Missy Miller has recently returned from an extended stay in Europe training with some of the world’s best eventing and dressage riders. With a new wealth of knowledge and a promising string of young horses, she returns to the States eager to grow her business and share what she learned.
Missy Miller and Van Goettsching (Andi). Photo by Matt Nutall.
Missy Miller, originally hailing from the Alabama Gulf Coast, competed through the three-star level with her longtime partner TSF Amazing Grace before the mare suffered a career ending injury in the spring of 2011. Left horseless, Missy used that summer to work for William Fox-Pitt, gaining invaluable experience and inspiration for the future. After finishing her degree at Savannah College of Art and Design, Missy decided to take the plunge and return to Europe.
“I chose Germany because their system has proven time and time again to be widely successful at international competitions across all disciplines. The focus on dressage is what really drew me in,” Missy said.
She went to work for German team rider Dirk Schrade. His business specializes in buying and selling horses to the international market, so Missy had the opportunity to ride a large variety of horses all at different levels. The biggest difference she noticed between training in Germany versus the States is the focus and precision of training.
“Almost always everything I worked on was linked back to the basics, which was then related to the horse and what the body underneath me was doing and responding to. But there was also the aspect of letting horses be horses and understanding how their mind works. Each horse is made with a purpose and unique way of going; understanding that will give you the ability to work with all types to the best of their ability.”
After a lengthy stay at Dirk’s, Missy decided to immerse herself in the dressage world. She took a job working for Juergen and Christoph Koschel, both international dressage elites. “When I went to Koschel Dressage I was riding the same horses consistently, as they were focused solely on training, whereas at Dirk’s I rode everything that was for sale. Seeing both sides of the business mindset is what I hope to incorporate over here.”
Missy Miller and Limited Edition (Flitzy). Photo by Matt Nutall.
This past year, Missy moved to the United Kingdom to further her training. “Germany was amazing for the training but England has so many premiere competitions I wanted to experience that as well.” Basing herself with Bill Levett and later Clark and Jessica Montgomery, Missy spent an intense year eventing in the UK.
When asked what was the most important thing she learned in England, she says, “Let horses be horses! Also to ride in any weather. In all seriousness, the English eventing scene is always moving and there are so many competitions. You’re able to listen to your horse and always do what’s best for them because there is almost always another competition right down the road. There was never the feeling of having to push them for qualifications, so I saw how vital it is to save the horses for the bigger competitions.”
While in Europe, Missy began to rebuild her own string of competition horses. “My ‘herd’ is diverse and young. Andi, my oldest, is a 9-year-old German Sport Horse gelding. He was campaigned by Bodo Battenberg until he was 7. We are getting used to one another and will hopefully come out at a two-star later this year. Limited Edition, ‘Flitzy,’ was ridden by Sandra Auffarth at the Bundeschampionat as a 6-year-old old, having much success prior to me being lucky enough to get the ride. We successfully moved up to Intermediate this year, and will be looking to become more competitive this year. I also have several exciting youngsters. Quinn is a 5-year-old old Holsteiner gelding who’s switching over from showjumping. Noki is a 4-year-old Trakehner mare bred by Dr. Maren Engelhardt who is also learning the ropes of eventing.”
In addition to these, Missy also is legging up four of her own homebred youngsters.
Looking forward to 2016, Missy will winter in Ocala before moving up to Connecticut, where she has accepted the head trainer position at Town Hill Farm in Lakeville, which boasts a full cross country course, extensive stabling, indoor and outdoor rings, and miles of hacking and trails. Missy said she is excited to be basing her team out of Town Hill and growing her business there as well as immersing herself in everything Area I has to offer.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to build a business with everything I’ve learned over the years. I also look forward to incorporating the sales and training knowledge I observed abroad. Having such an amazing facility with a supportive team has me very excited for the future.”
We’re having a bit too much fun at the USEF Convention. Last night was the Pegasus Awards dinner, where much wine was consumed at the media table and many awards were handed out to fabulous equestrians from a variety of disciplines. The highlight of the night was the honoring of Lana DuPont Wright with the 2015 USEF Lifetime Achievement Award. She was the trailblazer for every woman in eventing, being the first woman to compete at the Olympics on an eventing team. She has continued to be a major force in eventing by her efforts at Fair Hill International.
If you’re looking for something fun to do this winter, look no further. Elisa Wallace has been working hard with her string of mustangs to get them as used to every possible distraction as possible. It’s basically like training for American Ninja Warrior, what with all of the obstacles and challenges she puts in front of her horses!
While many of us still were sidelined in a post-Christmas coma, Area II adult amateur Malinda Lawrence was getting a jump start on her season at the first-ever Fork Stables Winter Camp. Led by Sinead Halpin and Tik Maynard with guest appearances from a host of other household eventing names, Malinda came away from the experience with some shiny new tools in her riding toolkit. She kindly took the time to share her impressions of the camp experience with EN — many thanks, Malinda!
Screenshot from “2015 Winter Camp with Tik Maynard and Sinead Halpin.”
The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day always seems like dead air time from a riding perspective. This year I skipped out on disassembling holiday decorations and devouring leftovers in favor of giving Sinead Halpin and Tik Maynard’s inaugural Fork Stables Winter Camp a whirl.
So it was that I managed to replace normally wasted time with some of the best quality time I’ve ever spent in the saddle, and the ideal jump start to the 2016 eventing season.
In the interests of full disclosure, I am something of an eventing camp junkie aficionado. So far I’ve completed the Phillip Dutton Eventing Academy, the O’Connor Equestrian Camp (twice), and the Area I adult riders camp. (“Denny-Camp,” the famous, long-standing tradition, and perhaps the original eventing camp, produced twice annually by the legendary Denny Emerson, is next on my list).
For me, they’re an opportunity to train with professional competitors so accomplished that they’re too in demand to spend much time teaching at my level. The camp format allows unprecedented access for pretty much anyone who wants to attend badly enough to scrape together the registration fee. No *’s or qualifying rides are required.
I think of camps as the Training Sessions for ordinary people. I’ve appreciated and enjoyed each one. Although this was the first-ever camp offering by Sinead and Tik, eventing’s new power couple, it may very well have been my favorite.
First of all, the setting was the The Fork. Eventers everywhere will recognize it as the site of the popular three-star event of the same name. Among its lesser-known features are cozy and beautiful on-site accommodations including The Fork Lodge and Carriage House. Owners Jim and Bernadette Cogdell were lovely and welcoming, turning over the run of the place (museum-quality barn, multiple all-weather rings, legendary cross-country course, and “The Ordinary”) to us.
A Well-Trained Horse Is a Well-Trained Horse
Sinead kicked off the week with a narrated demonstration of dressage on the most famous of her competition horses, Tate (“Manoir de Carneville” in the record books). Inducted into the Equus Foundation’s Horse Stars Hall of Fame in 2013, the Selle Francais gelding’s resume boasts a third-place finish at Rolex 2011 and a second-place finish at Burghley 2012.
Impressive as the horse is to watch, the best part of this demo (for me) was Sinead’s comprehensive step-by-step narration of exactly what she did to produce each effortless-looking movement.
For her next trick, Sinead plucked a lucky contestant from the audience, gave her a leg up, and challenged her to repeat the performance. Sinead explained her view that the truest indication of a trained horse is its ability and willingness to perform consistently in response to correct aids no matter who is doing the asking.
Tate illustrated her point beautifully; a well-trained horse is a well-trained horse, period. Much time was devoted to appreciating the benefits of learning from, owning, and riding a well-trained horse, and, more importantly, how to make your horse into That Horse.
It Starts on the Ground
Anyone who has attended the O’Connor Equestrian Camps or otherwise had the privilege of working for either O’C for any length of time will know where this concept comes from, and the importance they, and an increasing number of High Performance riders, place on groundwork in the training process.
But anyone who saw Tik’s performance at the 2015 Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover in Kentucky last fall with the aptly-named Remarkable 54, or the subsequent viral videos, knows that he takes it to a whole other level.
One almost gets the impression that Tik’s horses, at some point, are going to wind up trained enough to complete all three phases entirely by themselves, rider-optional — the eventing equivalent of driverless cars.
Tik demonstrates groundwork with “Flash,” whom he has taught, among other things, to both heel and lay down. Photo courtesy of Malinda Lawrence.
Advice in a To-Go Box
Riding sessions were small, four riders at most, and offered equal opportunities to train with Tik and Sinead, whose different but complimentary approaches blended well. The sessions conveyed the perfect amount of strategically-targeted information. They tended more toward concrete suggestions than broad, abstract philosophical discussion.
Perhaps there were no earth-shattering new revelations. Every rider, and therefore every instructor, is a product of their own training and experience. Both Tik and Sinead are an interesting combination of solid fundamentals from the masters and their own, more recent, unique perspectives from the trenches of upper-level eventing as it is Right Now.
The result, I found, was a lot of practical, timely advice that proved very useful at fixing what I was doing in that moment, and (hopefully) keeping it fixed.
For example:
Achieving the elusive consistent, elastic, contact that lets the horse come on the bit without wrestling its head down;
Accomplishing downward transitions by counting with your elbows;
Creating, in the half-halt, the feel of picking the horse up through the shoulders with your core, as opposed to pulling back against it with your body;
In a related story – how (and when, and where) to rebalance the canter without arresting the horse’s forward momentum and killing the gallop (i.e. mastering the “whoa and go”); and
The importance of really planning your course — not only in terms of remembering where each jump is and the correct order in which to jump them, but the Whole Ride. The Whole Ride includes the line from one fence to another, the all-important turns to and from each line, the precise points at which you will want to check in with your horse to assure you have adjustability of pace and control of the outside shoulder, and the final approach to each fence.
While this sounds like a lot of information to keep in one’s head at one time, both Tik and Sinead were great at breaking things down into a “do this, don’t do that” set of instructions that was easy to follow at any given moment.
A Good Time to Be Bad
As luck would have it, my horse selected our first showjumping session with Sinead as a good time to be Very Naughty: running through all of the fences, continually gaining speed, ignoring me altogether, and generally conducting himself like, um, well, a stereotypical racehorse.
This is always the classic clinic-goers dilemma. On the one hand, when riding with High Performance clinicians, part of me always wants to be perfect. However, where I really need professional help is in learning how to cope when things start coming apart at the seams.
My horse is so easygoing so much of the time, I don’t always get to work on crisis management. So I should probably thank him for contributing to the requisite “challenging environment” needed to refine our skills.
I am pretty sure we scared the crap out of Sinead although she was too polite to say so. Nonetheless, she was terrific at pointing out exactly when and where we needed to half-halt, when the half-halt was not going “all the way through,” and when we finally hit upon The Right Canter, and now needed to “just stay the same.”
I think my most valuable takeaway was distinguishing that “staying the same” is NOT the same thing as “not doing anything.” On those rare occasions that I find myself approaching the fence in The Right Canter, doing nothing helps me avoid screwing up by either pushing my horse through, or holding him off of, his ideal takeoff spot.
The part I always forget, however, is that when the horse changes it up before the fence, whether by picking up speed or stalling out and losing energy, then it IS incumbent on me the rider to do something to fix it, even in the final strides before the jump.
Faux Cross-Country
The only disappointment came when three days of intermittent rain transformed The Fork’s magnificent cross-country course into a giant red clay slip-n-slide, rendering it off-limits.
Undaunted, the die-hards at The Fork assembled an impressive array of portable XC fences in their largest all-weather outdoor arena and saved the day with a fair approximation of the real thing: coops, rolltops, chevrons, ascending log oxers, pheasant-feeders, skinnies, and even a big giant egg.
Oh, and lots of self-made water obstacles.
Collette Leber. Photo courtesy of Malinda Lawrence.
Emma Ayre. Photo courtesy of Malinda Lawrence.
Malinda and Eli. Photo courtesy of Malinda Lawrence.
Camp Highlights
Although jumping is categorically my favorite phase of any camp or event, my favorite aspect of this camp might actually have been dressage day. It featured an afternoon of simulated dressage tests with Sinead’s fellow U.S. Olympic Team alternate Will Faudree judging at C, while international eventer and licensed USDF/USEF judge Mark Weissbecker offered commentary as well as scoring at E.
Weissbecker’s explanations of the various movements, and where and why riders left points on the table, was a particular crowd-pleaser with the auditors and horsey-moms and dads. Time was built into the schedule for either Tik or Sinead to coach each individual rider through the perfect warm-up for their test. Each camper received, in addition to their written test results, a video of their test, complete with a recording of Faudree’s real-time commentary.
The afternoon was topped off by dinner and a fascinating Q & A with eventing great Bobby Costello. This all-star cast made it a day and evening to remember for sure.
The big advantage to a camp format versus a one- or even two-day clinic is the opportunity to return over a succession of classes to see whether and how a rider has implemented the advice received, to prevent misinterpretation or overcorrection, and to get follow-up advice on refining technique.
It has a lot of less tangible benefits as well, like hearing the inside stories of how great horses were found and made, and learning the pros’ secrets to fitness, grooming, equipment, nutrition, and managing bizarre-o horse allergies and behavioral quirks.
Tik and Sinead made optimal use of all of the available time, fitting sessions on groundwork, starting young horses, horsemanship, and question-and-answer on every conceivable topic, around at least twice-daily rides.
A First-Timer’s Perspective
I trailered down with my barnmate, 16-year-old Elissa Ogburn and her young OTTB “Boomer,” whom she started herself and competed in the 2015 Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover last October. Elissa’s never been to an eventing camp before but apparently this experience has gotten her hooked.
“I got such great feedback,” she said. “But I also learned a lot on the ground and also from just talking with Sinead, Tik and the other campers’ questions. The whole time was well-used.”
Sinead and Tik coach Elissa Ogburn and her 2015 RRP Thoroughbred Makeover project “Boomer” through a perfect warmup for her dressage test with Judge Will Faudree at C. Photo courtesy of Malina Lawrence.
Elissa sprung for an additional private dressage lesson from Sinead and reported, “she’s very observant. She saw things I didn’t know I was doing and knew specifically how to fix them, so I could see and feel a difference right away.”
Overall, Elissa said her camp experience “taught me to make decisions. Boomer is so quiet and low key it’s easy to forget how green he still is. Sometimes, I don’t want to do the wrong thing so I wind up not doing anything. So instead of both of us doing nothing, I’m learning to be more decisive.”
Until Next Time
There has been some discussion of making this camp a continuing feature, annually or maybe even more frequently. Personally, I hope so. While all of the camps I’ve attended were worth repeating, I’m unaware of any that build in a component for continuing education for returning students.
At $650 for essentially three and a half days (with the option for additional private lessons) plus $25/night stabling, The Fork Winter Camp was enough time to be highly effective yet less expensive than other options with longer formats. It was well-organized and ran smoothly, largely thanks to Sinead and Tik’s hard-working business manager Mollie Staretorp.
Overall, it was an experience I highly recommend.
Here’s a link to a video re-cap of the whole event:
Thank you so much for sharing, Malinda! We love learning vicariously through our readers’ clinic reports — send yours to [email protected].
Julie Richards and Sandhills Brillaire soon after "Sparkle" arrived in the U.S. Photo by
Lynn McLendon Rhodes.
It’s going to be a very exciting season for Julie Richards as she welcomes the 2012 Adelaide CCI4* winner Sandhills Brillaire into her barn. The coming 14-year-old Thoroughbred/warmblood mare catapulted herself into the spotlight when she won Australia’s CCI4* event in 2012 with Craig Barrett — at both of their four-star debuts, no less.
Now owned by Equine Olympic Investments, “Sparkle” has settled in beautifully at Julie’s farm in Newnan, Georgia, and they’re preparing to compete in their first event together at Rocking Horse Winter I H.T. in Florida later this month. As the new syndicate’s name suggests, Julie, a two-time U.S. Olympian and team bronze medalist, is hoping to make a run at qualifying for Rio.
It’s not every day that a CCI4* winner changes hands, so how is that Sparkle found herself in America? Rewinding to last fall, Julie wasn’t exactly in the market for an upper-level horse. She had just lost Sher Schwartz’s Beaulieu’s Cayenne to a pasture accident after successfully competing the mare through the CCI3* level and qualifying her for the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.
In addition, Asa Cooper’s Urlanmore Beauty, with whom Julie won the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International CCI2* in 2014, sustained a tendon injury early in the 2015 season, which curtailed his chances at qualifying for Rolex last year. As Julie put it, “I started the 2015 season with two horses I thought would be qualified for Rolex the following year and ended the season with none.”
It was a very sad time for Julie’s team after Cayenne’s death, and it certainly wasn’t what she expected when the Richards family approached her and said they wanted to buy her a going horse to keep her dream of returning to the Olympic Games alive. “I hadn’t been actively looking for owners, so I was really surprised,” Julie said. “They told me to just see what was out there.”
Craig Barrett and Sandhills Brillaire take a victory lap during their Adelaide CCI4* win in 2012. Photo by John Lechner.
A Winning Record
Not only did Craig Barrett win his four-star debut with Sandhills Brillaire — making history in the process — but he also bred her and successfully competed her parents. Sparkle is a standout testimony to the Sandhills breeding program, which Craig and his wife, Prue, run in New South Wales, Australia.
Sparkle’s sire is the registered Australian Warmblood stallion Staccato, by the KWPN stallion Salute, who sired multiple Grand Prix dressage horses in Australia, such as GV Stirling Stilton and Victory Salute. Craig competed Staccato at the upper levels of eventing, included completing the Adelaide CCI3* in 2002.
Staccato, now 24 years old, still stands at Sandhills and has sired many upper-level event horses, including another Adelaide CCI4* winner in Panamera, who took the title the year before Sparkle in 2011 with Stuart Tinney in the irons.
In addition to winning Adelaide in 2012, Craig and Sparkle garnered numerous other top three-star and four-star placings in Australia, including placing in the top 10 at the Sydney CCI3* on four separate occasions, plus finishing third in a return trip to Adelaide CCI4* in 2013.
It came as no surprise then that Craig and Sparkle were long listed in 2014 for Australia’s World Equestrian Games squad. But an unfortunate bout of cellulitis and subsequent infection ultimately stymied the mare’s chance at representing Australia on the world stage in Normandy.
After giving Sparkle a lengthy period of time off to recover, she came back into work in early 2015, and Craig and Prue’s teenage son Oliver started riding the mare, even taking her to some local Pony Club events to stretch her legs. (Click here to see a video of Oliver schooling Sparkle on the flat.)
As Sparkle had already garnered the highest honor in Australia by winning Adelaide, her owners, Keith and Juliet Osborne, decided it was time to give another rider a chance to enjoy her talents, and that’s how it came about that the mare ended up for sale.
Julie Richard’s mom, Pat Burns, with Sandhills Brillaire at the mare’s new home in Georgia. Photo courtesy of Julie Richards.
Sight Unseen
Phillip Dutton knew Sparkle was on the market, so when Julie mentioned her search for an Olympic prospect, it seemed like they could be the right match. “Phillip had never seen her but knew she was a quality horse. Since she was older, I wasn’t sure, but I looked at the video,” Julie said.
“I immediately liked what I saw right away. I like mares. My riding style isn’t dominant, and I can get along with any horse, but I can’t stand strong horses. I liked that she didn’t look strong on cross country at all. She would lope down to the jumps with a big loop in the reins, and you could keep galloping at the jumps.”
The next natural step was for Julie to get on a plane to Australia to ride Sparkle before deciding whether to buy her, and she had other decisions weighing on her mind, too. As an FEI Category D rider, Julie knew she would need to complete a very specific sequence of events with the mare in order to qualify to compete at one of the remaining U.S. Olympic selection trials in the spring.
In looking into potential flights to the U.S. for Sparkle with TRI, an equine transport company, Julie was told only two flights were available: one in October 2015 and one in January 2016. Julie knew that if she liked Sparkle and wanted to move ahead with buying her, the mare would need to be on that October flight in order to make Olympic qualification feasible.
With a plan in place, Julie prepared to travel to Australia. But then the universe threw a wrench into her plans: She suddenly came down with a terrible case of the flu, plus food poisoning, that left her barely able to get out of bed for 10 days. “I kept saying that I had to ride the horse before we bought her, but I also couldn’t stand the idea of getting on a plane for 16 hours in that condition,” Julie said.
Instead Phillip arranged for the mare to ship to Shane Rose’s base at Bimbadeen Park in New South Wales, where Shane could take additional video for Julie and offer another perspective on the horse. “Shane loved her and told us that she was super trained and sweet and quiet,” Julie said. “The bigger you asked her to jump, the better she went.”
Julie Richards and Sandhills Brillaire out for a hack with Nanny McFadden, Julie’s goddaughter, and Nanny’s jumper mare Katori. Photo courtesy of Julie Richards.
A New Partnership
Sparkle passed her vetting, and that was that. The Richards family purchased Sparkle without Julie ever sitting on her or even seeing her, and the mare landed on U.S. soil the first week in October 2015. “It was a little bit nerve-wracking when she came to the farm and I sat on her for the first time, but she was great,” Julie said.
While her end goal is to qualify for Rio, Julie said her main focus right now is building a partnership with Sparkle. “I’m trying not to put a ton of pressure on myself or her because that never works. I’ve jumped a lot of big jumps and been around a lot of big tracks, and she doesn’t need a lot of practice doing that either. We just need to develop a good partnership.”
After making their debut at Rocking Horse in two weeks, Julie plans to aim Sparkle for Pine Top CIC2*, Red Hills CIC2*, Ocala Horse Properties CCI2* and, if all goes well, Carolina International CIC3*. Obtaining a qualifying score at Carolina would set them up to compete at one of the remaining U.S. Olympic selection trials at the CCI3* level.
In the meantime, Julie has been diligently building Sparkle’s fitness program. They’ve cross country schooled several times to prepare for Rocking Horse, and Julie said she’s excited to get out and compete the mare. Most of all, she’s thrilled that buying Sparkle sight unseen from the other side of the world worked out so well.
“It couldn’t have been a better experience. There were no surprises at all, and Craig and Prue were wonderful throughout the whole process. Sparkle was even better than I thought she would be, and Craig told me every tiny thing about her so I knew exactly what to expect,” Julie said.
“Having a horse like this keeps you going. We all work hard, especially this time of year, so when you have something special like that in the barn to wake up to every day it makes it a lot more fun. I’m lucky that I have such a good family and people behind me to support me and see where it goes.”
Michael Jung and fischerRocana FST. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Equestrian Events Inc. has announced that the prize money for the 2016 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event has been increased from $300,000 to $350,000. This is the second consecutive year that the event has seen a $50,000 prize money boost, increasing the payout to the top 20 finishers. This year’s winner will receive $110,000.
“It’s due to the commitment of our longtime RK3DE enthusiasts, our growing base of new fans, and the continuous support of Rolex Watch USA and Land Rover North America that we are able to increase the prize money for our event for a second straight year,” EEI President Stewart Perry said. “We proudly award prize money to the top 20 finishers and this record level of prize money fits with our position as one of the sport’s premier events.”
This year’s Rolex will serve as a selection trial for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and we look forward to watching a star-studded field compete for top honors. Rolex also serves as a leg of the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, which also awards $350,000 to any rider who wins the Rolex Kentucky, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton and Land Rover Burghley four-star events in succession.
Tickets for the “Best Weekend All Year” went on sale in November, but they’re going fast. Get yours here and we’ll see you in April!
Not such a bad day at the office. Photo by Kate Samuels.
We all know that the big news from yesterday was the three winners of the ginormous ridiculously huge amount of money Powerball, but besides our natural jealousy of those people (think how many ponies you could have!) the worst part of yesterday was hearing about the passing of Alan Rickman. This is 100% not horsey related, but I am a totally unabashed Potter dork, and watching him play Snape was one of my favorite things. He was also unbelievably amazing in so many other movies, and I will truly miss his baritone purr. So far, the start of 2016 has been rough with losing legends.
Attention working students and grooms in Aiken! Go ahead and beg for the 15th of February off, because Emma Ford and Cat Hill are offering a one-day intensive clinic specifically catered to your needs. The one-day clinic is intended for grooms, working students and barn staff that need an intensive learning experience. The program will be tailored to the attendees, but they will be covering time management, barn organization, handling show situations and any specific needs (braiding/turnout-first aid- wrapping/leg care- etc.) Contact Emma or Cat for more info. [Email World Class Grooming]
Do you have a syndicated horse, or are you thinking of starting a syndicate? As the new way to promote Eventing and keep top horses with top riders, syndication is a popular method for maintaining competition horses and their expenses. However, the process of handling the month to month details, or even just setting up the syndicate can be daunting. Luckily, Athletux offers syndication services! With their expertise of countless syndicates of all sizes, they can advise you on the nitty gritty as well as take care of the smaller details on a regular basis. [Athletux Syndicate Services]
Are you hosting clinics, lessons or special events for eventers this winter? Send in your event listing for EN’s new weekly What’s Going On This Winter series. Be sure to include cost, location, contact information and any forms or flyers you’d like included Send listings to [email protected].
The EN team is on an eternal quest to make this the best eventing website in the land, and the more we know about our readership the better we can shape the site into exactly what YOU want it to be. Help us out by answering a few questions — it only takes a minute and we’ll send you a great big heaping scoop of EN karma in return! [EN Gallop Poll]
Tis the season for quarter sheets all the time! Even if you’re down south, you’re gonna appreciate a quarter sheet in the morning every now and again, especially on some fresh ponies that are just getting fit again for the spring season. There’s nothing like a Newmarket print that screams EVENTER!! And this quarter sheet is perfect for your cold weather needs. It’s fleecy and soft, easy to wash, wicks away sweat and also insulates just enough, as well as being tapered so your leg can actually touch the horse in the right spots when you need it. Get you one! [SmartPak Product of the Day]
Our good friend, Thehorsepesterer, ventured out to catch some of the first E25 training session with Leslie Law down in Ocala. Some of the most talented young riders in the country gathered to begin their training in earnest for the upcoming season, and as always there was a lot to learn.
We’re even treated to the special sight of Leslie riding Caroline Martin’s mount, Center Stage:
Wylie rounded up some of the action from the first session, which you can view here. Enjoy these videos from the day and don’t forget that you can always see more on Thehorsepesterer’s YouTube channel!
2015 Wellington Eventing Showcase winners: Boyd Martin and Trading Aces. Photo by Jenni Autry.
The entry list for the $75,000 Asheville Regional Airport Wellington Eventing Showcase, presented by Wellington Equestrian Realty, is live! About 20 riders representing the U.S., Australia, Canada and New Zealand are expected to compete at the showcase, which will be held Feb. 5-6 at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington.
The following riders have confirmed that they will compete. All riders were invited to bring two horses, but some will only compete one. There will be approximately 35 horse and rider combinations competing in all, and the final entry list will be released the week before the event.
Jennie Brannigan – USA
Hannah Sue Burnett – USA
Kyle Carter – CAN
Will Coleman – USA
Buck Davidson – USA
Phillip Dutton – USA
Liz Halliday-Sharp – USA
Sinead Halpin – USA
Dan Jocelyn – NZL
Allie Knowles – USA
Marilyn Little – USA
Boyd Martin – USA
Joe Meyer – NZL
Selena O’Hanlon – CAN
Doug Payne – USA
Tim Price – NZL
Jessica Phoenix – CAN
Michael Pollard – USA
Colleen Rutledge – USA
Allison Springer – USA
Lynn Symansky – USA
Ryan Wood – AUS
Of course, we’re excited to see all of these riders on the list at the showcase, but it’s especially cool to see that Tim Price and Dan Jocelyn will be making the trip across the pond to compete!
Like last year, the showcase will run at the Advanced level, with dressage held on Friday, Feb. 5 and show jumping and cross country running on Saturday, Feb. 6.
VIP tables, which include lunch buffet and drinks each day, are available for the event (and we can assure you that the hospitality is fabulous). Contact Shelley Spielman for details and order forms at [email protected].
General admission and parking are free. The Stadium at PBIEC is located at 13500 South Shore Boulevard in Wellington. For more information, please visit www.PBIEC.com.
Who’s going to Wellington to watch the showcase? Chinch will be there!
William Fox-Pitt and Chilli Morning. Photo by Jenni Autry.
After a fall at Le Lion d’Angers last autumn, the world watched, waited and hoped for good news for William Fox-Pitt. Several weeks following the accident, which left him with an unspecified head injury, he was released from the hospital and returned home.
Just before Christmas, we received the great news that he was back in the tack, and now SH Productions has announced new dates for his California clinics, originally slated to be held this month.
“Having William come to California is a continued development in the sport and the equestrian industry for the west coast of North America,” SH president Scott Hayes said in a press release. “Following a successful two-day clinic with William Fox-Pitt in 2015, which was held in Canada, it seemed only appropriate to have him return to the West coast in 2016. I look forward to bringing many more elite athletes to the West coast and other parts of Canada in the years to come.”
The clinics will be held on October 29-30 at Dragonfire Farm in Sacramento and on October 31-November 1 at Sweet Oaks Ranch in Temecula. Tickets are available for purchase and a schedule of rider groups will be released as the event nears.
The U.S. is thrilled to welcome William back to our side of the pond, and we continue to wish him well in his ongoing recovery.
