Classic Eventing Nation

Lisa Barry: Starting a New Chapter in Kentucky

By on Mar 31, 2018 11:00 am -

Lisa Barry and F.I.S. Prince Charming. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

It has been said that when one door closes another one opens. I believe this to be true to a certain extent. Sometimes that new door is disguised or locked or made of concrete, and you end up bruised and broken from trying to get it open. Sometimes you have to create an alternative door for yourself.

So much has happened since FIS Prince Charming (“Peanut”) and I competed at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event a few years ago — some doors closed and some new ones opened, but now my journey forward will be heading through a door that I’m designing myself in a new barn in a whole new neighborhood. I’m moving my program to Kentucky.

Enjoying the journey – patience, persistence and perseverance  

For more than half my life I’ve been traveling back and forth every six months (give or take) between Middleburg, Virginia and Ocala, Florida to ride and train with the best in the sport — trying to chase the dream, trying to come out on top.

I was lucky enough to essentially start my riding career under the direction of one of the world’s best riders. “Enjoying the journey” is something Karen O’Connor started to emphasize to me as a kid. Twenty-five years of her training later, those words still guide me every day.

In addition to riding, I’ve also traveled around the world to groom at major international competitions, including the Pan American Games, the World Equestrian Games, Kentucky and Badminton, to name a few. I’ve watched my friends earn their red coats and stand on podiums and, although I don’t have one yet, I am determined to get there!

Along my journey, three other words have defined my world: patience, persistence, perseverance. These words exemplify what it is to be an eventer — especially one like me who is chasing the dream of making a team and representing my country.  Like many others, I have worked my whole life towards that goal, working multiple jobs and getting little sleep, to cover my bills for this sport that I love so much. My parents have always been as supportive as they can be financially, but I’ve worked hard to help pay for this sport since I was 13.

There have been many adventures on my journey so far and many lessons learned. Peanut, who has had panic attacks and has flipped over on me in the dressage, was the most challenging, but he got me to my first CCI4* and taught me patience.

Lisa Barry and F.I.S. Prince Charming at the 2015 Eventing Prix Invitational. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Kenzo de la Roque had severe Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM) so could have no hay, no grass, and had to walk every four hours at a show, including through the night. He tore a suspensory multiple times and then put a hole in his eye, ending in surgery. With all his issues, my vets said quit, but I persisted. It was worth it — Kenzo gave me my first three-star experiences and qualified for Kentucky before he had to retire.

The vast majority of my horses had little to no training before I got them. Some were homebreds that I started and produced from the ground on up. Some were off the track and had to be let down and retrained to event. I take great pride in the fact that I have put in the blood, sweat and tears to make 20+ horses in my career so far.

Seven became FEI horses, three of which got to the Advanced level. And each one taught me to persevere, to keep going when I thought I couldn’t take another step, to fail and try again … to learn that just because I want it more than anything, and I’ve worked my butt off for it, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen right now.

The road to personal success always includes some giant potholes that can break you. This spring I had to ultimately make the decision to retire my beloved Peanut due to an injury that won’t allow him to come back. I’m also having to transition my homebred Advanced mare Cece to the world of soft sand and poles because her body just doesn’t want to hold up to the extremes of our sport. There were also smaller ruts that slowed me down, like horses that didn’t want to play anymore or those that just weren’t good enough.

Part of me learning to enjoy the journey — while the horses were rehabbing or the babies were growing — was learning to take all the knowledge and experience I’ve gained and pass it on to others. Although teaching used to intimidate me, I have come to really love it! It is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.

Lisa Barry and F.I.S. Prince Charming. Photo by Kasey Mueller.

New girl in town

I am still chasing the dream of making a team and representing my country, but losing my Advanced horses means I’ve found myself starting over again and riding down a new road.

As of April 2, I will be moving my program to Lexington, Kentucky. I have acquired stalls in a barn at a stunning 140-acre facility in Georgetown called Queenslake Farm. My new website is almost finished and will be up and running very soon at www.lisabarryequestrian.com.

I have several wonderful students that will be moving in with me, but I am officially open for business and will be accepting any and all new students — no level or experience restrictions. I will also have a few of my retired upper-level horses available to lesson on or for partial lease (for those whose riding qualifies).

I will teach and ride on site, but I am also willing to travel to you. I will have room in my barn for horses in training or for sale. I will also be looking for my own next superstar to produce and would love to meet others who would enjoy helping me.  I welcome anyone who dreams of being a part of a team as an owner or syndicate member to contact me at [email protected] … we do have a lot of fun on our adventures!

Come join the journey with me! 

Best of HN: An Open Letter to the Rider With the ‘Made’ Horse

By on Mar 31, 2018 9:06 am -

Flickr/Five Furlongs Photography/CC

Dear rider with the “made” horse,

Everybody knows who you are at the horse show, the horse trial, the rodeo, the barrel race. And everybody knows your horse, whether he’s been in your family for years and years or he’s a recent addition to your barn. You know there are eyes on you and your horse every time you set foot in the ring.

They might know your name and your horse’s name; there might be plenty of whispered rumors about how much you paid for him and who trained him. There’s plenty of muttering from the other riders and the horse show moms when you win that coveted blue ribbon. You hear them when they don’t think you’re listening, or when they pretend they don’t know you can hear them.

“That’s a made horse.” “The judges always pin her because they know who trained that horse.” “Of course it’s easy to win when you buy your way to the top.” “I bet she can’t really ride a real horse where you have to work for it.”

They might know your names, but they don’t really know you. They don’t know how many hours of practice you put in at home, making sure you get it right, that your horse gets it right. They don’t see how much work it takes to make a well-broke horse that nice, and how hard it is to keep a horse nice. They don’t realize just how hard it is to ride a well-broke horse, to make it look effortless in the ring.

There’s some kind of assumption that a “made” horse is easy to ride, a machine that will take you to the top and win you all the ribbons and points and championships. We champion the scrappy do-it-yourself riders who tame those wild green horses, who find the diamond in the rough and through months or years of hard work polish that rough diamond into a gem–and we should always celebrate those riders and their horses.

But that championship should not come at the expense of those riders putting in the same kinds of hours, those late nights and early mornings, the sacrifices and struggles to achieve their dreams on a well-bred or well-broke animal. The made horse is not always an easy ride, and it takes years of honed skill in the saddle to make him look effortless.

I’ve learned this the hard way: I’ve ridden a mare blessed with raw talent and athleticism that I didn’t know how to channel and shape; I’ve taken the made pleasure horse into a class we were shoe-ins to win and made a mistake that took us out of the pinnings.

I practiced for hours on the scrappy, difficult to ride, difficult to love, textbook “tough horses” and learned how to put them together, to polish them as a rider and make them look like a five-figure superstar… and then drawn a made show horse at the national championships and had no idea how to put it together. I could take Paddy the one-leaded rope horse and make him look like a million bucks at home, but the knowledge it took to ride that polished show horse I should have been lucky to draw was beyond me at the time. I was an honorable mention.

As they say, before you criticize someone, walk a hundred miles in their shoes. Until you’ve ridden every horse in the arena, you’ll never know how easy or how tough a rider might have it. We’re all in this horse world together–let’s show each other our support, rather than bring each other down.

Go riding!

Frankie Thieriot Stutes Set to Take Back-to-Back CIC3* Wins at Galway Downs

By on Mar 31, 2018 1:05 am -

Frankie Thieriot Stutes and Chatwin. Photo by Shelby Allen.

It was an action-packed day in Temecula, California as the competition got underway for the Galway Downs International Horse Trials. Frankie Thieriot Stutes, Gina Miles and Harper Click were the big names of the day as they currently lead the CIC3*, CIC2* and CIC* divisions, respectively.

Twelve months ago Frankie Thieriot Stutes picked up her first CIC3* win aboard The Chatwin Group’s Chatwin here at Galway Downs. Now a year later with a new baby in tow, she’s gunning to repeat her 2017 performance. So far so good! These two are out in front of the three-star group on a score of 32.8.

Frankie Thieriot Stutes and Chatwin. Photo by Shelby Allen.

“I thought the trot work was honestly the best he’s been. My canter work actually he got quite strong. He swapped on me int he second counter canter. He was really quiet in the warm up, and going into that ring was a little bit more electric than I thought, and I might have pushed a bit too much early on in the canter, and he kept going with it,” she said. This weekend competitors are riding in the newly created Grand Prix arena, which features brand new Footing Solution USA’s footing.

“Overall, it’s just so fun to ride him on the flat. Tamie [Smith] keeps telling me, ‘just go in and enjoy your horse.’ Because I want to make it all really good and kind of bother him the whole time. I’m trying to enjoy the whole process.”

After posting the only sub-30 dressage score of the class (28.8 or 43.2 in the old scoring), they had one rail down in Marc Donovan’s show jumping course. “I’ve been really working to pick a rhythm and stick with it. To me that’s our biggest obstacles in our partnership together. I came in a little hot to the one-stride, but other than that I did feel like my rhythm was better and I was happy with that today,” she smiled. 

Tamie Smith and Sunsprite Syrius. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Starting fresh off their huge Fair Hill CCI2* victory last year, Tamie Smith and Sunsprite Warmbloods’ Sunsprite Syrius are sitting pretty in second place of this weekend’s CIC3*. They earned a 31.2 in the first phase and added four time penalties in show jumping for a two-phase result of 35.2.

“He’s out of control! He’s been a complete wild Indian since he came back from Fair Hill. He was like this as a 5-year-old, but then settled in and had been a perfect gentleman, so now he’s a complete wild crazy lunatic, but he still tries so hard,” Smith said of the cheeky 10-year-old Trakehner. “The flat he was very good. He’s green at the level. I didn’t get my changes, but everything else I thought was very good. He show jumped beautifully.”

Tamie is also in seventh with Kevin Baumgardner’s Wembley on 56.7 penalties points. This comes after accidentally forgetting the final fence on course caused her to pick up 22 time penalties.

Helen Bouscaren and Ebay. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Joining them in the top three are fellow CCI2* winners Helen Bouscaren and Ebay, who took first place here at Galway Downs last autumn. They add two rails to their dressage result (30.2) for a current score of 38.2.

“He was really good on the flat. He was the most rideable he’s ever been. At times I needed to go for it a little more. He broke from the trot out of the canter twice–that’s a new one for us. Normally I’m just holding on for dear life. But I was really happy with how he behaved and I was able to show him off in the trot. Then he jumped really well. I thought he didn’t deserve two down. I kind of robbed him there, but that’s ok we’re both building a partnership still,” she said. 

These two are still relatively new to one another. Their first international competition together was this event last year where they finished third in the CIC*.

Derek di Grazia and his own Ringwood Justice added four time penalties to an otherwise spotless ride for fourth place. They’re on a score of 48.7.

Andrea Baxter and Indy 500. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Marc Donovan’s show jumping course proved to be very influential across all international divisions. With tricky lines winding around cross country fences in the grassy Sycamore Field, clear rounds and quick times were hard to come by. Andrea Baxter and Indy 500 were the only pair in the three-star to get the elusive double clear round. They currently sit in fifth on a score of 40.

Bec Braitling and the Lauren Burnell’s handsome Walterstown Don took the time easy today as they weren’t tapped for studs. They added seven time penalties for a current result of 43.9.

Tomorrow is cross country day, and Eric Winter’s course has the CIC3* riders prepared for battle. While some look nervously at the beefy track, others, like Tamie, are eager for the challenge.

“In a long time I haven’t seen a three-star here be tough. They’d have a couple tough combinations on the course, but this weekend everything is a three-star combination,” Tamie said. “I think it’s great. That’s what we need. I think that Eric’s done a really great job with creating a lot of terrain on a piece of property that doesn’t have much terrain. He’s done really good job with making it a difficult track. It’s going to be fun.”

You can check out our course preview here.

Stay tuned for more from sunny California! Go Eventing.

Galway Downs: Website, Entries, Schedule, Live Scoring, EN’s Coverage

Saturday Links from Tipperary

By on Mar 31, 2018 12:01 am -

Photo by Abby Powell.

No, the above photo was not taken on a tropical island – it’s just regular old Massachusetts. Instead of a warm breeze and sun on your skin it’s more like a frozen nose and wind whipping past your ears until you can’t hear anything. But despite the struggle and sometimes discomfort, the equestrian beach season is still a major highlight of the winter. Sadly though, the beach off-season in my area ends this weekend so I’ll be making one last pilgrimage out to the surf today while the horses are still allowed!

National Holiday: National Bunsen Burner Day

Burnham Market International [Live Results]

U.S. Weekend Action:

Morven Park H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Results]

Rocking Horse Spring H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Results]

Full Gallop H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Results]

Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Results]

Galway Downs CIC & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Results]

Southern Arizona H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Saturday Links:

Life after the Dressage Multiplier

Through the Lens: Carolina International

Ask Your Veterinarian: How Much Can Diet Really Improve Hooves?

‘You’d be mad not to enter’: £700 top prize at 90cm event

How a Lost, Lonely Pony Became a Grand Prix Dressage Prospect

Entourage

Saturday Video:

Day Two at Burnham Market: The Return of the King

By on Mar 30, 2018 6:30 pm -

Oliver Townend: Burnham Market’s winningest rider. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The second day of competition at the Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International Horse Trials saw another high-profile group of horses and riders lay down their first-phase scores, but the murmurings from the assembled supporters were all about the final test of the day.

Oliver and MHS King Joules, 8th in the Advanced. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Oliver Townend has dominated the north Norfolk fixture with remarkable consistency, winning the CIC3* here ten times since 2007. There are riders with whom certain events make easy association – Andrew Nicholson and Barbury, for example, or William Fox-Pitt and Gatcombe – but Oliver’s long-term relationship with his happiest hunting ground is the most successful of any rider with a particular venue. It’s not unusual for him to bring several of his top-level competitors here for their first competitive run of the season, but this year he entered just one in the main class: 2017 Burghley winner Ballaghmor Class. His remaining spring four-star entries – Cooley Master Class, Cooley SRS and MHS King Joules, all of whom are cross-entered at Badminton and Kentucky – contested national sections, with both Cooley horses entered in the OI and King Joules in the Advanced.

And so ticked along a day full of the great and good of eventing, creeping closer to that moment of reckoning at the end of the day, which would decide Oliver’s odds on an unusurped reign. Andrew Nicholson and Jet Set were the first in the ring, and they continued yesterday’s trend by setting a decisive personal best of 27.1 – 40.6 in old scoring, which bests their old-score international average of 47.3 by a considerable margin. We’ve seen Jet Set put up a first-phase score in this region just once before: at Bramham CCI3* in 2016 he scored a 41, and duly won the class. Today, the score was good enough for 11th place going into tomorrow’s final group of riders, but this horse is historically a climber: in thirteen of his fourteen international competitions he hasn’t faulted across the country. It was only at the end of 2017, in his four-star debut at Pau, that he incurred his first international non-completion when a late rider fall blotted his clean record. Jet Set will continue on to Badminton – but if he can maintain his previous form and add minimal time penalties tomorrow afternoon, he may well break the upper echelons of the leaderboard here, too.

Jonty Evans and Cooley Rorkes Drift: back for 2018 with a score to settle. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Firm fan favourites Jonty Evans and Cooley Rorkes Drift were another of the morning’s early contenders, posting a 26.8 for a test that was balanced and correct, if, perhaps, more conservative than previous efforts. Their score didn’t rival their career PB at Badminton last year, at which they scored 37.2 (24.8), but was good enough to secure them 9th place overnight. This is the 12-year-old’s first run of the season, after an early intended run at Aldon was lost to what has been an exceptionally wet March, and is the start of a campaign to settle the scores of 2017, which was marred by several uncharacteristic runouts across the country and fractured by the complicated sale of the horse.

Laura Collett and Grand Manoeuvre, who will focus on CIC3*. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Laura Collett‘s Grand Manoeuvre slotted in just behind Jonty on a score of 26.9. The 14-year-old Hanoverian has completed two four-stars before, once with Laura and once with former rider Nick Gauntlett, and it was widely thought that he would, perhaps, be entered again this year. But instead, Laura has decided to focus on the Event Rider Masters (ERM) CIC3* series with him instead after top-ten finishes in the Blenheim and Barbury legs last season.

 Ireland’s Aoife Clark brought forth her Badminton entry Master Rory (31.3, 31st), but it was her Fernhill Adventure who gave the performance of the day, scoring a PB 24.1 to sit in third place. With only one clear international cross country run on his record since early 2016, the gelding isn’t the surest bet for a top placing tomorrow, but he goes into the jumping phases with the confidence of a good run in Barroca’s CIC2* behind him.

Fourth place was taken by Fernhill Pimms, who, with rider William Fox-Pitt, is cross-entered for Badminton and Kentucky, but currently waitlisted for the former. This is because he’s one of a small string of horses that have been lightly campaigned – if at all – since William’s accident in 2015. The fourteen-year-old’s 10th place finish at Burghley that year was his last international run, but he’s run well, if slowly, in two OIs and an ON since. Part-owned by Catherine Witt, who has been one of William’s top owners, he’s a reliable campaigner and, if he runs tomorrow afternoon, will likely post a steady, slow clear to regain his sea legs.

The reigning king of Burnham: Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

And as for Oliver and Ballaghmor Class? If those gathered were expecting them to swoop into the lead, they were to be disappointed, as the Yorkshireman and his Courage II gelding posted a 29.7 for 24th place overnight. But both horse and rider are fast and typically clean across the country and, on a course where the time is always tight, this could see them make huge strides up the leaderboard. Their occasional tendency to a pole, though, could equally cost them that climb – there’s eight penalties between them and the top, and those eight penalties can be made or dropped easily.

Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Pippa Funnell holds her lead with Billy Beware, and finishes the day with three horses comfortably within the top ten. Up-and-comer Billy Walk On earned a 26.5 to take 8th place at this stage. He was 20th in this class last year, but the remainder of his 2017 season was dogged by problems that belied an otherwise impressive record, with ten consecutive top-ten placings at international level preceding that season. If Pippa has cracked the issues of last season, then she’ll be sitting aboard a super-fast cross-country machine tomorrow. If she hasn’t, we may see an early withdrawal.

Tom Jackson and Waltham Fiddlers Find, 20th overnight in the CIC3*. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The CIC3* wraps up tomorrow with the end of the dressage in the morning, followed by showjumping and cross country. We’ll be bringing you all the day’s action, as well as a breakdown of what the results could mean for our Badminton and Kentucky-bound horses. To see what the competitors will be tackling on the hill tomorrow, click here, and, to follow along with the live scores, click here.

We’ve been keeping an eye on CCI4* entrants in the OI and Advanced sections, too, and we were heartbroken to report that British-based Canadian Kathryn Robinson‘s longtime partner Let It Bee died on course after collapsing between fences. The EN team sends its deepest condolences to Kathryn and the Cranford Stud team.

Friday Video from World Equestrian Brands: Horse + Dolphin Happy Hour

By on Mar 30, 2018 5:41 pm -

#Goals

Nevermind "bomb-proof", if my horse isn't "dolphin-proof", I don't even want it! 😀

Edit: Most popular question seems to be where is this. It's Australia 🙂

Credit:Newsflare

Posted by Fal Turro's River on Friday, March 16, 2018

I don’t know about you guys, but this is exactly how I want to peace out of my workweek: a little horse-meets-dolphin magic. Bless this big, beautiful, blue planet and all the majestic creatures that inhabit it. Now go forth and enjoy this beautiful spring weekend!

Let It Bee Collapses, Dies at Burnham Market International

By on Mar 30, 2018 3:05 pm -

Kathryn Robinson and Let It Bee at Aachen 2015. Photo by Jenni Autry.

We are devastated to report that Let It Bee collapsed and died between fences on the Advanced cross country course today at Burnham Market International Horse Trials in Norfolk, England. British-based Canadian rider Kathryn Robinson was uninjured in the incident.

Musketeer Event Management released the following statement: “It is with great sadness that we announce that number 860, Let It Bee ridden and owned by Kathryn Robinson, died whilst competing in the Advanced class at approximately 5pm at Burnham Market International in Norfolk on 30th March 2018. Let It Bee, a 17-year-old gelding, collapsed between fences 13 and 14. No further details are available at present.”

Burnham Market was the first run of the 2018 season for Let It Bee, a 17-year-old Westphalian gelding (Lamerto H X Baroness, by Brentano II) owned by Kathryn, John, and Gayle Robinson. Kathryn had him entered to return to Badminton this spring for a third consecutive year.

Kathryn Robinson and Let It Bee at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Bred in Germany by Hubert Brinkmann, Let It Bee came to Kathryn as a precocious youngster. She produced him from his very first BE100 in 2009 all the way through to the four-star level. He amassed 436 British Eventing points over nine seasons with Kathryn.

Kathryn and Let It Bee represented Canada multiple times on the world stage, including the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, and the London Olympics Test Event in 2011. They also represented Canada in the Nations Cup at Aachen CICO3* in 2015.

Their career highlight at four-star level came at Pau in 2014, when they finished in seventh place. Kathryn and Let It Bee also jumped double clear around their first Badminton in 2016. He completed 10 CCI competitions during his career.

Kathryn Robinson and Let It Bee at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Kathryn and Let It Bee enjoyed a strong season in 2017, finishing 12th in the CCI3* at Tattersalls, fifth at Millstreet CIC3*, and 12th in the Event Rider Masters CIC3* at Blenheim Palace. They were one of four combinations named to the 2018 Canadian Eventing High Performance National Squad.

Affectionately known as her “Black Limousine,” Kathryn adored the sleek, black gelding, and our hearts are absolutely broken for her. The EN team sends our deepest condolences to Kathryn, Gio, Sophie and the entire team at Cranford Stud Eventing during this terrible time.

Rest in peace, Bibbles.

10 Questions with Allison Springer, Presented by Nupafeed

By on Mar 30, 2018 1:00 pm -

Allison Springer and Arthur at Kentucky. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Allison Springer’s life has looked a little different since Arthur’s retirement last year, but with new promising talent coming up the ranks, fans are enjoying watching her once again at the top levels. We caught up with her for a chat about horses, competition nerves and much more!

EN: How is Arthur enjoying retirement?

Allison: “He is happy! Still ruling the roost over there. I think the best part of life right now is he gets to go out with a pack with other horses, so that’s fun for him. He’s teaching all my girls, and when I have time I’ll do a little on him. He’s just been great.”

EN: You also have some exciting horses coming through the pipeline. How does it feel to be back at the Advanced level?

Allison: “They’re all young and pretty exciting. I haven’t been here in ages on an inexperienced horse. As tricky and spooky as Arthur could be cross country, he’s pretty amazing jumping big stuff right out of stride. This course never felt easy, but it’s certainly a course where you could see the horses that are going to Kentucky handled it so well. You miss that. I’m having to rethink about what’s the best Advanced level track and schedule to produce these horses. It’s new and different! But they’re all really great jumpers and I’m excited for the future.”

EN: What was your first horse trial?

Allison: “My very first horse trial was an unrecognized event. It was the Fox River Valley Pony Club mini event, and I didn’t quite know what I was getting into. There’s an adorable picture of me cross country on Marshmallow, my very first pony, and I was in my hunt coat. I remember someone asking my mom if I wanted to borrow their Caliente with the colored helmet and all that and we were like, ‘why would you do that?’ So I was the only one out there in a hunt coat in my show clothes. But that was super fun.

“I’m sure my first recognized horse trial then would’ve been the Fox River Valley Pony Club Horse Trials which is still a tremendous event today. That would’ve been on Bay Sugar, and I’m pretty certain I fell off into the big Fox River Valley P.C. panel that they always had as the last show jump there.”

The crowd went wild when Allison Springer and Arthur completed their test to score a 39.7. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

EN: What is the most memorable moment of your riding career?

Allison: “There have been so many. I remember very clearly the first time I had Arthur at Rolex. He went double clear on cross country and that was just such a great feeling to see the finish flags.  Winning Red Hills on Arthur was a big win because I worked so hard on show jumping, and that show jumping was so hard and he did jump clean. This was a big win here [at Carolina] too. Just the joy of being able to ride and train these amazing horses always feels like a gift.”

EN: If you weren’t in horses, what career would you have?

Allison: “My major was Government and Legal Studies. I’m always pretty fascinated with leadership in this country. I’m not sure if I would’ve gone the politics route, but I’ve always been interested in that. I’m a good teacher, so I think education would’ve been a part of it too somehow.”

EN: What’s the best riding advice you’ve gotten?

Allison: “I remember one year at Kentucky walking the course the final time on Friday night. You want to do really well, so you spend the whole night worrying and thinking about it. I remember Phillip saying, ‘go have dinner with your support team and don’t think about it tonight. Have a good meal. Have a good night’s rest. Then, come in the morning and have your walk.’

“That was such a good thing because the mental part of this is huge, and we waste so much energy on worrying about it. You can control those nerves way better than you think. That seems like such a simple thing, but it actually is so helpful.”

EN: So you get nervous before a big competition? Do you have any other strategies for managing nerves?

Allison: “I think everybody does. There can be certain fences where you think, ‘I’m not excited to jump that’ or ‘my horse doesn’t particularly like coffins’ or trakehners or whatever. You always have control to make yourself focus on the things you need to. So spend your time thinking on what you can control. Say, ‘This is where I want to jump. This is the line I want to be on. This is the canter I need to have. These are all the ingredients.’ Instead of just thinking ‘Oh God!’ Because if you’re worried about just getting to the other side of the fence, you aren’t setting yourself up for success. I think learning to control your mind is important. When you feel the other thoughts coming in, you can choose to think about it differently. I think people don’t realize that enough.”

EN: “What advice do you have for someone who has dreams of being a professional?”

Allison: “If you want to be a professional rider, you have to understand what success is for you. I love, love listening to the Tim Ferriss podcast. He always interviews people who have had success in any realm, and a lot of these people have their own sort of advisory board, people you go to. Who is that? Is it your trainer? Who is that best support staff in a well-rounded group that you can get guidance from? I think that’s important. You have to be good as an individual, but you also need a good group that you trust and can ask about all different sorts of things.”

Allison Springer and Arthur. Photo by Jenni Autry.

“I’m huge on education. I think if you want to compete at the highest level of the sport there’s a lot of relationships you have to understand how to develop and maintain. I think that education, critical thinking skills, are really important.”

EN: Who was your riding idol growing up?

Allison: “The first time I saw my sport was the 1984 Olympics on TV. That whole Olympic team is what set me on this path. I remember when Karen Stives and Mark Todd had their congratulatory hug when she came out of the show jumping — he ended up winning. I was just so enthralled with everyone on that team.

“When I first started riding with Karen O’Connor and got to watch her ride a little bit more she was a real guiding light for me in many ways, too.”

EN: What Nupafeed products do you use and why are they part of your program?

Allison: “I use the Nupafeed magnesium supplement with a number of horses. I think it’s so great with a number of horses that get tense. I think that is a tremendous supplement for naturally working through tension.

“In the past with other horses I’ve used the L-Carnitine Equine Energy Supplement. For Copycat Chloe that was incredibly powerful for the staying power on cross country.”

Morven Park Competitors Look Forward to First-Class Footing in New Arenas

By on Mar 30, 2018 11:00 am -

Morven Park’s Grand Prix arena. Photo courtesy of the Morven Park archive.

Exciting stuff is afoot, literally, at Morven Park International Equestrian Center in Leesburg, Va.! The 250 competitors contesting this weekend’s Morven Park Spring H.T. will be among the first to leave hoofprints in three new arenas furbished with footing from Attwood Equestrian Surfaces.

Nick Attwood, President of Attwood Equestrian Surfaces, personally oversaw the arena revitalization project, which was completed over the course of several months.

“It’s so rewarding to be here now, having been involved from the actual planning stages, to see the arenas beginning to take shape,” Nick told us last October. At that time the arena base had been established, with the next major steps being the installment of the drainage system and then the footing. “We will be hands on until the first horses come to compete, and will continue to maintain these arenas for years to come. Partnering with Morven Park means a great deal to us.”

Photo courtesy of the Morven Park archive.

State-of-the-art footing means a great deal to competitors as well. Four-star eventer Caitlin Silliman was among the first riders to experience the new Attwood footing at Caroline Horse Park when she competed at Southern Pines H.T. earlier this month, placing first and second in the Intermediate combined test with Vagabon de Champdoux and Ally KGO respectively.

“It was fantastic,” Caitlin says of the new footing. “It’s already a beautiful event and the footing changes the look quite a bit.”

In addition to the new arenas, a new jog strip was installed beside the Grand Prix arena. The strip is dedicated to Margaret Wood, made possible thanks to the generosity of the Major family and the Loudoun Hunt Pony Club.

Morven Park will host 16 divisions of Beginner Novice through Intermediate on Saturday and Sunday. With no rain in the forecast and temps hovering around 60, all systems are a go for a beautiful weekend of sport.

“We are excited to be hosting the Morven Park Spring H.T. in our brand new outdoor riding arenas this year,” says Sheryl Williams, Morven Park’s executive director. “We are thankful for the equestrian community’s continued support of the arena project and the International Equestrian Center and wish our competitors a great ride over the weekend.”

Morven Park will be hosting an open cross country schooling day on Tuesday, April 3, with courses still set from the horse trial. Cost is $50 per horse/rider; see the website for details.

Morven Park H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Results]

Take a Virtual Tour of the Burnham Market CIC3* Course

By on Mar 30, 2018 9:00 am -

Fence 9 on Alec Lochore’s Burnham Market CIC3*/Advanced course, the Morgan Trusts & Tax Planning Olympic Diamond. Photo courtesy of CrossCountry App.

After numerous abandonments on the British Eventing calendar to start the 2018 season, we are finally underway with the first CIC3* of the UK season at the Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International, March 29-31 in Norfolk, England.

Many top horses aiming for Badminton are out running for the first time this season at Burnham Market, so it’s a key competition to watch. Tilly Berendt is on the grounds and will be bringing us coverage throughout the weekend, so say tuned for her reports.

In the meantime, take a virtual tour of Alec Lochore’s CIC3*/Advanced cross country thanks to our friends at CrossCountry App. View in full screen mode below to scroll through all the fences. Click here to view the photos on CrossCountry App’s website. Many thanks to Musketeer Events for recording the preview. Go Eventing!

Burnham Market Links: Website, Entries, Schedule, Live Scoring