It’s time for your daily edition of Who Jumped It Best? Rebecca Farm! Today we turn our attention to the Training Three-Day divisions, which just completed their phase D on endurance day. The course, judging from the announcing, was challenging and caused a few issues, but we saw lots of big smiles and athletic horses at the end. We have four riders for you to choose from today, so pick your favorite overall impression and vote in the poll below! Go Rebecca.
Heather Morris and Charlie Tango. Photo by Sally Spickard.
It’s been a beautiful morning of dressage here at the Event at Rebecca Farm, and we were treated to some great riding and beautifully presented horses in the CCI2*. All remaining FEI divisions are riding dressage today — with the CCI3* still to come this afternoon — and the CCI2* riders were the first to go this morning.
Heather Morris and Team Express Group LLC’s Charlie Tango will be your leaders heading into tomorrow’ cross country after scoring a 42.7 today. Heather was the second in the ring after the first judges’ break, and she remained unchallenged throughout the remainder of the division.
Charlie Tango is a 7-year-old Irish Sport Horse who is making his second CCI2* start — he also won his first CCI2* earlier this year, no big deal. Since he moved up to the CIC2* and CCI2* level, Charlie Tango has finished out of the top three just once in four starts.
Tamie Smith and Fleur de Lis. Photo by Sally Spickard.
In second and continuing her great weekend so far is Tamie Smith and the Team Milton Syndicate’s Fleur de Lis. They had tons of presence from the moment they entered the ring, and a smooth test earned them a 46.5 for second place. Fleur de Lis will be seeking his first CCI2* completion after ending his weekend in show jumping at Jersey Fresh earlier this year.
I must give a big Area IV shout-out to Elena Hengel and Zipp, who are holding their own in their CCI2* debut together in third place on a score of 48.9. Zipp, an 11-year-old KWPN gelding, previously campaigned through the two-star level with Will Coleman before moving to Elena. They then competed in the CH-J* at NAJYRC in 2014, where they finished eighth individually. Elena will be over the moon with Zipp’s performance today, and they’re in excellent position to make a statement over the next two days.
Elena Hengel and Zipp. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Tamie Smith is enjoying a total of four horses in the top five of their respective divisions, as she also added Dempsey to the list, currently in fourth on a score of 49.4. A 7-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by the West Coast Dempsey Syndicate, Dempsey is making his CCI2* debut here at Rebecca. He finished sixth in the CIC2* at Copper Meadows as his final prep for this event.
Completing the top five in the CCI2* are Barb Crabo and Over Easy, a 9-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare. Over Easy is another of Barb’s experienced partners competing at Rebecca, as she also has Eveready in the CIC3*. Barb and Over Easy finished 11th in the CIC3* here in 2013.
We’re about an hour away from the start of the CIC3* dressage, which has 10 entries, so stay tuned for a recap of that division coming up next!
One of the funniest things to watch is when a horse gets down to roll. And it is one activity that my extra ginormous gelding Mark just seems to love. Every excuse that he can get, he stops. He drops. And he rolls. Let’s just say that it is pretty to see his legs that seem to go on for miles flailing all around in the air.
Something that I’ve noticed is that there are certain times that Mark prefers to get down and roll. If he’s been kept in his stall for bad weather, he pretty much flies out of his stall, canters partway down the pasture and throws himself down on the ground for a good roll. And after he hops up and shakes, he always looks mighty proud of himself.
Another favorite rolling time of Mark’s is after he has had a post-workout bath. And, honestly, I scratch my head at that a little bit. After all of the sweat is washed off and Mark looks fresh as a daisy, only then does he feel the need to go and roll around in the dirt? Is there a reason that horses seem to want to roll after being bathed? Check out this commentary post by Nancy Diehl, VMD over at The Horse to learn more about this eternal question.
And then check out some of the other headlines from this week in Horse Health News presented by Absorbine.
Safely Switching Turnout Times: When the days turn extra hot, many horse owners change up their turnout schedules, switching to overnight turnout from all day turnout. But any change in routine for a horse can be a cause of stress for them, so what are some things that horse owners should consider when flipping their turnout schedule? Learn more! [Equus Magazine]
Hoof Abscesses in Horses: Abscesses always seem to pop up at the worse possible times. And they just tend to come out of nowhere, causing lameness in their wake. But if caught and treated properly, they will generally resolve well. Educate yourself on the causes,and ways to detect, treat and even prevent abscess. [The Horse]
Keeping Horses Hydrated During Travel: A recent collaboration between a number of welfare groups, veterinary organizations and industry bodies has resulted in the development of guidelines on the topic of keeping horses hydrated while they are traveling. The guidelines have even been formalized and published into a guide. [Horsetalk]
Sweat Marks Under the Saddle: Riding in the summer usually means lots of sweat. Which means pulling off lots of sweaty pads after riding. But take note, because you can use sweat and dirt marks under the saddle as one way to testing your saddle’s fit for your horse. Saddle pad impression is only one of the basic tests a horse owner can use to check saddle fit. [The Horse]
Fresh off their team gold medal win at the 2015 Pan American Games, Phillip Dutton and Boyd Martin just announced they will host an educational symposium called Eventing With The Stars on Sunday, Aug. 23 at Windurra Farm in Cochranville, Pennsylvania, covering topics ranging from how to improve your dressage scores to training off-track Thoroughbreds.
Boyd said the idea behind the symposium is to give eventing fans of all ages and backgrounds a unique insider’s look at their respective training programs. While he and Phillip can share their knowledge and experience one-on-one in clinics and in lessons, a symposium like this gives them the opportunity to interact with a lot more people.
“Philip and I do a lot of clinics throughout America, and at best we can teach 24 riders over the clinic,” he said. “This way we’re hoping to give the same experience to people who might not be able ride in a clinic with us, as well as eventing enthusiasts that want to learn more about all the ins and outs of the sport.”
You might remember that Phillip and Boyd hosted the wildly successful Aiken Masterclass earlier this year at Stable View Farm in Aiken, where 350 people packed the covered ring to watch two hours of demonstrations. Phillip said they are taking that idea and greatly expanding on the educational impact.
“It’s going to be an exciting day and a great opportunity for everybody to get to know Boyd and myself and our training programs in an up-close-and-personal type of situation,” Phillip said. “There will be plenty of time for questions and answers, too. It offers people a way to learn and experience how we train horses at the beginning of their careers through to the Advanced event horses.”
Attendees will also learn from Grand Prix dressage rider Silva Martin, who will co-host the dressage session, as well as Phillip’s head groom and barn manager Emma Ford, who will lead a session on grooming during the lunch break. The day will end with a question and answer session and a meet and greet around 4 p.m. Here’s a look at the topics Boyd and Phillip will be covering:
Session 1: Improve Your Dressage Scores Session 2: Training OTTBs for Second Careers Session 3: Addressing Safety in the Sport Session 4: Schooling Cross Country Obstacles In Your Jump Ring Session 5: World Class Grooming for Horses with Emma Ford Session 6: Cross Country 101: Warm-up, Rider Position & Techniques Session 7: Answering Cross Country Questions
Brian O’Connor will be providing radios and headsets so participants can easily hear Boyd and Phillip’s commentary all day; that’s included in the ticket price at no extra cost. Tickets are $60 at the early-bird rate (must pay online before the event) or $70 at the gates, which open at 9 a.m. Kids 12 and under get in free.
“The audience will be a cross section of kids and Pony Clubbers all the way through to upper-level riders and aspiring professionals,” Phillip said. “There will be something in it for everybody.” Boyd Martin added: “It’s going to offer a real behind-the-scenes look at the techniques we use at home. We’re hoping to educate the audience with tools they can use on their own horse.”
Click here for full descriptions of the sessions, a full schedule and for all the information on Eventing With The Stars. You can save $10 by paying the early-bird rate of $60 now by using this PayPal link.
Ian Stark’s cross country course for the inaugural CCI3* here at Rebecca Farm is causing plenty of buzz this weekend. With cross country set to be run on Saturday, there’s plenty of time for the riders to hammer out their final plans to attack what is sure to be a challenging and technical course.
I walked the course yesterday afternoon and found the galloping lanes to be supremely inviting for both horse and rider. The ground is a bit dry, but the crews here are working hard to ensure the best possible footing for the horses come Saturday. Check out the course preview video below:
The Broussards have done a fantastic job with this facility, as everyone who has ever attended will surely attest. The effort put forth is evident in the attention to detail in the jump decorations, and this is truly a top class, one of a kind course.
It’s not to be taken lightly though — the tricky combinations come early and often. In particular, the coffin and the last water seem to be two of the more interesting questions, and certainly ones that we’ll be keeping an eye on throughout the day.
The CIC3* course does differ slightly from the track pictured, but the riders will be jumping some of the same questions. Here’s a great drone fly-through of the course with more commentary from designer Ian Stark:
Please enjoy the photos of the course, and stay tuned for more thoughts on how it will ride as Chinch seeks out some coaching for his new mount! Go Eventing.
Eventers Kevin Smith and Laura Kosiorek do marriage the right way. Photo courtesy of Jackie Smith.
Jackie Smith from Stonegate Farm sent us the story to go along with the picture above, and it’s pretty cute. Two Eventers, Kevin and Laura, attended the same university without meeting until two other Eventers Carly & Sue Stromeyer played match makers and convinced the two to carpool to a competition together. At the end of the competition, Laura won her division, but Kevin won Laura! For their wedding of course they had to have a combined driving pair of Hanoverians named Rock and Roll, because there was no better way to top off a great day.
Boyd Martin and Phillip Dutton are hosting an eventing symposium on Aug. 23 at Windurra Farm! Eventing With The Stars will cover six different topics, ranging from how to improve your dressage scores to cross country schooling exercises you can use at home. Tickets are $60 in advance or $70 at the gate (kids 12 and under get in free). [Eventing With The Stars]
Attention all C4 fans! If you’re at Rebecca Farm this weekend, then please stop by the C4 booth located near stabling for an epic group photo TODAY at 6 p.m. Spread the word and let’s get as many C4 fanatics as possible to show up!
Have you seen Ian Stark’s cross country course for the inaugural Rebecca Farm CCI3*? In true Ian Stark style, its got more than a few rider frighteners, but it looks absolutely amazing. It makes me wish I was there to attack it! Well, maybe not the ditch and wall….those are not my fave. But the rest of it looks beautifully made and designed and will ride well for the confident and accurate horse and rider combination. [Cross Country Course Preview]
Eight questions with top rider Jonelle Price? Yes please! Horse & Hound did a fun video with Jonelle asking her some burning questions such as: where is your dream holiday location and what movie did you last see? Hint: you’re not the only one harboring a crush on Jamie Dornan. [Jonelle Price is a Thrill Seeker]
COTH blogger Camilla Mortensen is tackling the Novice Three Day at Rebecca Farms this weekend, and sharing all the action day by day. Yesterday she completed dressage, but also got to school the steeplechase with last year’s CIC3* winner Matt Brown. Not only that, but all of the three day riders enjoyed “Trot Up 101” with Jennie Brannigan, covering everything from what to wear to when to ice your horse. [Day Two: Educated & Exhausted]
Expecting and Eventing: Genes, Jeans and Gender. In the latest great blog from Horse Nation, Lorraine Jackson explores the familial relationship with horses throughout her family, and considers the question of passing on the horse gene either consciously or unconsciously. Some people come from horsey families and catch the bug, and others come down with the sickness purely on their own. [Hot On Horse Nation]
Who doesn’t want to look fancy at a big competition? We all own items in our tack room that are “competition only”, so why not add to your collection with this amazing Custom Scrim Sheet from SmartPak? It’s not just for the Hunter Jumper crowd, it’s catching on with the Eventers, and you can get it in your custom colors! [Custom Curvon Scrim Sheet]
Tamie Smith and Under Wraps. Photo by Lisa Takada for Eventing Nation.
It’s been a great beginning to competition here at Rebecca Farm! It was a busy day of riding, and the first complete day is officially in the books. We also can’t forget about the Future and Young Event Horse divisions who competed yesterday, so here’s the full scoop on day one.
In the CCI* this afternoon, Kelly Pugh has overtaken the lead aboard Corazon, a relatively new ride owned by David Garrett. An 8-year-old KWPN gelding, Corazon was originally campaigned by New Zealand’s Lucy Jackson through the two-star level. In their first start together, Kelly and Corazon placed fourth in the Prelim at Shepherd Ranch in June.
Kelly and Corazon earned a 41.3 to take the lead in a strong field going into the cross country portion of competition. Lying in second after the dressage are Tamie Smith and Under Wraps, her second ride of the CCI*.
Owned by Beth Lendrum, Under Wraps is an 8-year-old KWPN gelding making his FEI debut after most recently winning his Open Prelim division at Copper Meadows last month.
Auburn Excell Brady and Pinotage. Photo by Lisa Takada for Eventing Nation.
Rounding out the latest top three in the CCI* is Auburn Excell Brady and her second ride, Pinotage. A 7-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Lo Olbin, Pinotage is also a CCI* first-timer, having most recently coming fourth in the Open Prelim at Copper Meadows.
Tamie and Auburn now have two rides each in the top five, so Saturday is sure to bring some exciting moments as the leaders duke it out for the eventual winnings.
All of the Novice divisions, excluding the Three Day divisions, who rode dressage only, completed their dressage and cross country competition today. The Novice course is definitely a true Novice course, with plenty of challenges and tricky questions.
What caught my eye the most was the final water complex, which features jumps for every other division as well. This made for a lot of navigating through the various fences to reach the Novice question, and it was really neat to see the riders and horses figuring it out (and making it look easy!).
Your Novice leaders after the first two phases are as follows:
Senior Novice
A: Karen O’Neal and Briena 21.8)
B: Shari Peterson and Oliver Money (26.5)
C: Lauren Boriotti and Slingshot (28.0)
D: Leigh Mesher and Finally DG (24.0)
E: Robyn Fisher and Erusa (23.0)
Junior Novice:
A: Genevieve Kirsch and Fleeceworks Cinco (21.8)
B: Lilly Linder and Pele (23.3)
Your Novice Three-Day leaders after dressage are:
A: Taress Hsu and Gideon (26.8)
B: Kathryn Canario and Ringwood Little Imp (20.5)
Some of the Training divisions completed their dressage tests (can you tell it was a busy day today?) and will move on to cross country tomorrow, beginning with the Three Day divisions in the morning.
Your Training leaders following dressage are:
Senior A: Bonner Carpenter and Darkside (20.2)
Training Three Day:
A: Erin Kellerhouse and Rondelet (25.3)
B: Katelyn Grubich and Kaptain Jak (27.2)
C: Dana Todd and MMS Amadeus (26.2)
Earl McFall and Let’s Go DF. Photo via Hawley Bennett on Instagram.
Earl McFall and Let’s Go DF are your Four Year Old YEH winners, earning a total percentage of 78% throughout the three sections of Conformation/Type, Dressage and Jumping/Potential.
Let’s Go DF, a Holsteiner/Thoroughbred gelding by Linaro out of Rani D, was bred by Dragonfire Farm and was the West Coast 3-year-old Future Event Horse champion in 2014 — suffice it to say this one is one to keep your eye on!
Kelsey Horn and Tomlong Ratatouille, a Thoroughbred gelding owned by the Pinnacale Syndicate LLC, earned the top marks in the 5-year-old Young Event Horse class with a final percentage of 81.4.
Catie Cejka and Clarity Redefined are the sole entrants in the Future Event Horse Yearling division and they earned a solid 78.2% for Conformation and Type. In the Future Event Horse Two Year Old division, it’s Marc Grandia and Quantum Theory who will take home the top honors with a total percentage of 79.3.
We’ll be adding photos to this post from the day, so refresh this page for a better look at the day’s action! Much more to come tomorrow, as the remaining FEI divisions commence their dressage.
Many thanks to Rebecca Farm, Ride On Video and Frankie Thieriot Stutes for the great coverage from each day of competition. Check out day two’s coverage here:
The competition may have just commenced, but we’ve already seen riders out on cross country this afternoon. The Novice divisions rode their dressage tests this morning and also are running cross country this afternoon, so they’re the first ones to get a taste of the beautiful course here at Rebecca Farm.
There are two Junior Open Novice divisions and six Senior Open Novice divisions to see this weekend in addition to the two Novice Three-Day divisions — definitely the largest division by far.
I had the opportunity to go out on cross country for a bit today to watch some of the Novice action, so I’ve put together a Who Jumped It Best? for those that I saw. Please take a look at the following photos and vote for your favorite overall presentation. Eternal EN karma to the winner! Good luck!
Tamie Smith and Fleeceworks Royal. Photo by Sally Spickard.
What better way to celebrate your birthday than with a killer dressage test to take the early lead of your division? That’s how Tamie Smith celebrates! We’re at the halfway mark of the CCI* dressage here at Rebecca Farm, and Tamie and Judy McSwain’s Fleeceworks Royal took the lead as the last of the morning session on a score of 46.4.
Fleeceworks Royal is a 6-year-old Holsteiner mare who is contesting her first CCI* this weekend; she most recently place second in the CIC* at Copper Meadows last month. By Riverman out of the Corofino mare Marisol, this mare is a full sister to Kristi Nunnink’s former four-star campaigner R-Star and was also the USEA Young Event Horse West Coast Champion as a 5-year-old.
This is one of several rides for Tamie this weekend, including one more to come in the CCI* in Under Wraps. She also has two rides in the CCI2*, as well as Ellen and Alex Ahearn’s Mai Baum in the CIC3* (who EN has predicted to win), so the birthday girl won’t have much in the way of downtime this weekend. Somehow we feel she won’t mind spending her birthday here in beautiful Kalispell, Montana.
And beautiful it is! Driving in this morning literally took my breath away, and while I haven’t had a look at the cross country yet (I’m heading out to do that now!), the atmosphere is buzzing with excitement at how great it looks. Really, if you haven’t had the opportunity to come out to Rebecca Farm then you should definitely put it on your bucket list.
Back to business in the morning’s CCI* action, we saw some fresh horses today who were feeling good in the crisp mountain air (and perhaps due to catching a glimpse of some cross country in the distance), but we also saw some classy riding to really squeeze as many points as possible out of the judges.
Auburn Excell Brady and Royal Lux. Photo by Sally Spickard.
The trailblazer this morning was Auburn Excell Brady and Royal Lux, who looked calm, cool and collected for the first CCI* of his career. Owned by Auburn and R. Lawrence Sawyer, Royal Lux is a 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding who most recently finished 10th in the CIC2* at Fresno County Horse Park.
Auburn and Royal Lux took the early lead and held onto it all the way through the end of the morning session with their score of 47.0. There are still plenty more combinations yet to come, but Auburn and Royal Lux find themselves in a solid position, currently in second behind Tamie.
In third are Ruth Bley and the lovely Silver Sage, a 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding. This pair earned a 48.3 nod from the judges to shave a few points off of their score from the CCI* at this event in 2014. This pair should be a fun one to see out on cross country on Saturday — they’ve not had a jump penalty on cross country in their entire FEI career together, so be on the lookout for this pair to finish close to their dressage score.
Ruth Bley and Silver Sage. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Jennie Brannigan made the trek out to Montana with Tim and Nina Gardners’ homebred OTTB, Mixed Blessing, who is also making his debut at this level. The 6-year-old gelding stepped up to Prelim this year with consistent success and looked every bit the part of a competitor in the white box today. Jennie will be pleased with his score of 49.0 to slot into fourth place at the moment.
Rounding out the top five at the lunch break are Sydney Johnson and Ols Take Time, who earned a 49.3 and the only remaining score in the 40s so far. This pair will be seeking their first CCI* completion this weekend, and they most recently placed eighth in the Preliminary Rider division at Woodside.
There’s still much more to come from Thursday at Rebecca Farm — there’s so much happening at all times it’s hard to know where to even begin! Big thank you to Brian Schott and the wonderful staff here manning the press tent, which is nice and shady and very close to all three phases. I’m about to hop on a dirt bike to check out some cross country, so I’ll be back later with much more. Go Eventing!
This is the next post in our Lauren Kieffer Eventing Blog Series powered by Athletux. We hear once again from Jo Kieffer, mom to Pan American Games team gold medalist Lauren Kieffer, who told us what it meant to have her daughter competing in her first major championships earlier this month in this blog. Now she checks back in after the competition to reflect on the experience.
Victorious Team USA: Marilyn Little, Boyd Martin, Phillip Dutton and Lauren Kieffer. Photo by Jenni Autry.
I thought I knew about being part of a big competition. I found I still have plenty to learn after the Pan American Games. From the security, the mix of languages all around us, the sense of purpose and intensity in the barns, the obvious national pride of the audience and the athletes — there was no doubt this was going to be a different sort of weekend.
One of my biggest impressions was how different things were because this was a team competition. This is normally such an individual sport. There is always great camaraderie between eventing competitors, but no one is going to feel badly about moving up because someone they know dropped a rail or didn’t make the time.
This was a much different experience. These riders were truly a team. They were there to sink or swim together, and I include Jennie Brannigan in this group. The better each person’s ride, the better they all felt. You could also sense the pressure in knowing they carried the fate of the entire team on their individual shoulders.
So when it was all done, those hugs and grins you saw on that podium were quite genuine. They believed in each other and in David O’Connor’s program. I also can’t say enough good things about all the people you did not see on that podium. Those riders knew that they were there due to the help of their own connections and the amazing support of the USEF team.
I have never considered myself a sentimental person. But I defy anyone to not feel a rush of several different emotions when you watch your child on that podium, see them drape that medal around her neck, hear the music of our anthem and watch our flag rise up that center flag pole.
I will also never forget my first sight of Lauren in her red coat. There are so many hours, hopes, successes and disappointments wrapped up in that coat. I still remember the look on her face when her trainer told what the red coat meant. She was not was going to be satisfied until she had one of her own. Now she does. She is now a team rider. Hopefully there will be many more team events in her future, but nothing will replace the memory of this first one.
So now Papa Kieffs and I are back in Illinois, and Lauren is headed to England. This is the first time in over 15 years that we have not planned our entire year around Lauren’s show schedule. I miss it already. The Pan American Games were only one dream come true. I am content to wait and see where Lauren’s dreams take us next.
