I don’t know about you, but I about fell out of my seat laughing when I saw the first part of Evention TV’s “How Horses Eat Their Food.” It’s scary how accurate Dom and Jimmie’s portrayals of various horse eating personalities are. Well, now the dynamic duo is back with another edition of “How Horses Eat Their Food,” and I dare say that this one may even be better than the first. Enjoy!
Buck Davidson and Petite Flower. Photo by Sally Spickard.
The leaderboard certainly saw some changes this afternoon as the CIC3* division show jumped. As Jenni reported earlier, Marc Donovan’s course was challenging and required accurate, forward riding. It seems that this morning’s bogey fence, fence four, was replaced by fence 6A this afternoon. 6A was part of an in-and-out that came five strides after fence 5. Some horses seemed to come in to the in-and-out with a bit too much power, and the fence took many hard rubs and quite a few fallen rails. All in all, 11 out of 43 pairs in the CIC3* jumped double clear today. Michael Pollard and Ballingowan Pizazz will lead the field going into cross country, followed by Doug Payne and Crown Talisman, and Jan Byyny and Inmidair.
Will Coleman and Conair. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Will Coleman came into show jumping having speculated in yesterday’s press conference that show jumping may be the biggest question mark on Conair’s resume. Unfortunately, Conair knocked rails at fences 5 and 6A, dropping him down to 11th place. Knowing that Conair may benefit from some more fine tuning in the show jumping, I’m sure Will is already at work formulating a strategy to get all cylinders clicking.
Marilyn Little and RF Demeter. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Marilyn Little and RF Demeter jumped a lovely, fluid round to move into fifth place. I can’t say enough about how amazing Demi looks this year, and I think we are all in for a treat as we watch her continue to campaign with Marilyn.
Holly Payne and Santino. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Buck Davidson, in true Buck fashion, piloted three of his four CIC3* rides to double clear rounds: Ballynoe Castle RM, Petite Flower and Park Trader. Petite Flower will be the highest place horse for Buck going into cross country; she will go into sixth place after show jumping. Ballynoe Castle RM is not too far behind his stablemate with a move into equal seventh with Jon Holling and Downtown Harrison. Park Trader is a bit farther down in the standings, but still within striking range in 12th place overnight.
Rachel Jurgens and Ziggy. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Rachel Jurgens and Ziggy had a huge cheering section today, and I could hear the cheers from all the way back by the media tent after she finished.
We will continue to add more videos to this post as they upload, so keep checking back! Go Carolina.
Michael Pollard and Ballingowan Pizazz:
Doug Payne and Crown Talisman. Disclaimer: Please excuse my moment of clarity when I saw Doug taking a daring inside turn through the Stonehenge complex!
Jan Byyny and Inmidair:
Boyd warms up Shamwari 4 under the watchful eye of David O'Connor. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Boyd Martin and the Shamwari Syndicate’s Shamwari 4 were on their A game this morning. I was able to see the tail end of Boyd’s warm-up with David O’Connor, and I overheard Boyd remark that Shamwari’s changes were beautiful so far. The horse continued to warm up wonderfully, and looked ready to put on a show in the dressage arena.
Shamwari did not fail to disappoint, and Boyd piloted him to score a 25.9 to lead the division currently. There are still a few riders left to ride the Advanced dressage today, so Boyd may have some late challengers.
Two other pairs have so far cracked into the twenties as well: Lauren Kieffer and RF Cosmina (27.7) and Courtney Cooper with Who’s a Star (29.1). The scores are still coming in, so the final dressage results are still pending.
Here is a video of Boyd and Shamwari’s dressage test:
Michael Pollard and Ballingown Pizazz. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Happy Friday from Carolina International! We have a lunch break at the halfway point of CIC3* show jumping, which works out beautifully to bring you a quick update. As always, Marc Donovan’s course is top notch, and we’ve seen a good number of clears so far in the division. Overnight leaders Jan Byyny and Inmidair will slip down the standings a bit after pulling a rail at fence 4, which will give Will Coleman and Conair a chance to take the lead if they jump clear after the break. Will said yesterday show jumping is not Joey’s strong suit, so the pressure is on to produce a clear.
Doug Payne and Crown Talisman. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Michael Pollard and Ballingowan Pizazz were one of the pairs to jump double clear later in the morning, which is particularly impressive considering Michael got a bit lost after the first fence. After turning to the right by mistake, he quickly re-routed in the correct direction back to the left and produced a lovely clear without time penalties. Michael and Mango move into second place provisionally, and they’ll hold the overnight lead should Will and Joey have a rail. Doug Payne and Crown Talisman and Sharon White and Under Suspection will stay inside the top five overnight thanks to jumping clear.
Sharon White and Under Suspection. Photo by Jenni Autry.
We’ve seen a lot of hard rubs at fence two and the final fence — both verticals — and the natural oxer off a bend at fence four is proving to be an interesting question due to its placement right next to the brand new Stonehenge combination. We saw rails fall there quite a bit this morning. Marc usually provides an option in his courses, and he did so again today at fences seven and eight. Riders could either go right over a vertical to an oxer in five strides or to the left over a liverpool oxer to oxer combination in five strides. In addition to requiring horses to jump the liverpool, the line to left also meant jumping right toward spooky Stonehenge, so it came as no surprise that riders chose to go to the right.
Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM. Photo by Jenni Autry.
We also saw double clear trips from Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM, Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Fugitive, and Jon Holling and Downtown Harrison. Hallie Coon and Namaste jumped clear but had three time penalties. The live scores are running a bit behind, so I apologize to anyone else who had a double clear and isn’t mentioned, as I’m going off my memory here. Sharon White and Rafferty’s Rules are the first out after the break at 12:13 p.m., and CIC3* show jumping will continue running through 1:20 p.m. We’ll be back then with the conclusion of CIC3* show jumping at Carolina International, as well as more videos. Go Eventing.
Canadian coach Clayton Fredericks. Photo by Denya Massey.
Clayton Fredericks is a busy guy. Between flying back and forth from the States to Europe to coach the Canadian eventing team, he’s also found the time to run a business importing quality young horses from across the pond — and a very successful one at that. But that doesn’t really come as a surprise when you consider all the top horses Clayton has sourced over the years.
Clayton has long been finding top horses all over the world — both for other riders and his own personal sales business — with a prime example being his work with Chinese Olympian Alex Hua Tin. “Alex came to me two years before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and said he wanted to qualify,” Clayton said. “He’d only ever ridden up to the Novice level in the UK, but we found horses for him that were suitable.”
Under Clayton’s tutelage, Alex qualified four of those horses for the Olympics between October 2007 and May 2008, becoming the youngest rider in Olympic eventing history when he contested the Beijing Games at just 18 years of age. “It was an impressive feat given the time we had to get him to the Olympics, and it all came down to finding the right horses,” Clayton said.
Most of the horses are coming from Germany, where Clayton’s business parter, Eckart Siewert, lives full-time. “He is a big part of the reason we can find so many great horses,” Clayton said. “He spends many hours looking at hundreds of young horses, pre-selecting so that when I am in Germany, I have access to the elite selection. This firsthand knowledge is a great asset to the business.”
Together, Clayton and Eckart have sourced or sold numerous horses that have gone on to compete at the Advanced and four-star level. Clayton competed RF Smoke on the Water through the one-star level before ultimately selling the horse to Marilyn Little. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Clayton has also been involved in finding Lucinda Fredericks’ Flying Finish, Michael Jung’s Leopin FST, Emily King’s Brookleigh and his own Olympic horse Bendigo.
“We really specialize in finding horses for people,” Clayton said. “We’ve got a constant flow of young horses coming from Europe. They’re all warmbloods, but they have a lot of Thoroughbred blood, which I know is quite important for the Americans. They’ve all been chosen for their movement, jumping and trainability of the brain.”
And Clayton’s sourcing services aren’t just for professionals, as amateur Frankie Thieriot discovered when she recently purchased Chatwin, who Clayton imported and competed through Preliminary before the sale. Frankie wrote about her experience in this post, explaining how easy Clayton made the process. Clayton has also recently sold horses to Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Elinor MacPhail, one of which is Rendezvous With Charly, who just placed third in the CIC2* at Red Hills.
“I think people underestimate how much it costs and how difficult it can be going to Europe,” Clayton said. “When you’re looking for horses, you spend hours in a car. Everyone thinks locations in the UK and Europe are close together. But by the time you add up a three-hour journey to one horse and two hours to another horse, you’re lucky if you can see three horses in a day. There’s no sort of guarantee pre-selection unless you’re dealing with an agent, and that’s adding extra fees to the purchase.”
As Clayton explains it, there’s no use bringing horses over to the States that only he can ride, which is why he makes an effort to find horses with the right mindset for the job: “They have brilliant brains and very rideable temperaments, which makes them suitable for amateurs too.” And because Clayton has traveled the world during his competitive career and continues to do so now that five of the Canadians he coaches are based in Europe, he’s able to bring a global perspective to his business.
The bottom line: If you’re looking for a quality young horse, get in touch with Clayton at clayton@fredericksequestrian.
Some of the horses currently for sale through Fredericks Equestrian:
In case you missed us mentioning this throughout our coverage of the Carolina International CIC3*, Jenni had the brilliant idea of a biking tour of the cross country course via helmet cam. As the resident helmet cam expert, I pulled out my cross country helmet a few days early and hopped on my tiny motorbike. Given special permission by the organizers and Marc Donovan to cruise around (thanks, guys!), we had a great time and hope that this view of the course will be a cool way to see the terrain and the size of the jumps a little more up close and personal than you can get when you’re flying over them!
My overall impression of the course is good, and I think designer Hugh Lochore and the builders Levi Ryckewaert and Tyson Rementer have outdone themselves. I like the flow of it, as it allows for some breathers at key times during the course where you can let them gallop and relax in between combinations. Every year, my favorite thing about this event is that I feel like the course makes sense; it doesn’t throw irrational combinations in at random, but rather introduces them gradually and intellectually.
The questions are challenging, as they should be for this level, and almost all of them require a horse that is attuned to your turning aids and ready to look for a jump. I think one of the hallmarks of the course here is that your horse must concentrate hard because the wooded areas are shady and distracting, and then you pop out into the field and there is a lot to look at, so your horse must be very focused on you.
There are several new complexes, most notably the Stonehenge combination, which we have to show jump around tomorrow and is quite spooky. Zoe’s Bank is incorporated into every level, and for our course it’s a good question early on to get the horses thinking. The second water is always a big draw for the public, and this year it’s almost identical to last year, which was a pretty exciting scene, so it promises to deliver again.
Please note, I apologize to Pam (wherever you are), as Jenni and I failed to read the map correctly, and we missed number 16, Pam’s Pole Spread, as you come into the infield off the track. You should also know that I am not capable of actually traveling that fast on a bike, but we sped the video up for your viewing convenience. Enjoy!
[Website] [Live Scores] [Course Preview]
Jan Byyny and Inmidair at Carolina International. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Happy Friday! I’ve been getting my days mixed up all week thinking it was a day later than it actually was, so I am glad that today is actually Friday and I can stop confusing myself. In other news, all of the hype surrounding Carolina International caused me to completely forget about my fantasy baseball draft last night, but fortunately the Auto-pick gods seemed to have nodded in my favor. Who needs baseball when it’s full-on eventing season, anyway? That’s what I thought.
Jan Byyny and Inmidair put on a show yesterday in the CIC3* dressage. JR laid down a superb test, and while no pairs were able to crack into the 30s against the tough judging, there were still some lovely tests on display throughout the day. Hot on Jan’s tail is Will Coleman and the gorgeous Conair, who is rapidly proving that he is the real deal. Lying in third overnight are Doug Payne and Crown Talisman, who may have the most extravagant movement I’ve seen in awhile from an event horse. Drool worthy, I say!
In the CIC2*, Emily Beshear and the breathtaking mare Shame On the Moon lead the field after scoring a 45.0 yesterday. Rounding out the top three are Elinor MacPhail and Rendezvous with Charly (46.1) and Lesley Law on Fernhill Whatever (49.4). The top three consists of all gray horses, which is just fine by me!
Today, the CIC divisions will show jump and the national levels will begin competition with the dressage. Jenni and I will be updating you on the CIC3* show jumping and Kate will be representing the big EN in the CIC3* aboard Nyls du Terroir, so stay tuned for much more.
Day 1 Reports:
Carolina International Update: Jan Byyny and Inmidair Waltz Into the Lead
Carolina International CIC3* Cross-Country Course Preview
Jan Byyny Holds Carolina International Lead After First Afternoon Group
Will Coleman and Conair Answer Back at Carolina International
One Day at a Time for Jan Byyny, Will Coleman
Events This Weekend:
Carolina International CIC: [Website] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]
Poplar Place Farm March H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Friday News:
Kentucky Equine Research (KER) is offering three lucky winners ticket packages to attend the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event or Kentucky Reining Cup. Two winners will each receive pairs of tickets to Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, including admission and seating. Another winner will get a pair of tickets to the Kentucky Reining Cup, including the CRI3* and World Freestyle Championship. To enter, go to www.equinews.com/ticketgiveaway and select the newsletters you’d like to receive and the drawing(s) you’d like to enter. The three lucky winners will be announced April 4, 2014, and will be contacted via the email address they’ve provided.
The University of New Hampshire Equine Program is holding an online sale of stallion semen provided by Tamarack Hill Farm. All proceeds of the sale will benefit the equine program. Many of the stallions available are in their last season of breeding, so now is a great time to buy if you have your eye on one of Tamarack’s stallions. Nine stallions, including Aberjack, Formula One, and Reputed Testimony, will be available. Limited quantities are available, and there is no live foal guarantee, but at the bargain prices it’s definitely worth a try! You can contact Stallion Sale Coordinator Christina Keim at [email protected] or 603-862-1174 for more information. [UNH Equine Program]
Do you have an equine first aid kit? You can never be too prepared, so having one on hand is always a good idea. In case you are unsure of what essential items you need, TheHorse has put together a handy guide for what should go in your kit. [Equine First Aid Kit]
Mark Todd has had some unfortunate setbacks with his top ride, NZB Land Vision. Now there is speculation that the horse may be close to retirement or at least a step down from competition at the top level. Unfortunate news if this notion comes to fruition, as this is one of our favorite Toddy horses to follow. [NZB Land Vision “Injury Prone”]
Friday Video:
Here is Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM’s dressage test from Carolina International:
Jan Byyny and Inmidair. Photo by Jenni Autry.
We wrapped up the first day of competition here at Carolina International with a press conference with the top riders in the CIC3* and CIC2*. Jan Byyny was all smiles this afternoon, though still cautiously optimistic about the good luck she’s had in the past six months with Inmidair. After clinching the win in the Fair Hill CCI3* last fall, Jan and JR came out swinging this season, winning their first outing at Pine Top and sitting in 10th place after show jumping at Red Hills before falling victim to the bogey Arena Complex on cross country.
But you can’t deny Jan and JR have found their groove, and they looked fantastic once again today as they cruised to the lead in the CIC3* on a score of 40.5. “I think you have to live life one day at a time,” Jan said. “Any given day it can be your day, and the next day you’re on the floor. The horse is so capable, and you know I’m not always the luckiest person, but who is?” Jan wanted to give a big shout out to Jess Hampf, who helped her warm up in dressage today. Well done, Jess!
Like many of the riders have been commenting over the past two days, Jan praised the Carolina International organizing committee for putting on such a fantastic event so far. “These are great people who really care about the sport, and it shows in a big way. They really have gone above and beyond to get the prize money together and answer everything that the riders wanted. I think it says so much about the people who are putting it on.”
Will Coleman, who is sitting in second place in the CIC3* with Conair, agreed, saying the event is “a step beyond,” and he’s hoping Joey will rise to the occasion. “I’m still trying to get to know the horse,” Will said. “I finally had a whole season with him this spring. I always thought the dressage would be his strength. He’s not the scopiest or flashiest jumper. The show jumping is a bigger question mark on the horse, but it’s one of my strengths. We’ll see how it plays out.”
There’s no denying Joey looks like an entirely different horse this year. He looks fantastic through his body and seems to have really come into his own. But, like Jan, Will said he’s taking things one day at a time. “Tomorrow I’ll show jump here. Saturday I’ll go cross country here. I do plan on taking the horse to Kentucky. Beyond that, I haven’t really looked past the last weekend in April.”
Emily Beshear is leading the CIC2* after dressage with her new ride Shame on the Moon, a horse she just bought at the beginning of December. Amanda Wilson produced the horse through the two-star level, successfully piloting her around the mare’s first CCI2* at Fair Hill last fall. “She’s a fantastic mare with a good temperament,” Emily said. “She can be easily distracted, so I was pleased she stayed focused and listened. Our communication is better than it was even a few weeks ago.”
Leslie Law and Fernhill Whatever are in third place in the two-star on a score of 49.4. Like Shame on the Moon, Winston is also a brand new ride that came to Leslie in December, and he’s been working to build the partnership. “We’re still getting to know each other,” Leslie said. “The goal is to do the CCI2* at Ocala.” And if all goes well, Leslie is eyeing a move up to Advanced later this year.
Day 1 Reports:
Carolina International Update: Jan Byyny and Inmidair Waltz Into the Lead
Carolina International CIC3* Cross-Country Course Preview
Jan Byyny Holds Carolina International Lead After First Afternoon Group
Will Coleman and Conair Answer Back at Carolina International
Many thanks to our good friend Thehorsepesterer for HD video of Jan and JR’s winning test! Check out his full Carolina International YouTube playlist here.
Updated: Check out PRO’s awesome Day 1 recap:
Will Coleman and Conair. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Will Coleman and Conair came closest to catching early morning leaders Jan Byyny and Inmidair as one of the last riders to go in the Carolina International CIC3* dressage, with Joey looking very impressive for a score of 42.0 for second place overnight. This horse just gets better and better, and Will really seems to have the partnership dialed in nicely. Michael and Ballingowan Pizazz will hold third place overnight on 42.3, with Doug Payne and Crown Talisman in fourth on 44.1, and Sharon White and Under Suspection and Allison Springer and Arthur in equal fifth place on 45.0.
Marilyn Little and RF Demeter. Photo by Jenni Autry.
We saw three other riders crack the top 10 this afternoon, with Michael Pollard and Mensa leading the way on a score of 45.9 for seventh place. Mensa spooked badly at the judges box at C right after the first halt, which is a real bummer since it leaves a bad impression for the judges right off the bat. The fact they still scored so well despite that disobedience shows you just how nice the test was. Sally shot video of Michael and Mensa, and we’ll have that online for you later this afternoon.
Michael Pollard and Mensa. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Marilyn Little and RF Demeter are sitting just behind in eighth place on a 46.2. Just back from spending the past year in Europe, this is Marilyn and Demi’s first event in the States, and they started their U.S. tour off right with a very nice test today. I can’t say enough about how much Demi has blossomed in the last year. She always resembled a gazelle until Marilyn put her on EquiOtic, and she’s looked fantastic ever since. Their dressage is really starting to come together, and Demi — who can be a bit spooky — looked very focused and obedient today.
Buck Davidson and Petite Flower. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Buck Davidson and Petite Flower scored 47.4 for ninth place, and Flower really tried her heart, which is one of the really wonderful things about this mare. She’s so lovely on the flat and is quickly become one of my own personal favorites. Flower is still gaining experience at this level — and the cross country sometimes proves a challenge — but she’s poised to rise to the occasion and step up here this weekend. Flower is one of the five Buck has entered at Rolex, and I’m really hoping we’ll see her tackle her first four-star next month.
Sharon White and Wundermaske. Photo by Jenni Autry.
We had one mishap in the final group when Tracey Beinemann and Zara were eliminated after the mare lost it coming out of the reinback. The judge had to excuse her, though not before coming out to give her an encouraging chat. Chin up, Tracey! We’re waiting now for the press conference to start, and we’ll be bringing you the scoop on what Jan, Will and Michael have to say about their rides. We’ll also be hearing from the top three in the CIC2: Emily Beshear with Shame on the Moon, Elinor MacPhail with Rendezvous With Charley, and Leslie Law with Fernhill Whatever. Stay tuned for much more from Southern Pines.
[Website] [Live Scores]
Colleen and Shiraz at Southern Pines. Photo by Samantha Clark.
Were you correct this week? We thought maybe you would be; it’s easy to pick out that eager face just about anywhere.
The horse pictured below is…
“Training level? Someone told me I’d be jumping into the Head of the Lake, but I think they’re lying.”
…Shiraz! Many thanks to Brian and Colleen for digging this photo up. We couldn’t resist wanting to see Shiraz a few years back when he was still learning the ropes. We hope you had fun guessing the horse this week; stay tuned for more mystery horses!
