It’s time for another edition of Who Jumped It Best? featuring some Intermediate combinations from Rocking Horse Winter II this weekend. Thanks to our favorite friendly neighborhood wearer of hats, photographer JJ Sillman, we have a selection of action shots to present for your votes. You know the drill, vote for the pair who presents the best overall picture.
Rider at Fresno Horse Trials. Photo by M.Shotgun1979 on Instagram
While much of the country was ravaged by strange or simply abundant winter weather, the skies held out for the fine folks at the Fresno County Horse Park on cross country day, a fine reward after sloshing through the muck in the first phase on Friday. As for the rest of us, if you’re still fighting off a foot of snow, mud, or flood water, keep your chin up. Spring is coming!
RNS Video is back at it with a great montage from the first Advanced of the Ocala season. Check out the Advanced pairs as they tackled the water complex at Rocking Horse yesterday.
In case you missed our report on the Advanced and Intermediate divisions this weekend, click on over here to catch up.
Thanks to RNS for capturing great videos for all of us to enjoy! Visit RNS Video’s website to order videos of your own rides and be sure to subscribe to their YouTube channel and find them on Facebook.
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.
Got a new horse and need a new saddle to go with it? Maybe your old reliable saddle is ready for retirement? This week we’ve got five lovely dressage and jumping saddles from a variety of brands. We’ve included the ad copy provided; click the links for videos, pricing and contact information.
Voltaire Adelaide. Photo courtesy of Maria Lakis via Sport Horse Nation.
Gorgeous 2011 saddle! In Excellent Condition. Incredibly comfortable! Grippy calfskin leather, deep seat, large cushy knee blocks, #3 flap (about 15.5″), MW gullet, cutback at the wither. About 5.5″ across at the wither. All stitching intact, no marks or blemishes. Hardware and billets all in excellent condition. Well maintained with Voltaire products. Stored covered indoors. Fits a lot of different sizes and breeds of horse. Voltaire fleece saddle cover included. Voltaire small carrying bag and care instructions included. The saddle will arrive in its cover, having been recently cleaned and conditioned. Reluctantly selling because, as a petite rider, (5’1″) I need a much shorter flap. I have over 20 photos. Please email me with any questions or requests for more photos. Located in New York.
Schleese Eventing. Photo courtesy Zdenek Prochazka via Sport Horse Nation.
Schleese Monoflap Eventing Saddle, 17.5in, medium adjustable tree,
burgundy French leather, wool stuffed, wood tree. Incl. Schleese girth and orig. cover. Used in 3 star comp. on a 16.3HH Hollsteiner. Located in B.C. Canada.
County Perfection. Photo courtesy of Marlene Melvin via Sport Horse Nation.
2014 County Perfection, 18” Med/Wide, Edward Gall forward flap-perfect for tall person or someone with a long upper leg. Here is the opportunity to purchase a close to new saddle and have it immediately, no 8/12 week wait. Has been sitting and needs to find a new home with someone who will use it. Excellent condition, very little use – purchased for horse that is now navicular and does not fit new horse. A lot less rides than a normal demo saddle, you can tell by the billets it hasn’t had many rides. Pay Pal only please, buyer to pay shipping and insurance. Will consider a short trial but you will need to pay in full plus shipping & insurance both ways if you don’t keep it. Saddle must be returned in same condition as sent. Located in Illinois.
Devoucoux Chiberta. Photo courtesy of Brooke Alexandra via Sport Horse Nation.
Devoucoux Chiberta Lab. 17.5 seat, 3AA flap, made in 2016 *my name is etched on the back* Has been used less than 5 times. Located in California.
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.
I write a lot ABOUT the infamous “horse show husband,” but the world rarely gets his perspective. Naturally silent, Wayne happily plods along and nods his head as I blabber on endlessly about all things horses for hours on end. I finally decided it was time for the world to hear (or read, rather) his voice and to place some shame on me for once. So I handed him a notebook and pen and asked him to write down the ten scariest things I have ever said to him and rank them in order from kind of scary to downright terrifying — and he has spoken!
10. “Babe, look at this cute photo I took of Joey at the barn.”
Wayne’s thoughts, “They always look the same and I feel like I am in some kind of trap.”
But….I swear each photo of him gets cuter and cuter! Photo by Meagan DeLisle
9. “Wayne, can we make a quick trip to the barn today?”
Wayne’s thoughts, “The barn is an hour away. There is no such thing as a ‘quick trip’ to the barn and we are going to drive up there, brush Joey, feed him a treat, take some photos, and drive home. Almost a whole day… gone.”
8. “Hey, the barn offered me a job today.”
Wayne’s thoughts, “Your job is salary, has great benefits, and pays for all of the horse expenses. How the heck are we supposed to make that work?”
7. “Do you think we can set aside some extra money for the horse show next month? I miscalculated.”
Wayne’s thoughts, “Of course you did.”
You can tell by Wayne’s face in this horse show selfie that he is absolutely THRILLED about me refusing to tell him where the Show Office is so he won’t preemptively look at the bill….Photo by Wayne DeLisle
6. “I hate being so far away from Joey, what are the odds of us building a barn on the farm one day?”
Wayne’s thoughts, “You mean the farm that makes us money because we can plant soybeans on it?”
5. “If we did bring him home, he would need a friend. They are herd animals, ya know!”
Wayne’s thoughts, “Sounds like an excuse to get a 2nd horse to me…
4. “Joey needs a blanket, he’s cold. Joey needs his feet done, his toes look awful long. Joey needs more supplements. Joey needs an ‘ovaltine’ pad for his back” (when Wayne was writing these he LEGIT wrote ovaltine instead of Ogivly. I. Am. Dying.).
Wayne’s thoughts, “How did these things survive back when the Indians were the only ones around?”
….he asked all of these things as he carried our beloved late ShihPoo Yoshi around at the horse show so his feet wouldn’t get dirty. Photo by Meagan DeLisle
3. “How long do you think until we can buy another horse?”
Wayne’s thoughts, “Your @$$ can only be in one saddle at a time, what is the point of more than one horse?”
2. “Ohhhhh, my new breeches came in the mail today!”
Wayne’s thoughts, “Uhhhh… what new breeches? And what are breeches?… Does she mean britches?”
1. But the worst is when she doesn’t even say anything. The worst of all is when she is looking at her phone and all I hear is ‘clip clop clip clop’ in the background because I know that is going to be followed with, “Ohhhh Wayne look at this horse Amy has for sale!”
Poor poor Wayne never grew up around horses so he didn’t know what he was getting into when he started dating me. But he has taken it like a champ and plays along with me no matter how annoying I can be. And to prove that I am not all that God-awful to be around, he left this little dandy of a note at the bottom of his list of scary things the horse wife says.
“Regardless of all the crazy things you do and say about everything horse related, I love you more than you will ever know. And while it gives me a headache to see money fly into the stall door of that horse with the perpetually dumb look on his face, I am willing to do anything to make you smile…except for cleaning his sheath. I agreed to that before you told me what that was.”
Happy participants and auditors after a successful William Fox-Pitt clinic. Photo courtesy of Scott Hayes.
What’s Happening is EN’s guide to lessons, clinics, schooling shows and other riding and educational opportunities during the winter. It’s free to post a listing. Just email the date, location, contact information and any other details to [email protected]. (Note: This is a list generated solely from submissions. If no one sends us the details of your event, it won’t be included.)
Cross country schooling at Loch Moy Farm
From now through March 17, 2017 Loch Moy Farm in Adamstown, MD has cross country portables in the 5 acres of all-weather rings for the winter months. Schooling will be open during daylight hours, weather permitting. We have Elementary through Preliminary jumps including a ditch and down banks. Show jumps are also in the rings for schooling. Call Carolyn at 301-514-0111 to make an appointment or email us at [email protected].
Schooling days at at Tryon International Equestrian Center From January 28-February 25, the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, NC will have a schooling day every Saturday for hunter, jumper, dressage and mini-driving competitors. There will be five open rings: one hunter course, one jumping course, a flat ring, a dressage arena and a mini horse obstacles/driving ring. This is an opportunity to train on world-class ESI all-weather footing in a variety of disciplines. Each ring will be maintained and dragged throughout the day. Ring 1 and Ring 2 fence heights and coordinating schedule will be posted on www.tryon.com every Thursday preceding the event. Click to learn more.
February 18, 2017: Winter Jumping Clinic with Phyllis Dawson
Please join us at the Windchase Winter Jumping Clinics with Phyllis Dawson, in Purcellville, VA. The focus of this clinic will be Gymnastics and Grids with a XC twist .
More info can be found at http://www.teamwindchase.com/MiniClinics.htm. To sign up, go to our Event Clinics website link: http://bit.ly/Windchase. All clinics are designed to be inviting and user-friendly. We will keep things very basic and inviting for the greener groups, and will incorporate some more creative elements for the higher groups as appropriate. Exercises and fence heights can be adjusted within a group for each horse as needed. I expect to have groups ranging from a very green elementary group for those of you wanting to stick to small jumps, up to at least Preliminary. There will be 3 to 5 riders in each group, and the cost is $75. Sign up by the Wednesday before the clinic, and ride times will be emailed out on Thursday. Email me at [email protected] if you have any questions, or to be put on our mailing list. Come Jumping!
February 18, 2017: Lessons with Sally Cousins Ride with Sally Cousins at Oldfields School in Glencoe Sparks, MD. And anyone interested can contact her at [email protected] or 6103246628.
February 19, 2017: Lessons with Sally Cousins Ride with Sally Cousins at Bit O Woods Farm in Hainesport, NJ. 2/18. And anyone interested can contact her at [email protected] or 6103246628.
February 25, 2017: Jumping Clinic with Kelley Williams
Join Advanced-level eventer, Kelley Williams at A Bit Better Farm (Brookeville, MD) on Saturday, February 25th! Lessons are $60 per small group lesson. Possessing an enviable amount of patience, Kelley is a naturally gifted trainer and instructor who always seems to know what her pupils need, whether they be human or equine. Kelley draws great gratification in her teaching and coaching, and firmly believes that she learns as much from her students as they learn from her. When you sign up, please be sure to let me know if you have any time constraints. If you want to learn more about Kelley, click here. You can easily sign-up through EventClinics here or e-mail Kelley at [email protected]. As always, auditing is encouraged and always FREE! *In the case of inclement weather the clinic will be held on Sunday, February 26th.
February 26, 2017: Winter Jumping Clinic with Phyllis Dawson Please join us at the Windchase Winter Jumping Clinics with Phyllis Dawson, in Purcellville, VA. The focus of this clinic will be Corners and Angles. More info can be found at http://www.teamwindchase.com/MiniClinics.htm. To sign up, go to our Event Clinics website link: http://bit.ly/Windchase. All clinics are designed to be inviting and user-friendly. We will keep things very basic and inviting for the greener groups, and will incorporate some more creative elements for the higher groups as appropriate. Exercises and fence heights can be adjusted within a group for each horse as needed. I expect to have groups ranging from a very green elementary group for those of you wanting to stick to small jumps, up to at least Preliminary. There will be 3 to 5 riders in each group, and the cost is $75. Sign up by the Thursday before the clinic, and ride times will be emailed out on Friday. Email me at [email protected] if you have any questions, or to be put on our mailing list. Come Jumping!
February 26, 2017: Show Jumping Clinic with Stephen Bradley
Come tune up your jumping for the spring season with Olympian Stephen Bradley at Domino Equestrian in Harwood, MD! Small groups (2-3 people) ensure plenty of individual attention, and usually last about an hour and fifteen minutes. Private lessons are also available. An accomplished 3-day Event Rider who is well regarded for his teaching skills, Stephen Bradley is a favorite clinician for both amateurs and professionals alike. Come enjoy food, drinks, and our wonderful new facility, and lesson with one of the best! Auditors always welcome at no charge. Heated viewing room overlooks the 80×200 indoor for great auditing! Registration is available here through Event Clinics. Feel free to contact Michaline at [email protected] with any questions.
March 20-21, 2017: Eventing Clinic with Eric Smiley Eric is a world-class trainer, FEI official, coach of the 2012 Belgium Olympic event team and one of the founders of the International Eventing Forum. This clinic will be in Southern Pines, NC at the Secrist Farm. Contact Karen McCollom, [email protected], for more information.
Area III
February 18, 2017: Dressage and Show Jumping Clinic with Dani Dichting Busbee
Auburn Eventing is hosting a dressage and show jumping clinic with 3* eventer Dani Dichting Busbee on February 18th at Flint Hill Farm in Opelika, AL. Private dressage lessons will be available for $75 and group jumping lessons will be available for $60. More information and entry form can be found on the Auburn Eventing Team Facebook page. Closing date is February 10th. Contact Sallie Johnson at (334) 467-2200 with any questions.
February 24-26, 2017: Eventing Clinic with Kai Steffen-Meier German eventing team rider Kai Steffen-Meier will teach an Eventing 101 clinic at in Ocala, FL Feb 24-26th. He will focus on how better dressage work improves your cross country riding, and will specifically address amateurs (although not excluding professionals). All rides will be filmed and later evaluated during class room sessions so the riders can learn about themselves while watching their own rides. All levels are welcome. Additional speakers include event horse breeding and training expert Dr. Maren Engelhardt and equine nutrition and lameness prevention specialist Kimberly Kojima. To register and for more information, email [email protected].
March 1, 2017: “Under the Stars” Jumper Night at Stable View
The first Wednesday of every month is the “Under the Stars” Jumper Night series at Stable View in Aiken, SC. The show begins at 3:00pm and is held in the covered arena, fences start at 2’3” and work up to 3’9”. Class entry fees range from $30-$50 with up to $1,500 in prize money awarded. Learn more at http://stableviewfarm.com/
March 2, 2017: Eric Smiley Clinic at Bridle Creek Farm One of a select few to hold the qualification of BE Master Coach, Eric Smiley is a world-class trainer, FEI official, coach of the 2012 Belgium Olympic event team and one of the founders of the International Eventing Forum. Contact [email protected] for more information
March 8, 2018: “Under the Stars” Dressage at Stable View
The second Wednesday of each month Stable View will be hosting a schooling or USEF/USDF Recognized Level Two Championship Qualifier Dressage show. March will be a Schooling show starting at noon with classes from Intro-Grand Prize. Prize Money Offered. Please email [email protected] with any questions, entry forms may be found on our website.
March 14-19, 2017: Eric Smiley Clinic at Bridle Creek Farm One of a select few to hold the qualification of BE Master Coach, Eric Smiley is a world-class trainer, FEI official, coach of the 2012 Belgium Olympic event team and one of the founders of the International Eventing Forum. Contact [email protected] for more information.
Area V
February 25-26, 2017: Eventing Clinic with Buck Davidson
Buck Davidson is coming to Holly Hill Farm in Benton, LA! Saturday will be Show Jumping, Sunday Cross Country. The clinic fee is $425 (made out to Kristy Limon), this INCLUDES all schooling fees. Stalls are available for $20 per night, include in a separate Holly Hill check. Camping hookups are available for $20 per night. Add this fee to the Holly Hill check. A $200 deposit is required to hold your spot. The remainder of the fee and the Holly Hill fees are due by January 15th. Spots will not be held until a deposit is received. NO REFUNDS unless your spot can be filled from the waitlist. Please contact Kristy Limon w/ any questions, 936-443-5167. [email protected]. More information available here.
We’ve opened “What’s Happening” up to include March 2017 activities! Want to see your lesson, clinic, or schooling show listed here? Email [email protected].
The sports technology and data company EquiRatings has been making waves in the equestrian industry for its innovative study of competition statistics and pursuit of improved safety for horse and rider through critical performance analysis. While EquiRatings’ scope ranges from the entertaining and intriguing Eventing Podcast to compelling media graphics and medal predictions, the EquiRatings Quality Index (ERQI) has proven to positively impact the sport from a safety standpoint.
The ERQI measures cross country risk by creating profiles for horses and tracking their individual performances. Based on collected data, the horse is assigned a numeric value between 0-1 for each level of competition that indicates the likelihood of that horse completing cross country without faults. The ERQI Rating can then be used by riders and federations to objectively evaluate the degree of risk.
The ratings may fluctuate with a horse’s performance but they are easy to understand using a “traffic light” color code reflective of the numerical values assigned. A green rating (above 0.5) is satisfactory and the horse may compete at that level. An amber rating (between 0.15-.05) means the combination meets the minimum standard for the level but warns of increased risk. A red rating (less than 0.15) is insufficient and the combination does not meet the minimum standard to compete at that level.
An ERQI Rating is easy to understand using a “traffic light” color code reflective of the numerical values assigned. Graphic courtesy of EquiRatings.
Direct Effects of Using ERQI
The result of the ERQI since its launch in 2016 has been a decline in horse falls due to a strong correlation between low ratings and cross country penalties and falls. Eventing Ireland (EI) was the first and only national federation to utilize the ERQI during the 2016 season, targeting all national levels. They saw a 56% reduction at the national two- and three-star levels, with a staggering 66% reduction in horse falls at the national two-star level alone. EI will also start using ERQI for FEI levels this year.
“Eventing is a risk sport and we are trying to reduce that risk,” EI Chairman David O’Meara told EN. “We were very keen to use EquiRatings ERQI system to see if it had an impact and we are extremely pleased with the results — particularly in the reduction of two-star falls.”
The ERQI risk ratings serve to either confirm a horse and rider’s competence at a particular level or warn against the increased probability of elimination and is a crucial tool for organizers, officials and competitors. While only a small percentage (0.5%-1.5%) of EI members were affected by the restrictive red rating, the data presentation encouraged self-evaluation.
For example, if a competitor enters a two-star competition and is given an amber rating, the rider could compete knowing there is a higher level of risk or choose to drop down a level.
“We are giving responsibility back to the rider,” David said. “They have a choice either to enter on amber or to enter a lower class to get confidence back and improve their ERQI. It seems to have worked. The membership has welcomed this new initiative.”
EquiRatings co-founders Sam Watson and Diarm Byrne presented the ERQI Rating system at the FEI Eventing Risk Management Summit held at Tattersalls in Ireland last weekend, and earlier this month Diarm presented at the International Eventing Forum at Hartpury College in England.
“From the moment we began to use advanced programming to track risk and falls in the sport, we knew we had discovered something of huge value,” Diarm told EN.
“The results of the service in Ireland speak for themselves but it was more than just our system at play. We had the buy in from the riders, owners, event organizers and, of course, the governing body. We are changing the picture together. And that is what I expect will happen across the world in our sport over the coming the years — a joint effort, a shared responsibility around the risks in eventing. We are here to play our part in that.”
A detailed example of how an ERQI Rating is calculated. Chart courtesy of Eventing Ireland.
USEA Partners With EquiRatings
Following Eventing Ireland’s successful use of the ERQI system, other national federations are taking notice. At the 2016 USEA Annual Meeting and Convention in December, Sam and Diarm led one of the most popular seminars of the week. The Board of Governors then approved USEA CEO Rob Burk to receive an official proposal from EquiRatings and to begin discussions to implement their technology to improve safety in the United States. The USEA and EquiRatings have been sharing data now for several months, and the USEA will introduce new associated member services in the near future.
“At this point in time we envision our members signing into their USEA online services account and having access to a straightforward ERQI score associated with each registered horse on their profile. Additional interesting analytics are also possible and we are working with EquiRatings to look at all of the possibilities,” Rob told EN.
A partnership with EquiRatings is all part of the USEA’s broader plan to increase safety in U.S. Eventing. While the results data and incidents reports collected and maintained in the U.S. are especially detailed and efficiently stored, Rob encourages the membership to work together with the Association to make sure all data is as accurate as possible. Furthermore, combining the use of data analysis with the self-policing inspired by the ERQI will only serve to strengthen the sport.
“In order for this system to be successful we need the best possible data to be collected,” Rob said. “Although it sounds like we are stealing a quote from Homeland Security, we encourage everyone involved in the sport that if you see something, say something. Only through vigilance on the part of all of us can we ensure that we keep our horses and riders as safe as possible.
“It does the sport no good to have anyone hold back information. We encourage everyone with an interest in the sport to reach out to the Technical Delegate and/or the Ground Jury at any event in which you notice any discrepancies in how competition results are reported. You can also reach out the USEA and US Equestrian (USEF) with that information.”
Rob also explained that the USEA sees safety as a multi-layered concept. These layers include the preparation of horse and rider, preparation of safety personnel, suitability of the course, and the diligence of the officials, related Associations and Federations. “In order to lessen the risk we need to focus our efforts on each of those layers,” he said.
“Implementation of the ERQI rating system will further enable our members to be able to analyze competition data in determining whether their horse and/or they are adequately prepared to compete at a given level or competition. Obviously there are numerous factors in determining whether you or your horse are prepared to compete but the ERQI will provide us with one more tool to raise the level of safety in our sport.”
Learn more about the EquiRatings Quality Index here.
What do you think, EN? Do you think more national federations should implement the EquiRatings Quality Index in their entry systems? Weigh in below in the comments.
Staying warm and dry on the Wet Coast, I mean West Coast! Photo from Debi Ravenscroft's Facebook Page
It is another soggy weekend in California, but eventers will always go on. The storms hitting the West Coast this weekend are supposed to be pretty significant and judging by everything I’ve seen on Facebook so far, it is certainly making the action at Fresno County Horse Park quite interesting. Fortunately, FCHP’s cross country course is well suited to the rain and it should be a great early-season outing for those brave enough to endure the weather. Plus, who doesn’t love dramatic horse show photos showcasing wild weather? In the interest of being prepared for anything, I’d strongly suggest packing some water-wings, warm drinks and maybe a snorkel as the storm is supposed to continue through Sunday.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture released an announcement on their website earlier this week that a new case of EHV-1 had been confirmed in San Diego County, and the horse had previously been stabled in tent 21 at HITS Coachella from January 21 to February 5th. CDFA released an additional statement that they were aware of additional cases of symptomatic EHV-1 from horses stabled in tent 21. Please horse owners be diligent and contact your vet immediately if you suspect your horse may have been exposed or it is showing symptoms.
Photo of the day! Arden Stephens and Ultra T caught some serious air at Rocking Horse! Photo by JJ Sillman Photography.
Buck Davidson cleaned up at Rocking Horse Winter II Horse Trials today, taking the first three places in the Advanced Test A division and finishing second in the B division. Copper Beach sat in second place after dressage on 28.6, with a clear show jumping round moving him up to the top of the Test A division. A clear round inside the time on cross country gave Buck and Copper Beach the win on 28.6.
This was the first Advanced run for “Sean,” an 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Paddy Daly X Radolin, by Cloverballen) owned by Sherrie Martin and Carl and Cassie Segal, since the 2016 Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships last year. Buck told EN the decision to skip a fall season was made strategically with the horse’s longterm career in mind.
Three words sum up Rocking Horse: Buck Davidson domination. Photo by JJ Sillman Photography.
“One of the things that was a big benefit to (Ballynoe Castle RM) was from the time he was 7 he did a big team trip in the summer, so he always had a long break after that. He never actually did Fair Hill,” Buck said. “I thought it was in Sean’s best interest to have a little break. He’s 11 now but he’s done a lot. I want my horses to be healthy and happy at 16, so sometimes you need to give them some time in the field.”
Copper Beach is aiming for Rolex Kentucky this spring, along with his stablemates Park Trader and Petite Flower, and Buck said today was about an easy run with bigger events in mind. “I didn’t push him to go fast today. He just galloped along and found it all very easy. He changed a lot after Kentucky last year. He’s much more relaxed and confident. I’ve had him since he was just starting his eventing career. I know him now and he knows me, and we’re a little more relaxed together.”
Jessica Phoenix and A Little Romance. Photo by JJ Sillman Photography.
Buck took second place in the Test A division with Halimey, who led after dressage on 27.5. One rail down in show jumping dropped the 12-year-old Trakehner stallion (Askar X Hamamelis, by Pardon Go) owned by Christine Turner to second place on 31.5. He finished on that score with a fast and clear cross country round inside the time.
“We’re taking it slow with Halimey, getting him confident and concentrating on getting him fit,” Buck said. “He’s super careful and he’s the kind of horse I like to ride. He just wants to believe in you. He’s a stallion, and I do a lot of easy schools with him and lots of praising him. If he gives you a big effort, he wants to know you’re proud of him. He went around today ears pricked.”
Third place went to Buck and Carlevo, who also started the competition in that same spot on the leaderboard with a dressage score of 29.7. One downed pole in show jumping and 8.8 time penalties on cross country saw the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Carlevo LLC finish on 42.5.
Chelsea Kolman and Dauntless Courage. Photo by JJ Sillman Photography.
Just one other pair chased the optimum time of 6 minutes, 13 seconds in the Test A division: Chelsea Kolman and Dauntless Courage in their Advanced debut to finish in fifth place on 47.1. Go girl go! If you missed EN’s feature on Chelsea and “Dante,” a lovable Percheron/Thoroughbred cross, click here.
Alyssa Phillips and Bliss III. Photo by JJ Sillman Photography.
Alyssa Phillips and Bliss III Bounce to Advanced Test-B Win
Looking to the Test B division, 20-year-old Alyssa Phillips and Bliss III delivered the lowest final finishing score across the two divisions. Sitting in second place on 25.7 behind Ellie MacPhail O’Neal and RF Eloquence after dressage, they went clear in show jumping and made the time on cross country to move up to first and take the win.
Alyssa and Bliss, an 11-year-old Dutch mare (Corland X Lenja, by Hemmingway) she owns with Julie Phillips, have been partnered together for four years now, and Alyssa said things have really started to click between the two.
“She was a little bit of a crazy thing back in the day. As we moved up to Advanced she’s actually jumped better because she would naturally back herself off from the jumps,” Alyssa said. “She was so game today, and I thought I might as well go for the time and see where she was at. She romped around and was with me every step of the way.”
Alyssa trains with Angela Bowles, who has been riding the mare more recently after Alyssa injured her back in the fall. Angela took the reins for the $100,000 Land Rover Wellington Eventing Showcase earlier this month, where they finished in ninth place.
“Angela has really helped me with the horses, and I am so grateful to her for everything she has done for me. I needed to put it together with Bliss today, and that happened in large part because of all the work Angela has done with me. I know that’s going to help us a lot as we look ahead to the rest of the season.”
Zach Brandt and Vasiliev. Photo by JJ Sillman Photography.
Alyssa is aiming to target her first CCI3* at Bromont in June, with a goal of Fair Hill CCI3* in the fall. In the meantime, she’ll be traveling back and forth between the East Coast and Texas, where she’s a sophomore at Texas Christian University studying strategic communications and business.
The long hours on the road are worth it for Bliss, or “Queen B” as she’s known in the barn. “She has the biggest personality but she’s the kindest horse,” Alyssa said. “She has the sweetest eyes.”
Buck Davidson and Petite Flower finished second in the Test B division on their dressage score of 26.6. After Petite Flower skipped around cross country inside the time, Buck told super groom Kathleen Murray: “I wish Kentucky was next week.” The 15-year-old Thoroughbred mare (Amber’s Lust X Tears of Loss) owned by Caroline and Sherrie Martin has turned over a new leaf, he said.
“In all three phases she feels much more relaxed and much more confident. She feels stronger,” Buck said. “I feel like she trusts me, whereas last year she was pretty sure she trusted me. She went around cross country today like it was a joke. She ripped through the corners and skinnies.”
While Buck is relishing in strong finishes for all of his Advanced rides (Carl and Cassie Segal’s Park Trader also finished seventh in the B division) he said his real focus is on tomorrow, when he will resume his groom duties to Kathleen and Ballynoe Castle RM in the Sr. Training Rider-A division.
We’ve talked extensively about the last hurrah for “Reggie” ahead of his official retirement at Rolex this spring, so click here and here if you missed those stories.
“The highlight for the barn this year is having Kathleen compete Reggie. The fun that the two of them are having is unbelievable,” Buck said. “Reggie loves going to shows, and going around Training level he doesn’t even break a sweet. It’s so cool to see and it makes everybody happy. Carl had tears in his eyes after their dressage the other weekend. It’s the reason we do this sport. The relationships are amazing to watch.”
Daisy Trayford and Normandy Soldier rounded out the top three in the B division. We have to send a massive kudos for delivering a personal best dressage score of 29.6. They added just 1.6 time penalties on cross country to finish on 31.2. Lisa Marie Fergusson and Honor Me were the only other pair to make the time in this division to finish fourth on 34.4.
Brannigan, White & Appling Win Intermediate Divisions
The Intermediate divisions wrapped up with cross country this morning, with Jennie Brannigan and Casarino winning the A division on 26.1. The 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Amy Ruth Borun is with Jennie to be sold, and he added just one rail to his dressage score of 22.1 to take the win.
Alyssa Phillips had another strong finish with Oskar, adding no penalties to their dressage score of 27.3 to move up from fourth to finish second on 27.3. Ellen Doughty-Hume and Sir Oberon added just 0.8 cross country time penalties to their dressage score to finish third on 28.5.
Looking to the B division, Cooley On Show continued to show he’s a serious horse to watch with Sharon White in the irons. Tied for the lead with Lauren Kieffer and Veronica on 23.8 after both dressage and show jumping, Sharon and “Louie” took the win on 27.4 with a clear cross country trip and 3.6 time penalties. Keep your eye on this one!
Clayton Fredericks and Katie Ruppel’s Houdini added 4.0 time penalties to their dressage score to finish in second place in the Intermediate B division on 29.0. Lauren Kieffer and Landmark’s Monte Carlo rounded out the top three on 32.6.
Christine Appling and Amelie were one of three pairs to make the optimum time of 5 minutes, 39 seconds in the Intermediate Rider division to move from 12th after dressage to finish in first place on 29.0. Cornela Dorr and Sir Patico MH finished second on 33.2, with Shelby Brost and Namaste in third on 34.4.
Click here to view the full live scores from Rocking Horse Winter II Horse Trials and here to view lots and lots of videos courtesy of David Frechette, AKA Thehorsepesterer. Stay tuned for more photos from the one and only JJ Sillman throughout the weekend, and if you see her wandering the show with her camera in hand and wearing her awesome hat, be sure to say hi. Go Eventing.
All eyes are on Rocking Horse Winter II Horse Trials, where the first Advanced event of the season is underway in Altoona, Florida. Both the A and B divisions did their dressage tests yesterday, with show jumping held this morning and cross country running this afternoon. You can follow live scores here, and stay tuned for the full report on EN.
World Equestrian Brands rider Buck Davidson and Park Trader sat tied for third place in the Test B division after dressage on a score of 26.6. “Kobe,” a 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Master Imp X Ballyhast Polly, by Highland King) owned by Carl and Cassie Segal, is starting his sixth season at the Advanced level this year.
Watch their dressage test above courtesy of the only and only David Frechette. Be sure to click over to Thehorsepesterer’s YouTube channel for about a zillion more videos from Rocking Horse. Go Eventing.
