Another day, another event horse self-destructing, destroying personal property, plotting homicide, or just plain acting like a big ol’ weirdo. For your viewing displeasure, here are 20 examples:
The Final Horse Inspection just wrapped up at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event in Temecula, Calif and all who presented in the CCI3*, CCI2* and CCI* passed.
Mary Burk and Prince William and Sara Mittleider and Gin & Juice did not present for the CCI3*, and Shannon Lilley did not present Ballingowan Gemma in the CCI*. Ashlyn Dorsey’s Stakkato II was held in the CCI2* but passed on reinspection. Several holds occurred during the CCI* jog but all were eventually accepted. After passing the final horse inspection, Auburn Excell Brady withdrew Sammy Equus from the CCI* competition.
Ride On Video will be streaming the show jumping finale beginning at 10:00 a.m. PST (1:00 p.m. EST). Watch the live stream embedded below or click here.
Michael Jung and Cruising Guy. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.
Riding Canadian Shawn Ferguson’s lovely Cruising Guy for only the third time, Michael Jung gave a master class in riding with rhythm, tact, and confidence at the $20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge at Toronto’s Royal Agriculture Winter Fair. You’d never have guessed their partnership was barely 31 hours old.
The more difficult second night course changed the scoreboard around, but for Michael it was just one simple step up to the win top honours with a 82.36 and no penalties, over four seconds faster than the round 2 score of Toronto’s own Rachel McDonough and her lovely Irish Rhythm. For last night’s leader, Karl Slezak, it was disappointment when he could not replicate his fluid, perfect round of the previous evening.
Michael Jung with Cruising Guy’s owner Shawn Ferguson (left) and Kelly Nicholls of Horseware Products and his daughter. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.
In only 31 hours, six different times zones, one schooling ride, and two competitive rounds on a horse he’d never ridden before, Michael proved why he’s called Ze Terminator, even indoors! As Michael said, he had a “good feeling about this horse,” and he was exactly right. (We can only guess that ‘Dexter’ was thinking “I’ve got a good feeling about this rider….”)
The Saturday night course of 18 obstacles was more demanding than Friday’s round one, but the dreaded ‘bounce bank’ caused no problems, strategically placed by savvy course designer Mark Phillips off a short corner to reduce the speed into it. The bogey fence on the course was the final fence – a show jumping oxer of birch rails – which took its toll on a number of riders who decided to ‘go for it’.
The course rode well each evening, with few refusals. The synthetic ‘log’ popped in half when a little equine pressure was applied during a refusal, and great cheers from the crowd erupted when the replacement ‘log’ was carried in on the shoulders of just one guy!
Rachel McDonough and Irish Rhythm. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.
Michael’s dominance tends to overshadow the other riders’ accomplishments, but stepping up her performance and standing under pressure was Rachel McDonough on Irish Rhythm, with a clear round and a time of 86.56, putting her in second place.
Jessica Phoenix rode Charlotte Schickendanz’ Abbey GS, a veteran competitor at the Royal, whose one fault and round 2 time of 95.70 gave her the third place slot, followed by Diana Burnett on her Thoroughbred, Manny.
Jessica Phoenix and Abbey GS. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.
It’s worth noting that Michael Jung’s twinkle, positive messages, and good nature are well known, but in the course of the many years of covering the Indoor Eventing at the Royal, it’s been my experience that all the eventers bring a positive energy and a sense of camaraderie to their sport. Good on all of them!
[12:54 update: The scores reflected in the image below and within this article are different than when it was first published this morning. The final score this year was determined not by combining the times for both rounds but instead by combining the round 2 time and any penalties incurred over the two nights of jumping. Regardless, the top six remain unchanged.]
Amber Levine and Carry On. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
A small but mighty contingent of CCI3* horses tackled Ian Stark’s long and winding track at Galway Downs in Temecula, Ca. yesterday. The course had several new questions added this year and definitely sorted out the best from the rest in terms of fitness and preparedness.
Your new leader in the CCI3* is Amber Levine and Carry On, who re-routed back to their home state after a bumpy ride at Fair Hill International last month. Thanks to a tidy double clear round, Amber will carry a score of 48.8 into tomorrow’s show jumping. This isn’t quite enough breathing room to have a rail in hand, but Carry On is typically a good show jumper and should put in a good effort tomorrow.
Jordan Linstedt and Revitavet Capato. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Jordan Linstedt and RevitaVet Capato owned one of the smoothest rides of the day. Even at the final water, the last big combination before heading back to the training track to finish, this pair still looked sharp and had some gas left in the tank. Jordan and Capato are contesting their first CCI since completing their second CCI4* together earlier this year in Kentucky. These two definitely seem to be getting stronger and stronger as time goes on, and they’ll be a force to be reckoned with for some time, we predict. Jordan heads into tomorrow on a two-day score of 51.8 after coming home two seconds over optimum time.
Ellen Doughty-Hume and Sir Oberon. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Ellen Doughty-Hume and Sir Oberon made the trek all the way from Texas to run Galway this fall, and their travel efforts were rewarded with a spectacular double clear run that moved them up a spot from fourth into third on a score of 56.1. I caught up with Ellen yesterday morning, and she seemed quietly confident about what Ian had up his sleeves for cross country. Well placed confidence, indeed, and another pair that seems to get even better with each run.
The CCI3* course rode fairly well for the majority of the division, with just two riders encountering problems on course. Gina Economou and Calidore were sadly eliminated on refusals about midway through the course and Andrea Baxter picked up a 20 at fence 16, a corner combination. Overnight leaders Bonner Carpenter and Basco eased their way home, picking up 21.6 time to drop into sixth place.
Mary Burke and Prince William looked great all the way around and came home double clear to fourth overnight, but Mary announced this morning that Prince William sustained an injury noted after the completion of cross country. Thankfully he is expected to make a full recovery with a few months of rehabilitation.
James Alliston and Thomascourt Cooley. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Looking to the CCI2*, Great Britain’s James Alliston and Thomascourt Cooley, owned by Sophie Hulme, hold onto the two-day lead after adding 2.8 time penalties to their score for a total of 47.3. This is Thomascourt Cooley’s debut at the CCI2* level and it’s been a solid one so far.
Heather Morris and Charlie Tango, another re-route from Fair Hill, are holding down second place following cross country after a spectacular clear round with 2.4 time added. James Alliston and his second ride, Revitavet Elijah, will take third place into tomorrow’s show jumping after securing one of only three double clear rounds in this division.
Angela Bowles and Oskar. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Angela Bowles and Alyssa Phillips’ Oskar retained their lead in a huge CCI* division. They timed their cross country just right, coming in one second over time and just managing to stay ahead of second place Maya Black and Mowgli. A single rail separates the top six and scores overall are tightly packed in the 47-horse field.
The Training Three-Day divisions concluded yesterday, with the initial leaders after dressage in both divisions winning without any added penalties over the many phases of a long-format event. Megan Noelle Wilson and Classic’s Mojah finished on 26.0 to top a field of 21 starters in division A. In division B, Megan Compton and Five O’Clock Somewhere stayed cool under pressure and show jumped double clear to finish on 31.0, a fraction of a point ahead of Kaylawna Smith and Happy Hour, who won the tie for second against her own mother, Tamie Smith and Graceland’s Liebling.
The final horse inspection will begin at 8:15 a.m. PST tomorrow, followed by CCI1* show jumping at 10:00, CCI2* at 12:30 and the grand CCI3* finale at 1:45 p.m. Come on out and enjoy the spectacular show that organizer Robert Kellerhouse has put on for us this weekend. It’s truly been a great weekend of all things eventing, and I can’t say enough about how well organized and thought out this event has been. Hats off to you, Robert!
A photo posted by Maya Black (@mayablackeventing) on
Oh how we relish a day of safe trips and happy horses after a cross country Saturday. It’s one of our last weekends of the year to savor the opportunity, so we’re soaking it in for all it’s worth (Especially when we get to soak it in amongst the California palm trees). Maya Black and her own Mowgli -seen above hamming it up for all to see – put in a tremendous double clear over the CCI* track Saturday to move from third to second. Best of luck in the final phase tomorrow, you two!
Watch the Top Two Performances from the First Round of the ASPCA Maclay Finals – This morning’s course tested 120 young riders and it asked a lot of questions. Mad props to these kids who make a very technical course look like a day hacking around the park. Brian Moggre currently sits in the top slot going into tonight’s final, followed by Lucy Deslauriers. (Plus you can’t beat the commentary team of George Morris and Anne Kursinski!)
HITS Coachella Prize List – Thinking of brushing up your final phase this winter, west coasters? We highly recommend a few days in the eight-week HITS Coachella Circuit in Thermal, California. Hunters, Jumpers, and prize money even for the little itty bitty classes. Do it!
Breeder’s Cup Rewind Day 1/Day 2 – If you missed all the Breeders Cup Classic action this weekend, get the picks, updates and results from our BFF at Horse Nation Kristen Kovatch, who put together some fab coverage.
If you’ve been considering competing in a USEA Classic long-format competition but you weren’t really sure what to expect, these videos from the recent Waredaca Novice Three-Day will help. Get a first person view of each section of a long-format’s endurance day, a full 40 minutes of riding over three different phases that is the culmination of months of hard work and preparation.
Ride along with George Waters and Sarah Kane’s Thoroughbred mare An American Girl on phases A, B, C and D at Waredaca. You’ll get a feel for the steady pace and scenic views of the countryside on roads and tracks, the speed and thrill of steeplechase, and the adrenaline pumping what-you’ve-been-waiting for conclusion on cross country.
Then go check out the Classic Series webpage, find a three-day near you and start planning your conditioning schedule!
Congrats to George and An American Girl on their perfect day!
Michael Jung and La Biosthetique Sam FBW. Photo by Jenni Autry.
As the season winds down we have a pretty good idea of what the FEI World Eventing Athlete Rankings will look like when we close the book on 2016. We aren’t surprised to see the indomitable Michael Jung (GER) still blowing the rest of the world away, but we are thrilled that America’s own Phillip Dutton has moved up to second and is joined in the top 50 by another four U.S. riders.
With 632 points on the world rankings leaderboard, Michael Jung’s incredible year started off with a win at the Fontainebleau CICO3* riding La Biosthetique Sam FBW then went on to earn back-to-back wins at the Rolex Kentucky CCI4* (riding fischerRocana FST) and Badminton CCI4* (riding Sam), which made him only the second rider in history to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. He made history again this summer when he earned a second consecutive Olympic Games individual gold medal in Rio with Sam. He followed that up with a second and third place finish at the Pau CCI4* with fischerTakinou and fischerRocana FST. Pau is the last FEI event Michael competed in, and Ze Terminator is currently in Canada riding at the Royal Winter Fair.
Carrying 517 points, our very own Phillip Dutton, having sat in the world #4 position after finishing with two horses inside the top 5 at Rolex (Mighty Nice and Fernhill Cubalawn), is now ranked #2 in the world. Phillip also earned points for the FEI leaderboard with a fourth place finish at the Jersey Fresh CCI3* on Z, finishing fourth and fifth at the Fair Hill International CCI3* with I’m Sew Ready and Mr. Candyman, and of course, earning the individual bronze medal at the Rio Olympics with Mighty Nice.
Phillip Dutton and I’m Sew Ready. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Australia’s Christopher Burton is ranked third in the world with 484 points. Chris won the Saumur CCI3* riding Santano II and the Barbury Castle CIC3* riding Polystar I. He also finished fifth individually in Rio riding Santano II, won the Burghley CCI4* with Nobilis 18, was 11th with TS Jamaimo at Pau and won the 6-year-old Championship at Le Lion with Fire Fly.
Close behind with 476 points is New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson, who finished first and seventh at the Bramham CCI3* with Jet Set and Teseo. He finished fifth and seventh at Luhmühlen CCI4* riding Qwanza and Perfect Stranger, respectively, then finished second with Nereo at Burghley and rounded out the year with a second place finish at the Blenheim CCI3* on Teseo.
Boyd Martin (USA) has made a steady climb up the leaderboard to currently sit fifth with 456 points. Boyd finished Rolex this year with two in the top 15 (Blackfoot Mystery in sixth and Shamwari 4 in 12th), came second at the Jersey Fresh CCI3* on Welcome Shadow and won the Bromont CCI2* with Bonito. He finished 13th at the Pau CCI4* with Welcome Shadow, and as a member of the U.S. Olympic Team, he finished in 16th place individually with Blackfoot Mystery.
Boyd Martin and Crackerjack. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
The next highest ranked American is Lauren Kieffer in 18th place with 337 points. She and Veronica were second at the Carolina International CIC3* and later second at Rolex Kentucky (for the second time). She and Vermiculus were sixth at the Bromont CCI3* and she placed sixth at the Boekelo CCIO3* with Meadowbrook’s Scarlett. Lauren most recently finished 11th and 12th at the Fair Hill International CCI3* riding DA Duras and Landmark’s Monte Carlo.
Hannah Sue Burnett is currently ranked 23rd with 317 points. The results that counted include third at the Red Hill CIC3*, 15th at Rolex, and fifth at Blenheim CCI3* all with Harbour Pilot. And with Under Suspection she was second at the Ocala CCI2*, second at Rebecca Farm CCI3* and third at Fair Hill International CCI3*.
Buck Davidson is the fifth and final U.S. rider in the top 50; 258 points puts him 37th on the world rankings. Buck’s results include eighth at the Ocala CCI2* on Approved Power, ninth at Rolex with Petite Flower, eighth at the Great Meadow CICO3* and first at the Rebecca Farm CCI3* with Copper Beach, and a win and fifth place finish with Halimey at the Rebecca Farm CCI2* and Plantation Field CIC2*.
Two FEI events remain on the U.S. eventing calendar for the year including Galway Downs in California this weekend and the Ocala Jockey Club in Florida at Thanksgiving. While we get geared up for winter, Australia and New Zealand are kicking it into high gear with the Adelaide CCI4* going on now and several more FEI events scheduled before the end of the year. With five Australian and New Zealand riders currently ranked in the top 10, the final leaderboard for the year may change.
Note: While each of these riders have additional excellent results on their 2016 records, we have only listed those that count towards their current athlete rankings in this article. For a complete breakdown of how the FEI World Eventing Athlete Rankings are determined, click here.
Ah, November — where equestrians everywhere hide their stirrups and grit their teeth and work hard to get stronger, hearing George Morris chanting in their heads and feeling the burn of 10,000 leg days every time they take a step. That’s right, it’s another No-Stirrup November, and we’re here for you for every lesson, trot set and struggle to walk up the stairs the next morning.
Hazel Shannon (AUS) and Clifford. Photo by Julie Wilson/FEI.
Hazel Shannon (AUS) and Wendy Ward’s Thoroughbred gelding Clifford galloped into the lead after cross country at the Australian International 3-Day Event in Adelaide, Australia, crossing the finish line just one second over the time.
“I could not have asked any more of him,” Hazel said. “By the time I got to the end of the course, he did not feel like he had just completed a four-star. He felt as if he could have gone again. Whatever you point Clifford at he will do his best to get over it.”
Adding 0.4 time penalties to their dressage score, Hazel and Clifford head into show jumping with a 2.5 margin of error over second place Will Enzinger and Wenlock Aquifer. “He is a careful jumper. We will just go in tomorrow and do our best and whatever happens, happens,” Hazel said simply.
Wilhelm Enzinger and Wenlock Aquifer. Photo by Julie Wilson/FEI.
Will and Wenlock Aquifer were the leaders after dressage on 51.8, but 3.2 time penalties dropped them to second place.
“He was just on song,” Will said. “Everything I asked him to do he did. I was a bit surprised to get time penalties, but there were a couple of times I just balanced a little bit to make sure I got the line and that’s the price you pay. He is a happy horse and still fresh and I could not be happier.”
The only fault-free round out of 10 pairs to leave the startbox came from Rebecca Zamel’s Warmblood Evergem Perfection and Andrew Cooper. With a two-phase score of 59.7, they move up from seventh to third place.
“He was amazing,” Andrew said. “He had two run outs in the four-star last year, which was down to greenness, but he has had a full year of three-star competition and that experience showed. He never looks fast, but he is so adjustable and I took a few inside lines. He can just land and go. He was purchased as a showjumping horse, so I can only hope he remembers that tomorrow.”
Andrew Cooper and Evergem Perfection. Photo by Julie Wilson/FEI.
Karl Slezak and Fernhill Wishes. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.
The Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge at Toronto’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair has been highly anticipated by the Canadian eventing crowd this year because the celebrity competitor is Germany’s incomparable Michael Jung. Despite the crazy late hour the class started – 10:55 pm – the crowd stayed put for a great show, and they were well rewarded. You can’t imagine the racket – cheering, loud crazy music, whooping – that the horses have to ignore to do their job well!
Captain Mark Phillips said his course was designed to challenge the riders and horses but reward precise and forward riding. In last night’s first round, Karl Slezak on his and Kirk Hoppener’s lovely Fernhill Wishes did just that, throwing down a clean run nearly 5 seconds faster than the first four horses. The round was fast, crisp, rhythmical, and beautifully jumped. Karl said his horse’s big stride but careful jumping were perfect for this first round.
However, Michael Jung on Shawn Ferguson’s 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse Cruising Guy was still to come. On a horse he had ridden just once earlier in the afternoon, and only 10 hours off a plane, Michael seemed to effortlessly produce a lovely round in 69.77 seconds, marred only by a near miscommunication at a skinny. Without that bit of stutter step, he might have clipped Karl’s 69.92 seconds. EN was lucky enough to catch up with Michael for an interview before the start of the class.
Cruising Guy, whom Shawn Ferguson has produced to CIC3* level, was honest, calm, and certainly seemed more mature than his years, but then he had the top event rider in the world to give him the confidence to come so close to Karl’s time. Shawn was thrilled when Michael chose “Dexter” as the horse he’d ride at the Royal.
Michael Jung and Cruising Guy. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.
The Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge has been won eight times by Waylon Roberts who is currently recovering from an injury, and his energy and high spirits are missed! Get well soon, Waylon!
Third through fifth place are separated by less than a second. Kendal Lehari and the love Dutch Warmblood mare RF D’Orbalia claimed third in the first round with a time of 73.55. Rachel McDonough and Irish Rhythm (74.03) just managed to pull ahead of Selena O’Hanlon and Linnea Given’s Uptown Girl (74.48).
Kendal Lehari and RF D’Orbalia. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.
Stay tuned for Round 2 of the Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge at The Royal!
