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!
Some of the Best in the West! The crew from Ride On Video taking a break at Galway Downs. Photo via Galway Downs on Facebook.
If you are competing this weekend, be sure to double check your ride times and your clocks before you go to sleep tonight or you may find yourself on a bit too early tomorrow! Don’t be surprised if you get a little bit of sass from your four-legged friends tomorrow morning. Try not to be too dismayed by it if they are, after all – you’re late as far as they are concerned! On top of that, who hasn’t had a “hangry” moment? Even though we’re losing the later sunsets, this last sunshine-filled weekend looks to be a great one. Best of luck to those of you competing this weekend!
Bonner Carpenter and Basco. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Bonner Carpenter and her own Basco hold the lead heading into Galway CCI3* cross country on their dressage score of 45.2.
“He was super, I was really happy with him,” Bonner said after her test. “Overall he went in and was super rideable and had two great changes in the test which made me really, really happy, and I couldn’t ask for him to be much better than he was.”
Most recently on the FEI stage Bonner and her 10-year-old Dutch gelding finished sixth in the Rebecca Farm CIC3* in July. We can’t wait to watch them tackle Ian Stark’s challenging cross country track tomorrow — check out a course preview here.
“Fitness is Basco’s biggest thing,” Bonner said. “In the past he hasn’t had the stamina, so that’s probably going to be his biggest test tomorrow — galloping around the whole 10 minutes. He’s been doing a ton of fitness work so hopefully it has paid off.”
As Maggie Deatrick noted in her Galway Downs By the Numbers preview, it’s a quiet year for the CCI3* division, with only nine entries marking the smallest field since the inception of the CCI3*. This year also marks the first time that all of the competitors are based west of the Mississippi, with Texas-based Bonner and Basco having traveled from Texas to compete.
In addition to Basco, Bonner has two horses in the CCI1*, Get Busy and Darkside. The latter is in second after dressage on a score of 42.4.
Bonner Carpenter and Basco. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
While the field may be small, the competition is fierce, with Amber Levine and Carry On lurking just behind in second place on a score of 48.8. In her By the Numbers preview, Maggie dubbed Amber and the 9-year-old Dutch gelding as her “spoiler” pick to win the whole shebang. She noted that when they complete all three phases, these two have never finished out of the top five at this level, more often finishing top two.
Amber Levine and Carry On. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Amber Levine and Carry On. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Rounding out the top three after dressage are Jordan Linstedt and Revitavet Capato, a 13-year-old Hannoverian gelding, who scored a 51.0.
Jordan Linstedt and Revitavet Capito. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Gina Economou and Samantha Magowan’s Calidore will be the first CCI3* pair on course, set to gallop out of the start box at 2:30 p.m. Pacific time on Saturday.
There’s plenty going on at Galway this weekend across the levels. James Alliston and Sophie Hulme’s Thomascourt Cooley hold the CCI2* dressage lead on a score of 44.5, followed closely by Heather Morris and Team Express Group LLC’s Charlie Tango in second on a 45.5.
Heather Morris and Charlie Tango. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Angela Bowles and Alyssa Phillips’ Oskar have the early CCI1* lead on a dressage score of 42.3.
Anne Haller followed up with the three FEI division leaders in this Day 1 Recap from Ride On Video:
Novice through Prelim horse trials divisions are underway, as well as two Training Three-Day divisions.
Megan Noelle Wilson leads Training Three-Day A dressage on her own Classic’s Mojah, who has an interesting backstory having been previously ridden by Steffan Peters.
“I got him in June from Steffan Peters. He’s kind of an ex-dressage horse turning into an eventing horse. He’s doing really great, loving eventing,” Megan explains. “He was super today, had his game face on in the dressage. Since I got him he’s just been an awesome jumper and really become an awesome event horse so far. I’m really excited for his future.”
A glimpse of the action:
Classic Mojah and Megan Wilson, leaders of Training Three Day Divison A. Photo by Captured Moment Photography.
Gabriella Ringer and Puddles show jumping in Jr. Novice Rider division. Photo courtesy of Galway Downs.
Training Three Day press conference after dressage: Megan Compton, Kaylawna Smith, Allana Baker, Megan Wilson. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Hawley Bennett-Awad & Sechelles watch Hayley Sullivan and All Riled Up start Preliminary cross country. Photo courtesy of Galway Downs.
Cross country for the FEI divisions begins at 10 a.m., starting with the CCI1* followed by the CCI2* at 1 p.m., and the CCI3* at 2:30 p.m. The Training Three-Day concludes with show jumping at 3:30 p.m., contested in reverse order of standing.
Sunday show jumping for the international divisions begins at 10 a.m. with the CCI1* division. National divisions of Training and Novice will run cross country from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
“It’s been fascinating over the years watching the progression of the place,” remarks Ian Stark in this Ride On Video produced preview of the Galway Downs CCI3* cross country course.
Follow Ian and Anne Haller as they tour the 2016 track, which will surely keep the small but fierce field of West Coast competitors on their toes when they tackle it tomorrow. We’ll be bringing you all the latest as the event unfolds, so keep it locked here!
What would your horse do for a SmartCookie? In the latest edition of SmartPak’s wildly popular “If Horses Were People” series, Sarah and Sara have some fun with the question.
Check out SmartPak’s new line of cookies here. Made with a healthy base of coconut meal, beet pulp, alfalfa, and flaxseed oil, they are available in two flavors your horse will love: ChiaMint and Guilt-Free Carrot Cake.
James Alliston and Parker. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
Although Galway Downs is no longer the final three-star of the year in North America, it is still the final CCI3* of the season. This year will be quiet for the CCI3* division, with only nine entries marking the smallest field since the inception of the CCI3*. This year also marks the first time that all of the competitors are based west of the Mississippi, with the furthest pair making the drive from Texas.
The dressage test will be 2015 FEI 3*-B. Ian Stark has designed the cross country for this division since its inception and will be back again this year. Marc Donovan has taken over the show jumping recently, allowing the competitors to get a taste of what he typically designs out east.
TOP THREE
1. James Alliston and Parker: Parker is a horse who just keeps going and going and going at this level. Having completed an astounding 11 CCI events at the three- and four-star levels, he has yet to come home with the win. This weekend could mark his first big CCI win.
The key to winning will be to match the average score of 54.3 they’ve received in three attempts on this particular test, a score nearly seven points below their overall average. If they can put that under their belt, they’ll be in good striking position when they head into cross country, where they are all but guaranteed to come home double clear, as they have done in their last five attempts over Ian’s courses.
Show jumping can be a mixed bag for this pair as well, and they’ve averaged one rail in two attempts over Marc Donovan courses. It should be enough to eke out a win for this iron horse, with a final score in the high 50s.
Mark Burke and Prince William. Photo by Tim O’Neal.
2. Mary Burke and Prince William: Mary and Prince William are coming into this event after back-to-back wins at Aspen and Woodside. Having already finished 12th in this division last year, they come back more experienced and ready to aim for the top placings.
An average of 55.3 on this test would put this pair in stalking range after the first day. They’ll make up a lot of ground on the cross country, where an average of only 1.6 time penalties over Ian’s courses would propel them close to the top. An average of one rail and four time penalties in the stadium could make it a bit of a nail-biter on the final day. A final score in the mid-60s would cement a second place for this pair come Sunday.
Sara Mittleider and Gin & Juice. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
3. Sara Mittleider and Gin & Juice: With only two completed events at this level together, this pair’s three-star partnership is one of the newest in the bunch, but separately this horse and rider have more international experience than the rest of the field combined. As they get to know each other, they’ll begin to appear more and more at the top of the leaderboards out west.
These two have averaged a 51.8 on the B test, which would be good enough to challenge for the lead this weekend. An average of 12 time penalties over Ian’s courses would drop them down a bit after cross country day. Overall they’ve averaged one rail in two show jumping attempts at this level. A final score in the mid-to-high 70s would have Sara and Gin & Juice rounding out the top three.
Amber Levine and Carry On. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
THE SPOILER
Amber Levine and Carry On: After parting ways on cross country at the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International CCI3*, Amber has brought Carry On back to California to compete at Galway. When they complete all three phases, these two have never finished out of the top five at this level, more often finishing top two.
One of the top horses on the West Coast this year, Carry On will be back in familiar territory at Galway. With a dressage average in the 40s, he’ll be one to watch from day one. A strong record of fast cross country rounds paired with the fact that Carry On has yet to have a rail when show jumping is held on the final day means that this pair easily has the ability to take the win this weekend.
