Classic Eventing Nation

Rachel McDonough Wins First Round of Royal Winter Fair Indoor Eventing

By on Nov 4, 2017 1:00 pm -

Rachel McDonough and Irish Rhythm. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.

Rachel McDonough cut valuable seconds off the clock by taking a tricky inside turn through a narrow space between two jumps to grab the lead on the first night of the $20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Canada.
Twenty-five-year-old Rachel, originally from Toronto but now based in The Plains, Va., is happy to be back home for what she regards as a little holiday to contest for the $6,000 in prize money that the winner will take home.
She credits her 18-year-old Thoroughbred Irish Rhythm, her partner for the last 12 years, with the speed and balance to make those tight turns possible. Rachel knows that at the final tomorrow night the pressure will be on as everyone will have had a chance to re-evaluate their battle plans.
Captain Mark Phillips’ clever course is designed to reward the bold horse and rider team who can simultaneously ride forward for speed, in control for tidy turns and careful enough to leave the rails in the cups all while the noise of the crowd fills their ears. This Indoor Eventing course is an exciting mix of colorful eventing type jumps featuring narrow corners, a keyhole, brush, a bank with a drop as well as some show jumping rails and oxers.

Waylon Roberts and Lancaster. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.

The Indoor Eventing Challenge was the first event of an action packed first night of the Royal Winter Fair and Horse Show, the largest combined agricultural and equestrian fair in the world.  The early start meant that the stands were not at full capacity but the enthusiastic crowd, any of whom bought their tickets especially because of the Horseware Eventing Challenge, roared their approval and were loud in their appreciation of all the riders.

The evening got off to a thrilling start as Elise Saunders sang the song “Rise” inspired by the incredible story of Jessica Phoenix who overcame many challenges to become a member of Canada’s successful World Equestrian Games, Pan American Games and Olympic Games teams.

Jessica, a crowd favorite, riding Charlotte Schickedanz’s lovely Trakehner  mare, Abbey GS, her regular Indoor Eventing partner, rode a smooth, balanced round to finish second only 4.11 seconds behind Rachel.

Brendon McMechan, new on the Indoor Eventing scene, rode his own Oscar’s Wild to third place 9.91 seconds behind Jessica and a full 14.02 seconds behind Rachel. McMechan’s feat is all the more surprising because unlike all the other riders in this ten-team field, he is not a full time equestrian. McMechan is a chiropractor and credits Gwen and Kendal Lehari, with whom he and Oscar’s Wild train, with making it possible for him to both ride and work.

Boyd Martin and Kyra. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.

Boyd Martin is this year’s international celebrity guest rider and another crowd favorite. An excited trill ran through the audience, and the three young ladies seated behind me nearly dropped their popcorn as Boyd rode into the arena riding Kyra. Boyd and the chestnut mare finished second at the Rolex Central Park U.S Open $50,000 Arena Eventing in September.

Boyd gave Christine Turner’s 10-year-old Canadian Warmblood a good long look at the course while the announcer made the pair’s introductions over the loud speaker. An unfortunate rail on the very last fence, an show jumping oxer, made the crowd groan as Martin’s blazing fast round added 5 penalty points to his total going into the second round tomorrow.

All the other riders are still “in it to win it” going into tonight’s second round. Waylon Roberts, 8-time winner of this event, had an uncharacteristically slow round and a 5 point penalty. He and his long-time partner Lancaster, a 10-year-old Canadian Sport Horse owned by John and Michelle Koppin, are sitting in sixth place behind Holly Jacks-Smither, the night’s trail blazer, and her 12-year-old Thoroughbred More Inspiration.

Roberts is just ahead of Dasha Ivandaeva and Autorytet, her 15-year-old Polish Warmblood/Thoroughbred gelding with whom she competes at the Advanced level.

Selena O’Hanlon and Uptown Girl. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.

Selena O’Hanlon, first Canadian winner of the most recent running of the extremely challenging Dutta Corp. Fair Hill International CCI3* on John and Judy Rumble’s fantastic Foxwood High, rode Uptown Girl in this first round at the Royal into eighth place.

Scores are so close in this event that Uptown Girl, a 13-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by Linnea Given, cannot be counted out. Jessica Phoenix confided to me before the evening began that she picked Selena for the winner’s circle, so anything may happen on the second night.

Kendal Lehari rode the Dutch Warmblood mare R.F. D’Orabalia, owned by the Syndicate of the same name, rode like a sports car zooming around the turns and thrilling the crowd. They had an unfortunate stop on the top of the bank to add 10 penalties to her score.

Colleen Loach from Sherbrooke, Quebec and a member of the 2015 Pan American Games and 2016 Rio Olympic teams was unlucky enough to miss the start timers at the beginning of the round and so were eliminated. This was doubly unfortunate as she and Brook Massie’s Thoroughbred mare, Serendipity, turned on the speed early and put in a great round. They will be out for redemption the second time around.

Rachel McDonough and Irish Rhythm will be ready for them. McDonough will be ready to amp up to defend their first night first place finish against the pack baying at their heels.

Who Jumped It Best? Galway Downs T3D Edition

By on Nov 4, 2017 11:00 am -

Twenty-nine Galway Downs competitors immersed themselves into the origins of our sport Friday as they took on Endurance Day as part of the Training Three-Day competition. It was the full gauntlet: roads & tracks, steeplechase and finally cross country.

Many took on the challenge with ease including overnight leaders Jordan Linstedt and Janine Jaro’s Staccato. They added nothing to their dressage score to remain on a score of 27.1 before Saturday’s show jumping.

Education and fun intersect at a long format event, and I was very impressed with the riding throughout the afternoon. We’ve rounded up a select few riders on Phase D, and we want to know Who Jumped It Best? Cast your vote for which horse and rider present the best overall picture.

These riders warp up their weekend over the colored poles tomorrow in reverse order of standing at 3:45 p.m. PST/6:45 p.m. EST, and you can watch live at this link.

Galway Downs: Website, Live Stream, Ride Times/Live Scores, Schedule, EN’s Coverage

Meg Pellegrini and Cici Top. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Mackenna Shea and Fleecework’s Ghost. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Jordan Linstedt and Staccato. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Sue Buxton and Clintwald. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Amaya Davis and Evening Attire. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Elle de Recat and Secret Hunter. Photo by Shelby Allen.

David Adamo and Galicia. Photo by Shelby Allen.

US Equestrian Adds Support for Frangible Technology Requirements

By on Nov 4, 2017 9:00 am -

Photo courtesy of ERA International

National federations, events and organizations continue to speak up in support of the USEA’s recent statement calling for compulsory use of frangible technology on all open rail fences, gates, oxers and oxer corners on cross country. US Equestrian announced yesterday where they stand on the matter.

“The United States Equestrian Federation supports the recent statement made by our Eventing Affiliate, the United States Eventing Association, regarding the use of reverse frangible technology,” USE said in a statement. “The welfare and safety of our equine and human athletes must always be our highest priority and we appreciate the efforts being made by the USEA to study this issue and make recommendations that support this priority.”

Tattersalls International Horse Trials added their support this week also. Event Director Jean Mitchell MBE released a statement saying, “At Tattersalls, we strongly believe that that the time has come for the FEI to make full use of the already approved, available and suitable ‘frangible technology’ by making it ‘compulsory’ for the types of fences that are appropriate – rather than simply to ‘recommend’ their use!”

In addition, the Event Riders Association of North America shared the following on Facebook: “The Eventing Riders Association of North America stands firmly alongside the USEA in their recommendation…The ERA of NA works to improve the overall safety, welfare, visibility and the growth of the sport of eventing and in this spirit believes current safety technologies should be utilized at all times.”

The USEA’s original October 18 statement read:

“The time has come to take a stronger stance on the usage of frangible technology in the sport of eventing. We as the leaders of the sport have the moral obligation to say that the time for use of all currently available safety technology is now.

“With that in mind, the USEA Cross-Country Safety Sub-Committee strongly recommends that the FEI mandates rather than strongly recommends that all open rail fences, gates, oxers and oxer corners must be built using reverse frangible technology. The time is now.”

The Canadian Eventing Committee, International Eventing Officials Club, and Badminton Horse Trials and have also cast their support for the initiative.

North America Leads Charge for Mandatory Use of Frangible Technology

Badminton Casts Support for Compulsory Use of Frangible Technology

Saturday Links from Tipperary

By on Nov 4, 2017 12:01 am -

Photo via Mardanza Farm on Facebook.

Ah, the rolling hills of Florida… Now that’s something you don’t hear very often, huh? As someone from the north who’s getting ready to be relegated to an indoor for the next several months, heading down to Florida would be a real treat. Those that are lucky enough to be headed south soon are also lucky to have a place such as Mardanza Farm in Marion County to work on their horse’s fitness. Mardanza Farm’s grounds manager has been hard at work this summer making the footing the best it can possibly be and the gallop lanes are now open for the season!

National Holiday: National Bison Day

Major Events This Weekend:

Galway Downs: Website, Schedule, Ride Times & Scores, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

U.S. Weekend Action:

Rocking Horse Fall H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Full Gallop Farm November H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Live Scores]

Saturday Links:

Jane Sleeper’s UN Spreads Her Legacy

Criteria Developed for the Wilton Fair Grant

British Eventing entry fees and prize money to increase

For Para-Dressage Athlete Mary Jordan, Riding is “Spiritual Medicine”

Emily King: Three Horses That Made Me

Study: Many Riders Don’t Groom Horses Properly or Safely

Daniel Stewart’s Tip of the Month: Reframing for Resilience

Saturday Video: 

Clayton Fredericks gives us a closer look at Mardanza Farm’s footing and gallop hill.

James Alliston & Happenstance Take Galway Downs CCI3* Lead

By on Nov 3, 2017 11:50 pm -

James Alliston and Happenstance. Photo by Shelby Allen.

It was a big day for James Alliston at Galway Downs. Not only did he earn the lead in the CCI3* division, he also earned a career best dressage score at this level. Riding Mary Mckee’s Happenstance, James posted a 43.3.

Robyn Fisher and Betawave received a roaring round of applause and second place following their dressage test. She earned a 46.9 – her first sub-50 mark with this mare. Third place is a tie on 49.5 split between Bec Braitling with Lauren Burnell’s Walterstown Don and Ronald Zabala-Goetschel with his own Wundermaske.

CCI2* debutants Jessie Hargrave and her own Regenmann scooped up the early lead in this class on a score of 42.9. They are followed by Helen Bouscaren and her own Ebay in second (45.9), and Emilee Libby in third with her own Jakobi (47.5).

The CCI* class performed their tests yesterday, and Erin Kellerhouse came out on top with her own Woodford Reserve on a score of 41, despite the fact that “Woody” managed to buck Erin off in warmup. Fall off in warmup, win the dressage – all in a day’s work for Erin aka Wonder Woman!

Read on to check out what today’s top riders had to say:

James on Happenstance today:

“He’s quite a relaxed horse in the dressage in general. It’s nice you don’t have to be on him for hours before kind of calming him down. He knows his job, and he’s normally pretty workmanlike when he gets in the boards,” he said.

“When I cantered around the ring he was definitely a little sharper than I was expecting actually. He was looking a little bit — there’s other dressage rings out the back of our ring, so cantering around he was looking at them a little bit, but when he went in to do his test he relaxed and felt really really good.”

James on the partnership with Happenstance:

He’s been a really successful horse before, so it’s just me forming a partnership with him. He hasn’t done four-star, but he’s done three-star well, and he’s won a lot of two-stars, so I feel like it was just me trying to figure out how to ride him best and press the right buttons. Although he’s sort of been out of the sport for a year and a little, he is established and proven that he can do all three phases pretty well.”

Robyn Fisher and Betawave. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Robyn on being back at the top levels:

“I am on cloud nine right now. She’s been a really tough young horse to bring along, and today she showed that she is the horse we all thought she could be. There are still moments where she could be steadier and more connected, but overall I’m just thrilled.”

“It still doesn’t feel real because I never thought that I would be back at this level because I had no desire to be, and she has brought me back to life essentially. It’s exciting. I just want to do right by her.

Bec Braitling and Walterstown Don. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Bec on her relationship with “Walter”: 

“Going back to when we purchased him for my owner, she’s an amateur, and when we went to try him I was like, ‘oh my gosh we can’t buy this horse!’ He had only been ridden by men, and he was a lot of horse. It’s been really interesting for me because I’ve never gotten on a horse that’s such a schoolmaster, so it’s been a little bit of a learning curve for me to meet him in the middle a lot of the time.”

Ronald Zabala-Goetschel and Wundermaske. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Ronald on working with “Patch” at home to keep him relaxed in the ring: 

“I have this guy at home and he helped me. In the indoor at the farm we put up a big TV screen and surround sounds. We event put guys in the windows of the indoor with pitchforks and they move and everything. When he approaches them, even though they have forks, they give him a carrot, so now whenever he’s going around the ring, he’s like ‘whatever.'” Must have worked as this pair earned a personal best!

Jess Hargrave and Regenmann. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Jess on her test today: 

“The horse was really good. He’s good in the dressage usually, but he was extra good today. We had some really good lessons earlier this week when David (O’Connor) came down to do some coaching, so we got a couple tune ups. He’s a spooky horse, so a couple flowerpots got him, but overall he was really really good.”

Erin Kellerhouse and Woodford Reserve. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Erin on getting bucked off in warmup: 

“All week he’s been super lazy, so I thought, ‘I’m not going to do a pre-ride on him.’ I think he’s just feeling tired. It’s the first time he’s every gotten fit before. He feels a little overworked and underpaid. Then, it cools down 20 degrees. He got clipped on Monday, and I got on him and I’m like, ‘Oh God.’ He had the biggest hump in his back.”

“He was being really robotic and doing everything really sharp.  He bronced twice really hard and got me forward, so I’m leaning over his shoulder and he spun and then bronced again. I fell pretty hard too — I hit butt cheek first. When I got back on he felt good. It was like he needed to do that. If I could’ve lunged him earlier, who knows, but I never lunge him he’s such a quiet horse. But as soon as I got back on his back felt soft. He just needed to buck I guess!”

Cross country gets rolling tomorrow starting at 9:30 a.m. PST/12:30 p.m. EST. You can watch all the action via live stream thanks to Ride on Video at this link.

Galway Downs: Website, Live Stream, Ride Times/Live Scores, Schedule, EN’s Coverage

Friday Video from World Equestrian Brands: Eric Winter and Badders 2018

By on Nov 3, 2017 4:00 pm -

There’s no cross country course in the world like Badminton, and the man behind the curtain is designer Eric Winter. In this video he reflects on the 2017 edition — standout rounds, and how the course rode — and looks ahead to 2018.

His vision in designing the course comes through loud and clear. “I wanted to go back to an old-fashioned type cross country course where we really jump logs and some square bits of timber and that, to me, is cross country,” he says. “It’s not about training in the arena — there a foundation level that does that. Real cross country is about using terrain and bits of wood and training your horse to cope with those things.”

Next year, he explains, the course will run counter-clockwise, so opposite to the layout this year. Gotta keep ’em on their toes!

Eventing Ground Jury Announced for 2018 World Equestrian Games

By on Nov 3, 2017 1:00 pm -

Photo courtesy of Tryon International Equestrian Center

The eventing ground jury has been announced for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, which will take place Sept. 13-16 at Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina.

Anne Mette Binder (DEN) will serve as president of the ground jury alongside Andrew Bennie (NZL) and Jane Hamlin (USA). All three ground members have presided at championships and major competitions during their careers as FEI officials.

Anne-Mette Binder of Denmark served on the ground jury for the 2012 London Olympic Games and 2011 Luhmühlen European Championships. Most recently she served on the ground jury for Badminton CCI4* in 2017, as well as Burghley CCI4* in 2016.

Andrew Bennie of New Zealand served on the ground jury for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and the 2015 Blair Castle European Championships. He also served on the ground jury for Aachen CICO3* in 2016, as well as Burghley CCI4* in 2015. We last saw him in the U.S. in 2016, when he served on the ground jury for Kentucky CCI4*, Chattahoochee Hills CIC3* and Ocala Jockey Club CIC3*.

Jane Hamlin of the U.S. served on the ground jury for the 2014 FEI World Breeding Championships for Young Horses at Le Lion d’Angers, as well as Adelaide CCI4* in 2014. In the U.S. she has served on the ground jury at Richland Park CIC3*, The Fork CIC3*, Poplar Place CIC3*, Galway Downs CCI3* and most recently at Plantation Field CIC3*.

Other eventing officials appointed for the 2018 World Equestrian Games include Martin Plewa (GER) as technical delegate, Ataide Pereira Barcelos (BRA) as assistant technical delegate and Janis Linnan (USA) as chief steward.

Click here to view the full list of appointed officials across all disciplines for the 2018 World Equestrian Games. Go Eventing.

#EventerFailFriday: A Video Is Worth 100,000 Words

By on Nov 3, 2017 10:30 am -

If a photo is worth 1,000 words, a video is worth … what … 10,000? 20,000? We’re going with 100,000, judging from these reader-submitted gems.

Let’s start with this video, sent in by reader Kiri Freeman and starring her best friend Karlie Slaton. Kiri explains, “Two lifelong best friends go to Poplar Place farm to get some cross country schooling in before River Glen in November. Who knew that day I would film the funniest dismount and hilarious reaction we have ever got on film. We are still laughing and she was not harmed! She got back on and did it again. #eventersdontbreak #dustyourselfoffandgetbackon Go eventers!”

Go eventers, indeed! A few more of your fails as spotted on Instagram:

Jumping into the weekend like… #failfriday #greenhorseproblems #greenhorse #eventerproblems #amynelsoneventer #hummingbirdsmendacium

A post shared by Amy Nelson Eventer Official (@amynelsoneventer) on

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ6dq0KHHxS/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaxJzDvB7wu/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaT13Ylns8z/

My new favorite #eventerfailfriday "OH YES YOU ARE"- haley

A post shared by @haldonann on

https://www.instagram.com/p/BafsFKunz45/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaFSXIkhx93/

Don’t forget to tag yours #EventerFailFriday for inclusion in an upcoming edition. Go Eventing!

By the Numbers: Galway Downs CCI3*

By on Nov 3, 2017 8:00 am -

Welcome to Galway Downs, the final CCI3* not just in North America for 2017, but the final CCI3* in the entire Northern Hemisphere for the year. This year has an extra touch of excitement as Eric Winter, course designer for Badminton for the first time in 2017, and for Blenheim through 2016, will make his U.S. debut here.

Photo courtesy of Galway Downs

The Event

  • In the history of the division, no one has ever broken into the 30s in dressage. Marilyn Little and RF Demeter have come the closest, scoring a 40.5 in 2015.
  • In the past three years, the optimum time has swing from being impossible to make to easy to make. In 2014, none of the 17 cross-country starters made the time while in 2016 44.4% of the nine starters achieved a round inside the optimum.
  • Six of the seven winners of this division have been in first place going into the stadium phase. However, none of the winners were in the lead following dressage and only four of the seven winners were even inside the top three.
  • James Alliston has won this division twice with two different horses, and is the only rider to have won it more than once. Can he make it a trifecta this year?

James Alliston and Happenstance. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Dressage Divas

  • James Alliston and Happenstance are making only their fifth start together but they’ve dropped their dressage score at every successive outing they’ve had. If they maintain their current trajectory, they could end up with a score in the low 40s, but even their best together of 45.1 at Woodside last month should put them near the top on day one.
  • Betawave and Robyn Fisher haven’t quite acheived a drop in their score at every outing, with their personable best being the USEF equivalent of a 44.1 at Copper Meadows in June, followed by the USEF equivalent of 45.5 again in September at the same venue. However, they have been consistent in chipping off a couple of points at most outings, with their last three events averaging at 46.7 penalties.

Lisa Marie Fergusson and Honor Me. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Cross Country Machines

  • Lisa Marie Fergusson and Honor Me have been noted all year as one of the fastest pairs on the circuit and you can expect a quick pace from them this weekend as well. These two really put the pedal to the metal starting in 2016, averaging only five seconds over the time at the Advanced and 3* level in the past two years. Their 12-month average stands at only three seconds over optimum, with 12 seconds or less over optimum at every Advanced/3* they’ve been to this year.
  • Happenstance has also been quite quick in his outings with James Alliston this year, clocking in at an average of eleven seconds over optimum time. Although they haven’t yet had a CCI round together, James is known for his speedy rounds aboard Parker, and if anything should improve on that time at a CCI.

Ellen Doughty-Hume and Sir Oberon. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Show Jumping Powerhouses

  • Ellen Doughty-Hume and Sir Oberon have historically jumped well in the final phase, with their average over the last two calendar year trending towards a clear round. In their four career CCI3* rounds, they’ve jumped clean three times, only incurring a rail at their very first CCI3*.
  • Rise Against and Bunnie Sexton have been incurring a rail more often than not in the past twelve months, after years of jumping mostly clear rounds. However, they average less than a rail at their seven CCI attempts at the 3/4* levels and their only clear round in the last year was at the Rebecca CCI3*, their only CCI stadium round in that time period.

PREDICTED WINNER: James Alliston and Happenstance

James Alliston and Happenstance. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Keep Your Eye On:

  • Robyn Fisher and Betawave
  • Lisa Marie Fergusson and Honor Me
  • Ellen Doughty-Hume and Sir Oberon

Galway Downs: Website, Ride Times, Schedule

Friday News & Notes from SmartPak

By on Nov 3, 2017 12:03 am -

The cutest boop that ever booped. Photo by Kate Samuels.

Look, I know everybody thinks their animals are the cutest animals, but can we just take a moment to appreciate how ridiculously adorable my mini donkey is? Pepe is so fluffy and so cute and literally the best at photo shoots, I can’t believe he doesn’t have a modeling contract yet. If anybody is out there looking for a tiny donkey model, you know who to contact. Pepe-roni.

National Holiday: National Sandwich Day

Major Events This Weekend:

Galway Downs: Website, Schedule, Ride Times & Scores, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Rocking Horse Fall H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Full Gallop Farm November H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Live Scores]

News From Around the Globe:

Tattersalls Horse Trials has announced their support for the USEA initiative to ask the FEI for compulsory use of frangible technology. They join Badminton Horse Trials, Eventing Canada, and several Olympic riders in voicing their strong belief that the FEI should mandate use of frangible technology on international cross country courses, rather than their current stance of “strong recommendation”. [Tattersalls Ireland]

Best of Blogs: NYT: Unspeakable Pursues Uneatable, Fashion Follows

Hot on Horse Nation: No Stirrup November – No Thank You!

Dressage kicks off this morning with the CCI3* competitors at Galway Downs. All ten of the horses and riders were accepted earlier this week at the jogs, with 61 international pairs and 29 competitors in the Training Three-Day. The small but mighty field is made up of four-star veterans as well as three-star first timers. [Ninety Horses Accepted at Galway Downs]