Classic Eventing Nation

The official photo of the U.S. Pan American Games team and alternates. Photo by Anthony Trollope.

There’s an air of excitement in The Plains, Virginia, as riders, organizers and volunteers prepare for the inaugural Land Rover Great Meadow International, which will see 22 combinations compete in the CIC3* and 13 pairs representing three different countries contest the Pan American Games prep trials starting this afternoon.

Team USA has been in The Plains since Tuesday evening, when the out-of-town riders arrived early for Wednesday’s combined test at Morningside Training Farm, which has graciously hosted lessons and training for the past two days. Coach David O’Connor hadn’t seen the horses in more than a week, since before he traveled to England to coach Lauren Kieffer and Veronica to a seventh-place finish at Bramham, so he said the combined test helped immensely in catching him up to speed.

Michael Pollard and Cyrano, EN’s predicted winners for the CIC3*, in their lesson with David O’Connor at Great Meadow. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Jeannie McDonald, an FEI “I” and USEF “S” dressage judge, judged the combined test, which David said was extremely beneficial for the team since she doesn’t usually judge these riders. She provided feedback immediately after each rider performed 2015 FEI 2* Test B, which is the same test that will be used today in the prep trials and at next month’s Pan American Games in Toronto.

“We did the test and had comments right off the bat, and then we all went back and watched video again with Jeannie, which was great. We had a good show jumping course, which I designed with some thoughts of what might happen (on Richard Jeffery’s course Saturday night). The horses jumped really well,” David said.

Lauren Kieffer and Vermiculus after a cross country school with David O’Connor at High Acre. Photo by Jenni Autry.

“So then you go back the next day and work a little bit on it, just touch on it because it’s hot out and they’ve got a lot to do this weekend. So we just go and touch on some of the things we saw yesterday and a couple of the ideas Jeannie gave us. And then we’ll see what difference we can make with the test on Friday.”

David taught dressage lessons all day yesterday between three different venues, Great Meadow, Morningside and his own High Acre, where Karen O’Connor and her Mexican team have been training this week as well (much more on Karen and her team coming your way next). With Team USA’s dressage homework complete, David said he expects the riders to implement the changes they worked on in their tests today, especially at the walk.

David O’Connor teaches Boyd Martin and Crackerjack at Morningside. Photo by Jenni Autry.

“Our dressage at the walk is weak, so we’ve been working on some techniques to try to improve the walk, like being a little bit more in shoulder fore instead of just walking straight,” David said. “It’s a funny test because you do shoulder-in right off the first movement going away from the judge, and a lot of times there hasn’t been enough angle on the first one. I’d like to see a little bit more right off the start — that the first movement is really good.”

The riders have also been working on the turn on the haunches, which is a new movement in this 2015 two-star test and one David has called “the money move.” It can be tricky in that judges tend to score turn on the haunches a bit differently, he said, but if you nail it, it can make all the difference.

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn in their lesson with David O’Connor at Morningside. Photo by Jenni Autry.

“I think the dressage and show jumping needs to be the highest level they can do. This is not schooling,” David said, “and then for cross country, they should go. They should jump around at competition pace. It’s our last run, it’s perfect footing and it’s a gorgeous course, so they should all go out with that in mind.”

The Pan Ams riders will be jumping many of the same fences that the CIC3* riders will tackle on Mike Etherington-Smith’s brand new course, which you can preview fence-by-fence here. David worked with Mike to make modifications for the Pan Ams horses. Instead of the bounce into water, the two-star horses will do two strides, and instead of the double set of corners, the two-star will do a table to a corner.

Nate Chambers gets the crowd pumped up for the second annual Beverly Cup at Beverly Equestrian. Photo by Jenni Autry.

After a long, hot day of lessons with the heat index pushing temperatures well into the 90s, riders, owners and supporters gathered at beautiful Beverly Equestrian for the second annual Beverly Cup, which pits team of eventers against each other — with a couple pro polo players thrown in to keep the ball moving.

Matt Brown’s hand-eye coordination definitely proved to be the best of the eventers, but team show jumping coach Silvio Mazzoni totally stole the show, looking very much in his element on the Beverly polo field. He helped secure the win for his team, and his horse Charlie was awarded the title of Top Polo Pony.

David O’Connor’s trusty sidekick Bourbon also had a busy day. Photo by Jenni Autry.

It was a lovely way to end the day and to set the tone for the action-packed weekend still to come at the Land Rover Great Meadow International. Dressage starts this afternoon at 4 p.m. EST. Elisa Wallace and Simply Priceless, who are in The Plains this week training with Karen O’Connor in preparation for their overseas debut at Blenheim in September, will perform the test ride at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Don’t forget that you can watch the entire event live on USEF Network; click here for the broadcast schedule. Follow EN on Instagram and Twitter for behind the scenes photos, and keep checking back here for much more from #LandRoverGMI.

Go Eventing.

Great Meadow Links: Website, Entries, Ride Times, Live Scores, Schedule, Course Preview, EN’s Coverage, Instagram, Twitter

Julien Despontin and Waldano 36. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Honestly, I’d never even heard of the guy.

At just 25 years old, Belgium’s Julien Despontin is a newbie to the four-star scene. He and his horse, a 14-year-old Hannoverian named Waldano 36, placed 14th place at their first CCI4* last year at Pau on a pretty shabby score of 102.1. They have a history of alright dressage tests (their average score in 2014 was 41.2), a stop or scattering of rails here and there, and mostly milquetoast finishes. They entered the Luhmühlen CIC3* last year but withdrew before cross-country.

Today, however, they laid down the best test of their FEI lives — by several points — to steal the overnight CCI4* dressage lead from reigning event world overlord Michael Jung.

Michael set the bar high early, laying down a 34.2 on his equivalently bionic partner La Biosthetique Sam FBW. That is Sam’s second best score ever at this level (his top mark was a 33.0 at the 2010 WEG), trouncing his Rolex score from two months ago by 2.1 points. When I talked to Michael after his test he described the ride as “fantastic” and said both his horses — fischerRocana FST goes tomorrow — are recovered well from Kentucky and ready for round two.

“They are really good, in very good form, feeling very strong and happy,” he said. “You need a good feeling from the horse that you can try to win and today I had a good feeling.”

Michael Jung checking out the scoreboard after his test on La Biosthetique Sam. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Leave it to this Julien dude to waltz in and crush Michael’s dreams. Their test was lovely: crisp and polished with moments of real brilliance woven in. Watching it, I was a little bit mesmerized and a lot curious as to how the judges would be score it, as the powers-that-be are sometimes hesitant to hand out big numbers to rookies.

It turned out to be a mixed bag. The judge at C was clearly caught up the pair’s spell, giving them several 9s and even a 10. The judge at M, on the other hand, low-balled, with the judge at E falling somewhere in between. The result was a massive 13.66 point spread, and theirs wasn’t the only score with a canyon in it — more on that in a minute.

The bottom line: 31.9, a personal best for Julien and Waldano by a landslide. In the 30 FEI competitions Waldano has started in with Julien and former rider Andreas Ostholt, he has only scored in the 30s six times. Six times! Out of 30! And not only that, but their score was just 0.1 off the all-time low Luhmühlen score record set by Lucinda Fredericks in 2012.

What the heck.

“He was brilliant,” Julien said. “It is only our second four-star-event and Waldano did the difficult test virtually without any mistakes. He moves beautifully and his strength is definitely his walk and trot.”

Another day, another conveniently timed dressage test of a lifetime. Their scoresheet via janssen.sportcg.net:

The final ride of the day, New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell and Kaapachino, snuck into top three on a score of 36.8.

Fun fact: Of the top six placed riders, five are age 26 or under. Jesse is 25; fourth-placed Lizzie Brown (NZL) is 26;  fifth-placed Elmo Jankari (FIN) is 22; and sixth-placed Willa Newton (GBR) is 24.

Jesse Campbell and Kaapachino. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

A few notes:

• There were some disconcertingly large point spreads between judges Christopher Hess (GER) at C; Anne-Mette Binder (DEN) at M; and Andrew Bennie (NZL) at E.

Three of them spanned 10 points or more, including top-placed Julien, whose marks ranged from an  84.83% from the judge at C to a 71.17% from the judge at M as noted above. Lizzie Brown earned an 81.17% from C and a 67.33% from M, and Elmo Jankari scored a 79% from C and a 69% from M. Each of these rides were in the top five.

• There’s plenty of dressage still to come on Friday, with 15 riders scheduled for day 1 and 23 for day 2. Expect some major leaderboard shakeups tomorrow when the heavy-hitters start throwing their weight around in the ring. And, as EquiRatings noted in its Luhmühlen quick stats, this is no dressage show:

“In the last five renewals of the Luhmühlen CCI4*, the dressage leader has never gone on to win the competition. In 2014, eventually winner Tim Price (Wesko) finished the first phase in seventh place. The other four winners since 2010 have all come from the top five after dressage.”

• Check out this video of Luhmühlen’s brilliantly simple system for passing scoresheets from the judges to the scorers.

• The music they’re piping out over the PA during dressage is totally bonkers, ranging from elevator dirge covers of Queen’s “We Are the Champions” to this completely random version of the Ghostbusters theme song. I can’t even.

• Nobody told me that immediately following the dressage they were going to set a bunch of adorable foals loose in the ring. Squee! It was cryptically described in the program as a “show by PZRV Luhmühlen” and apparently there’s supposed to be a foal presentation and sale late tomorrow afternoon as well. Thank God I left my checkbook at home.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

CCI4* Day 1 Dressage Scores:

CCI4* Day 1 Dressage Photo Gallery:

Day 2 of CCI4* dressage kicks off at 1 p.m. CEST on Friday. EST is six hours behind so that’s a bright and early 4 a.m. for many of you in the States. Much, much more to come!

Luhmühlen: [Website] [Entry List] [Schedule] [Leaderboard]

Michael Pollard and Cyrano. Photo by Jenni Autry.

This weekend is the inaugural CIC3* at the Land Rover Great Meadow International and they have pulled out all the stops to make a big bang. With hopes of becoming the American leg for the FEI Nations Cup, the organizers have bent over backwards to create a world class event at a top notch venue. With the loss of Maui Jim in 2010, the summer calendar has had a bit of a vacuum and the addition of Great Meadow helps to fill that hole.

Many of the horses competing here are returning to the scene for the first time since their spring CCI, which was Rolex for some and Jersey Fresh for others. With the Pan American alternates largely choosing to contest the three star instead of the Pan Ams division, the CIC3* is turning out to be quite competitive indeed. There may be some surprising pairs who drop out of the top five due to conservative cross country runs this weekend, and ultimately this field is too star-studded to mention every prominent pair.

The dressage test will be 2015 FEI 3*-A. The cross country course designer is Mike Etherington-Smith and the show jumping course designer is Richard Jeffrey.

TOP FIVE

1. Michael Pollard and Cyrano Z: These two haven’t had the most consistent spring, but their mistakes have been few and far between. With a strong likelihood of performing extremely well in all three phases, a win in this division isn’t out of reach for these two, as long as they bring their A game on cross country.

Cyrano Z hasn’t performed the A test yet, but he averages a slick 45.8 for the level, which will probably put him in the top three after dressage, if not on top. Fun fact: Michael has yet to have a rail on this horse, and they have jumped double clear all season, including over a Richard Jeffrey course at the Wellington Showcase. Expect that trend to continue here. This pair haven’t tackled a Mike E-S course yet, but average only four seconds over the time when running clear at this level. A final score just over the mid-forties will sneak them into the win this weekend.

Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda. Photo courtesy of Rare Air Photography

2. Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda: Jennie is sitting on top of arguably the best CIC3* horse in the country, with top three placings in ten of their thirteen CIC3* runs. They’ve never had a stop at this type of show and, excepting Red Hills, have always jumped double clear when show jumping was held before cross country.

Jennie and Cambalda have done this dressage test once at Red Hills, scoring a couple points higher than their average with a 49.2. Although they had a rail and a time penalty over Richard Jeffrey’s course at Rolex, they jumped a double clear at the Wellington Showcase, and their overall tendency in the phase is to go double clear. In their only recent run over a Mike E-S course, these two completed double clear at Plantation Field last fall. Jennie and Cambalda should finish on their dressage score to take second place.

3. Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM: Fresh off a win at Jersey Fresh, the durable Ballynoe Castle RM will be giving the top two a run for their money this weekend. Easily the most experienced horse in the field, Ballynoe Castle RM completed his first CIC3* at Red Hills in 2008, finishing fifth in a rather notorious year.

Buck and this horse recently trumped their typical average by nearly four points while performing this test at Jersey Fresh, scoring a 41.6 to lead wire to wire. Although a very good jumper, these two do average one rail when attempting Richard Jeffrey courses. This pair did average 7.6 time penalties in their one recent Mike E-S course last fall at Plantation. A similar effort here will drop them to third, with a score in the low fifties.

Michael Pollard and Ballingowan Pizazz. Photo by Jenni Autry.

4. Michael Pollard and Ballingowan Pizazz: Michael is poised to have a good weekend, as he has also brought his stellar horse Ballingowan Pizazz out to play. While this horse has had his fair share of bad luck the past couple of years, he could be in a good position to dominate in the coming months.

Ballingowan Pizazz performed this test just once this season, scoring a 46.5 just last month at Jersey Fresh. While he hasn’t recently jumped over any of Richard’s courses recently, he is very careful, with a tendency to jump double clear. Overall, Michael and this horse tend to run clear with eight time penalties across the country, although this will be the first time they see a Mike Etherington-Smith course. Still, they should finished solidly with a score in the mid-fifties.

5. Kurt Martin and DeLux Z: Kurt just moved DeLux Z up to the level this spring, and despite a small road bump mid-season, they most recently proved their mettle by placing third of twenty-one in the Jersey Fresh CIC3*. DeLux Z is turning into an exciting prospect, a bright spot for Kurt after having to withdraw the talented Anna Bella from Bramham.

DeLux Z is another horse who recently did this dressage test at Jersey, laying down a very solid 50.7 to stalk the leaders. Although he hasn’t jumped a Jeffrey course yet, he is currently leaning towards a double clear average in the show jumping. Across the country, this pair averages only 6.4 time penalties, which will move them up the ranks. Kurt and DeLux Z should round out the top five with a score in the high-fifties.

Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights. Photo courtesy of Rare Air Photography.

THE DARK HORSE

Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights: Let’s all be honest here. Colleen and Covert Rights are rising to power, and they are coming like a freight train. While we all knew the horse had the ability to score well on the flat, I think many of us were still blind-sided by the lovely, fluid, steady test that this pair matter-of-factly threw down in Kentucky. What a great time to step up.

This horse is teetering on the edge (or frankly, already well past it) of scoring 4-5 points below his current average of 49.4 at the level. He’s a solid show jumper, although perhaps not quite as careful as others in this field of fabulous jumpers. And he’s solid and fairly swift on cross country, although he did have a single blip on his only run across a Mike Etherington-Smith course last fall at Plantation. That blip was well-isolated to last fall’s campaign, and it’s pretty unlikely to rear its head again here.

All the numbers are off the table right now for this horse. If he plays his cards like he did at Kentucky, he will be right in the mix at the top.

Buck Davidson and Petite Flower. Photo courtesy of Rare Air Photography.

THE SPOILER

Buck Davidson and Petite Flower:  Buck has made me a believer in this little mare this spring. Her numbers overall on the cross country have greatly fluctuated as her consistency has waxed and waned. She’s always competitive on the flat and can be relied on to jump a double clear round weekend after weekend after weekend, but it’s no secret that Buck has struggled to bring that consistency to the third and most important phase.

All spring I doubted. I doubted after Rocking Horse, because that venue is generally considered a move-up. I doubted after Red Hills when Buck chose to run her in the Advanced instead of the CIC3*, which almost perfectly demarcates her success rate. I doubted after Carolina when the course ran surprisingly soft.

Then I watched Buck run her at Rolex. Now I believe.

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Jenni Autry.

THE SLEEPER

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum:  Usually my sleeper picks denote a horse that may not win this weekend but should be watched for the future. Not this one. This pick has the ability to run away with the whole thing.

It’s difficult to truly compare the numbers of Mai Baum to those in the rest of the field because he has only run one West Coast Advanced. West Coast shows generally have a much lower cross country time penalty average than shows in the east. The terrain and turf in California is vastly different than that of Virginia, and it is often more difficult for the horses to match the pace they ran at in California.

Having said all that, Mai Baum could still snatch the victory out from under Cyrano Z’s nose. Tamie and this horse scored an astonishing 22.8 in their only Advanced start, which equates to a 34.2 in FEI terms. They show jump with no more than a rail, if not double clear. And they came home in their one Advanced at Copper Meadows only seven seconds over optimum time, and followed it up with three seconds of time at the CIC2* at The Fork and a double clear at Jersey Fresh CCI2*.

Tamie and Mai Baum are here to make a statement this weekend, and might walk home with the cash instead.

For someone with zero aptitude for them whatsoever, I am completely obsessed with numbers. The stats coming out of the brand new eventing math factory EquiRatings make me feel like a pony in a carrot patch (check out their Luhmühlen Quick Stats) and I’ve been known to party down with a calculator as well. Like, a fourth-grade level party, but still.

This morning I sat down with the 2015 Luhmühlen CCI4* entry list, which includes 38 pairs, and crunched some mad digits.

All 11 of the riders looking for their first CCI4* finish are mounted on horses looking to accomplish the same goal. Lizzie Brown and Henton Attorney General (NZL) are among those making their debut at the level. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

2014 Luhmühlen CCI4* winners Tim Price and Wesko (NZL). Photo by Jenni Autry.

Last year’s CCI4* winner Tim Price returns this year on Bango, who’ll be making his four-star debut.

Michael O’Toole and Greenfort Endeavour (IRE) add a splash of pizazz to this weekend’s color palette. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Andrew Hoy and Algebra (AUS). Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Two of the five stallions are ridden by women: Coral Keen and Wellshead Fare Opposition (GBR) and Kirsty Johnston and Opposition Detective (GBR). As a side note, the stallions are half-brothers, both sired by Fleetwater Opposition whose offspring also includes Nicola Wilson’s WEG/Olympic/European Championships partner Opposition Buzz. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Coral Keen and Wellshead Fare Opposition (GBR). Photo by Leslie Wylie.

We’ve got live Luhmühlen coverage coming at you throughout the day so you know where to keep it locked.

Luhmühlen: Website, Live Scores, Entry List, Schedule, FEI TV, EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram