With school out for the summer and all of us eagerly planning for longer daylight hours at the barn, it’s a great time to take on a new project. If you’re not sure where to start with your OTTB search, never fear as we’re here to bring you our favorite listings of the week to provide some inspiration!
Photo via CANTER Ohio.
Our first listing this week is the very handsome Mar Bravo, who is currently listed with CANTER Ohio. We featured this guy’s listing in December, and we can’t believe he is still available! Mar Bravo (Marciano – Jazz Gal, by Lord Avie) is a 2008 gelding who has raced 41 times and is said to be a nice tempered gelding who is sound but does have some stiffness in his back end that he works out of. He’s ready to move on to his new career, and with looks like that he will definitely turn some heads!
This lovely looking guy is a Canadian bred gelding by the name of Aish Tamid (Purim – First Light, by Salt Lake) who was foaled in 2010 and raced just four times. Aish Tamid does have a front ankle that is bothering him that will benefit from some downtime, but he’s said to have a great personality that will do well with bonding with his new owner. Aish Tamid is available through CANTER Illinois — will he be your next four legged companion?
We’re loving the sweet face and unique markings on our last listing of the week, a 2008 gelding by the name of Tapaway (Tapit – Victory Road, by Ikari). Tapaway raced 16 times and hit the board five times, earning a total of $115,756. Tapit is a very in demand stallion in the racing world, and he seems to pass along a lot of athleticism and talent in his offspring. He is listed as suitable for a flatwork career, but he’s said to be quite unflappable and a hard worker under saddle.
Frankie Thieriot Stutes and Chatwin, winners of the Woodside Preliminary Horse Challenge. Photo via Frankie’s Instagram
The popular Woodside Preliminary Challenge welcomed a record entries 57 this year. With $15,000 up for grabs in both the Horse and Rider divisions and an exciting evening Gala with the top 10 running in reverse order of go, it’s no wonder it attracts a great group of competitors and enthusiastic supporters.
Frankie Thieriot Stutes and Tristen Hooks took the early leads in their respective divisions and never let go throughout the next two phases. Preliminary Challenge competitors were the first to tackle Ian Stark’s redesigned country course on Saturday morning, and both Frankie and Tristen flew around clear, coming in just seconds under the optimum time to hold their positions.
On Saturday evening, dinner and a silent auction added ambiance to the show jumping finale. The top 10 in each division took to the Sarah Duborst-designed show jumping at 6 p.m. and kept the crowd on their toes to the end.
In the Rider division, a single rail separated second through 11th place, so the pressure was on to produce a clear round. The eventual top eight finishers all produced double-clear rounds and the top four since the dressage phase remained unchanged. Tristen and her own Holsteiner gelding did not have a rail in hand, but there’s a reason they have such a good record at Preliminary, and they finished clear for the win.
Tristen got her 15-year-old partner “Fly” from a friend’s backyard. She is thrilled with how he has come up the levels and his enthusiasm for the sport. Fly, a Holsteiner/Dutch cross, got quite a few peppermints, and Tristen won quite a few awards for their performance today!
A rub at the last but Tristan Hooks is home clean and takes the win in the Rider division! pic.twitter.com/nI0nF6NFvV
Tristen and third place team Julie Flettner and Ping Pong have put a team together to go up to Inavale and compete in Area VII’s Adult Team Rider Challenge. “It’s going to be a blast!” Tristen said, smiling from ear to ear. After Inavale they are heading to Arizona for Coconino and are looking forward to traveling out of state.
“I think this is the coolest event we have in California,” Tristen said. “It was so exciting to go trotting in and hear the crowd cheering for you and then all the applause when you finish your round. It’s like the Preliminary Olympics or Rolex!”
And that is precisely why the Woodside Preliminary Challenge Rider division draws so many entries. Many of these riders have no plans to compete above Prelim, and this is their chance to experience not only the atmosphere, but a chance at the prizes as well!
Preliminary Horse
Frankie’s German Warmblood gelding Chatwin has been battling an eye infection for months, but he had been cleared by his vets to compete just in time for the Preliminary Horse Challenge.
“While most likely he will need to have surgery to fix his eye for the long term so that he has no infection risks down the road, right now at this moment and this week, the best thing for Chatwin is to get to go to a horse show and be a horse for a little bit!” she wrote on her Facebook page earlier this month.
Chatwin was glad to be back, and Frankie said in a post-cross country interview that Chatwin was full of running on course. Hours later they were double-clear in show jumping to secure a sweet victory in the Horse division and their fourth consecutive win at the Preliminary/one-star level.
Winner of the Preliminary Challenge Horse Division – Frankie Theirot Stutes and Chatwin pic.twitter.com/uVNaR2CDM1 — Eventing Nation (@eventingnation) May 24, 2015
Seven-year-old Chatwin is getting a check-up for his eye this week, and hopefully his cornea will have sealed completely. Frankie and Chatwin would like to thank all the eye doctors and vets at UC Davis for taking such good care of him. “I can’t wait to call them all and tell them how well he did.”
If Chatwin is cleared to carry on, Frankie will be moving him up to Intermediate at Copper Meadows. “It really means a lot to me to get to do that,” Frankie said, and his performance today certainly showed it! “He’s such a great personality.”
In addition, we’d like to congratulate Frankie and her husband, Mike. They are expecting! “I’ll keep riding him until August, and then Tamie Smith will take over the ride on him for the rest of the season,” Frankie said. “Because he had time off for his eye, I really want to be able to let him have the rest of the season, even if I don’t get to!”
Looks like it will be a banner year for both Frankie and Chatwin!
Thanks Robert Kellerhouse and the whole Woodside Eventing crew for another great Preliminary Challenge!
Mathieu Lemoine and Bart L. Photo courtesy of Saumur
Frenchman Mathieu Lemoine and the 9-year-old KWPN gelding Bart L were victorious in the horse’s first CCI3* at Saumur this weekend in France. Owned by M. Pierre Defrance and M. Jerome Pechenard, the gelding was foot-perfect from start to finish, laying down a dressage test that earned a 40.9 from the judges, giving Bart L and Mathieu a narrow lead over second place Astier Nicolas and Piaf de b’Neville.
Although Astier kept the pressure on throughout the competition, Mathieu and Bart L kept their cool. They had the fastest round on cross country to hold their position and today jumped a gorgeous clear show jumping round with no room for error to secure their victory.
Mathieu partnered with the Dutch-bred gelding in 2013, acquiring the ride from Bertrand Vuatoux, who had competed the horse to the one-star level. Mathieu and Bart L won their first FEI event, the CCI1* at Arville in Belgium and earned the bronze medal at the Le Lion d’Angers Championship for 7-year-olds the same year.
In 2014 Mathieu moved the horse up to the two-star level, but withdrew before the final phase in the first two events. On their third try, they put all the pieces together to win the CIC2* at Sandillon in France.
They were fourth with only a rail and time penalties to add at the Breda CIC3* in the Netherlands. So in the young horse’s second three-star and first attempt at a CCI3* this weekend, he came away with a well-deserved win.
Astier Nicolas and Piaf de b’Neville. Photo courtesy of Saumur.
Mathieu’s countryman Astier added just one time penalty to his score in the show jumping with Piaf de b’Neville, a 12-year-old Selle Français owned by Ben et Partner. Britain’s Oliver Townend was in the hunt as well, placing fourth after dressage within a rail of the lead. He ultimately finished on his initial score for third place with PJ Hegarty’s 11-year-old Irish mare Fenyas Elegance in their second FEI appearance as a pair.
Stephanie D’Andrimont of Belgium riding Ulano de Slozen, Mark Kyle of Ireland riding Jemilla and Nana Dalton of Britain riding Abbeylara Prince placed fourth, fifth and sixth respectively thanks to clear show jumping rounds that moved them up the leaderboard. In addition to the top six, there was only one other round out of 26 finishers to leave all the poles up, and that was Andrew Nicholson and Cillnabradden Evo, who finished in 17th place.
The Saumur CIC2* had a huge division of 65 starters. Karim Florent Laghouag (FRA) and Entebbe de Hus, a Hannoverian gelding owned by Madame Agnes Celerier and M. Michel Duros, were the winners, having moved up from third after a clear show jumping round, which was done before the cross country in this division.
Two other Frenchmen joined Karim in the final press conference for the two-star. Second place went to Arnaud Boiteau and Didier Dhennin, both of whom finished on their dressage scores.
Click here for final CCI3* results and here for final CIC2* results. You can visit the Saumur website here and catch up on the weekend action on their active Twitter page here.
Amanda Katsman (left) and Katie Resnick. Photo courtesy of Katie.
Katie Resnick and Amanda Katsman are inseparable. They are students at Texas A&M, sorority sisters in Alpha Epsilon Phi, horse lovers and, of course, best friends. This summer, they will meet up in Berlin, Germany to compete together at the 2015 European Maccabi Games.
The Maccabi Games are an Olympic type competition for Jewish athletes around the world. This year 2,000 athletes from 36 countries are expected to participate in 19 different sporting events. The goal of the Games is to build Jewish pride through sports, and this year’s event will be particularly meaningful as it will be the first time in European Maccabi Games history that they will be held in Germany.
Katie, a psychology major, and Amanda, a petroleum engineering major, met in September 2014 at the college equestrian team tryouts. “We found out we were both Jewish and have been best friends since then,” Katie said. “Amanda and I are also sisters in Alpha Epsilon Phi, the first historically national Jewish sorority to be founded at Texas A&M University. We could not be more excited to be going to Germany together.”
Katie Resnick and The King’s Spirit at the 2014 AEC, where they finished 15th in the Open Intermediate. Photo by Tom Cook
Katie and Amanda are two of four riders from the United States selected to compete in the equestrian dressage competition. Katie is an eventer and represented Area V at the 2014 NAJYRC on the CCI2* team. She and her mare The King’s Spirit finished 12th individually and helped the team to a silver medal. Her trainer, Rebecca Brown, competed in the Israeli Maccabi Games in 2012, which was the first time equestrian was featured in the Maccabi Games.
Amanda is a dressage rider and has competed up to Prix St. George. She will be leaving for Germany three weeks early to ride and compete the horse she will be riding in the Games. Katie, however, will be borrowing a horse that she will get to ride one day for 30 minutes before the competition. “I really have my work cut out for me!” she said.
“The way the Games work is that you either bring your own horse (like Amanda, who has contacts in Germany and is riding their horse) or you borrow a horse, like I am doing, from the Games themselves,” Katie explained. “The Games provide a limited amount of horses to athletes who request them.”
Katie is organizing a small auction in her hometown of Dallas to raise money for the trip. Direct donations can also be made by clicking here and searching for an athlete’s name. Note: Katie is listed as Kathryn on the site.
You can get to know Amanda and Katie a bit better in the video below. This year’s European Maccabi Games will be July 27–Aug 5 at Berlin’s Olympic Park. We look forward to keeping up with Katie and Amanda as they prepare to represent their country and their heritage at the Games!
You know the pit of dread that bubbles up in your stomach after you over do-it on a Saturday? That feeling that comes when you realize that even though it was a super fun day, half of your weekend is already gone and the other part will be spent recovering from that fun? I had that this morning until I realized it was a three day weekend. I was filled with joy not unlike the joy I felt when I found tall-boots that actually fit me – relief and excitement for the days ahead. I’ve been debating making the switch from paddock boots and half-chaps to tall-boots for daily wear and with some of the sales going on, I may have to see if I can double up on that relieved-yet-excited kind of joy I felt this morning by going out and finding myself a new pair of boots.
Frankie Thieriot Stutes and Chatwin last year at Woodside. Photo courtesy of Sherry Stewart.
The wind blew the early morning fog out of the valley, and Ian Stark’s new cross country course got a great introduction with the Preliminary Challenge teams out on course first today at the Horse Park at Woodside in California.
In the Preliminary Challenge Horse division, our top six remain the same, with double clear rounds for Frankie Thieriot Stutes, Erin Serafini, Marc Grandia, Tamie Smith (twice) and James Alliston.
Frankie and Chatwin had a great time out on the course. “Ian’s new course was a lot of fun,” she said. “It was great doing something different and seeing how he used the terrain. Chat really wanted to run in the gallop stretches and felt thrilled to be out again.”
Chatwin suffered an eye injury a couple months ago that had Frankie and her team giving Chat eye medication every six hours, but he hasn’t taken a wrong step this weekend.
Tamie and Beth Lendrum’s Under Wraps “ate up the course with ease” – and our eyes. Tamie remains in sixth on her second horse, Fleeceworks Royal, picking up just 1.2 time, “galloping around the course with ease.” Tamie is especially pleased with Royal, who was a YEH West Coast Champion last year and is hoping for great things for her. Tamie is happy to see how much her mare filled out and grew up this year. “It’s so rewarding and so fun watching the progression,” she said.
Robyn Fisher and Carol Singh’s Betawave. Photo Courtesy of Robyn Fisher.
John Michael Durr and Ruth Bley’s Mighty Smart had a mandatory retirement at fence 5, the rolltop to drop, which was especially unfortunate after a lovely dressage test yesterday put them in ninth. The horse landed awkwardly off the bank and went to its knees and fell. Both horse and rider are fine.
Time was a significant factor, moving Bella Mowbray from tenth to 16th with only 9.2 time. That made room for Robyn Fisher and Carol Singh’s 6-year-old Betawave, who jumped from 20th to 10th, meaning that they will round out the top 10 in tonight’s stadium jumping Gala.
“I have been fortunate enough to have the ride on Leta since she was 3 years old. Her owner, Carol Singh, called me back in 2012 and we’ve been lucky enough to have a great working relationship with an amazing athlete,” Robyn said. “Leta is definitely an overachiever that doesn’t like making mistakes or being in trouble. I think that’s one of the reasons her dressage development has come a little slower than the jumping.”
Robyn and Leta entered the Preliminary Challenge in preparation for the CCI* at Rebecca Farms. “I wanted her exposed to more atmosphere in the dressage ring with the long court and show jump ring. We joke that the cross country courses are her playground because she really plays while she gallops around!”
Erin Kellerhouse had a spectacular morning riding double clear on both her entries to move into seventh with Bill’s Midnight Magic, owned by John Herich, and into ninth with Whitney Tucker’s Chavez Ravine.
In the Preliminary Rider division, the top six remained unchanged here as well. Tristen Hooks and Learn to Fly went double clear in cross country to enter stadium tonight with less than a rail in hand. In a really tight division, only 3.2 faults separate riders from second to tenth. This means any rail is worth some significant change and prizes in the $15,000 Challenge.
Ruth Bley riding Rodrigue Du Granit and Julie Flettner riding Ping Pong are both sitting on a score of 30.1 for second place, but Ruth finished just one second under the optimum time on cross country, so she will take the tie breaker if they have identical performances in show jumping.
Ian Stark’s course rewarded forward riding, and the new terrain didn’t appear to take too many combinations off balance. If it did, they handled it quite gracefully, with more double clear rides than not.
The riders seem thrilled with Robert Kellerhouse’s production of the event. As Tamie says laughing, “It’s an amazing class with so much loot!” The opportunity for younger horses in the Preliminary Challenge Horse division to experience the bigger atmosphere is also something all the riders have been thankful for. “This class is unlike anything else,” echoes Frankie. “It’s amazing that all these sponsors stand behind Robert Kellerhouse and the Horse Park at Woodside to make this all possible.”
Stay tuned for the final installment of the Woodside Preliminary Challenge. Show jumping will take place during a highly-anticipated evening Gala, with the competition starting at 4:30 p.m. Pacific. The top ten in the Preliminary Challenge divisions will jump in reverse order of go starting at 6:2o p.m. Pacific.
Do you remember your introduction to eventing? We all had to start somewhere, and with more and more horse trials offering Intro and Starter divisions, there are plenty of opportunities for newcomers to the sport to have a positive, low-pressure experience with all the excitement and atmosphere of a sanctioned competition.
Galway Downs had such a good turnout for the Intro division during their Spring Horse Trials earlier this month, that the group was split into two classes. Ann Walbert and Mary Benson’s Hail Cactus were the winners of Intro A, and they went on to finish second in the YEH 4-year-old division the same weekend. Lauren Hayatian and Little Dude led Intro B from start to finish.
It is not often that we see horses and riders starting out in the sport getting their moment in the spotlight. That’s why we love that our friends at Ride On Video recently published several videos of Intro level competitors on course at Galway Downs. Whether it’s their first competition, an outing on an inexperienced horse or a return to the sport after time away, we’re glad they’ve joined us on this great journey!
Gabriella Yuschenkoff and Auburn Excell Brady‘s Coco Chanel had two clear jumping rounds with just time to add in stadium. They finished 6th in Intro A.
Adult amateur Laura Sweet and her own Strength of Ten Bears were fourth in Intro B with a double-clear cross country round.
Anderson Rogers and Gambler didn’t have the show jumping round they would have liked, but they put in a seriously classy performance on cross country. Well done!
Thanks Ride on Video for sharing these great rounds with us! Click here for the full results from Galway, and find more great action on Ride on Video’s website and YouTube channel.
What’s YOUR problem? Tweet it with the hashtag #EventerProblems for inclusion in the next edition of this series. And don’t forget to follow Eventing Nation on Twitter @eventingnation.
Ashley Kehoe has always had big ambitions of training and competing in Europe, and it’s a goal she’s been working toward for several years. Now, it seems the stars are aligning for her as she looks ahead to a new position riding for renowned event horse source Philipp Kolossa in Germany. So she’s packing her bags (and one horse) and moving to Germany next month, where she’ll no doubt be exposed to some of the best education in the business.
Ashley has spent the last two years riding and working for Pollard Eventing, a position she feels has groomed her appropriately for the next step in her career. “The plan with Michael and Nathalie was to be with them for a couple years,” she explained. “I’ve wanted to go to Europe to experience their event circuit and learn from the best riders in the world.”
Originally, Ashley planned to finish 2015 with the Pollards while competing her mare, D.A. Vittoria, at the three-star level. Earlier this year, however, Ashley made the decision to move her mare into the jumper ring, where she felt the horse was better suited.
“She was bred to be a Grand Prix jumper and is already very successful at the 1.30m level. Sadly, dressage was always a challenge for her. Unfortunately, our sport is so competitive now, mediocre dressage isn’t good enough anymore.”
With her upper-level competition plans on hold, Ashley knew the timing was right to begin seriously planning her trip to Europe. She has Jennie Brannigan, among many others, to thank for this new opportunity with Philipp, who is well-known for finding and producing top-tier event horses. Seeking out horses with a higher percentage of Thoroughbred blood, Philipp has proven time and time again that he has the eye for serious upper-level talent.
“Jennie told me that if she had gone and worked in Europe before going out on her own that she would have worked for Philipp,” Ashley said. “She called him and introduced us. I spent a day with him while I was in Europe for a week. Everything just fell into place, and I will be riding and competing young horses for him. He has sold a lot of horses to four-star riders that he’s started in his program. His goal is really to find the new superstar event horse.”
Ashley is no stranger to competing young horses, having competed for both Debbie Adams and Sharon White before joining the Pollards. “I was responsible for working with the young horses and sales horses at Pollard Eventing, so with the new skills I have learned from Michael and Nathalie, I feel even more confident going to Europe,” she said. “I also have the O’Connors to thank; I was lucky enough to train with them for six years as a young rider.”
Aside from the pure horse handling skills, Ashley is also leaving Florida more fit than she’s ever been thanks to mandatory team Crossfit outings three days a week. “Michael believes that his fitness has been a huge part of his success, and he wanted to share it with everyone on the team,” she explained. “I appreciate him sharing that aspect of strength training with me. I do think it has made me ride that much better.”
As far as her riding is concerned, Ashley has had a great deal of experience competing through the upper levels and has also had the chance to continually hone her skills at home. “Michael and Nathalie are both masters in their own right, and I’m really grateful for everything they have taught me, especially on the flat,” she said. “They train their horses to the highest standard, and you just learn to expect that from yourself and your horses.”
Ashley will be taking her younger horse, Cinco de Mayo, to Germany, looking to continue competing him up the levels while she is there. D.A. Vittoria will be staying behind to campaign and eventually be sold under Silvio Mazzoni.
Ashley is unsure of how long she will stay. Right now she is just grateful for the opportunity to focus on working with one of the best… If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!
Auf Wiedersehen, Ashley! We wish you and Cinco the best of luck in all of your endeavors overseas.
The small but mighty Advanced division at the Spring Event at Woodside will tackle Ian Stark’s redesigned cross country course this afternoon, with the first horse leaving the startbox at 1:00 p.m. Pacific. James Alliston and Tivoli lead the division after dressage with a a 27.4, and the EN fortune teller has picked them to win.
“[The course] uses the whole perimeter of the property so it should be a really galloping, forward course,” James said in an interview on the Woodside International Horse Trials Facebook page. “It looks really big, obviously. It’s an Ian Stark course. It looks impressive but hopefully if you ride forward and boldly, the horses will go well.”
This is Ian’s first year designing at Woodside and he has opened the course up to utilize areas of the 272-acre Horse Park that have never been used before, including what James calls a “significant loop” through the woods. A new water complex, through which the Advanced competitors jump twice, has also been added at the bottom of a steep grade by the road.
The West Coast is no stranger to Ian’s courses as he also designs at Galway Downs and the Event at Rebecca Farm. Riders know they have to “ride it like they stole it” from start to finish, but horses and riders alike finish brimming with confidence.
Good luck to the competitors this afternoon. Check out the full course walk below, brought to you by the fabulous Ann Haller.
