Willow Draw owners/organizers Tre' and Janet Book, St. Jude representative Kiamesha Wilson and course designer/show secretary Adri Lea Doyal. Photo courtesy of Terri Hatcher (http://terriehatcher.zenfolio.com/).
Owners/organizers Tre’ and Janet Book chose the internationally famous hospital, which specializes in treating and studying life-threatening childhood cancer and other diseases, as beneficiary of the Nov. 5 event proceeds.
Kiamesha Wilson, who traveled from Memphis, TN, to accept the donation on behalf of St. Jude, was impressed by her first horse trials experience. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said. “It is amazing what horses can do! St. Jude is grateful for the support of these horsemen and women and will put the funds to good use to help sick children.”
The hospital’s Saddle Up for St. Jude! program allows equestrian events of any kind to become St. Jude fundraisers. Willow Draw’s Volunteer Coordinator, Renee Smith, helped distribute t-shirts and caps to the volunteers and children to celebrate and raise awareness for the program.
A Training level competitor tackles the water complex, beautifully decorated by Debra Sue Waters. Photo courtesy of Mary Hirsch.
The Books are committed to using Willow Draw H.T. to benefit worthy charities. Earlier this year the horse trials donated $10,000 to Semper Fi Fund, an organization working with wounded veterans.
Willow Draw hosted Beginner Novice through Prelim divisions at its one-day event on Saturday. The event was overcast but dry, and competitors had good things to say about the footing and Adri Lea Doyal-designed cross country course. View competition results here.
Photo courtesy of Mary Hirsch.
The farm is currently expanding its Prelim course, working toward the debut of the CIC* and CCI* courses at a horse trials fully dedicated to these divisions, to be held Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, 2017.
Course designer and show secretary Adri Lea Doyal. Photo courtesy of Mary Hirsch.
Other 2017 fixtures include a one-day horse trial on May 27 and a two-day horse trial on the weekend following the FEI event, Oct. 7-8.
Learn more about Willow Draw by visiting its website here.
Mia models the Majyk Equipe Color Elite XC Boots in Azure Blue. Photo by Jenni Autry.
What do you have in common with Phillip Dutton, Boyd Martin and Lauren Kieffer? If you win a pair of Majyk Equipe Color Elite XC Boots in this week’s Fab Freebie, you’ll own the same boots these U.S. Olympians trust to protect their horses’ legs on cross country.
You might have heard about the Color Elite XC Boots when Majyk Equipe launched the boots earlier in the year with the slogan “We’re bringing XC back.” Of course, we loved that catchy phrase right off the bat and jumped at the chance to try out a pair for ourselves.
Veronica wearing Majyk Equipe Color Elite XC Boots in Atomic Orange at this year’s Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
We’ll be launching EN’s full product review soon, but here are a few key highlights of what we love about the boots:
Superior impact protection with a flexible TPU shield and layers of a revolutionary foam called ARTi-LAGE that hardens when struck
Breathable lining thanks to a bio-form interior that keeps the legs cool and comfortable
Durable straps to ensure the boots stay in place and won’t turn on the legs
A water repellent and “forever clean” coating on the outer shell that makes clean up a breeze
The boots come in four colorful shades: Atomic Orange, Azure Blue, Scarlett Red and Tiffany Turquoise. Which color would you choose if you win?
Retail price is $99.99 for the front boots and $115.99 for the hinds, which come in sizes medium and large. Majyk Equipe is also currently offering a special promotion: one free backpack with every pair of boots you buy.
Click here to learn more about the Majyk Equipe Color Elite XC Boots and enter to win a pair of front and hind boots using the Rafflecopter widget below. Entries will close at midnight EST Friday. Good luck!
Disclaimer: Information given in the Rafflecopter widget, including email addresses, may be shared with the corresponding sponsor at their request. You will also be signed up for our weekly EN eNews email newsletter, if you aren’t already. Don’t worry — you’ll just wonder what you’ve been missing out on — and you can unsubscribe if you don’t want it.
Andrew Palmer and Anissa Cottongim's Trakehner stallion Tatendrang in the $5,000 jumping derby at TIEC. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
The Tryon International Equestrian Center was host of the American Trakehner Association Annual Convention this past week. German gold medalist Andreas Dibowski taught a three-day clinic, there were mare, stallion and young horse inspections, and to conclude, a “Salute to the War Horse” gala on Saturday night under the lights. Following the gala was a $5,000 jumper derby in which any convention, clinic or gala horse was invited to participate.
The course was a mix of stadium and cross country jumps in the George Morris Grand Prix ring. Horses and riders were given individual scores for style and correctness (like hunters), but the top ten best rounds based on rails down (more like show jumping) came back for a final round against the clock. The unique format was really interesting and it was fun to see a mix of hunters, jumpers, eventers and even a dressage horse competing over the same course and hearing the judge’s feedback immediately afterwards.
Intercollegiate eventing is gaining momentum around the country, and Area V hosted its first college team challenge last month at Pine Hill Horse Trials. With three Texas based teams competing, Texas A&M, which formed its eventing team program just this spring, took home the top honors. [Texas A&M Takes the Top Spot at Area V’s First Intercollegiate Challenge]
Feeding ponies can be tricky. I tried to put a muzzle on mine once and she went on an outright hunger strike. As she was surrounded by lush grass 24/7, we had to find a feeding and exercise routine that would keep her at a healthy weight while still providing the necessary nutrition to be successful as a performance pony. The circumstances may be much different, however, for a pony that gets less exercise or different grazing circumstances. [Feed ponies properly]
Ireland’s Cian O’Connor celebrated the birth of his second child hours before hopping a plane to Qatar and going on to win in the CSI5* 1.45m speed class by tenths of a second riding Callisto over second place hometown hero, Bassem Hassan Mohammed and Argelith Squid. [Cian O’Connor Wins Penultimate Grand Prix at Doha]
Weekly Business Tip from Mythic Landing Enterprises:Need a business card? Try to make your business card stand out! The easiest way to do this is to include color and print on quality paper. You should also think about making your business card two-sided, with your contact information on the front, and then your services offered on the back. The goal is to make your business card a mini-advertisement for you and your business. There are countless options for printing including Staples, VistaPrint, PrintSocial, or your local print shop.
Monday Video:
Watch and learn from this absolutely stunning round by 2016 Maclay Champion Hunter Holloway.
Hunter Holloway is your 2016 ASPCA Maclay Finals champion!
Hazel Shannon and Clifford. Photo by Julie Wilson/FEI.
Hazel Shannon and Wendy Ward’s Clifford had three rails in hand heading into the show jumping phase at the Australian International Three-Day Event at Adelaide in Australia. They didn’t need the breathing room, however, and jumped a double clear round to secure the win in the CCI4* and the pair’s third consecutive FEI victory.
“That’s Clifford to a tee,” Hazel said. “He is not extravagant in any phase – he just does his job and I can’t ask for more than that. There is a huge amount of training that has gone into Clifford, but his temperament is such that he allows you to train him. It is not just about raw talent, it is the heart and the mind of the horse that matters and this was just another day at the office for Clifford. He keeps trying and trying, and getting better and better.”
Shannon, 24, and the 11-year-old Thoroughbred added only 0.4 time penalties on cross country to secure a final score of 52.5, more than 14 points ahead of the next highest placed horse and rider.
Hazel Shannon and Clifford. Photo by Julie Wilson/FEI.
The top three places remained unchanged after show jumping. Will Enzinger had a disappointing three rails down with his 12-year-old Thoroughbred Wenlock Aquifer, taking the pressure off of Hazel and Clifford, but they still finished in second place on 67.0. Will finished also in fourth place on Britannica MVNZ with only one rail down.
“[Wenlock Aquifer] was a bit off today, but I am over the moon,” Will said. “Some of the more experienced horses are not here because of the Olympic Games, but we are here and all our horses have made great progress. For us, the Adelaide FEI Classics is the pinnacle of the sport and there is nothing like this in the world.”
Wilhelm Enzinger and Wenlock Aquifer. Photo by Julie Wilson/FEI.
Andrew Cooper added two rails with Rebecca Zamel’s 13-year-old Evergem Perfection but a final score of 67.7 kept him in third place. Four-star first timer Rohan Luxmoore, who declared that he “is living the dream” at Adelaide, jumped double clear in the final phase to finish fifth on Bells ’N Whistles. Stuart Tinney and War Hawk and Tegan Lush and Tempis Fugit were also double clear to finish sixth and seventh, respectively.
Andrew Cooper and Evergem Perfection. Photo by Julie Wilson/FEI.
Adelaide was the second event on the 2016/2017 FEI Classics™ calendar. The third leg will be at the Rolex Kentucky CCI4* in Kentucky next April, tickets for which are on sale now!
Amber Levine and Carry On. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Amber Levine Bergland may be glad she postponed her honeymoon to compete at Galway Downs International this weekend as she took home the win in the CCI3* with Carry On. Amber’s horse is a star, but her new husband clearly is, too, as Amber admitted in the press conference that the honeymoon was specifically planned around this event (makes sense to us).
Amber and her 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood didn’t have an ideal go at their first CCI3* at Fair Hill last month, but they rallied for another try at Galway and ended up winning on their dressage score, 48.8.
“He’s really come into his own all weekend and really matured. He’s got a bright future ahead of him,” Amber said. “It will be nice to go home and have a little bit of a break, but it’s a great note to end on.
“I could feel it in warm up yesterday that he was definitely not done for the year. He was happy to be out there yesterday. I thought it was a great course and it gave him a real confidence boost. He got better and better as he went. Ian Stark sets very bold courses, which my horse likes. Walking the course here and knowing Ian sets on a bigger step most of the time and knowing my horse has wings was a confidence boost.”
Ellen Doughty-Hume and Sir Oberon. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Ellen Doughty-Hume was looking for redemption as well this weekend. She fell off Sir Oberon at the final water two years ago and came back for another try. Ellen and her 14-year-old Holsteiner/Thoroughbred gelding finished on their dressage score of 56.1, steadily climbing their way from fourth after the first phase to finish second overall.
“I’m really pleased he ended on his dressage score. We’ve been working hard at our dressage all year and he’s put in good performances,” said Ellen, who traveled all the way from Texas to compete at Galway Downs.
The pair has given their frequent flyer miles a serious boost this year, as they’ve at Rolex in Kentucky, Rebecca Farm in Montana, Richland Park in Michigan, Stable View Advanced in South Carolina and now Galway Downs in California. At all of these events they have gone clear on cross country and only added two rails total.
James Alliston and his longtime partner Parker also finished on their dressage score (60.2) for third place. “He’s such a great horse. Over the years we’ve done so many big CCI classes and always he does his best,” James said.
James Alliston and Thomascourt Cooley. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
James and Sophie Hulme’s Thomascourt Cooley led the CCI2* from start to finish, adding only 2.8 time penalties across the country for a final score of 47.3 in the 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse’s first CCI.
“He’s not a ton of Thoroughbred but he galloped really well yesterday and likes the job,” James said of the son of the famous Irish stallion, Cruising. “He’s a fantastic mover, fantastic jumper, brave and careful. Now we know he can gallop. Probably his best quality is his mind. He’s a very quiet guy in general but he really wakes up for the jumping part. He’s incredibly trainable and a real sweetie.”
Heather Morris and Charlie Tango were knocking on the door all weekend, but with 2.4 time penalties to add yesterday, they finished a fraction of a point behind James and Thomascourt Cooley in second place. James and RevitaVet Elijah were third on 51.6.
Angela Bowles and Alyssa Phillips’ Oskar topped a huge CCI* division. They were only one second over time yesterday and jumped double clear today to finish on 42.7. Maya Black and Mowgli were in hot pursuit with a final score of 43.1, and Heather and Get Rowdy finished close behind in third on 43.3.
Congratulations to all the riders and the organizing committee on an excellent weekend of eventing. Special shoutout to EN’s own Sally Spickard and her Thoroughbred Mischief Managed for their excellent finish in the Senior Novice Rider division! Thanks also to press officer Ann Haller and photographer Sherry Stewart for helping us bring you this coverage.
Buying an OTTB straight off of the track yourself and retraining them in a new career can be an incredibly rewarding experience if you have the time, resources and experience to do so. But there are other ways to partner with OTTBs in their ex-racing lives, including taking the reins of a Thoroughbred who is already out there making their way in the eventing world.
For this week’s edition of OTTB Wishlist, we’re taking a departure from our usual MO of featuring Thoroughbreds just recently off the track or still very green in their secondary careers. Instead, we’re skipping ahead a few months or even years to spotlight OTTBs available for sale that have already gotten a jump start on eventing.
Here are three OTTBs that are startbox ready, via EN’s classifieds site Sport Horse Nation. We’ve included the ad copy provided; click the links for videos, pricing and more information.
Photo courtesy of Kaitlin Spurlock via Sport Horse Nation.
Tell M Nothin (Repent – Quick Interview, by Private Interview) is a 2012 OTTB gelding with the ability to take an ambitious rider as far as they want to go. “Hopper” started his eventing career this spring and has a competitive, consistent record. Never had a cross country penalty and placed 1st (Waredaca) and 2nd (Seneca) at his last two events at the novice level. His ability combined with his smart, willing attitude, makes him an excellent partner for an amateur, young rider, or professional.
This Bird (Birdstone – All the Tricks, by Grand Slam) is a 7 year old OTTB who has been in training for the past two years with a professional and has placed very competitively at Novice with a recent move up to Training level. “Red” typically scores in the 20s and 30s on the flat and is very brave and scopey. Definitely has potential to move up to Preliminary. He has been ridden and competed by both his junior owner and a professional. Red has great ground manners and no vices. Owners forced to sell as the family had to move overseas.
Located in Virginia.
Photo courtesy of Courtney Cooper via Sport Horse Nation.
Millye’s Mojave (Mojave Moon – Slew the Dragoness, by Slew City Slew) is a successful eventer that’s earned multiple wins at USEA Novice events and recently won at a starter Training level horse trials. He’s a cute jumper, easy to put round and has dressage scores as low as 20.5 (79.5%). He would be best suited for a junior, young rider or adult amateur rider.
For more information or to see our other horses for sale, please visit our website at www.csquarefarm.com.
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!