Classic Eventing Nation

Long Live the Long Format: Waredaca Three-Day First Horse Inspection Snapshots

By on Oct 20, 2017 4:00 pm -

Waredaca’s October horse trials is a popular fall destination for eventers who still long to gallop steeplechase, trot roads and tracks, and experience the thrill of the classic long-format.

The event hosts a Novice Three-Day and Training Three-Day alongside their Beginner Novice through Preliminary Horse Trials. It is a week full of fun, education and horsemanship.

A special Sportsmanship Award will be given this year in honor of the late Jim Baker, who passed away unexpectedly last spring. Jim was an active volunteer and strong supporter of Area II Adult Riders.

The Classic Three-Day begins of course with the first horse inspection. Check out some of the well turned out pairs in the photo gallery below, courtesy of GRC Photo and Waredaca.

Leading the Training Three-Day after today’s dressage is Margaret Myers and Sonja Twiford’s 11-year-old Thoroughbred Paint gelding, Arikara, on a score of 28.6. At the top of the Novice Three-Day leaderboard is Kathleen Cannon and her 9-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Tribal Prospect, on an impressive 26.4.

Click here for full three-day results.

Waredaca Classic N/T3DE & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [HT Live Scores] [Three-Day Live Scores]

 

#EventerFailFriday: Over, Under or Through

By on Oct 20, 2017 1:00 pm -

Way-over, not-quite-under or just-take-the-whole-fence-out … style be darned, we eventers are determined to get to the other side. Here are a few of our favorite #EventerFailFriday feats from the last few weeks!

Be sure to tag ’em on Instagram for inclusion in future editions!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZopS0BnPRR/

#eventerfailfriday ft Simone photo bombing elementa's lovely up-bank jump

A post shared by Royal Rose Eventing (@royal_rose_eventing) on

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BZZf3UalLBP/

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

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Go Eventing.

Le Lion Roundup: Tight at the Top in the Seven-Year-Old Championship

By on Oct 20, 2017 12:59 pm -

James Avery in the post-dressage press conference. He holds the lead in the seven-year-old championship with Vitali. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The top spots were well-protected throughout the day at Le Lion, as James Avery followed Izzy Taylor’s example to hold his lead in the seven-year-old class with Vitali.

“He’s really starting to come into his own and get the hang of eventing – he’s really cool,” said James of the former Jock Paget ride. “He’s got a good brain, which is really helpful. He’s a great jumper and there’s plenty for him to do out there [on the cross country course] tomorrow, so hopefully he’s fit enough! It’ll be a new thing for him to see a lot of people but we’ll do our best. It’s all a learning curve with the young ones.

Chris Burton and Lawton Boy sit in fifth place going into cross country. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Second place was clinched for the home nation by Jean Lou Bigot and Aktion de Belheme, and Germany’s Stephanie Bohe and Classic Royetta moved into third, pushing Mary King and King Robert down to fourth overnight. Australia’s Chris Burton earned a 44.4 with Lawtown Boy to claim fifth place, putting him into a competitive position going into the phase at which he excels.

Tom Carlile and Atos Barbotiere. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tom Carlile put in another strong performance, scoring 44.6 with Atos Barbotiere (doesn’t that name give you lovely flashbacks?!) to sit in equal sixth, tied with teammate Astier Nicolas.

Izzy Taylor and Direct Cassini. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Not one to do things by halves, Izzy Taylor added another good test to the week’s tally, holding down the fort in ninth place with Direct Cassino on a score of 45.5. Her teammate Laura Collett sits in equal tenth place with Sir Papillon. In five international runs, the horse has never had a cross country jumping penalty and has added time penalties twice, so Laura will be aiming for another double clear over the long track.

Laura Collett and Sir Papillon. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

 

Madison Penfound and QEH Ocean Voyage. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Canada’s Madison Penfound sits in 53rd place with QEH Ocean Voyage on a score of 59.6.

The cross country starts tomorrow at 10.30am local time/3.30am EST, beginning with the six-year-olds. We’ll be bringing you all the action as it happens, plus some insight into the beautiful course. In the meantime, macaron consumption will be at an all-time high. Au revoir!

The top ten in the seven-year-old championship going into tomorrow’s cross country.

Le Lion: Website & Live Stream, Entries & Results, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

 

North America Leads Charge for Mandatory Use of Frangible Technology

By on Oct 20, 2017 11:00 am -

Photo courtesy of ERA International

Following a strong statement from the United States Eventing Association calling for the mandatory use of frangible technology on certain types of cross country fences, Canada has now also expressed support for the movement to place North America firmly at the forefront of the fight to bolster safety in eventing.

“The time has come to take a stronger stance on the usage of frangible technology in the sport of eventing,” the USEA said. “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 has also called for frangible technology on all open rail fences, gates, oxers and oxer corners, with Peter Gray, committee chair, telling Horse-Canada.com: “There are still too many serious accidents in the sport that I would err on the side of caution and require frangibles.”

UK course designer and builder David Morton has long called for more widespread use of frangible technology. He penned a passionate open letter earlier this month following the death of 29-year-old Maxime Debost in a rotational fall at the Châteaubriant CCI1* on Sept. 23, 2017.

“Rotational falls are horrific for all concerned,” David said. “67 families (since 1993) can testify to the heart break, countless more riders have suffered major trauma from falls, which have been life changing for some. The statistics prove that frangible technology does work and is reducing the number of traumatic accidents.“

The Board of the International Eventing Officials Club, a group recognized by the FEI, also has spoken out in support of the USEA’s position. “The Board of the IEOC fully supports the USEA statement on frangible technology and asks all members who agree to ask support from their National Federations.”

William Micklem, who has written extensively on the topic of safety for EN, said, “There are obviously many factors relating to safe cross country riding apart from the design and placement of the fences themselves. This includes the skill and experience of the rider; the training and experience of the horse; the current physical and mental ability and health of rider and horse; the advice or instructions that are given to the rider; and the footing and weather conditions.

“Using frangible technology will not alter the fact that a horse and rider will still need a progressive education, and will still need to be judged according to their ability to jump a specified height and width and combination of fences at a specified speed. All the fundamental demands of cross country riding will remain despite frangible technology.

“Yet we are still told by some that frangible technology is not in the spirit of the sport, or will encourage riders to take more risk. Therefore it is bad for the sport. But when there has been a fence without frangible technology, where a rider has died as a result of a rotational fall, that could have had frangible technology, who can say in these circumstances that it was better for the sport that they died.”

The FEI said in a statement that approximately 3,500 frangible devices are currently in use at international events around the world, and “not all of these countries have the immediate resources and knowledge to support the correct implementation of frangible technology.”

“It is the FEI’s role to provide the necessary educational and logistical support to national federations to enable them to source approved devices, ensure their correct use and ultimately decide when the time is right to make their use compulsory so that frangible technology is used effectively worldwide,” the FEI said.

“It is important to note that frangible devices are one element in a wide spectrum of risk management initiatives and, while they are clearly an important component, they will not in themselves eliminate all risk from the sport.”

The FEI General Assembly will be held in Uruguay from Nov. 18-21, with voting taking place on rule changes that will go into effect starting Jan. 1, 2018. David Morton and William Micklem are encouraging other National Federations to join the U.S. and Canada in supporting a rule change to require the mandatory use of reverse frangible technology on all open rail fences, gates, oxers and oxer corners.

How can you help? SHARE this article and ask your National Federation to show support at next month’s FEI General Assembly for the mandatory use of frangible technology on cross country courses. Click here to find contact information for all National Federations.

This article was updated on October 24 to include a statement from the International Eventing Officials Club.

Le Lion Lunchtime: Taylor Defends Her Throne from New Entries into Top 10

By on Oct 20, 2017 8:54 am -

Izzy Taylor and Monkeying Around hold their lead going into Saturday’s cross country. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There have been some worthy efforts this morning at Le Lion d’Angers, but no one could catch the reigning queen of the six-year-olds. Izzy Taylor and Monkeying Around hold their lead going into tomorrow’s cross country, with Paul Tapner and Sarah Bullimore maintaining second and third place, respectively.

Elizabeth Power and DSL The Entertainer move into equal third in the six-year-old class. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

One combination that made an impression on the judge’s was Ireland’s Elizabeth Power and DSL The Entertainer. This is the horse’s debut at CCI* level, but he added just one pole to his dressage score of 37.3 to finish 2nd in the CIC* at Millstreet in Ireland, so they could be in the hunt at the end of the weekend. The clean and confident test the pair produced today hinted at a horse who’s perhaps more mature for his age than some of his competition, and was rewarded with a 41 to sit in equal third place with Sarah Bullimore and Corouet.

I’m told that Mathieu Lemoine did actually ride a horse at some point today. I guess I was distracted? Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The home nation saw another of its riders move into a competitive place on the leaderboard as Mathieu Lemoine and the aptly-named Better Win posted a 43 for seventh place. Mathieu has an enviable record of cross country success: in his 20 international completions this season, he’s only added 20 penalties once, added time penalties twice, and retired once. Otherwise, he’s finished on his dressage score in 10 of those 20 competitions, so expect to see him still in contention on Sunday morning.

Jesse Campbell and I Spye celebrate after a competitive test. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Kiwi talent Jesse Campbell also snuck into the top ten, posting a 43.4 with I Spye. The youngster has had an up-and-down season, with five top-ten finishes at Novice (Preliminary) level and 11th and 9th place finishes at his first two CIC* attempts, but two eliminations, one at Novice and one at CIC* level. He went to the British Young Horse Championships as a final prep run before Le Lion, scoring 47.6 and pulling a rail before being withdrawn prior to cross-country. It’s clear that this is a horse that can pull out a big result on his day, so Jesse will likely aim to give him a steady, confidence-building ride around the cross country course, rather than riding for the time.

Jonty Evans and John the Bull round out the top ten in the six-year-old class. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Another Irish rider rounded out the top ten, which currently spans six nations. Jonty Evans rode a quiet, tidy test aboard John the Bull to score a 45.6 and take tenth place. Cross country is this horse’s strong point: he hasn’t had a jumping penalty since April 2016 at his second-ever event, and, says Jonty, “he’s probably the best cross country horse I’ve ever sat on.” He came 6th, 6th and 8th in his three CIC* runs so Jonty will be looking to produce two fast, clear rounds in order to climb the leaderboard.

Tiana Coudray and G go into cross country in 22nd place, while Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Quicksilver sit in 36th. The sole Canadian representative in the class, Mike Winter with Centre, is in 46th place.

That’s it for the six-year-olds now, but we’ll be back this afternoon with all the latest news from the seven-year-old championship, so keep it locked onto EN!

The top ten in the six-year-old CCI* going into tomorrow’s cross country.

Le Lion: Website & Live Stream, Entries & Results, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Friday News & Notes from Kentucky Equine Research

By on Oct 20, 2017 12:03 am -

Some spooooooky decorations at Windermere Horse Trials in Area IV!

Clipping season has arrived! The sign that the season is here? The week before Fair Hill when horses who are competing juuuust start to get that uncomfortable amount of floof because the temps dipped down overnight and they don’t look that classy at a competition. The next marker is the VA Horse Trials coming up next week, when some horses are straight up looking like wooly mammoths and it’s 35 at night but also 80 during the day so nobody wins.

National Holiday: National Brandied Fruit Day

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Waredaca Classic N/T3DE & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Tryon Riding & Hunt Club H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Live Scores]

Windermere Run H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Pine Hill Fall H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Fresno County Horse Park H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Hagyard Midsouth Classic 3DE, CCI, & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

News From Around the Globe:

You’ll definitely want to check out the Eventing Radio Show Podcast this week, as it features Joe and Max reporting live from Pau CCI4*, as well as chats with Foxwood High’s groom Anne Marie Duarte and Fair Hill CCI2* winner Tamie Smith. [ERS Episode 478]

Is it too early to call it a “Flashback Friday” to last weekend at Fair Hill? Nah. We love amazing pictures of Fair Hill any day of the week, even if it was last week. Check out COTH’s collection of favorite photos of the iconic competition. [Favorite Photos from FHI]

Caber Farm Horse Trials in Onalaska, Washington (Area VII) hosts one USEA recognized event every year on the final weekend in August and offers Beginner Novice through Intermediate levels. They just celebrated their 20th anniversary this year with 290 entries all through the levels. Owner John Camlin moved to Washington in 1992 after years of working and riding in Middleburg, VA, and thought it was very similar turf to where he had just been, so it might be an excellent venue for a three day event. [USEA Events A-Z]

 

KER ClockIt™ Session of the Week

KER ClockIt Sport, a free smartphone app from Kentucky Equine Research (KER), makes it easy to see an individual horse’s intensity and duration of exercise through speed, heart rate, and GPS. Horse owners and trainers can use this information to condition and feed each horse appropriately for the work they’re actually performing.

This week’s ClockIt featured session is from an eventer gearing up her 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse for a CCI2*. Check out the session graph below, keeping in mind speed is the orange line, altitude is the blue line, and heart rate is the purple line.

The rider hacked to the base of a steep hill. She flatted at a trot and canter for 20 minutes, then cantered up the hill four times with a short break following each climb.

Already using KER ClockIt Sport? By logging into your account on the KER ClockIt website, you will be able to see detailed reports of each session, like the one above. Once you are signed in, you can view your detailed reports under the “Sessions” tab.

New to ClockIt? Check out our Getting Started page.

 

What’s In Your Arena? Presented by Attwood: Triple of Barrels

By on Oct 19, 2017 4:21 pm -

What’s in Your Arena? is an EN series sponsored by Attwood Equestrian Surfaces in which riders share their favorite jumping exercises. It’s easy to get stuck in a training rut, and we hope this will inspire you with fresh ideas that you can take home and incorporate into your own programs. 

I’ve been on a real skinny jump exercise kick lately. Mostly because I’m always running late to set up jumps, and kicking a few plastic barrels and maybe some PVC poles out into the ring is easier than dragging out a bunch of clunky standards and heavy rails. As you know from previous editions of “What’s in Your Arena?” that I have authored because I didn’t get it together in time to enlist someone more qualified, I am the world’s laziest course builder. (See also “Wylie’s Short-on-Time Shamrock” and “Another Great Exercise for Eventers Who Have Nothing Left to Give.”)

Did I mention that barrels are cheap AND easy? Go splurge on a few via Craigslist.

The hard part, of course, is actually jumping them — but you won’t find a better test of accuracy, straightness and honesty. Princess the Wonderpony and I have built up to a triple combination of single barrels with V guide rails:

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Next step is to take away the guide rails. The end game is for our skinny skillz to be so on point, I can just throw some random objects in the ring — a barstool, a step ladder, a mini-fridge, whatever junk happens to be lying around — and call it a course, Cadre Noir style:

#squadgoals

But even those fancy French horses had to start somewhere. You can tone the triple barrel exercise down for greener horses by laying the barrels on their sides, a la a setup like this:

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Remember to progress gradually so your horse understands the question. Here come Hadley and Amy, showing us how it’s done. The paint is a Bashkir Curly — how cool is that?

For more help building up your own skinny skillz, check out this Eventing video by Dom and Jimmie Schramm:

DO try this at home, EN! Go Eventing.

Do you have an exercise to share or is there an eventer you would like to nominate for the “What’s in Your Arena?” series? Email [email protected].

Competition Underway at Hagyard MidSouth Three-Day Event & Team Challenge

By on Oct 19, 2017 2:00 pm -

Alex Green and Fernhill Famous. Photo courtesy of USEF/ Xpress Foto.

It’s a crisp, blue-skied autumn day at the 2017 Hagyard MidSouth Three-Day Event & Team Challenge, where competitors have gathered to contest the USEF CCI1* and CCI1*-JR/YR Eventing National Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park. In addition, the event features classic format Prelim and Training as well as Beginner Novice through Prelim horse trials divisions and a team competition, too.

All CCI1*,CCI1*-JR/YR, P3D and T3D horses presented at yesterday’s first horse inspection passed the jog. We’re glad to see a supportive showing in the P3D and T3D divisions, which have 12 and 29 entries respectively.

Ashlyn Hayworth and Borasco. Photo courtesy of USEF/ Xpress Foto.

Dressage began this morning for the 36-horse CCI1* division. Andrew Walker and Aces Baby, an 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse owned by Jonathan Brandt, hold the lead at the lunch break on a score of 45.3. There is currently a two-way tie for second between Beth Perkins with her own Handsome Harry and Andrew Walker with Alston Kerr’s Sbt Barolo. There are another CCI1* 17 horses still to compete this afternoon, with CCI1*-JR/YR dressage set to begin at 1 p.m. — keep an eye on live scores here.

Best of luck to all competitors as we look ahead to an exciting weekend!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaZ4rWsHg2U/

Hagyard MidSouth Three-Day Event & Team Challenge: Website, Schedule, Entries, Ride Times, Live Scores

Le Lion End of Day Report: James Avery and Vitali Lead Seven-Year-Olds

By on Oct 19, 2017 12:35 pm -

Keeping it in the family: Emily King takes on supergroom duties for mum Mary, who posted a 44.3 in the seven-year-old championship with King Robert II. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This afternoon’s competition at Le Lion d’Angers shone the spotlight on the seven-year-olds. In a true blast from the past, Mary King topped the leaderboard from the off with King Robert II, and held her lead throughout the afternoon. Mary’s last international win was in 2011, when she won Rolex with Kings Temptress — the dam of her ride today. His sire is equally impressive: William Fox-Pitt’s Badminton winner, Chilli Morning.

Also keeping it in the family: mum Marcelle grooms for Gemma Tattersall and Chilli Knight. Deja vu, perhaps? Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Another son of Chilli Morning who took to the main arena this afternoon was Gemma Tattersall‘s Chilli Knight, who suffered a few green moments to score 53.4 and sit in 15th overnight. Chilli Knight’s dam was Kings Gem, who was bred and produced by Mary before Gemma took the ride in 2008. There’s obviously something in the water in Devon (or Mary has a good eye for a horse — we’re willing to consider both options).

James Avery and Vitali take the lead on 42. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Mary couldn’t quite keep her lead overnight: the final rider of the day, New Zealand’s James Avery, managed to squeak ahead of her with a correct, expressive test aboard Vitali. James has taken over fellow countryman Jock Paget’s former UK base and several of his owners, affording him the opportunity to expand his business and begin to make a name for himself on the world stage. Vitali is one such former Jock ride, and since taking over last year, James has gone from strength to strength with the youngster, culminating in a win in the CIC2* at Gatcombe International last month.

Comeback king: Astier Nicolas sits in third with Alertamalib’or. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Astier Nicolas proved that missing half the season due to a broken knee hadn’t made him rusty — his competitive score of 44.6 puts him and Alertamalib’or into third place overnight.

Expect a seismic shift in the leaderboard tomorrow afternoon, when several hotly-tipped combinations will enter the ring. Our sole North American competitor tomorrow, Madison Penfound, will ride at 2.24 p.m. local time/8.24 a.m. EST.

As a parting gift to you: a tasty stat from EquiRatings, who tell us that no seven-year-old has finished on a sub-40 score at international 2* level in 2017. Could this change this week? Watch this space.

 

The cream of the crop after the first day of dressage in the seven-year-old championship at Le Lion.

Le Lion: Website & Live Stream, Entries & Results, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Future Superstars Shine Bright at Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale Nov. 13-15

By on Oct 19, 2017 10:30 am -

Buck Davidson and Copper Beach, a successful graduate of the Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

The countdown has begun for the 2017 renewal of the Goresbridge Go For Gold select event horse sale, held in Co Wexford Ireland. Due to take place on November 13th – 15th, the sale has become a must for event riders and owners with ambitions to compete at the top level.

This year, Ireland’s leading select event horse sale is offering 80 of the very best young horses, carefully chosen on pedigree, performance and potential. Previous graduates of the sale include the superb Cooley Rorke’s Drift (Jonty Evans), who finished ninth individually at last summer’s Rio Olympics, and Cooley SRS who was on the British event team at the European championships at Strzegom earlier this year.

One familiar name to the American eventing fraternity is the exciting Copper Beach, who under Buck Davidson followed his CCI3* win at Rebecca Farm last season with two further CIC3* victories most recently at Plantation Fields last month. In the two-star ranks, Fernhill Full Throttle (runner up at Plantation Fields and Richland) continues to impress, as does the young Buccaneer (Joe Meyer) who won the CIC* at Poplar Park.

The team at Goresbridge were also both proud and delighted to note that both the East and West Coast five-year-old championships were headed by Go For Gold graduates Summerbridge Parc and Exclusively Cooley, while the prestigious five-year-old championship at Burghley UK, went the way of 2016 graduate Poynstown Stonehaven.

One of the stand-out lots in this year’s catalogue is Gurtera Mattie Clover, a full brother to the British international winner Annie Clover.

His video footage is mouth-watering, as is that of Match My Class, who is among the best six-year-olds in the country.

The sale also features a wealth of exciting four-year-olds, as well around 35 potentially top class three-year-old prospects. To see the Go For Gold catalogue, full video footage and for further information about the sale, visit www.goresbridgegoforgold.com.

About the Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale

The sale takes place at Barnadown, Gorey, Co Wexford and at Amber Springs Hotel, Gorey, Co Wexford — an hour south of Dublin. Lots 1-45 will be shown on the flat and over show jumps at Barnadown from 2 p.m. on Monday, 14 November, while the same horses will be shown over cross country fences at Barnadown from 11 a.m. on Tuesday, 15 November. At 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 15 November lots 46 – 81 (three-year-olds) will be paraded in hand at Barnadown, while from 11 am the following morning, 16 November the same lots (three-year-olds) will be lunged or loose jumped at Barnadown.

The auction and gala dinner takes place on the evening of Wednesday, 16 November at Amber Springs Hotel.