Classic Eventing Nation

EN’s Got Talent: Sandro’s Star Shines

By on Sep 26, 2017 9:00 am -

Sandro’s Star on his way to winning the CIC2* at Fair Hill this spring. Photo by Shelby Allen.

When Hannah Salazar purchased Sandro’s Star last year, she joked that she’d have to eat only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in order to afford him. Fortunately Sandro or “Jelly,” as he’s affectionately nicknamed, has put her money where his muzzle is as he’s catapulted himself to the top of USEA’s stallion leaderboard.

Sandro is a 9-year-old Oldenburg, bred in the U.S. by Vicki Bauer. He is by the Oldenburg stallion Sagnol and out of Vicki’s Thoroughbred mare, Poetic Patter. Sandro boasts an elite pedigree, with ties to such dressage successes as Sandro Hit balanced by the athleticism of his Thoroughbred dam line, and it shows in his competition record.

He began showing his exceptional talent early on, and in 2012 passed his 70-day Stallion Performance Test and became the first of Sagnol’s offspring to become a licensed German Oldenbred. When he scored a perfect 10 for his gallop, his career path was confidently aimed towards eventing.

The following year, Sandro made history by becoming the first North American bred horse to compete at the Bundeschampionate, a prestigious young horse championship in Warendorf, Germany. Here he finished in the top twenty of 5-year-old eventing horses.

Fast forward to autumn of 2016, and Sandro returned to the U.S. to join Hannah, her husband Antonio and Chris’ program at Zarazoga Acres. “He had done a CIC* and then after that he did come back to the US,” Chris explained. “Upon returning, he knew quite a lot from his past in Europe, but I took all of last year to get to know him and develop a partnership with him.

“He’s been an awesome horse to have in the barn. He’s a super cross country horse. He’s got an awesome gallop. He’s been very brave and always wants to come out and do the job,” Chris beamed. 

They dove into competition this year, finishing second in the Preliminary at Pine Top before winning the CIC* at the same venue two weeks later. His next step up to the Intermediate level was also a success, and by April Sandro won his first CIC2* at Fair Hill with Chris Talley in the tack. He’s now slated for the CCI2* at the Fair Hill International Three-Day Event with eyes on Advanced in 2018. 

All his successes have him sitting as the highest-ranked stallion in U.S. Eventing this year with 19 points currently. “When we saw he was the highest ranked stallion it was a pretty surreal experience,” Chris said proudly. “For Hannah to have a stallion that’s leading in the country, it’s incredible from the breeding side of it to see that everyone’s hard work is paying off.”

Sandro Star’s Team. Photo by Shelby Allen.

While Sandro was beginning his competitive career stateside this spring, he was also beginning his breeding career at Zarazoga Acres. He had a number of outside bookings, along with six mares owned by Hannah and Antonio .

Hannah believes the validity of his success as a breeding stallion rests on his performance results.

“From the breeding standpoint, when you choose stallions and you’re looking at producing performance horses it’s important to look at stallions that are proven performance horses because then your odds are better at getting a quality baby,” Hannah said. 

“I think it’s really important for the U.S. market to see that the quality of horses is being produced and bred right here in the U.S.”

Sandro’s pleasant disposition is the cherry on top for this team. “We joke that he acts like a gelding,” Chris said. “He’s really good with other horses, and ships great with them. At shows he’s totally focused. You can hand walk him around with no issues.

“He likes his mares in the barn, but he stables with mares and other stallions and has a really good disposition.”

Join us in cheering Sandro on this fall as we eagerly await to see his babies in competition in the coming years!

 

Tuesday News & Notes from Cavalor

By on Sep 26, 2017 12:01 am -

I try my best to keep my trailer tidy. I clean it out after each use, and work to clean underneath the mats every few weeks. Once a year I give it a deep clean, and when the annual appointment came up this year, I had access to a power washer. If you’re a detail-oriented horse person like I am, you have to try this. It was a therapeutic experience. I also power washed saddle pads and blankets. Best barn hack ever!

National Holiday: National Situational Awareness Day, National Johnny Appleseed Day

Events Opening This Week: Full Moon Farms H.T. (MD, A-2) Poplar Place Farm November H.T. (GA, A-3) River Glen Fall H.T. (TN, A-3) Texas Rose Horse Park Fall H.T. (TX, A-5)

Events Closing This Week: Hagyard Midsouth Three-day Event & Team Challenge H.T. (KY, A-8) Fleur de Leap H.T. (LA, A-5) Galway Downs International Event & H.T. (CA, A-6) Paradise Farm H.T.(SC, A-3) Exmoor Horse Trials Fall Event (FL, A-3) Las Cruces H.T. (NM, A-10) Hitching Post Farm Horse Trials (VT, A-1)

Tuesday News:

Knowing your horse and his habits could be life saving. Redwings’ senior veterinary surgeon Nicola Jarvis explains that it’s the easy stuff, like knowing your horse’s usual behavior and vital signs that can save their life in the case of an emergency. The quicker you realize something isn’t right, the sooner you can phone the vet and the sooner they can help your horse. [‘Know Your Horse’: How Simple Actions Can Save Your Horse’s Life]

Briana Stolley and Lisa Banister are bound to each other by their love of horses and their love of their military husbands. For these ladies, constant military moves, deployment and family commitments restrict their time in the saddle, but for the first year, they both qualified for AEC, which was a welcomed reunion. [Now On Course: Army Wives Take on The AEC]

Life has a way of redirecting well-laid plans. Sara Kozumplik Murphy had set her sights on Pau CCI4* this fall in France with Rubens D’Ysieux, but a broken knee has thwarted her plans. She was kicked by another horse when warming up at Marlborough Horse Trials, and her doctors have instructed her to keep weight off it for three months – advice she’s promised to follow. We can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store for Sara and Rubens! [Sara Kozumplik Murphy Recovering From Broken Knee]

The time to start preparing your pastures for winter is now! Taking a soil sample in the fall gives you time to apply lime, phosphorus or potassium fertilizer based on the results of the sample. Rotating pastures to save them for winter is also a way to ensure forage is still available during the colder months. [Preparing Pastures for Winter Starts in Fall]

Tuesday Video: Need some more cross country footage to hold you over this Tuesday? Check out the course at Waregem Nations Cup.

Monday Video from Tredstep Ireland: 7 Cool Mini Videos from Central Park Horse Show

By on Sep 25, 2017 5:00 pm -

There was a lot going on besides eventing at Central Park Horse Show, from hunter/jumper and Puissance classes to a family day on Sunday featuring daredevil acts by dogs.

Here are seven Instagram videos posted by @cphorseshow capturing the slowed-down or sped-up action:

6'9" with one hand! @emanuelhorses in the final round of the $50,000 Spy Coast Farm Puissance! #CPHorseShow

A post shared by Central Park Horse Show (@cphorseshow) on

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZUsMOngLh8/?taken-by=cphorseshow

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZUnrgKgsQA/?taken-by=cphorseshow

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZZYa-JgOvB/?taken-by=cphorseshow

@thepompeyofamily at Central Park Family Day presented by @marsglobal! #MarsIncFamilyDay #CPHorseShow

A post shared by Central Park Horse Show (@cphorseshow) on

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZZ0xQOAMYb/?taken-by=cphorseshow

The U.S. Open Hunters are in the ring schooling this morning in advance of today's classes! #CPHorseShow

A post shared by Central Park Horse Show (@cphorseshow) on

Go all equestrian disciplines, but eventing most of all! If you missed  it, here’s the link to EN’s coverage.

2017 USEA FEH East and West Coast Champions Crowned

By on Sep 25, 2017 4:00 pm -

Marta Petrenko's Lady Elegance (Landkonig x Ultimate Elegance) through the FEH-3 jump chute #FEH #USEA #TwinRivers

A post shared by U.S. Eventing Association (@useventing) on

It was a big weekend for the future superstars of our sport! New champions were crowned on both coasts in divisions for Yearling, 2-year-old, 3-year-old and 4-year-old Future Event Horses.

Be sure to visit the USEA website for complete coverage of the East and West Coast Championships, and the @useventing Instagram has some fantastic video and photos from both events. Here’s a quick rundown of the overall champions — for more detailed results, including filly/colt divisions, see the final scores:

East Coast Championships (Loch Moy Farm, Maryland)

The East Coast championships were held at Loch Moy Farm

FEH Yearling: Wise Santos Du Pele (Donatus x Ravina), a Hanoverian colt owned and handled by Ronald Zabala-Goetschel on a score of 90.825

FEH 2-Year-Old: Wise Master Bonhaldik (Royaldik x Master Bonnie), an Oldenburg/Irish Sport Horse/Thoroughbred colt owned and handled by Ronald Zabala-Goetschel on a score of 81.5

[USEA Recap] [Final Scores]

FEH 3-Year-Old and East Coast Grand Champion: Wise Master Rubelk (Shamelk x Master Ruby), an Anglo-Arab/Irish Sport Horse owned and handled by Ronald Zabala-Goetschel, on a score of 88.973

FEH 4-Year-Old: Santa Barbara DASH (San City x Barcarole), an Oldenburg mare owned by Katie Bryant and ridden by Lauren Chumley on a score of 83.20

[USEA Recap] [Final Scores]

West Coast Championships (Twin Rivers, California)

FEH Yearling: BlueDreamin CMeFly (BlueDreaminCatadude x BlueDreamin Gemini), a Sport Pony stallion owned by Megan Bittle, on a score of 81.2.

FEH 2-Year-Old: Hallelujah DF (Mighty Magic x Columbia BF), a Holsteiner filly owned by Cheron Laboissonniere and handled by Jennifer and Earl McFall, on a score of 87.7

FEH 3-Year-Old and West Coast Grand Champion: Lady Elegance (Landkonig x Ultimate Elegance), an Oldenburg filly owned and handled by Marta Petrenko, on a score of 84.5

FEH 4-Year-Old: Lucky Seven (Herbstkonig x LaRochelle), a Trakehner gelding owned by Susan Darling-Mahoney and ridden by Natalie Brady, on a score of 81.5

[USEA Recap] [Final Scores]

A Narrated Guide to the Central Park Horse Show Awards Ceremony

By on Sep 25, 2017 11:30 am -

There was a great deal of champagne-soaked celebration on the awards podium following Saturday night’s U.S. Open Relay Arena Eventing competition. Up on the highest perch we had Team East Village (Ryan Wood and Dom Schramm), followed by Team Times Square (Holly Payne-Caravella and Boyd Martin) in second and Team Chelsea (William Fox-Pitt and Oliver Townend) in third. You can read our recap of the event here.

Some video of the proceedings a la Oliver Townend:

But, when you really slow things down, you can read between the lines and see what was REALLY going on out there. A few special moments from the ceremony, as captured by my lens:

Go Eventing.

 

 

Weekly OTTB Wishlist from Cosequin: Dapples for Days

By on Sep 25, 2017 9:00 am -

If a pretty, dappled coat makes your heart go aflutter, this week’s batch of ready-for-a-new-career OTTBs is for you. All three are available through CANTER today — come and get ’em!

Photo via CANTER Northern CA.

OutdoorsmanGene (Mizzen Mast – Chester Place, by Chester House): 2009 16-hand Kentucky bred gelding

Cute war horse! Trainer states that “Gene” just ran his last race with 41 starts and earnings of over $87,000, and he deserves a good home. This guy has dapples for days and a forelock and tail that are seriously to die for. Nice feet and seemed super level headed, too – absolutely no fuss when CANTER took him out for photos. Nicely bred with one of the track volunteer’s favorite sires, Cozzene.” Seems like a lovely prospect that could probably go any direction! This horse would make a great all around horse, Pony Clubber or pocket pony. Located at Golden Gate Fields.

View OutdoorsmanGene on CANTER Northern CA.

Photo via CANTER Southern CA.

All Magic (Alymagic – Refreshing Song, by Avenue of Flags): 2011 16.1 hand California bred gelding

What a gorgeous boy, all legs and a coat full of dapples. War horse right here with 52 career starts. CANTER Southern California couldn’t find anything wrong with him upon inspection and his owner reports he is sound and ready to move on to a new career.

View All Magic on CANTER Southern CA.

Photo via CANTER Illinois.

Turtle’s Surprise (Devil His Due – And Turtles Fly, by Western Trick): 2012 15.2-hand Illinois bred mare

This little girl is solid as a rock! Just look at her build-wide chest and wide hind end. She has a very nice trot to go along with it. She is shiny, dappled and has a pretty white face. Located at Fairmount Park Race Track in Collinsville, Illinois.

View Turtle’s Surprise on CANTER Illinois.

 

 

Monday News and Notes from Fleeceworks

By on Sep 25, 2017 12:32 am -

Spotted at Sundance Farm: A real live unicorn! Maia Ramberg and Nessie after a magical win in the Starter division. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

I grew up riding and competing in Area III, occasionally venturing out to Area VIII or II. These days I have the pleasure of traveling to events around the country and meeting horses, riders and organizers in other Areas. It’s easy to get in the habit of competing at the same events over and over, especially when they are close to home, but I encourage you to get out there and try a new venue. You may like what you see!

National Holiday: National Family Day and National Cooking Day

U.S. Weekend Action:

Flora Lea Fall H.T. [Website] [Results]

Surefire Farm Fall H.T. [Website] [Results]

Sundance Farm H.T. [Website] [Results]

Twin Rivers Fall H.T. [Website] [Results]

Equestrians Institute H.T. [Website] [Results]

Monday News and Notes:

Are you planning to compete at the Waredaca Classic Three-Day Event in October? Join the “Waredaca 3-Day Competitors!” Facebook group! Use this page to share schedules, make carpool plans, get 10-minute box tips and talk all things 3-day. [Facebook]

The USEA East Coast Future Event Horse Champions were crowned this weekend at Loch Moy Farm in Maryland. Ronald Zabala-Goetschel’s homebreds earned several titles, including one special future star they call they “eight-star baby”. Meet the yearlings, two year olds and three year olds who stood out to judges Robin Walker and Chris Ryan. [USEA East Coast FEH Championships] [Hat Trick for Wise Master Rubelk]

As this article astutely notes right off the bat, “Horse people are often described as picky, fussy, or difficult when it comes to hay selection.” No kidding! From the quality to quantity to price, we agonize over hay. [Selecting Horse Hay: Separating Fact from Fiction]

The Abaco Island horse became extinct in 2015, but cloning technology may be the key to resurrecting the breed. The Abacos, an archipelago in the Bahamas, has been home to these special horses for hundreds of years. From massacres to hurricanes to a toxic diet, this breed battled many threats over the years, and one woman is determined to give them another fighting chance. [Their only hope]

Monday Video: HIS NAME IS THUNDER TURTLE!

Fall Is A Perfect Time to Volunteer

By on Sep 24, 2017 4:43 pm -

Jump judge briefing at O’Dark:30, at Plantation several years ago, photo by Holly Covey

As soon as the nights start to cool and the grass becomes dewy in the morning, I smell that deep morning grass smell and start to get excited for fall volunteer season! Yep, that’s right, I consider it a “season” because so many great autumn horse trials and events happen and it’s become a ritual of mine to be involved.

A friend recently asked me to provide her with a bit of information she could pass on to a group, explaining why volunteering is important and why her group should do it. This was such a simple request but honestly it threw me a little, as I had to think pretty hard about those questions.

I guess the “why” has to do with wanting to be a part of a shared experience that is positive, unlike the terrible storms of Hurricane Harvey and Irma, which also united people in a shared experience which was very difficult and testing. One hopes your volunteer experience in the sport of eventing is not difficult and testing! Instead, the experience should be fun, educational, important to you, and useful to the event and to the sport.

Not every volunteer experience is going to be perfect. I’ve learned, over the years, that standing (or sitting) out in a field all day has its drawbacks. But most of the time, it’s a lot of fun and something that us veteran volunteers do look forward to doing. And here’s a bit of why.

Sharing an experience, the experts tell us, provides us all with a way to respect one another, to enjoy memories, and to feel a part of the action. The draw of volunteering is we all get to see the same event, but in different ways. Our experiences are different – but the same, as we are all at the same event at the same time and place. Beyond the observations and activity, the volunteer has the knowledge they are one of many and that others are seeing and hearing what they are experiencing.

When you share an experience you have a common place to start from, you each know what it was like to be there. That feeling is sort of addictive. I think that is why we return to help year after year. We enjoy being there and with others doing something useful, and it’s not long enough to get tired of the work and just long enough to feel as though your contribution was valued.

Shared experience often means eating, or breaking bread together, which is a bonding mechanism; and interacting with others outside of family and work, which is a growth enabler. That’s a lot of fancy words meaning it’s kind of fun to step outside your familiar circle and do something new. I never had crab bisque before Fair Hill, and I also never knew really how to use a power drill before volunteering. Hey that’s a really useful skill!

So finally in the “why we do it” department, is the educational aspect of working at very high level international events. These events attract the highest qualified riders in the country, and as a result, the riding is at a high level. Watching the warmups, the performances, the adjustments while these riders are mounted on their horses is very enlightening. That’s the riding knowledge. Some of it is quite subtle and takes a lot of watching. The best fun is to watch the top coaches with the riders off in the corner on a circle somewhere; if you can hear the instruction it’s even better. Sit quietly and listen!

Another education: The differences in the conformation of these horses and how they move and how they are put together is neat to see on the jog runway; then you take that set of observations and apply them to what you see on cross-country, in stadium jumping, in dressage. That’s a breeding and conformation education.

And lastly it is also a way to learn about both the importance and pressure of competition and as a volunteer, often you can be in a position to see this drama play out firsthand. It gives you perspective on how people act, how they should act, and unfortunately at times how they should not act. You can learn from that, too. Like a great movie, big events keep us entertained!

So while you sit down and check out the calendar this fall, take a look at www.eventingvolunteers.com and see what days look good for you and consider volunteering! I know they will need you. And you just might find the experience a great one! Don’t miss out. When you smell that scent of fall leaves and crisp air, it’s time to sign up. Go eventing!

What’s In Your Arena? Presented by Attwood: Wollman Rink Edition

By on Sep 24, 2017 3:00 pm -

What’s in Your Arena? is an EN series sponsored by Attwood Equestrian Surfaces in which riders show what training exercises are set up in their ring. This week, however, let’s do something a little different and take a tour around Wollman Rink, venue for the Central Park Horse Show!

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

From late October to early April, Central Park’s Wollman Rink is open to the public for ice skating in addition to hosting hockey and figure skating events. But for one week in September it is transformed into a horse show venue, this year including the inaugural U.S. Open $50,000 Relay Arena Eventing competition.

The logistics that must go into pulling this thing off boggle the mind — I’d love to see a time-lapse video. In addition to laying footing and setting up grandstands, a great deal of energy goes into the jumps themselves, which are beautifully designed and creatively decorated.

The centerpiece of the Arena Eventing course was of course this keyhole fence:

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

A few more of our favorite New York themed obstacles from the Grand Prix and Arena Eventing courses:

If you’ve been out on the cross country course at Tryon International Equestrian Center, you might recognize a few of these jumps, which arrived at Wollman Rink at around midnight the night before.

“We brought all of the jumps in last night, after they were driven up from Tryon,” explained Michael Stone, President of International Equestrian Group, after the class. “We then had to set the hunter jumps up, and when the hunter competition was done today, we had to set these jumps back up. We had no space to do that because we are pretty limited, so it is all like a rubix cube of sorts.”

Very cool! Check out our recap of the event here.

 

Sport Horse Nation Spotlight: Lease for Love

By on Sep 24, 2017 12:30 pm -

In the market for a new four-legged partner? You may find your unicorn on our sister site, Sport Horse Nation. To help with the search, we’re going to feature a selection of current listings here on EN each week. We include the ad copy provided; click the links for videos, pricing and contact information.

At the lesson barn where my mom and I started eventing, the owner frequently gave students the opportunity to “lease a horse for love,” alleviating some of the feed and shavings bills on her end and giving a client the chance to experience semi-ownership with less pressure and financial commitment than a full on purchase. Not to mention the horse had a person to call their own for a while.

There are many reasons an owner may choose to lease out a horse: too many horses to ride and not enough time; owner is in school/working/having a baby/broke; rider has bigger ambitions than the horse does. Whatever the reason, the owner typically isn’t ready to sell but doesn’t want the horse to be a pasture ornament. So, you get a ride, the horse has a job, the owner is happy. It’s a win/win/win.

Here are three horses listed for a possible lease.

Riley. Photo via Sport Horse Nation.

Riley-Thoroughbred Prelim Mare, Sale or Lease

Super cute mover, scores always in the 30’s with a serious love for jumping. This girl has a heart of gold and eats up the cross country course. Would pack around a lower level rider but loves a bigger challenge. Would be great for a Young Rider, and has the potential to move up to Intermediate. Clips, loads and no vices. Prefers to live outside all the time. Ran but no injuries. Would consider a year lease. Located in Maryland.

Sparky. Photo via Sport Horse Nation.

For Lease: Training Level Eventer

Rare leasing opportunity for a confidence-building and competitive eventer. Sparky is a 7 yr old, 16.1 h TB who recently made a confident move up to Training and has talent for more. 2016 Midsouth Eventing and Dressage Association Adult Year End Award Winner and was also on Area 8 Novice Adult Amateur Leaderboard. Suitable for Starter to CCI*.

He possesses lovely gaits, a scopey and careful jump and bravery to spare. He is fun and easy to ride and goes in a snaffle. Relaxed and quiet at home and away; in company or alone. Ships, clips, etc without issue. Was leased for summer; change in circumstances requires new lease home. Will consider sale to right home. Located in New York.

Palermo. Photo via Sport Horse Nation.

SUPER-TALENTED NOVICE EVENTER!

Palermo 9yo 16.2h scopey Novice level eventer, schooling Prelim. He has also shown to Training level in dressage (schooling First Level), and jumped the meters at hunter/jumper shows (schooling 1.20).

He has a sense of humor and endures being dressed up by the barn kids! He prefers a quiet rider, and would love to have his own special person to bond with. Palermo is amateur friendly, but is not a beginner’s horse. He has also been used in our lesson program with our intermediate riders.

He is up to date with everything, and is great for the farrier and vet (although he’s rather frightened of needles!). Palermo is registered with the Oldenburg society (DE433339824908), USEF/USDF/USEA. Lease option may be considered.

Listings included in this article are randomly selected and confirmed to be current and active before inclusion. Sport Horse Nation features user-generated content and therefore cannot verify or make any warranty as to the validity or reliability of information.