Classic Eventing Nation

Phillip Dutton Leads the Way in First Round of Royal Horse Show Eventers’ Challenge

By on Nov 4, 2023 11:01 am -

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Phillip Dutton and Quasi Cool led the way in the first round of the Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge on opening day of the Royal Horse Show, held as part of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.

Opening night at the Royal Horse Show kicked off with the Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge, which brought the adrenaline-pumping thrill of cross-country to an indoor setting.  Featuring a combination of show jumping and natural cross-country obstacles, the course designed by world-renowned Captain Mark Phillips of Great Britain challenged horses and riders to be both daring and meticulous across the speed track.

Jamie Kellock of Cedar Valley, ON, and Summer Bay had the first clear effort of the evening in a time of 88.67 seconds, until last year’s winners, Holly Jacks of Hillsburgh, ON, riding Josephine, stormed into the lead in a time of 81.00 seconds. It looked like no one would be able to catch them until two-time Olympic gold medalist Phillip Dutton riding Quasi Cool, a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Quo Vados x Lord) owned by Caroline Moran, galloped into the top spot in 80.43 seconds. Jacks would have to settle for the runner-up spot, while Kellock rounded out the top three. With that, Dutton now sits in pole position heading into the second and deciding round of the Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge, taking place on Saturday, November 4, where results from both nights are combined to determine the overall standings for the $20,000 purse.

“It’s a great crowd; they were really into it,” said the six-time Olympian Dutton, who is based at his True Prospect Farm in West Grove, Pennsylvania. “Mark [Phillips] set a course such that you couldn’t go super fast, and it was actually better to make sharp turns. It wasn’t just about galloping flat out. It was more about being efficient on your turns. I tried to not waste time on the approach as well because Quasi is a big scopey horse, so I don’t need to be shortening up to the jumps. He’s such a careful horse that I chanced it a bit at the last fence and just kept going at it, and I knew that he’d do his best to get his legs out of the way.”

The Royal offers numerous hospitality experiences including the Royal Terrace for VIP and corporate hosting and the Coliseum’s Sky Suites which offer stables and groups their own private suites. The Tanbark Club will continue to welcome Gold and Platinum VIP ticket holders. Contact [email protected] or [email protected] for full details.

Click here for more information on the Royal Horse Show, including daily schedules and to purchase tickets, or download the new Royal Agricultural Winter Fair app for more news and information at your fingertips!

 

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Saturday Links from World Equestrian Brands

By on Nov 4, 2023 12:01 am -

If you missed the cross country for the USEF CCI4*-L Eventing National Championship at Galway Downs yesterday then you missed one hell of a topsy turvy day. Out of 12 pairs to leave the start box and set out on the Clayton Fredericks-designed course, seven will move on to the second horse inspection tomorrow, four came home with no jumping penalties, and none caught the optimum time.

After all the dust had settled, Liz Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker remain at the top of the leaderboard after delivering the fastest round of the day, which will see them lead by a large five rail margin. Ocala Horse Properties and The Nutcracker Syndicate’s “Bali” not only delivered the only sub-30 dressage score, but was one of the lucky few to make it around what seemed to be a particularly challenging track. Check out the whacky post-cross country scores here.

Of course, there’s boatloads more action happening at Galway this weekend with four different championship events taking place at once. Find the full scores in our links below and brace yourself for a massive edition of Weekend Winners on Monday!

U.S. Weekend Action

Rocking Horse Fall H.T. (Altoona, FL) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

The Eventing Championships at Galway Downs (Temecula, CA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times][Volunteer] [Scoring]

Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. (Tyler, TX) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Virginia Horse Center Eventing Fall (Lexington, VA) [Website] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Links to Start Your Weekend:

Halliday Increases Her Lead in USEF CCI4*-L Eventing National Championship at Galway Downs

Pan American Games 2023: USA, Canada and Mexico secure equestrian jumping’s Olympic quotas

Young Riders Take the Stage At Galway Downs

Call for an evidence-based welfare charter for sport horses

Lights On: LED Lighting Encourages Stress-Free Shipping

Sponsor Corner: Check out this amazing shot of World Equestrian Brands’ rider Allie Knowles and Jerry in the YH3* at the Stable View Oktoberfest! Jerry is wearing the Tri-zone Airlight Open Front Boots. Get your own pair of Airlight boots right here.

Morning Viewing: Watch Liz Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker wind their way through the Galway Down CCI4*-L track to keep their lead.

Are Your Riding ‘Tires’ Out of Alignment?

By on Nov 3, 2023 1:30 pm -

In this excerpt from her book Fit to Ride in 9 Weeks! certified fitness trainer and riding coach Heather Sansom of Equifitt.com explains why we have to address our physical fitness if we want to be successful eventers.

Image courtesy of Trafalgar Square Books

Why rider fitness? The body that dominates your riding effectiveness is the one you carry to the saddle. A body that is not as responsive as needed gets tired and starts to “collapse” while riding, or has tension patterns that create repetitive asymmetrical strain on the horse.

Imagine learning to drive your car around an obstacle course. Now imagine that your tires are out of alignment. You can focus all you want on the course, but you will not be able to drive it with finesse and lightness if you have to haul on the wheel sometimes to compensate for a “pull” to the left. You might also miss some cones on the course and knock them over. There would be uneven wear patterns on your tires, especially if you drove more and more with these misaligned wheels in the hope that more “practice makes perfect.” But no amount of driving the car with increased mindfulness and focus, or new compensatory patterns of movement, will make things go better until the physical problem is fixed.

Straightness, suppleness, and stamina for riding are like the Holy Grail. In all disciplines, the goals are to enable your horse to understand what you ask and be physically fit to perform it, and then for you to stay out of his way so that he can move in ways his body is designed to move to perform the task. While it is certainly true that the surest way to ride better is through good riding and good riding instruction, we have achieved understanding in sport science that we must also engage in deliberate acts of self-tuning. A not-supple, not-straight, weak person does not suddenly become an accomplished rider any more than she could suddenly become an accomplished skier.

Sometimes rider fitness means training your body with exercises that cannot be done in the saddle; if they mimicked riding all the time, they would merely reinforce the tightness patterns that riding develops. Here’s one example of an exercise that greatly benefits your riding, despite the fact that it may appear to have very little to do with dressage, cross-country, or show jumping!

Bird Dog—Single Limb (All Fours)

Goal: 6-10 reps.

Muscles Worked: Transverse abdominis, gluteus maximus, shoulder rotators, latissimus dorsi, deltoids.

The Bird Dog variations are intended to introduce asymmetrical loading to your back. These exercises also train muscle memory and muscle-firing patterns for the chain of muscles that stabilize your torso laterally and that help you control the placement of your shoulders and hips.

The goal of all the variations is to keep your spine neutral, using the floor under you to make sure your shoulders and hips are straight or square to the floor even when you raise a limb. Training your body off the floor while still using the floor to help you achieve straightness prepares you for later freestanding work by training proprioception for true alignment.

1 | Start by positioning yourself on all fours so that you feel even pressure between both knees and both hands. Achieve a neutral spine by hollowing and raising your back repeatedly with gradually smaller movement until you can feel that mid-point where you are neither rounding your back, nor allowing it to sag.

2 | Once you are in a spine-neutral position, raise an arm and hold it for three seconds before resting and repeating (the same arm) 6 to 10 times.

3 | Do this exercise with the other arm.

4 | Repeat with each leg. With the legs, pay special attention to not allowing your lower back to hollow. The goal is not to raise your leg high in the air, but to use your gluteals, hamstrings, and back while maintaining a neutral spine.

Photo courtesy of Trafalgar Square Books.

Photo courtesy of Trafalgar Square Books.

Done correctly, you should feel the need to increase your abdominal use the higher you lift an arm or leg, in order to maintain spine neutrality. The “top” of the movement is the point at which you still have a neutral spine, but you feel as if your body is having an internal tug of war between your core and the muscles used to raise the limb.

This excerpt from Fit to Ride in 9 Weeks! by certified fitness trainer Heather Sansom is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com).

Watch Along with the USEF Eventing Championships at Galway Downs

By on Nov 3, 2023 11:44 am -


Liz Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker. Photo by Avery Wallace/US Equestrian.

It was a day full of dressage tests for the USEF Eventing Championships taking place at Galway Downs. Liz Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker took the early lead in the USEF CCI4*-L Eventing National Championship, while Sarah Ross and Fernhill Heart Throb held the top spot in the USEF CCI2*-L Eventing National Championship. The USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships presented by USEA are in full swing with Area VI leading in the CCI2*-L and Area VII excelling in the CCI1*-Intro.

USEF CCI4*-L Eventing National Championship

A small but mighty field of 10 U.S. combinations has come forward to tackle the USEF CCI4*-L Eventing National Championship on the West Coast. Liz Halliday-Sharp (Lexington, Ky.) was the 2022 Reserve Champion with Deniro Z. Fresh off a team silver medal at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, she brings two promising mounts in the form of Cooley Nutcracker, a 2014 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Tolant R x Ballyshan Cleopatra) owned by The Nutcracker Syndicate, Ocala Horse Properties, and Renee Lane; and Shanroe Cooley, a 2015 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Dallas x Shanroe Sapphire) owned by Ocala Horse Properties, LLC.

Tamie Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) is no stranger to winning a National Championship title, having won the 2023 Land Rover/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian™ earlier this year with Mai Baum. She has three talented mounts aiming for their own chance at a title — Cooley By Design, a 2012 Zangersheide gelding (Plot Blue x Uthree Z) owned by Gina Economou; Elliot V, a 2009 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Zavall VDL x Vera R) owned by Elliot V Partnership; and Kynan, a 2015 KWPN gelding (Envoy x Danieta) owned by the Kynan Syndicate LLC.

Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker had a lovely dressage test to earn a score of 29.9 to lead the USEF CCI4*-L Eventing National Championship. Tamie Smith and Kynan sat in second place with a score of 32.2, while Tommy Greengard (Malibu, Calif.) and Joshuay MBF, his own 2014 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Foreign Affair x Fernacchy MBF), sat in third place in the National Championship and fourth overall in the CCI4*-L with a score of 34.8.

Dressage results (top three):

1st: Liz Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker — 29.9

2nd: Tamie Smith and Kynan — 32.2

3rd: Dana Cooke and FE Quattro — 32.6

USEF CCI2*-L Eventing National Championship

A field of 38 U.S. combinations will vie for the title in the USEF CCI2*-L Eventing National Championship. Helen Alliston (San Ramon, Calif.) is a past National Champion with her 2022 USEF Advanced Horse Trials National Champion Ebay, and she could add another title to her resume with up-and-coming mount, Call Me Rudi, a 2015 Bavarian Sporthorse gelding (Clooney x Genia) owned by John Matheny and Alliston Equestrian. Helen will face competition from a talented field, which includes her husband James Alliston (San Ramon, Calif.) and Cora, a 2015 Oldenburg mare (Commissario x La-Montana) owned by Alliston Equestrian.

The top of the leaderboard in the USEF CCI2*-L Eventing National Championship was dominated by young riders. Sarah Ross (Reno, Nev.) and Fernhill Heart Throb, her own 2014 KWPN gelding (Biscayo x Postara), had a harmonious test to earn a score of 25.0 to sit in first place.

“He was excellent. I feel like the pieces really came together today,” said Ross. “We made the trip out from Florida, and we have been working over the course of the year. I was at Kaylawna [Smith-Cook]’s for the two weeks leading up to this and I feel like all the pieces came together in this ride.”

Ross said she was previously based in California, and after being based in Florida for about a year, she decided it was time to come back to the West Coast. Along for the ride is her partner Fernhill Heart Throb.

“He is pretty incredible. He is a bit quirky but we love him though for that. I have had him for about a year. He has just been nothing but fun to ride and bring through the levels. We did our first two-long together,” said Ross. “He is a real competitor. You go in there, and it’s like he knows. He has been really cool to learn about being a competitor with him.”

Gabriella Ringer (San Ramon, Calif.) and Get Wild, her own 2012 KWPN gelding (Plot Blue x Cantana), were close behind with a score of 25.5. Hanni Sreenan (Hood River, Ore.) and Ebenholtz, a 2007 Hanoverian gelding (Ehrentusch x Levantine) owned by Amy Haugen, sat in third with a score of 28.8.

Dressage results (top three):

1st: Sarah Ross and Fernhill Heart Throb — 25

2nd: Gabriella Ringer and Get Wild — 25.5

3rd: Hanni Sreenan and Ebenholtz — 28.8

USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships presented by USEA

Three combinations proved their mettle in the CCI3*-L Individual Championship. Area VI’s Molly Duda (Menlo Park, Calif.) and Disco Traveler, her own 2010 Oldenburg gelding (Donatelli x Cadence), led the way with a score of 33.5. Duda said that she felt she had one of her best tests with her ride on Thursday with Disco Traveler. Their partnership started as a lease, but Duda was ready to make the purchase when she realized she had a special partner.

“We just really clicked from the start. I think our styles really line up and we just really communicate well,” said Duda. “In the past year and a half, he has brought me from training level all the way to three-star. He has the biggest heart of any horse that I have ever known. He always takes care of me, and I trust him so much. He’s amazing.”

Duda said it has been her goal all year to make it to the USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships presented by USEA and she is thankful that it has come to fruition.

“I’m incredibly grateful to be here and to have been selected to represent Area VI. It has been a pleasure to get to know the other Area VI young riders, and the coaches have been amazing. It has been a busy week for sure, but in a good way. I feel very lucky to be here.”

Area VII’s Kayla Dumler (Enumclaw, Wash.) and Faramir, her and Tammy Milling’s 2010 Thoroughbred gelding (Capitalimprovement x Princess Malaga), were not far behind the leaders with a score of 35.7. Area VI’s Elsa Warble (Portola Valley, Calif.) and FE Unlimited, Anna Meegan’s 2014 Holsteiner gelding (Uriko x Viona III), closed out the small but mighty field with a score of 38.4.

In the CCI2*-L Team Championship, Area VI sat atop the leaderboard with a score of 83.3. Sarah Ross and Fernhill Heart Throb earned an impressive score of 25.0 to lead the team. Teammates Gabriella Ringer and Get Wild delivered a solid test to score 25.5. Julia Beauchamp Crandon (Redwood City, Calif.) and MGH Capa Vilou, her own 2014 Irish Sport Horse mare (Ars Vivendi x Dilou M), had the next highest score for the team with a score of 32.8. Lauren Crabtree (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and Excellence, Traci Crabtree’s 2009 KWPN gelding (Vaillant x Wolinda), had a solid effort with a score of 34.4.

Sitting behind Area VI in the Team Championship, Area VII is in second place with a score of 95.2.

The CCI2*-L Individual Championship top three mirrors the USEF CCI2*-L Eventing National Championship with Area VI’s Ross and Fernhill Heart Throb leading, followed by Area VI teammates Ringer and Get Wild in second and Area VII’s Sreenan and Ebenholtz in third.

“This is my first young riders experience, and it’s been really fun,” said Ross. “You see these people here and there and you get to know them [in California] and we all get pretty close regardless, but now with being in a team environment with them and getting super close with them is really invaluable. Getting to be in the barns with them and seeing how each person does something different, like a different warm-up or just getting ready. It has been cool to experience that.”

Area VII leads the CCI1*-L Team Championship with a score of 94.6 after the first phase. Harper Padgett (Woodinville, Wash.) and Cooley Starship, Leonie Padgett’s 2015 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Cobra x Simona), lead the way for the team with a score of 28.2. They are followed by teammates Lizzie Hoff (Gig Harbor, Wash.) and HSH Best Kept Secret, a 2017 Irish Sport horse gelding owned by Caroline Pamukcu and Sherrie Martin, with a score of 31.2. Olivia Keye (Kamas, Utah) and Chromatic Flyer, her own 2012 Thoroughbred gelding, helped their team with a score of 35.2. Caterina Ritson (Ridgefield, Wash.) and This Lad is Gold, her own 2008 Thoroughbred gelding (Private Gold x This Ones a Riot), rounded out Area VII’s efforts with a score of 36.6.

Area VI sits in second place with a score of 97.5, followed by Alberta/Ontario in third with a score of 119.0.

In the CCI1*-L Individual Championship, Area V’s Scarlett Peinado (Aubrey, Texas) and Shadow Inspector, her own 2010 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Tinaranas Inspector x Caragh Roller), led the way with a score of 27.4.

“I was really happy with my ride. My horse is naturally lazy, so I have been working on getting him forward and listening to my leg,” said Peinado. “He got here and something sparked in him, and he was alive. It was great. Everything happened how I wanted it to. He actually was a little excited, which I wasn’t used to. But he did a great job, and I was really happy with my ride.”

The USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships presented by USEA has been a goal for Peinado since she first heard about it in January 2021. She moved from her base in Area VI to Pennsylvania to train with Dom and Jimmie Schramm to prepare to reach her goal.

“I have been working so hard to make it happen, so I ended up going to Pennsylvania to get the training and the plan that I needed to get here,” said Peinado. “I was like, ‘Nothing is going to stop me. I have to go do this.’”

Area VII’s Leonie Padgett and Cooley Starship sat in second place with a score of 28.2. Rounding out the top three were Fiona Holland (Solvang, Calif.) and Joshua Tree, her own 2014 Holsteiner gelding (Acore KF x Gijit), on a score of 30.3.

Competition Information

All championship divisions performed their dressage tests on Thursday, November 2, followed by cross-country on Friday, November 3. Competition concludes on Saturday, November 4, with the show jumping phase.

Event Website | Schedule | Results

US Equestrian fans, subscribers, and members can watch the live stream of the 2023 USEF Eventing Championships at Galway Downs on USEF Network powered by ClipMyHorse.TV. Not a member? Join now.

Friday News & Notes Presented by Stable View

By on Nov 3, 2023 12:03 am -

Liz Halliday & Cooley Nutcracker. Photo courtesy of USA Eventing.

Listen, I don’t know what kind of superwoman powers Liz Halliday is wielding these days, but to go directly from the Pan American Games in Chile all the way to meet her horses on the west coast for the Galway Downs CCI4*-L sound completely impossible and frankly semi-insane to a normal human such as myself. I hope she is taking herself on an incredible girls holiday after this to sit on a beach for two weeks straight drinking a variety of fruity beverages delivered by a man servant while being fanned with a giant leaf by another man servant.

U.S. Weekend Preview

Rocking Horse Fall H.T. (Altoona, FL) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

The Eventing Championships at Galway Downs (Temecula, CA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times][Volunteer] [Scoring]

Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. (Tyler, TX) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Virginia Horse Center Eventing Fall (Lexington, VA) [Website] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

News From Around the Globe:

Liz’s trip to California has started out well, with her first horse, Cooley Nutcracker, leading after day one. While she admits that she was disappointed to finish 7th at the Pan American Games with Miks Master C, Liz says she’s delighted to have another chance to end her season on a high note. She has Cooley Nutcracker as well as Shanroe Cooley in the CCI4*-L, and is excited for the cross country today at her “hometown” event down the road from where she grew up. [From Chile to California]

Don’t forget, it’s not too late to win a whole bunch of swag, a cross country schooling pass, donations to your favorite charity and more! All you have to do is volunteer some time to Virginia Horse Center Eventing this weekend! I will be the score running maniac on a golf cart on Saturday, so if you see me, feel free to flag me down for a selfie with the chinch, who will obviously be driving.

Best of Blogs: Pressure Proof with Daniel Steward — Broke But Not Broken

Working student for Silva Martin? Yes please! Windurra has a rare opening to become a working student for Silva, as one of their beloved girls is leaving to return to school. Housing is provided, and you can bring a horse. [Working Student for Windurra]

Equine genetics nerds unite! We’ve always known that bloodlines matter in performance horses, but only recently have we been able to really dig down into the individual DNA that makes some horses superior athletes in certain areas. What if you knew that your horse was genetically predisposed to certain disorders? Or if your horse had more stamina capabilities than others? With new technology, these questions are opening a whole new world for breeding, riding, and managing horses. [Inside Your Equine Athlete]

 

Guessssss whoooo!!!

 

Thursday Video: Grab a Pint with David Doel

By on Nov 2, 2023 6:42 pm -

If there’s one thing I’ll very happily do, with nary a second thought, it’s shout about how great David Doel is, from any rooftop that’ll have me. Not only is the British rider one of the sport’s most truly, ineffably nice guys — he’s kind, generous to his fellow competitors, and somehow, despite all his achievements, completely and utterly humble and down-to-earth — he’s also a huge talent, who’s gone under the radar for a while but, in the last couple of years, stepped decisively into the spotlight. How’d he do it? With top ten finishes at Badminton (last year), Pau (also last year, and at which he led after cross-country), Kentucky (this year), and Burghley a couple of months ago, all with the exceptional Galileo Nieuwmoed, a horse he initially turned down and who’s called Nobby at home because he’s such a, well… you know. When Nobby’s not busy biting everyone within reach, though, he’s out kicking ass and taking names as one of the coolest horses in the sport at the moment, and David, who moonlights as part of his family’s ice cream business, Lacock Dairy, is pretty damn cool, too. Tune in for this episode of the charmingly bonkers Eventing Weekly to get to know him on a much more human level — we promise, you’ll be joining me on those rooftops come the 2024 season!

Cesar Hirsch and the Pan American Games: Building Pathways and Leaving a Legacy

By on Nov 2, 2023 12:41 pm -

Venezuela’s Cesar Hirsch, President of the Pan American Equestrian Confederation and the driving force behind the equestrian events at the Pan American Games 2023 in Quillota, Chile. Photo by Shannon Brinkman/FEI.

There’s a saying that goes, “if you want something done, then ask a busy man.”

Cesar Hirsch is the dynamic driving force behind the equestrian events at the Pan American Games 2023. The Venezuelan-born businessman, family-man and passionate horseman is President of the Pan American Equestrian Confederation (PAEC), and making these Games the best they can be means everything to him.

He’s been involved in every Pan American Games since 1999 in a variety of roles, and he’s using all that experience along with his business acumen, his communication skills, his enormous energy and his powerful personality to make it happen.

After PanAm Dressage drew to a close last week he talked about what he brings to these Games, what they mean to the region, and the legacy they will leave. In his words…

Important

”After the Olympics, the Pan American Games is one of the most important multi-sport Games in the world. Being an Olympic qualifier in equestrian, the level of sport we are going to have here is amazing and I think we already saw that in Dressage. Having Ecuador winning the individual gold medal and Chile getting the second individual slot for Paris 2024 shows that the sport is developing in the right direction, and Team Chile finished fourth and just over eight points behind the bronze medallists from Canada.

We went through the hybrid system this year to promote the Big Tour (Dressage) because the idea is to keep developing and improving the level. In Jumping we are up there already with the world standard, and in Eventing we have the hybrid 4* Dressage, 3*-L Cross-Country, 4* Jumping system in place.

In the region we have nine individual athletes already with MERs for the Paris Olympic Games, and now with US already qualified in Dressage and Brazil and Canada joining them the level compared to previous PanAm Games has increased.”

Proud

“I feel very proud of Chile and the organising team. PAEC has been very involved from day one, I’ve been here ten times to oversee things and came here 14 days before the horses arrived to be sure we have all the standards in place. The stables are good, the veterinary clinic is set up and fully operational and the airport transportation worked very well. The Chilean authorities are really committed to the Games.

Chile has won 27 Pan American Games medals and two Olympic medals. Here they developed the Master of Equestrianism qualification and they have exchange programmes with different countries in Latin America. There has always been a cross-country course in Quillota, and the army has been the biggest promoter of Eventing. The Director of the Equitation School here at Escuela de Equitación Regimiento Granaderos, Carlos Lobos, competed at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Eventing.

Organising these Games there needs to be a lot of good communication, and the resources have to be allocated very effectively. It’s more of a “must-have” than “nice-to-have” situation. We were able to do that here even though the cost was significant.

It’s a very compact venue with super structures. We changed all the footings in the arenas, did underwater irrigation, the stables were completely renovated, the vet clinic was refurbished and we added a recovery and operating room. It was a huge investment and there were times when we had to work 24/7, but it’s all about legacy and providing the best conditions for the athletes and horses to have great sport.”

Passion

“I was born under a horse, all my family were involved and I have a passion for the sport!

I competed in Young Riders and jumped internationally and did a bit of Dressage because we had Chilean instructors from this school here in Quillota who were my teachers in Venezuela. In the 80s we moved to the US and I went to school and university there, and when I came back I became more involved with developing the sport.

I brought international riders to run clinics in Venezuela, the first was Greg Best (USA, double silver medallist in Jumping at the Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea in 1988). I was also involved in the Organising Committee of an international show in the late 80s which turned into a World Cup and World Games qualifier.

In 1995 I got my first Judges licence, and the following year I did a Stewarding course. My first Games was the 1997 Bolivarian Games in Peru as Chief Steward. Then in 1998 I was Chief Steward for the Central American & Caribbean Games and 1999 was my first PanAms where I was a Foreign member of the Appeals Committee. I’ve been involved in every Pan American Games since then in different roles.

In 2003 in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) I was overall Chief Steward, and I was Chief Steward in Rio de Janeiro (BRA) in 2007 and again in Guadalajara (MEX) in 2011. In 2015 I was a member of the Ground Jury for Jumping, in 2019 I was Competition Director, and at these Games – my seventh Pan Ams back-to-back – I’m President of PAEC. For the Paris 2024 Olympic Games I will be overall Chief Steward again.

But my title here is I’m everything really. I clean the rest-rooms and I give the medals, so you can call me whatever you want!”

Olympic cycle

“The Olympic cycle is different depending on our regions here. The Bolivarian Games is for Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. The Central American Games is only for Central America – from Guatemala down to Panama – and those two happen in the same year. The following year you have the Central American and Caribbean Games which involves Mexico, all Central America, Colombia, Venezuela and the Caribbean islands.

These regional Games are all a big undertaking, but it’s always been a tradition.

They are different organisations with different standards of competition but they are stepping stones on the way to the Pan Americans, building a path for them year after year to improve the level of the sport.

So the Bolivarian Games has certain technical requirements, the Central Americans is a bit higher, then you go to Central American & Caribbean and then Pan Americans.

In the southern region you have the South American Games for countries from Venezuela and Colombia all the way to Argentina and those are qualifiers for the Pan American Games. The Pan Ams is for all the Americas, and from here we go to the Olympics and then we start the cycle all over again.

This year was a bit more difficult. Because of Covid the Central American and Caribbean Games were postponed by a year so they took place in July and only a few months later we have the PanAms.”

Left

”I live in the US and in Paris. I’m married for 26 years, have four kids and they are my number one priority. I have a couple of business interests in the US including a logistics company with 120 employees and 60 trucks so there’s a lot going on. I have a very good structure – it’s all about team, and you see the result here.

My experience with the different businesses and having good communication and good leadership, understanding who has the capacity to do what, I think that makes a key difference. In Wellington (Florida, USA) I also own a small chain of stores selling very high-end horse equipment call Equis.

I can’t tell you how many nights I haven’t slept here, when you start early in the morning and horses are coming in at midnight and early in the next morning you just have to get through it. But I made it clear from day one that this is our job, if its 24 hours it’s 24 hours….

I’m all about legacy. Improving the level of the sport is our key goal and we have said this to the community, the National Federations and the athletes, and they are all committed to it. If we can have the next Pan American Games all at Big Tour I’ll feel very proud. Eventing is more difficult because the cross-country 4* is a big step up, but now having already the 4* in the Dressage and Jumping phases we only need to improve the level of the cross-country.

The visibility at these Games is better than ever. Ingmar (de Vos, FEI President) made it a must to have live-streaming of all three disciplines in every competition. Initially the cross-country wasn’t within the scope of the production, but with his support and the FEI production team we were able to have live-streaming on cross-country which is fantastic for the sport and for the region.”

Raise the bar

“When you you raise the bar you raise it for everyone.”

“You can see how the athletes celebrate when they are competing here no matter how it goes for them. They fly their flags with pride, they have the passion, they stick together and when they get a medal they become rockstars in their home country. It means so much….

The atmosphere here has been so positive and I’m sure we will carry that through to the last day. Having the opportunity to work within the sport wearing so many different hats makes my life so much easier when you are organising.

I’m a Level 4 Judge and a Level 4 Steward and there are only two of us in the world – Frances Trulzi and me. I use all that experience to do the best I can here and I don’t have any conflict of interest, I don’t make money out of the sport, I don’t have family or horses or anything in the sport. It’s just me – and what you see is what you get!“

2024 British Eventing Grassroots Championships Qualifications Extended

By on Nov 2, 2023 10:24 am -

Bramham’s 2023 BE80 Champions, Emily Tamblyn and Knockenpower Rory. Photo courtesy of 1st Class Images/Bramham International Horse Trials.

With all the qualification opportunities now over, British Eventing is delighted to announce that the qualification criteria will be extended to allow more members to enjoy the experience of competing at two of the most prestigious venues the country has to offer.

This will see more combinations being able to compete at Bramham Park for The NAF Five Star BE80 Championship and at Badminton for The Voltaire Design BE90 & BE100 Grassroots Championships.

The qualification criteria for each Championships are now as follows:-

The NAF Five Star BE80 Championship
Top 40% BE80 Regional Championships
Eligible combinations from top 75 of BE80 OBP League who have not already qualified.

The Voltaire Design BE90 Grassroots Championships
Top 15% BE90 Regional Championships
Top 20% of BE90 Scottish Championships
Top 20% BE903DE 2023

The Voltaire Design BE100 Grassroots Championships
Top 30% BE100 Regional Championships
Top 20% of BE100 Scottish Championships
Top 20% BE1003DE 2023
Eligible combinations from top 10 of BE100 OBP League who have not already qualified.

Those qualified from the OBP Leagues will have their qualification tickets allocated soon, these will be shown on https://www.eventingcheck.co.uk

To view the leagues please visit the BE Stats Centre which can be found here.

Rosie Williams, CEO for British Eventing, said “It is an ambition for many to compete at these two iconic venues, and the new qualification criteria will now see us enable many more of our members able to achieve their dream. I am sure that this news will be warmly welcomed by those who had their sights on qualifying and I look forward to seeing new championships crowned at each next year.”

Congratulations to the following riders who are now qualified for the national championships:

NAF Five Star BE80 Championship Qualified Riders

The Voltaire Design BE90 Grassroots Championship Qualified Riders

The Voltaire Design BE100 Grassroots Championship Qualified Riders

Thursday News & Notes

By on Nov 2, 2023 12:03 am -

The gold medal makes it to the top of the Andes Mountains! Photo courtesy of Karl Slezak.

You know, this photo from Karl makes me think that gold medals should really become traveling gnomes (if you don’t get the reference you clearly aren’t cool enough to have seen Amelie) and be taken on adventures to faraway places. Karl…I’m looking at you! Andes Mountains today, Machu Picchu tomorrow? And Mount Everest? Maybe just the top of the Eiffel Tower, next year 😉

Don’t forget, it’s not too late to win a whole bunch of swag, a cross country schooling pass, donations to your favorite charity and more! All you have to do is volunteer some time to Virginia Horse Center Eventing this weekend! I will be the score running maniac on a golf cart on Saturday, so if you see me, feel free to flag me down for a selfie with the chinch, who will obviously be driving.

U.S. Weekend Preview

Rocking Horse Fall H.T. (Altoona, FL) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

The Eventing Championships at Galway Downs (Temecula, CA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times][Volunteer] [Scoring]

Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. (Tyler, TX) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Virginia Horse Center Eventing Fall (Lexington, VA) [Website] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

News From Around the Globe:

The volume of scientific literature being published on horse welfare has been growing exponentially, and rightfully so. Studies were driven initially by ethical concepts and popular empathy, and later by economic and political interests that have increased around this topic. Initially, welfare was considered as the absence of negative aspects. An animal that was free from hunger and thirst, discomfort, fear, pain and diseases, and with the possibility to express normal behaviour was considered to be in a good state of welfare. But, over the years, researchers started to develop a new and more complete welfare concept, no longer based only on the absence of negative conditions, but inclusive of positive emotions. With this approach, a good welfare status is not only when there are no negative conditions but when the animal has a life worth living. [Horse Welfare Research Booms]

Thoroughbred blood has long been utilized to refine Warmblood breeding for English-based disciplines, adding athleticism, speed and elegance to European breeds that might have otherwise reverted to their draft horse origins. In our sport, we discuss breeding with emphasis on horses’ percentage of “blood” — Thoroughbred blood, with higher percentages of Thoroughbred heritage most desirable for the stamina needed to gallop cross-country. But the Thoroughbred’s influence on performance horse breeding does not stop with the English disciplines. While the American Quarter Horse is considered the defining breed of Western sport and riding, from working ranch animals and cutters to cow horses and barrel racers, the breed is firmly rooted in Thoroughbred heritage — and some intrepid breeders are returning to those roots to enhance their programs, bringing fresh blood to the Quarter Horse breed by echoing history. [Bringing it Back]

Halloween Short Story: The Jimmy Hoofer Case

The best advice I ever got as a young kid was to ride every horse I could get my hands on. My mentor told my mom and me that the horses would teach me more than any coach, and boy was he right! Riding horses that aren’t yours makes you flexible in your methods, and smarter in the way you approach things. Especially if you are going to try to buy a horse any time soon, you’ll want to flex your muscles with the unfamiliar. [Ride Other Horses]

 

Helmet cam from the only horse to make the time at Pau? Yes please. 

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: On Course with Boyd and Fedarman B at Pau

By on Nov 1, 2023 5:00 pm -

 

Take a spin around Les 5 étoiles de Pau aboard Bruno with JockeyCam. See the behind-the-scenes during the hold and Boyd’s POV at Fence 13B where the pair triggered a frangible.

Posted by Boyd Martin on Tuesday, October 31, 2023

We already showed you the video from Boyd Martin and Fedarman’s cross country trip at Les 5 Etoiles de Pau this past weekend, and now we’ve got the helmet cam to elevate the experience. Click here to watch on Facebook if the embedded video above does not display in your browser.

On this video, you can also see some behind-the-scenes during a hold — for this instance, the hold was for Austrian rider Lea Siegl, who fell with DSP Fighting Line just ahead of Boyd — and also a strong argument for learning some of the host country language, or at least making some English-speaking friends on the sidelines, if this were to ever happen to you!

Boyd and “Bruno” still managed to be the sole pair to catch the optimum time, despite the hold and an 11-penalty dropping of a MIM-pin that would keep them from finishing higher. While the 11 penalties were disappointing, Boyd was quick to express thanks that the pin did its job and that safety was paramount as always.

Catch up on our coverage of Pau here.

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Live Stream] [Live Scores] [EN’s Coverage]

EN’s coverage of Les 5 Etoiles de Pau is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products.