Classic Eventing Nation

Equine Canada Announces Updated Eventing Training Lists

By on May 4, 2015 12:43 pm -
Nikki Ayers and Rubicon. Photo by Jenni Autry. Nikki Ayers and Rubicon. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Equine Canada has announced the updated training lists for the Canadian eventing team. Jessica Phoenix and Selena O’Hanlon are the only riders named to the elite Elite squad, and a number of exciting combinations have been named to the National squad with the Pan American Games about two months away. The listed horses and riders are as follows:

Elite squad (based on 2014 CCI/CIC results)

Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High
Jessica Phoenix with A Little Romance and Pavarotti

National squad (based on 2014 CCI/CIC results and spring 2015 results)

James Atkinson and Nabouco de Lessay
Nikki Ayers and Rubicon
Peter Barry and Kilrodan Abbott
Diana Burnett and Bonner’s Chief
Kyle Carter with FR’s Trust Fund and Cooley Nothing Better B
Lesley Grant-Law and What Law
Katlyn Hewson and Fernhill Cascum Marco
Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master
Colleen Loach and Freespirit
Sean McIntosh and Wild T’Mater
Jessica Phoenix with Abbey GS and Bentley’s Best
Waylon Roberts and Kelecyn Cognac
Kathryn Robinson and Let It Bee
April Simmonds and Impressively Done
Karl Slezak and Fernhill Dutch Design
Cody Sturgess and Imperial Melody
David Ziegler and Critical Decision

[Canadian Eventing Training Group Lists]

A Look at the History of Badminton Trot Up Fashion

By on May 4, 2015 12:08 pm -
Bill Levett and Shannondale Titan. Photo courtesy of Fiona Scott-Maxwell.

Bill Levett and Shannondale Titan. Photo courtesy of Fiona Scott-Maxwell.

The 2nd of May 2014 dawned cool and cloudy, a chilly wind blew, but an intrepid crowd still gathered 10-deep — those at the front having arrived early with chairs, stools and thermoses — around the trot-up area in front of Badminton House.

Who was there? Eventing fans, punters … and fashion bloggers. For their fortitude they were rewarded with a largely tweedy fashion spectacle worthy of the catwalks of London or New York. In fact, rather better thanks to the fact that every ensemble sashaying down the gravel catwalk included the ultimate fashion accessory: a super-horse.

What followed was a social media frenzy of fashion commentary — a little surprising given eventers’ pragmatic affection for jeans and paddock boots. It isn’t quite like this at any other event. Why?

Possibly because there’s nothing quite like Badminton Horse Trials, held at Badminton House, the ancient stately seat of the Dukes of Beaufort. Badminton is one of only six CCI4* events in the world and is the second of the three legs of the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing.

It’s a grand spectacle attracting crowds of up to a quarter of a million — the largest for any paid-entry sporting event in the UK and the second largest in the world. It has an impressive history, having first been declared ‘the most important horse event in Britain’ in 1949.

The grooms’ canteen is in the original great Tudor Hall; the welcome drinks party is hosted by the Duke of Beaufort, one of England’s great peers; Princess Anne and her daughter Zara Phillips have been frequent competitors. If you win, the Queen of England shakes your hand.

Perhaps it’s no wonder competitors want to look their best.

‘A real sense of occasion’

Australian Bill Levett finished 10th at Rolex last month, competed at Badminton 2014 on two horses, and is also competing this year with Shannondale Titan. He came to the UK in the early 1990s and competed at his first Badminton shortly afterward.

“There’s a real sense of occasion created by the history of Badminton,” Bill said, “and there are all those things that as a rider I read about when I was younger ‚ like the cocktail party with the Duke and the trot-up in front of Badminton House — that create the sense of stepping into another era.”

How has the trot-up changed over the past 20 years?

“For my first four-star, which was at Burghley in 1994, I wore jeans, and for many, many years I think it was only really the girls who consistently made a statement in the trot-up with their dress sense. The guys were much more subdued,” Bill said. “However over the last half a dozen years or so the guys have taken to doing so more consistently as well. It’s my personal view that it’s a nice addition to the event when people express themselves through what they wear.”

Indeed, the trot-up fashion show has increasingly captured the imagination of audiences, adding a bit of bling to traditional Badminton. Last year’s Badminton trot-up style was dominated by tweed — jackets, coats and skirts — but there was great sartorial range, with short dresses and heeled boots at one end, Ludwig Svennerstal’s tuxedo at the other, and Bill Levett’s tweed jacket with the strikingly elegant orange lining somewhere in the middle.

“I grew up in rural Australia,” Bill says, “so I’m a bit of a cowboy. My favourite ‘anchor’ clothes are Australian RM Williams products; I just feel comfortable in them. A Hume in Scotland sponsors my trot-up outfits, and they have a great range of jackets and trousers so that the only problem is there are always too many combinations of jackets, shirts and trousers to choose between. But they’re super helpful in getting me sorted in a calm manner without panic!”

Archie Hume of A Hume says, “We know our eventing customers put a huge amount into preparing for competition, getting their horses into top condition. The horses at Badminton are the premiere equine athletes in the world, and they look it. I can see why the competitors want to complete the picture by wearing something they feel great in. We’re honored to be a part of that.”

What will Bill be wearing in 2015?

“I only get to do two to three four-stars per year, and every one is special, but Badminton is unique,” Bill says. “There’s the history and then there’s the buzz of putting myself up against the big track, of putting years of prep to the test. The way people dress for the trot up reflects that, and the surprise is part of the fun.”

‘It’s always been a spectacle’

Author Debby Sly, who wrote the definitive history of Badminton, Badminton Horse Trials: Official 50th Anniversary Celebration: The Triumphs and the Tears, spent months combing through the Badminton archive while researching her book.

“If you want a historical perspective, people have always gone to watch the trot up at Badminton; it’s always been a spectacle. There are plenty of black and white photos of people sitting on hay bales to get a better view. The trot up is a great opportunity for people to see the horses close up in the flesh, without their tack, to really appreciate these incredible horses.”

But was it always a fashion show?

Debby explains, “I think people have generally always been smartly dressed out of respect, but the number of cameras you see at the event today has encouraged people to put that much more thought into their Badminton trot-up outfits. Now you see some of the younger competitors tweeting about their outfits long before the competition — something I as a horse person would be far too superstitious to do!”

Winning Badminton is the sort of thing young pony girls dream about as they drift off to sleep, the stuff of bowed heads, pressed hands, and whispered prayers, and dressing beautifully for the trot-up has become part of that dream.

Check out EN’s photo gallery from last year’s trot up at Badminton at this link and stay tuned for our full coverage of Badminton starting Wednesday! Go Eventing.

Caption That to Win a One K Defender Bling Helmet

By on May 4, 2015 10:30 am -
Lainey Ashker and Anthony Patch after completing Rolex. Photo courtesy of Hannah Cardew. Lainey Ashker and Anthony Patch after completing Rolex. Photo courtesy of Hannah Cardew.

We’re bringing back our famous Caption That! contest for a bit of Rolex rewind this morning, thanks to our fantastic sponsor, One K Helmets. One K sponsored riders Lainey Ashker and Colleen Rutledge at Rolex last weekend, and we found this great photo of Lainey and Anthony Patch after their clear show jumping round to complete their weekend.

We know Lainey is giving credit to her “butterfly” of an OTTB, but the expression on Al’s face is pretty great too. So with that in mind, we want to know how you’d caption this photo. In exchange for the best caption, we’ll be giving away a One K Defender Bling helmet, which Lainey rocks on a regular basis.

Here’s what you need to do:

Send in your best caption (one entry per person, please) to [email protected] no later than Thursday, May 7 at 5 p.m. EST. We’ll put a group of finalists through to a vote and will announce the winner over the weekend. Easy enough, right?

Thanks to One K Helmets for sponsoring this contest — we can’t wait to see what you come up with!

 

Thoroughbred Makeover Sneak Peek Wows Crowds at Rolex

By on May 4, 2015 9:31 am -

Emily Daignault-Salvaggio rode her new OTTB Gin Joint in the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover Preview at Rolex, where riders like Lynn Symansky and Dorothy Crowell offered commentary on the five demo horses. Read on for her full recap. Many thanks to Emily for writing and to John Salvaggio of JAS Photography for the great photos. Go OTTBs!

Nuno Santos and RapsandTaps. Photo by JAS Photography.

Nuno Santos and RapsandTaps. Photo by JAS Photography.

From the “Sport of Kings to the Kings of Sport.” It’s a catchy slogan to go along with a challenging concept of a competition. Steuart Pittman’s brainchild, The Retired Racehorse Project, has gone from a special localized event for the past few years to an explosive wide open marquee event in 2015.

Gone are the days of 10 to 20 hand-picked trainers with OTTB experience in a variety of disciplines and skills. In 2015 the RRP’s Thoroughbred Makeover is open to an expected maximum of over 330 horses competing in a show setting to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park on October 23-25, the concurrent weekend with the Mid South Combined Training Association’s Team Challenge.

Many disciplines will be featured, including hunters, jumpers, eventing, dressage, fox hunting, polo, trail class, ranch work, and the catch all for the others, “freestyle.” So as a preview event for the 2015 edition, five of the entered Thoroughbred Makeover horses came to Lexington during Rolex to be shown off to the eventing fans.

It seems simple to just load up a horse and take it to a new place, ask it to do its job in front of crowds and new settings, have a nice time and go home. But when you factor in that a mainstay of this competition is that NONE of the entered horses had more than 15 post track life retraining rides as of mid-January, well, things get more interesting. So your best case scenario for this demonstration was a horse that could have been approved as a competitor in mid-January and now has a whopping three months of training rides.

That’s not a lot of time under a Thoroughbrd’s belt. In this field of five there were horses that had had every bit of that three month time frame, then there were others who had not had that much time. The horses in this demonstration ranged in age from 3 to 6 years old. Some were very successful on the track and others were not.

The format was simple: ride around individually and show off the flat work you had as Steuart spoke to the crowd about you, your horse and your goals. If your horse jumped, it did so with the other two jumpers so that all the jumping was at once. If it did trail stuff, you worked and showed its talents with the crowd solely focused on you. And if it did only dressage, you’re on your own to show it off as well.

Nuno Santos and RapsandTaps. Photo by JAS Photography.

Nuno Santos and RapsandTaps. Photo by JAS Photography.

Nuno Santos and RapsandTaps

Nuno Santos, a former exercise rider and assistant trainer for the great Bobby Frankel who has now reverted back to his dressage roots from Portugal, is a trainer based in Maryland who was up first. He has the 5-year-old stallion by Tapit (current stud fee: $300,000) named RapsandTaps entered in the makeover.

Interestingly the horse is still owned by his race owners, Merriefield Stables. He’s a dressage horse now with a lovely natural frame and self-carriage that will likely take his rider into good stead in October. The young grey showed his flashy movements and seemed to embrace the crowd’s attentions on him as he flaunted his wares for all to see. Steuart made mention as he commentated that Nuno is a natural settling a horse and true to this the horse and rider looked fabulous in all moments of their time in front of the crowd.

What was interesting to see was Nuno’s rock solid vertical position. MANY exercise riders can lose their upper body position due to countless hours in two point over the backs of racehorses. It is a challenge to remember where to keep your body when changing between two very different disciplines. Nuno’s dressage roots serve him so very well. He is such a nice rider to watch and for a few moments I found myself really appreciating dressage done well on a lovely naturally talented horse.

 

Hillary Irwin and Nutello. Photo by JAS Photography.

Hillary Irwin and Nutello. Photo by JAS Photography.

Hillary Irwin and Nutello

Hillary Irwin is already well established in her eventing career. She is the owner of Hillary Irwin Eventing based in Elkin, North Carolina, and has a decent sized stable of active eventers. Add to that, she has made a connection with top tier trainer Graham Motion’s Herringswell Stables and was able to acquire Nutello when the gelding was retired with a minor tendon injury. It helps to have good connections to source horses from, and Graham’s barn is among the best.

This came at the end of “Mo’s” career that notched $416,364 in earnings over four seasons of turf racing.  The Lemon Drop Kid gelding was born in Kentucky but started his race career in France; only later did he return to the U.S. and land in Motion’s barn. Irwin picked him up and brought him south to her base and rehabbed the leg.

But as luck would have it, she broke her foot when the time had come to start Mo back. So a little bit longer of a delay kicked the beginning of their full work to mid-February. Well to be fair he did get worked by Hillary a bit while her foot was broken. She didn’t know it and so did three weeks of work with him before her doctor finally benched her.

Now months later her work and the geldings class are showing him off to be a fine prospect for her future. He is a bay with some very nice movement, and his “been there, done that” mentality is quick to appreciate. When the rain poured down on us Saturday morning, Hillary and Mo showed that steady eddies are vastly under-appreciated in favor of the big and flashy horses that surround them.

Over fences Mo is game and Hillary’s long career of training with the who’s who of almost every discipline made her equitation something I longed to recapture in my own riding. They’re entered in the eventing discipline for October, and I imagine they’ll be right in the thick of things.

 

Amy Lent and Face of Glory. Photo by JAS Photography.

Amy Lent and Face of Glory. Photo by JAS Photography.

Amy Lent and Face of Glory

Amy Lent is a Kentucky resident and she may have had the shortest trip to travel, but given the trail class amenities she needed to bring to show off her horse, Face of Glory, she definitely hauled the most stuff to the horse park. Among her tricks and paraphernalia were a mock cow on wheels, a series of boxes that “Glory” had to step up and down like stairs, a Spanish pole that she held and circled the horse around, and a PVC pipe frame of a “curtain” of pool noodles that they rode through. (Side note, I tried and Gin would go absolutely nowhere near those noodle things!)

Amy is an experienced trainer in a variety of disciplines and retrains many horses out of her Nicholasville home base. She has three horses entered in the makeover, all of whom she adopted from Second Stride based in Crestwood, Kentucky. She will be competing Glory in the trail class, the working ranch class and if he’s ready by then, she will drive him in the freestyle.

Glory and Amy clearly have a working partnership, and this will serve them well as they polish the skills that already have great foundations. More impressive was that Amy was unable to do much before March given the difficult winter that Kentuckians faced.

To see a young horse like him twirl around a long pole dragging on the ground and to literally pull a rolling fake cow with fake (but real enough!) horns right at him, was truly impressive. It’s easy to get lost in an English-centric world, but when you watch a young western horse learning to work and perform with so many different challenges, it’s awesome to see that kind of versatility.

 

Jordan Pruiksma and Fullback. Photo by JAS Photography.

Jordan Pruiksma and Fullback. Photo by JAS Photography.

Jordan Pruiksma and Fullback

Jordan Pruiksma had the challenge of the youngest horse in Fullback, a 3-year-old regally bred son of Bernardini who was owned by her employer, Darley. She broke “Stellar” at the Aiken branch of the famed racing stables. He was always the one to her that she adored. He would hug her as she put his bridle on and she put her name in for consideration if he was he ever to need a home.

Darley is well known in Europe for having one of, if not the best, re-homing programs for their horses. It’s not hard to acquire a failed runner from Darley abroad. But here in the States, the Darley rehoming venture still exists primarily among those who work for the company and those who are friends of Darley and its people.

As such right around Christmas time Jordan got the best gift of all: a late 2-year-old gelding with whom she already had formed a bond. Fullback had proven to be slower than his exceptional breeding so he was given to Jordan. Now in the mere five months since she has had him, they have already gone out and won a small combined test in Aiken, demolishing the Amoeba CT division with Stellar living up to his name in dressage.

She works with Kristin Schmolze at home and was lucky to have her at Rolex to warm her up for the first demo ride as well. There are a lot of really big name riders who we were lucky enough to have come and commentate with Steuart during our demos. All of them walked away trying to talk Jordan into parting with Stellar, and all of them failed.

It can’t hurt to have Lynn Symansky, Laine Ashker and Dorothy Crowell trying to convince you to sell something you’ve only had five months. But it’s even better still to be able to smile and say, “No thanks.” He really is a special horse. We all watched as in the first demo he did his first in and out. Jordan thinks he’ll be headed to the hunter class and maybe the eventing in October, but as young as he is, she’s playing it by ear.

 

Emily Daignault-Salvaggio and Gin Joint. Photo by JAS Photography.

Emily Daignault-Salvaggio and Gin Joint. Photo by JAS Photography.

Emily Daignault-Salvaggio and Gin Joint

Last of the group was me on my gelding Gin Joint. He’s a 6-year-old by Macho Uno out of a Cozzene mare and he was bred by Adena Springs. Right before we shipped to Kentucky, two of his former exercise riders from Canada found me online and confirmed for me that “Gin” has always been foot perfect and extremely calm and quiet, even as far back as when he was a 2-year-old running at Woodbine in stakes races.

He’s a cool horse to be sure and the best thing about him is that he is ready and willing to do it all. He is a talented horse but a few notches behind the others. All of them had their last races in 2014. He had his eight weeks before Rolex. He’s done a lot of great work in that time, and I was extremely proud of the calm and cool work he did in Kentucky. He’s a nice mover but he’s a fantastic jumper. He never did a thing wrong, and he was green once at a jump and the next time through he was way over it. How can you not love a horse like that?

The demos drew a great crowd on Friday afternoon and Lynn Symansky joined Steuart to add commentary on our five horses. She was impressed with all of them and the horses seemed to step up a bit in the presence of the rider who would finish as the top placed rider on an OTTB on Sunday. Lynn had great things to say about training OTTBs, about the experience of living through numerous people who told her to give up on Donner, and about how Thoroughbreds really can do it all.

On Saturday we were demoing to a smaller crowd. The moved-up start time for cross country and the torrential downpours greatly affected our attendance. The horses didn’t care and they performed brilliantly given the awfully cold rain. The riders were all bundled inside of rain coats, and the crowds were populated with ponchos and umbrellas.

Dorothy Crowell was our commentator du jour and she too was taken with all five of the horses. Dorothy and Molokai are still icons of the sport of eventing, and Dorothy knows well what a Thoroughbred can do and how to develop one. She gave us great comments about progressing through the basic training and what she does in her own training system.

Side note: Dorothy is now going to be competing in the Makeover herself with a Thoroughbred she chose on Sunday from the Secretariat Center. So it’ll be interesting to see how she and her chosen horse bond by October as well.

The Makeover competition is still six months away. That’s a lot of time in a horse’s training life. The RRP website has blogs for all of the competitors entered and you can read them and follow their progress at this link.

Some well-known riders like Colleen Rutledge will be competing, and many horses will be highlighted and then some will be sold after this competition. We hope all of these demo horses show up again and progress to succeed in their chosen disciplines. I can’t imagine how it will be with 330 horses with nine months or less of training all in one place. But I am inspired when I think of the scope of this return in popularity of Thoroughbreds as dominant horses in sports.

Thoroughbreds are an all-around capable breed, and more folks need to see it in action. It could be a star like Donner, an icon like Molokai or a future barrel racing superstar; nothing is limiting their abilities. Thoroughbreds really do deserve a consideration for any task. This event will be just the place to see what they can do.

RRP Thoroughbred Makeover Links: Website, Competitor Blogs, Volunteer Info, Sponsor Info

Four of the Thoroughbred Makeover horses mentioned above have Facebook pages! Be sure to link them to follow along with their progress as they prepare for the competition: Nutello, Fullback, Face of Glory and Gin Joint.

Monday News and Notes from Success Equestrian

By on May 4, 2015 12:10 am -
The dry-erase board in the restroom at Southern 8ths Farm. Photo via Amanda Miller Atkins Facebook page The dry-erase board in the restroom at Southern 8ths Farm. Photo via Amanda Miller Atkins Facebook page

Some of us first discovered this sport when the long format was standard, and others got started after the long format disappeared at the international level. I identify with the former, and I have always longed (pun both intended and not) to ride in a traditional three-day event. I haven’t gotten there quite yet, but I did have the opportunity to help run one this weekend at the Heart of the Carolinas Three-Day in South Carolina. It was a profound experience on many levels, and I can say with certainty that I’ve never seen such big smiles from human and equine competitors. Organizer Cindy Deporter posted the following comment from a competitor, who summed it up like this: “From the day we arrived to the day we left we felt like we were part of of one big family and enjoyed the family all weekend. Everyone was friendly and nice and helpful with always a smile. That is what we strive for – a big family that is doing something we all love.”

U.S. Weekend Action:

MCTA H.T. [Results]

Heart of the Carolinas Three-Day & H.T. [3-Day Results] [HT Results]

Poplar Place Farm May H.T. [Results]

Greenwood Farm CIC/CCI & H.T. [Results]

Penny Oaks H.T. [Results]

Monday News and Notes:

It’s time to vote for this year’s Rolex Top Dog! We’ve teamed up with World Equestrian Brands to offer this year’s winner a Mattes Gold Half Pad with rear trim. Our finalists are as adorable as ever this year, so get to voting! The poll will close on Monday, May 3 at 5 p.m. EST. [Rolex Top Dog Voting]

We need your help picking the lucky winner of our #TredstepSoloMakeover winner. We received so many wonderful entries that it was hard enough to select our six finalists! Now it’s up to you to choose the winner. Voting closes on Tuesday, May 4 at 5 p.m. EST. [#TredstepSoloMakeover Voting]

Got allergies? The pollen count this spring has been nearly unbearable. Everything is yellow, and no amount of allergy meds seem helpful. But Shetland ponies may contribute to eventual relief thanks to their contribution to scientific research. Their immune response to insect bites is helping scientists understand how people could be prevented from developing allergies. [Shetland pony midge study]

The whole shebang. Kentucky.com asked attendants at the Derby whether they were their for the race or the festivities. The answer was “the whole shebang, baby.” There is quite a lot of history and tradition surrounding the Derby, and it is no secret the infield hosts the party of the year. [What the Derby-goers came for]

Eventing magazine. The June issue of Britain’s Eventing magazine will be the last. Horse and Hound  will now produce more eventing content in print and online to substitute. [Britain’s Eventing magazine to cease publication]

Feeding the OTTB. Feeding Thoroughbreds can be tricky, and those fit animals from the track can be particularly high maintenance (sometimes!). What is important is to understand how he was fed during his time on the track, and how his nutritional needs differ once he begins his new life. [The ins and outs of feeding the OTTB]

Monday Video: Ride Phases A through D at Heart of the Carolinas.

Sally Cousins Takes Home MCTA Advanced Win + Other Scores

By on May 3, 2015 5:00 pm -
Sally Cousins and Abecca GS. Photo by Jenni Autry. Sally Cousins and Abecca GS. Photo by Jenni Autry.

There’s no rest for event riders, as many regrouped this week to compete after just finishing up at Rolex last weekend. The Advanced group at MCTA featured two Rolex riders: Sally Cousins and Colleen Rutledge, who finished first and second aboard Abecca GS and Escot 6, respectively.

Sally led from start to finish, earning a 31.1 in the dressage aboard the McCue’s Trakehner mare and adding just 10 time penalties to their overall score on cross country. This is the third Advanced run for Abecca GS, who most recently finished sixth at Fair Hill.

Colleen stayed in second for the weekend, picking up four penalties in the show jumping and adding 4.8 time on cross country to finish on a 48.6. Colleen is prepping Escot 6 for his first CCI3* at Jersey Fresh next weekend, and this weekend’s result should have Colleen feeling confident going into Jersey.

Wrapping up the top three in the MCTA Advanced are Babette Lenna and Little Oliver. These two have been competing together at the Intermediate and Advanced level for quite awhile now, and they did pick up a 20 on cross country but will likely still be pleased with their overall result.

MCTA: Live Scores

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Ryan Wood and Woodstock Bennett took home the top placing in the Intermediate at MCTA, which was quite competitive after the first phase when many pairs dipped into the 20s. Ryan and Woodstock Bennett were one of just four pairs to go double clear in the show jumping, which was rewarded with a move up to first place. A clear cross country with a handful of time assured them the win.

Early leaders Courtney Cooper and R Star picked up four penalties in the show jumping, which dropped them down to second place, but they laid down one of the fastest times of the day on cross country to finish strong.

Paige Crotty and Cooley Dawn Raid round out the Intermediate top three, also putting in a double clear effort in the show jumping and picking up just a bit too much time to hold themselves in second. This is this pair’s second Intermediate together and they improved from an eighth place finish in their debut at the level. Well done, Paige!

Screenshot_2In Texas, Margaret Stocker and Second Hand Rose won the CIC2* at Greenwood, moving up from second with a clear cross country and the only double clear show jumping round of the division. This is Margaret and Second Hand Rose’s debut at the CIC2* level, so we’re sure they’re enjoying a well deserved celebration this evening.

In second place in the CIC2* are Lida McAllister and Flagmount’s Harmony. This was also a debut for this Texas based pair, who have enjoyed success at the Intermediate level before moving up to the FEI level. These two added four penalties in show jumping and 5.6 time on cross country to finish on a 71.8.

Ellen Doughty-Hume and Sea Accounts finish out this small division, taking the lead after dressage but running into a bit of trouble in the show jumping and cross country. Ellen remarked on her Facebook page that she and the Thoroughbred stallion owned by Cynthia Debracy had a disagreement on speed on cross country — clearly the horse is quite fit, which is definitely a plus!

Greenwood: Live Scores

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Finally this weekend, Arden Wildasin and Il Vici picked up the win in the Open Intermediate at Poplar Place, moving up from fourth place with the fastest time on cross country. This pair most recently finished 7th in the CIC* at The Fork last month.

Nilson Moreira da Silva and Muggle also enjoyed a move up, from fifth to second, thanks to a quick footed cross country round. Muggle has had just a bit of time off since finishing fourth in the CIC3* at Poplar earlier this spring, and this weekend looks to be a strong performance for this pair.

William Hoos and Brookfield Cult King were good for third place in this division, holding the early lead but picking up 11.6 time on cross country to drop two places. William and Brookfield Cult King last completed the CCI2* at Ocala International last month.

Poplar Place: Live Scores

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Weekly OTTB Wishlist from Cosequin

By on May 3, 2015 3:00 pm -

OTTBs are among the most prominently represented breed in the eventing world. Each day, hundreds of ex-racehorses find themselves at the end of their racing career and in need of a new home. Luckily, organizations such as CANTER, New Vocations, Recycled Racehorses, and many more are always on alert for new horses that are ready for second careers. Each week, we'll be bringing you a few OTTB ads that caught our eye. Keep an eye out here for your next eventing superstar!

Now that we’re mostly recovered from our Rolex hangover — ok, who are we kidding, that’s a hangover that lasts for a year! — it’s time to get back to the real world, which obviously means lots of horse window shopping, right? For those of you who are feeling particularly inspired from watching all of the OTTBs romp around Kentucky, here is a bit more motivation to get your next leg up on your goals.

Photo via CANTER Illinois.

Photo via CANTER Illinois.

Our first handsome guy this week is T Hop, a noble looking 4-year-old gelding with 16 starts on his record. T Hop (Sun King – Ima Halo, by Glomar) can be traced back to the gutsy Derby winner, Charismatic. He last raced on April 21 and is said to be sound on clean legs, although he does appear to be allergic to the bulk sawdust used at the track.

Check out more on T Hop on CANTER Illinois here.

Photo via the Maker's Mark Secretariat Center.

Photo via the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center.

Our next featured horse (can you tell we are loving the black bays this week?) is available for adoption through the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center in Lexington, Ky. Carry Forward (Bernardini – Carry On Katie, by Fasliyev) is a 2012 model who is unraced but regally bred. Carry Foward is a new arrival at the MMSC, so he will spend some time letting down and exploring his new home before more information is available.

Find out more about this easy on the eyes fella here.

Photo via CANTER Mid Atlantic.

Photo via CANTER Mid Atlantic.

Finally this week is a sweet looking girl named D’Time (D’wildcat – Lil’s Time, by Gilded Time), a 2010, 16hh mare available through CANTER Mid Atlantic at Charlestown in West Virginia. This girl has raced 41 times and is said to be sound and looking for her next career. With that bright eye, she looks like she’d be a great and intelligent prospect for her new owner!

Check out D’Time on CANTER Mid Atlantic here.

Vote for the Winner of the #TredstepSoloMakeover

By on May 3, 2015 1:00 pm -
Image courtesy of Tredstep Ireland. Image courtesy of Tredstep Ireland.

We had some really incredible submissions to our first ever Instagram contest this past weekend. We asked you to nominate someone going to Rolex who you felt deserved a show outfit makeover from Tredstep Ireland‘s new Solo Collection. In an effort to make their trip even more memorable, we’re outfitting someone with a Solo Pro Show Coat, Solo Competition Shirt and Solo Competition Breeches.

We received 40 submissions for this contest, and we had an incredibly difficult time selecting our finalists. So now we need your help, EN. We’ve chosen the following five finalists as people who really stand out to us, but we want you to be the deciding factor to choose the winner.

Check out our final nominations below, and vote in the poll for your favorite. Voting is blocked to prevent multiple votes, so please vote just once and share this post on your social media channels to encourage more votes. Be sure to tag Tredstep Ireland in your posts so they can see your enthusiasm.

So get to voting! We’ll close the poll on Wednesday May 6 at 5 p.m. EST and will announce the winner the following day in News & Notes. Good luck to all of our finalists, and thank you all for your submissions!

Here are your finalists:

 

1. Claire Tyner White, nominated by Jonathan White:

 

 

2. Katie Eckert, nominated by Kristen Goncharoff:

 

 

3. Drew Kemerling, nominated by her mother:

 

 

4. Indra Rapinchuk-Souccar, nominated by Eva Gray:

 

One of my dearest friends has already had the ride of her life and she’s only 16 years old. Indra has been an inspiration to me ever since I met her, because she has perserved in the face of every obstacle and every fall of her life. Just this past year, Indra lost her old childhood pony, Allegro, and had a tragic accident during cross country at an event this winter in which she lost her best friend Abby: the horse who kept her going for over 4 years. Indra remarkably survived the accident (however she had to be cut out of all her old show clothes) and plans on riding as soon as she recovers from her broken leg and fractured pelvis, among other things. Indra will be at Rolex this year (with her crutches) as the most dedicated horse woman I know. She deserves to win this contest and I hope her story is one that will inspire others to keep going. @goeventing I nominate @indrarowan because this makeover could help her give the fresh start she deserves, and I think it could make her trip to Rolex even more memorable. #TredstepSoloMakeover

A photo posted by Eva Gray (@evaggabrielle) on

 

5. Vickie, nominated by Instagram user ad_monk:

 

 

6. Glendon Crain, nominated by Stormy Daniels-Crain:

 

 

 

 

Watch American Pharoah Win the 141st Kentucky Derby

By on May 3, 2015 11:00 am -

Congrats to American Pharoah! Watch his Kentucky Derby winning run here!Full coverage –> bit.ly/DerbyCoverage

Posted by SB Nation on Saturday, May 2, 2015

The most exciting two minutes in sports have come and gone, and the 141st Kentucky Derby champion has been crowned. Sent off as the 5-2 favorite, American Pharoah stamped himself as a classic champion after out dueling a valiant Firing Line to cross the finish line in front with Victor Espinoza up.

This was the fifth victory in six starts for American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile – Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentleman), the Two-Year-Old Male Champion from 2014. Trainer Bob Baffert had himself a great day at the office, also finishing third with Dortmund.

Fun fact about jockey Victor Espinoza — you may remember him from the Derby last year on a little horse called California Chrome. That’s right, this marks two consecutive Derby victories for Victor.

We’re pretty impressed the American Pharoah’s classical good looks and easy running style. Of course, we’d rather see him dominating a cross country course, but watching him blaze down the stretch will have to suffice for now!

Did your pick win the Derby this year, EN? Do you think American Pharoah has what it takes to win the ever-elusive Triple Crown?

Bunnie Sexton Proves Age is Just a Number at Rolex

By on May 3, 2015 9:00 am -
Bunnie Sexton and Rise Against. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Bunnie Sexton and Rise Against. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Bunnie Sexton’s original Rolex Rookie debut in 2014 may have been pushed back a year, but she finally got her chance last weekend after the stars aligned for her to have a nearly perfect weekend in Kentucky. Now, she’s become a heroine to the eventing community, showing us all that dreams are something you should always chase.

Bunnie, 54, and her 16-year-old OTTB, Rise Against, went on to complete their first CCI4* in stylish fashion, finishing 24th overall on a weekend that validated the hard work Bunnie has been putting in for years to get to this point.

“I was a nervous wreck,” Bunnie said of her very first Rolex horse inspection. “I was so afraid that the vets would see something I had missed. I knew I didn’t have anything to worry about, but I just couldn’t help thinking that I’d come all this way just to screw it up. Luckily they were kind enough to say he was accepted right away!”

“I couldn’t help but hope for a little better in the dressage,” she continued. “In the warm-up he had been so good, but then all of the sudden I went to use my spur for a lead change in our test and opened a can of worms.”

“Ecko” is a sensitive type, usually taking most of his cues from Bunnie’s seat and leg, so by using her spur he immediately became more tense. “He had been late behind in his practice test, so it was an overreaction from me to slide my leg back and use the spur when I usually just have to switch my hips, and he felt betrayed. From then on, it was just about trying to contain what I had.”

Rise Against hasn’t had a cross country jump penalty on his FEI record since 2013, and Bunnie’s intention was to keep it that way as she prepared for her first Rolex cross country. With the weather keeping riders on their toes in the days leading up to Saturday, Bunnie felt the nerves returning in anticipation of her draw spot about halfway through the field.

“By the time I went, it was getting a little scary,” she recalled. “When I went to the warm-up, they told me I needed bigger studs, but I had put in all I had. We’d try to buy bigger, but there were none. So I just decided to go cautiously — and I was so surprised to find how normal it felt.”

Indeed, Bunnie and Ecko cruised around a soggy cross country course in true style, looking like they were having the time of their life out there. “I expected to go out there and get by on the skin of my teeth,” Bunnie said with a laugh. “But by the time we got to what I was calling the ‘Voldemort jump — the jump that shall not be named,’ the coffin — I thought ‘Oh my God, I have a four-star horse.'”

Bunnie Sexton and Rise Against. Photo by Kasey Mueller.

Bunnie Sexton and Rise Against. Photo by Kasey Mueller.

“I honestly did not expect to go clear my first time,” she said. “I didn’t try for time; I wanted to go fast but we did slip a little coming out of the Hollow so I eased up a bit as I’d heard it was a little worse coming home. I think it’s really prudent not to clock watch on your first time, and I didn’t want to do anything to hurt my horse so I made it a point not to look at my watch.”

The pair ran like veterans, gaining more and more confidence as they went. “It just made me so proud of him and proud of myself, to see that the hard work I had been putting in was validated. In the past, I would have shortened to some of those jumps and chickened out but I went out saying that forward was the way to go, and I’m proud of myself for not picking him into everything.”

Show jumping day dawned, and once again Bunnie and her OTTB were accepted on presentation to the ground jury. Now just one phase stood between them and their first Rolex completion.

“There’s a little of a backstory behind our rail in show jumping,” Bunnie laughed. “In the warm-up, there was a tarp to help people with a liverpool type jump. I had jumped the jump next to it right as someone was picking the tarp up, and Ecko got a little nervous. So then I got paranoid that my horse was going to stop at the liverpool — which he’s never done before — so I got too aggressive and overrode that jump in the arena. The poor guy had no chance.”

Aside from that small bobble, though, Bunnie and Ecko jumped a lovely round with just the four penalties added to officially complete their first four-star together. It was a heady moment for Bunnie, who just felt privileged to be there.

“A big standout moment for me was coming out of the ring and seeing my daughter, who is a rider herself and has had her share of setbacks, and knowing that my weekend had made things seem possible in her mind,” Bunnie said. “The coolest thing I’ve gotten out of this is the people in their 20s who come up to me and say they thought they wouldn’t have an eventing career due to their age or having kids — and that’s crazy!”

Bunnie and her daughter, Maddie at the show jump in-gate. Photo courtesy of JJ Sillman Photography.

Bunnie and her daughter, Maddie at the show jump in-gate. Photo courtesy of JJ Sillman Photography.

“There are plenty of people who are older — just because you aren’t there showing doesn’t mean you aren’t putting in the work at home. Just because your horse is unconventional doesn’t mean he can’t make it.”

Bunnie is already planning her second turn at Rolex, where she hopes to show the judges that she and Ecko can put in a competitive dressage test. That will be her homework for the rest of the year, after a well-deserved vacation for Ecko, of course. She’s also got her sights set on a four-star in Europe at some point.

At the end of the day, Bunnie is happy to have her first Rolex completion under her belt, and she was never seen without a beaming smile on her face the entire weekend. “I just had so much fun,” she said. “I’ve never met an office staff that was so patient with all of my ridiculous questions — they anticipated what I would need as a first-timer and were really, really great to me. Everyone was so helpful, even though we all compete against each other, and I just had the best time.”

Bunnie continues to be an inspiration to eventers from all walks of life, and she definitely made some new fans this weekend. For her, the weekend was a big success, and she just feels happy to have had the opportunity. “The point of any athletic endeavor is to inspire, and to have that kind of effect on people’s lives is truly an honor. I feel privileged to have been there.”