomorrow!

[2018 USEA American Eventing Championships Presented by Nutrena® Feeds Crown First Divisional Winners at The Colorado Horse Park]

AEC: Website, Schedule, Ride Times, Live Scores, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

AEC Cross Country Instagram Roundup: A Video Is Worth 1,000 Pictures

By on Sep 1, 2018 11:11 pm -

AEC’s Friday 🐎🐎🐎🐎 #teamequites #teamequitesaec

A post shared by Equites Riding club (@equites.riding.club) on

Can’t wait for AEC helmet cams to start showing up! Have one? Send the link our way at [email protected]. 

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, is a video worth 1,000 pictures? Mmmmm. However that measures out, cross country is much too dynamic to capture in a photo. Here are a few of your Instagram videos from the run-and-jump phase of #AEC2018 at the Colorado Horse Park!

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In case you were feeling particularly athletic today. #aec2018 #crosscountryjumping

A post shared by Natasha Daigle (@natasha.m.daigle) on

Good boy today!!

A post shared by Samantha Hollow-Bist (@gallopfarm) on

Running into September like… 👉🏼🏃🏼‍♀️ #AEC18

A post shared by Kimberlyn Beaudoin (@k_t_beaudoin) on

Go Eventing.

AEC Not-Quite-Live Updates: Jr. Beginner Novice XC Faceoff Showdown

By on Sep 1, 2018 9:49 pm -

What’s this Burghley live stream garbage? I’m ready for AEC Jr. Beginner Novice cross country!

Move over Burghley, it’s time for Jr. Beginner Novice cross country at the American Eventing Championships! This is the division to watch, as the country’s most formidable junior riders face off over the toughest yellow numbered jumps in the land.

Yesterday was intense, with lightning storms thrice interrupting Jr. Beginner Novice dressage with lengthy holds and ultimately postponing the remainder of the division until this morning. Riders were forced them to reevaluate their warmup gameplans on the fly and roll with the punches. Clearly, these kids are packing ice in their veins. Can they keep it up through cross country? We’re about to find out!

1:58 p.m.: Our first pair, Erin Roane and Beau Tie, is on course. Let’s do this thing, y’all!

2:01 p.m.: Drama! We have falls from two of the first four riders out, Erin Roane and Gracie Friend. Gracie’s mount, Feature Presentation, has left her for dead at fence #9 and is now on a mission to return to his nice, cozy stall ASAP, galloping lanes be darned.

Loose horse! Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Rope in the air, don’t care. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Challenging poor Mackenzie Lowe and Addie Okie, who have just crossed the finish line, to a foot race. Don’t take the bait, Addie Okie! Photo by Leslie Wylie.

And on into the spectator section … Photo by Leslie Wylie.

… with 60 feet of line and stakes in tow. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

2:08 p.m.: Phew! We’re just glad nobody got hurt and the horse checked out OK. Onward and upward. Meanwhile, Maggie Morris and Trump Lion have posted the first double-clear round of the division, followed by McKenzie and Addie Okie. Hayley Hayden and Lady Black Hawk pick up a couple stops at fence #7, the ditch, but finish strong. Hayden Brown and California Girl pick up 20 at #9, the water.

The game-faced duo of Emma Franklin and Teddybear spring forth out of the box …

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

… and come home triumphant!

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Tell us about your super round on your superstar pony, Emma:

2:10 p.m.: Another clear round from Shaeleigh O’Brien and A Beautiful Promise.

Big pats! Photo by Leslie Wylie.

2:12 p.m.: Ingrid Hofmeister and Berklee pick up 20 at fence #8, the Wiggly Rails, which several horses are giving the side-eye. They look great at the finish, big smiles and braids a-flying

Is that a dark storm cloud in the distance?

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

2:14 p.m.: Jr. Beginner Novice cross country is a great place to pick up turnout tips that are fashionable yet functional, like this electrical tape wrapped neck strap sported by Sophia Hardesty and San Marco. This pair goes on to come home double-clear.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

2:16 p.m.: Ava Cunningham and Johnny’s Private Collection look solid from start to finish.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

2:18 p.m.: The Wiggly Rails claim another victim in Riley Croft and Gallod Welsh Fashion, who have a stop there.

2:20 p.m.: Avery Daigle and FR’s Check It Out Now are pretty in pink …

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

… and you can deduce how their run went from this photo of their cheer squad:

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

2:22 p.m.: Haley Miller and Mr. Melvin look confident and steady around the course. (Don’t tell them we told you this, but in the future they’re going to move into the lead.)

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

2:26 p.m.: Both Ashley Smith with Oaxaca and Anna Santy with Balligomingo find the finish line with no jump faults.

2:28 p.m.: Maya Pessin and This Bird come home clear!

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Love her flash black and gold cross country colors. Yes, duct tape comes in gold apparently!

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

2:30 p.m.: P.S. American Girl, a 25-year-old Pinto ridden by Emma Sletten, is making a huge comeback after earning the Jr. Training AEC reserve championship in 2008 with owner Madeline Backus — who was 12 at the time! When Madeline outgrew P.S. American Girl she began riding P.S. Ariana, her future four-star horse. Happy 10-year AEC homecoming, P.S. American Girl! You look 25 years young out there.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

2:32 p.m.: Kendall Miller and King’s Ransom set out on course, but they’ll be the last to head out before officials spot lightning and send everybody back to the barn. Deja vu! Not again!!!

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

2:45 p.m.: In the downtime, we flag down Maya Pessin and make her recap her great ride. (She doesn’t know this yet, but her double-clear will move her from a tie for 3rd after dressage into a tie for 2nd!)

2:55 p.m. We then spot dressage leader Emily Hedberg and Mr. Mile High, who are waiting out the lighting hold.

4 p.m.: Finally, we have the greenlight to continue on! Game on. Adriana Cuellar and Ipso Facto leave the box …

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

4:02 p.m.: … followed by Ruth Mock and Wodie. Both come home clear.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

4:04 p.m.: Anita Hawkes’ Silver Charm, the only Arabian in the division, caught my eye in the warm-up. Those pointy little ears! I just want to put them in my mouth and eat them. (I wouldn’t actually do that, Anita. Probably.)

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Tail flagged the whole way around, they made short work of the course.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

4:06 p.m.: Dressage leaders Emily Hedberg and Mr. Mile High are next up. They pick up a couple stops along the way — bummer!

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

4:08 p.m.: There are couple of paints in the division, including Paige Borylo’s Talisker. What a cute face!

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

4:10 p.m.: A lovely round for Kathryn Macomber and Gabe’s Gold!

4:12 p.m.: Tatum Gray had best smile of the division, and she wore it all the way around her course with Reds Loyal Flame, who had the best ear bonnet!

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

 4:14 p.m.: Lauren Garcia is looking good on Park Avenue III.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

4:16 p.m.: Just three more to go! Ella Robinson gets it done on Fernhill Fearless des Terdrix, which will move her into a tie for 2nd place.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

4:20 p.m.: And our last two Jr. Beginner Novice competitors, Natalie Nabor with Lonely Soldier and Alexis Ehrlich with Poncho, come home clear!

Natalie Nabor and Lonely Soldier. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Job well done to all!

Here are your Jr. Beginner Novice top 10 after cross country:

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Go Eventing.

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Canada Announces Team for 2018 World Equestrian Games

By on Sep 1, 2018 6:14 pm -

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Equestrian Canada announced the Canadian Eventing Team for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games in a Facebook live announcement this evening. The horses and riders named to the team are:

  • Hawley Bennett-Awad and Jollybo, a 14-year-old British-bred mare (Jumbo X Polly Coldunnell xx, by Danzig Connection xx) owned by The Jollybo Syndicate
  • Lisa Marie Fergusson and her own Honor Me, a 12-year-old Welsh Sport Horse gelding (Brynarian Brenin X Dream Contessa xx, by Royal Chocolate xx)
  • Colleen Loach and Qorry Blue d’Argouges, a 14-year-old Selle Francias gelding (Mr. Blue x Hardie du Bourg, by Count Ivor xx) owned by Peter Barry
  • Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High, a 15-year-old Canadian Sport Horse gelding bred by Epstein Equestrian (Rio Bronco W X Evita II xx, by Abacus xx) owned by John and Judy Rumble
  • Jessica Phoenix and her own Pavarotti, a 16-year-old Westphalian gelding (Pavarotti Van de Helle X Fidelia, by Foxiland) with Amara Hoppner’s Bogue Sound, an 11 -year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Crafty Shaw X Carolina Blue, by Victory Gallop), as direct alternate

Rob Stevenson will serve as chef d’equipe of the team.

Definite entries for WEG are due Sept. 3, so we can expect final team announcements and last-minute shake-ups coming over the next few days. Keep it locked on EN for all your official WEG news. Go Eventing.