If you’ve been following EN for any period of time, you’re probably familiar by now with the infamous footage of Andrew Nicholson vaulting his way out of what very well should have been a rotational fall for him and Mr. Smiffy at Burghley, circa 2000. In his honor, we often like to give out special recognitions to those riders who add a little *spice* to their rides (all for our sake, of course).
This past week has given us a few of these stellar moments to add to the trophy case — of which the grand prize for the Stickability (slash Freestyle) Awards goes to 2022 Speed Derby Champions Harriet Biddick and Silver Lift at the Hickstead Derby on Saturday. As very aptly noted by one user in the comments, “Hickstead course with no tack is like one of those nightmares I have right before I wake up.”
Barely phased by the loss of what one might typically consider a rather important piece of riding equipment, Harriet put to shame all those days I spent as a child jumping grids with my arms held out to the sides by nailing a very imposing triple plank combination with ease while bridleless. What a pair — gold stars for you.
A close Silver Stickability goes out to Austrian rider (and winner of today’s FEI Eventing Nations Cup at Strzegom) Lea Siegl at the Luhmuhlen CCI5* last week. After leaving the first FEI Eventing Nations Cup event of the season at Montelibretti in March as the winner of both the CCIO4*-S and the CCI4*-L, Lea and DSP Fighting Line apparently felt they needed just a little extra somethin’ to shake things up in the water complex at Luhmuhlen.
“Lost a stirrup? No problem” (for Lea at least, because I definitely tracked down and deleted all footage of my own less-than-graceful lost stirrup moment from my most recent horse trials — in which I looked like a fresh fish on a pony ride, and nothing like the utter core strength exhibited here on a 5* course). Keeping it real with an excellent save!
It’s one of those years when the Nations Cup events are especially stressed, thanks to the upcoming Olympic Games, and Caroline Pamukcu is holding on tight for the US this weekend! Caroline enters the final day sitting in second behind Austrian rider Lea Siegl and van Helsing P. After holding the lead after dressage, managing a stellar cross country round (on a rather fast course with nary a double-clear in sight), and just 0.1 points ahead of Dutch rider Sanne De Jong, we hope we can see Caroline and HSH Blake snag a silver medal for both herself and the USA in today’s final day of the LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials’ FEI Eventing Nations Cup.
Caroline Pamukcu is always greeted by husband Deniz at the out gate. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.
It is also officially Aachen Week, and we’re pumped! EN will have boots on the Aachen ground, where Tilly will be bringing us ALL the news from the event. Keep up with the EN coverage and follow @goeventing for all the content you can handle.
Attention all college students! Do you love social media? Athletux is on the hunt for a social media intern! This is an incredible opportunity to work remotely for one of the longest running, most established marketing firms in the equine industry! Gain valuable hands-on experience, boast your resume, and even obtain school credit where applicable! Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to [email protected] along with a sample social media reel!
Weekly Pick from SmartPak: What are you wearing this summer? We found 13 products from SmartPak to take your summer style to the next level. If you’re a #matchymatchy equestrian, this article is a must-read.
Morning Viewing: Don’t miss the final day of the FEI Eventing Nation’s Cup CCIO4*-S at Strzegom! Following this morning’s horse inspection, you’ll be able to tune in LIVE for the Nations Cup show jumping, from 14:30 local time (13:30 BST/8:30 a.m. EST), here on FEI’s YouTube channel.
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake. Photo by Mariusz Chmieliński.
U.S. eventing followers tuning in for cross country at the LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials in Poland were treated to a showcase of next generation skill from riders sent to Europe as a part of the new USEF European Development Tour. The efforts of the U.S. team, anchored in individual second position by Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake and bolstered by clear jumping rounds from Jenny Caras (Trendy Fernhill) and Cassie Sanger (Fernhill Zoro), saw them hang on to the silver medal position in the FEI Nations Cup competition.
Both of the other Nations Cup shifted, with the Netherlands taking over the gold position and Austria moving up into bronze. Originally holding gold, Germany’s wheels fell off with the elimination of two riders on cross country, dashing their hopes of completing a team.
Nations Cup competition carries Olympic weight this year, with the winning country earning a berth in the upcoming Paris Olympics (2024). Belgium currently holds the points lead, but the Dutch are 85 points behind in third position currently. A win this weekend, coupled with the potential of Belgium finishing off the podium — they’re currently in fourth, 11.6 penalties behind Austria — would edge the Dutch closer to securing Olympic qualification with five Nations Cup legs remaining.
The Dutch certainly have some talent to be excited about as they seek out that Olympic berth. Notably today Merel Blom showed off the promise of the 8-year-old Holsteiner gelding Chinuk R (Clarcon – Believe, by Heremes d’Auth) with a confident clear round, making marked improvement from the gelding’s first 4*-S here at this venue earlier this year. Experienced World Championships pair Sanne de Jong and Enjoy (Cartano – Next Joey, by Haarlem) also delivered a clear round to sit third overnight. Janneke Boonzaaijer and ACSI Champ de Tailleur (Quidam de Revel – Vera, by Oberon du Moulin), another pair with a long list of experience at this level, moved up from 11th into fourth individually with a strong clear. [Click here to view current FEI Nations Cup standings]
For the U.S., the weekend is not about qualification but rather team building and exposure. Led by chef d’equip and Olympic gold medalist Leslie Law, the USEF Development Tour provides a chance for developing riders to gain valuable education in both overseas competition as well as team pressure. And on a day where cross country riding was paramount and the Marcin Konarski-designed questions just kept coming, the U.S. riders rose to the occasion and provided an exciting validation of the patience-demanding process of creating a pipeline.
Under team instructions to take the long route at an early combination as well as the internal drive to ensure the 8-year-old HSH Blake‘s confidence was in tact elicited the handful of time penalties for Caroline Pamucku, ultimately causing her to yield the individual lead to Austrian Olympian Lea Siegl and van Helsing P. But taking into consideration the priority of the team’s result and the fact that she was riding a young horse who is still early in his Advanced career, Caroline was proud both of her horse and of her ability to ride well under pressure.
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.
“I think I just can’t be greedy, I have to keep thinking about the big picture,” Caroline, who owns “Blake” along with her mother Sherrie and Mollie and Lizzie Hoff said. “I’m so competitive and I want to win — but how upset would I have been if I hurt him or did something to wreck his confidence? He deserves to be produced nicely. And it’s more important for us to be in silver medal position.”
As for the growth she’s felt with HSH Blake, who was originally sourced by Caroline’s friend and business partner Kelley Hutchinson and ultimately secured for Caroline’s string thanks to the help of the Hoff family after the gelding won the 6-year-old 2*-L championship at Morven Park in 2021, Caroline can’t say enough good things. “He’s going to be a five-star horse,” she enthused. “I said all along this track was going to ride like a five-star Short, and it definitely did. Some of the things out there he hasn’t even seen, and he just looks for the flags.”
It’s a challenge, though, to balance the ambition that comes with having such a consistent and talented horse that is also still quite young in his career. Here, Caroline, gives much credit to the time she spent with British Grand Slam winner Pippa Funnell, who preached the value of low-intensity conditioning work. Caroline has spent most of “Blake’s” time building slow fitness through trot sets and road hacks rather than frequent schooling and drilling — and she says that has paid off not just in his mental wellbeing, but his physical health. After running the 3*-L at TerraNova in the spring to pick up a final MER needed to be in the running for the upcoming Pan American Games, Caroline gave the gelding a long break and a slow build-up to this trip.
“We brought him back, trotted the whole time, jumped once before Devon [Arena Eventing at the end of May], one flat school with Leslie, a Combined Test at Essex and that was it,” Caroline explained. “So I’m really excited that what Pippa told me, how much you can do with just trot sets carries over. We’re not drilling him, we’re keeping him happy. Pippa taught me a lot about road work, and so leading up to this we were trotting on the roads, up and down hills, lots of walking, for two hours. No spurs, a snaffle bit — that’s how all the horses go, which has really improved on basics. On trot sets, you do good transitions, stretching necks, lots of pats. It keeps the pressure off, and it was huge.”
Cassie Sanger and Fernhill Zoro. Photo by Mariusz Chmieliński.
Cassie Sanger sits in individual 20th place with Fernhill Zoro with a strong chance to move up on Sunday if they can jump a clear round. At 19, Cassie is the youngest member of Team USA this weekend — but the grit and maturity she showed on cross country today go well beyond her age. This weekend marks Cassie’s fourth Advanced/4* event, all of which have come with the 15-year-old “Zoro”.
“It was a huge step up for me,” Cassie said. “Doing some tough tracks — at Maryland [CCI3*-L] and I did the Chatt Hills Advanced as my second one and that was very tough — was a really good warm-up and prep for this. I also did the three-star Long at Bromont with my other horse, and that was a really tough track. It got me ready to go and because it went well, I felt confident in how my cross country riding was going.”
Despite that confidence, Cassie says she still felt herself get a bit rattled. Following her dressage test on Friday, she felt herself focusing on the mistakes she’d made — “mistakes are bigger here, when they aren’t just yours and they affect the whole team” — and feeling out of balance about her confidence for cross country. “But when I woke up this morning, I felt oddly really calm,” she continued. “We had to wait all day to go, so I stayed a little to myself and went to walk the course again with Leslie.”
Here Cassie gives much credit to the team environment at Strzegom this weekend. The support she felt from her teammates would launch her out of the start box on a mission, and she delivered a strong clear round with time to help cement the U.S’ silver position.
“The one word I would use to describe it is it’s an electric feeling,” she said. “The entire day you’re worried about yourself, your teammates — you want them to come home just as well and I think after today and after we all left cross country coming through the finish flags…the camaraderie makes me hungry to do more.”
Jenny Caras and Trendy Fernhill. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.
Also delivering a confident clear round were Jenny Caras and Elyse Eisenberg’s Trendy Fernhill, who will be in 18th position going into tomorrow’s final phase. With the course’s intense, motocross feel, Jenny knew the challenge would be stiff for “Joey”, who she calls a stronger, long-striding type that would generally prefer to have more galloping lanes and letup fences. Despite some disappointment with her time penalties, Jenny was pleased with the outcome of the day, especially considering her horse’s type.
“Joey was fantastic today — I was really pleased with him,” Jenny said. “There weren’t many letup fences or galloping lanes to let go and kick because you were always sort of seeing up for the next combination. But he’s as honest as they come and I am privileged to ride him and our partnership is so strong. I know him so well. I’m disappointed to have not been able to go faster and have less time, but I needed a clear round for the team and that was my first priority, so it was going as fast as I could while making sure I went clear.”
After watching some riders on the CCI4*-L — which went early in the day and shared several key combinations with its Short counterpart — the team opted to go under orders to take the long route at fence 4, a tricky turning question with multiple MIM-clipped obstacles. “I tried to be as efficient as possible around the long route and I don’t think there was much time in it really, and definitely much safer,” Jenny elaborated.
She echoed the strength of the team camaraderie this weekend, and how much the support bolstered her confidence in her own performance. “I’ve really enjoyed being a part of the team,” she said. “It really felt different than competing in the U.S. — it felt like a different type of course than we’re used to and I really feel like I’ve learned a lot coming out of today. I’m just really proud of everybody on the team and feel really fortunate to be a part of this whole experience.”
Andrew McConnon and Ferrie’s Cello. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.
First to go in the team rotation of riders, Andrew McConnon and Jeanne Shigo’s Ferrie’s Cello did encounter some trouble on course, breaking one of the MIM clips at fence 4D and later incurring 20 penalties at the C element of fence 21.
Lea Seigl and van Helsing P. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.
Taking over the lead individually after delivering the quickest turn of foot today are Austria’s Lea Siegl with the 13-year-old DSP gelding van Helsing P (Van Gogh – Carisma P, by Carismo). Despite being quickest of the day, they still collected 3.2 time penalties, indicating the toughness of the track in its difficulty to make up time. Lea’s score of 33.3 does not give her a rail in hand over Caroline Pamucku (35.7). Dutch rider Sanne de Jong and Enjoy also remain a strong threat to move up from their third-ranked score of 35.8.
“It was quite fun, Van Helsing was in a good mood, he was galloping very fast,” Lea commented. “Some parts were a bit difficult, and it was not an easy course. Sometimes you had to take the horse out of the rhythm and do some sharp turns, that made it demanding, but overall, I’m very happy with my horse and how he managed it. I’m very thankful for what he does for me every time I ride him in cross country.”
While this weekend’s ultimate goal isn’t necessarily to medal — the Development Tour is designed for education and experience above all — it would be silly not to think that a podium finish in Poland would be the ideal ending. The U.S. doesn’t have much room to breathe — both Austria and Belgium lay within striking distance should any rails begin to fall. The U.S. does, however, still have one score to drop, while the Netherlands, Austria, and Belgium are all left with just three scores to count after each losing one team member today.
Michael Jung and Kilcandra Ocean Power. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.
Looking to the CCI4*-L division, which fielded several riders hoping to secure points contributing to their FEI Olympic Group rankings (the top two ranked riders in each FEI Group will secure one individual berth for their country in Paris), Germany’s Michael Jung piloted Kilcandra Ocean Power (BGS Ocean View – Bonnie Dolly, Bonnie Prince) to a clear round with time to maintain the lead.
Just five of the 13 4*-L starters completed the course, with six opting to retire after incurring penalties and two eliminated (one for missing a fence, one on refusals). Rerouting from Luhmühlen, U.S. rider Matt Flynn picked up 40 time penalties and finished the day in fourth position with Wizzerd (Wizzerd – Amai, by Oklund).
Show jumping for the Nations Cup division will begin Sunday at 2:30 p.m. local time / 8:30 a.m. EST. You can watch this division jump for the win for free on the FEI TV live stream here. If you’re a ClipMyHorse.TV subscriber, you can also watch the 4*-L division stream here.
Miss the cross country action today? Never fear — there’s a replay! I’ll drop it below:
British Eventing is delighted to announce the appointment of Rosie Williams OBE as its new Chief Executive Officer. Rosie will assume her role in mid-September.
With a distinguished career spanning several decades in the sports industry, Rosie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this position. Her achievements and exceptional leadership skills make her the ideal candidate to lead British Eventing into the next era of growth and success. Rosie’s first national governing body role was as National Sports Manager for the Australian Equestrian Federation, a role which gave her a real appreciation for equestrian sport. Most of her career has been spent in the sport of Rugby. Rosie spent 10 years as CEO of the Rugby Football Union for Women in England, delivering such outstanding success in the development of the sport that she was awarded an OBE for her contribution to Rugby.
Rosie fully understands the challenges of running major events. She took on the role of Tournament Director of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2010, delivering a world class athlete centred event that had a hugely positive effect on the profile of women’s rugby worldwide. Running her own consultancy business for several years gave her broad exposure to highly commercial environments. In early 2022 Rosie took up the role of CEO of Softball Australia, implementing a major change management programme transforming the organisation’s financial management, strategic direction, and operational process.
Rosie has established herself as a respected figure in the sports world. She has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellence and a deep understanding of the sporting landscape. Her passion for equestrian sports started early; growing up in New South Wales, Australia, Rosie competed in several equestrian disciplines include eventing, show jumping, dressage, and polocrosse.
As the newly appointed CEO, Rosie will be responsible for overseeing all strategic and operational aspects of British Eventing. Her primary focus will be to foster the continued development of eventing, promote inclusivity within the sport and enhance the overall experience for participants and spectators alike, alongside an improved value proposition to members.
Commenting on her appointment, Rosie said “I am thrilled and honoured to join British Eventing as CEO. Eventing holds a special place in my heart and I am excited to contribute to the growth and success of this incredible sport. I am committed to working closely with the talented team at British Eventing, as well as the broader eventing community to ensure that our athletes, horses and all stakeholders have the best possible experience.”
Mark Sartori, Chairman of British Eventing, expressed his enthusiasm regarding the appointment, stating “We are delighted that Rosie is joining BE as she brings successful CEO and national governing body (NGB) experience to BE. Eventing, along with all Equestrian sports faces challenges and we need a highly experienced CEO as we continue our 3 year re-structuring plan. It is vital that we unite all our stakeholders and Rosie has huge experience across a number of businesses, sports and different stakeholders. Running a NGB is not an easy role and the Board agreed that we needed someone who had a proven track record both as a CEO and working within a NGB and thus we are delighted that Rosie will be starting in September.
On behalf of all at BE we ask all our stakeholders to continue to support the sport we love and help Rosie and the team over the exciting years ahead. I am personally very positive for the future as we continue to make the changes that will allow BE to not only be sustainable but thrive and become a world leader again.”
While much of our attention has been focused on the Nations Cup competition at Strzegom this weekend, let’s also not forget that the Central American and Caribbean Games are getting underway, where eventing is well-represented! A total of 18 horses and riders representing 7 nations (Barbados, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico) will be competing in Santo Domingo. You can view the full equestrian entry list here.
Competition begins today (June 24) with dressage, with cross country to follow Sunday and show jumping to conclude the event on Monday. The start list for dressage can be found here. There is not a live stream for the Games, but you should be able to follow the action via scoring on the main Eventing Hub here. You can also follow the San Salvador 2023 Instagram here. We’ll do our best to keep you updated with the action from afar!
Attention all college students! Do you love social media? Athletux is on the hunt for a social media intern! This is an incredible opportunity to work remotely for one of the longest running, most established marketing firms in the equine industry! Gain valuable hands-on experience, boast your resume, and even obtain school credit where applicable! Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to [email protected] along with a sample social media reel!
Amateur race car driver Janine Shoffner in her AMG GT3 race car at the 2020 Nurburgring 24 hour race.
On behalf of World Equestrian Brands, we interviewed amateur Janine Shoffner to discuss the similarities between her two hobbies: race car driving and eventing at the two-star level. Our conversation took us from her career teaching competition-level skydiving to how the first horse she ever sat on was an unbroken three year-old. Don’t miss the full story here.
Video Break
A quick training tip for ditch training from World Equestrian Brands rider Kim Severson:
Caroline Martin pumps her first after securing the individual lead and current second ranking for Team USA aboard HSH Blake at Strzegom’s FEI Nations Cup leg. Photo by Mariusz Chmieliński.
Germany will lead the way in team competition at this week’s FEI Nations Cup leg in Belgium at LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials, securing a team score of 89.3 after the first phase of competition. Hot on the Germans’ heels are Team USA, made up of several rising stars competing as a part of the newly-established USEF Development Tour. Selected riders for Team USA are Jenny Caras and Trendy Fernhill, Andrew McConnon and Ferrie’s Cello, Carolina Pamukcu and HSH Blake, and Cassie Sanger and Fernhill Zoro.
The development tour team made good on the first phase of competition, with Caroline Pamukcu sliding into the overnight lead individually on board the 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding HSH Blake (Tolan R – Doughiska Lass, by Kannan), who is owned in partnership between Caroline and her mother, Sherrie, as well as longtime supporter Mollie Hoff.
A score of 28.1 from Caroline and Blake will anchor the U.S. effort, which currently stands on a cumulative score of 92.9 to give the Germans some pressure ahead of cross country. For Caroline, who spent the majority of 2022 studying under Pippa Funnell in England thanks to support from the Wilton Fair Grant, opportunities like this are both vitally necessary for the country and also proof that the pipeline is coming.
“It’s really cool for America because we’re really developing a pipeline for both horses and riders,” she said. “[HSH Blake] is one of the first horses to really follow that pipeline.” And indeed, the trajectory of the talented Irish gelding has seen him collect accolades such as USEA Young Event Horse champion, USEF CCI2*-L National Champion, and top 10 in the world as a seven-year-old at FEI Eventing World Breeding Championships. She moved “Blake” up to the Advanced level in 2023, and this weekend marks their second CCI4*-S start; they previously were third in TerraNova’s 4*-S this spring and also finished fifth in the 3*-L at Ocala International at the end of April.
Caroline Pamukcu is always greeted by husband Deniz at the out gate. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.
“These grants have opened up doors not just for opportunity but for connections,” Caroline continued, noting the importance of these experiences for developing riders who come overseas to compete for the first time. In addition to the added pressure of overseas competition, riders must also contend with a culture change and venues they’ve never seen before. This adds a layer of complexity to a challenge that already carries plenty of weight — and it’s good practice for U.S.-based riders to, as Caroline puts it, step outside of their comfort zone. “Think of the Bruce [Davidson Sr.] and Jack [le Goff] eras,” she said. “They were so pro-Europe, I don’t want to sound like a crazy person but we do really need to put ourselves out of our element a little.”
Here all the riders are quick to credit Leslie Law for his efforts as longtime developing rider coach and mentor; the dedication he shows to cultivating up and coming talent are unmatched, and this Development Tour is something he had a hand in bringing into reality. You can hear from Leslie himself in the interview below:
Watch Caroline’s leading dressage test below or on Facebook here:
Next up for the USA on the leaderboard are Jenny Caras with Elyse Eisenberg’s Trendy Fernhill (Ars Vivendi – Cruiseings Girl, by Cruising), a 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding who has numerous competitions at the 4* level under his belt to date and is far from short on experience to prepare for this First Nations Cup outing.
Jenny may have been hoping to squeeze out a sub-30 score today — their current PB at the 4* level in the dressage is at 27.0 — but a 30.0 in strong company is still enough to slot this pair into sixth ahead of cross country tomorrow.
“Joey was really amazing today,” she said. “I was really happy with how he stayed light and uphill for the test; I felt that a lot of the work was better than I’ve done in the past. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a miscommunication in the second flying change, which really cost us, but he recovered very well and besides that I would say it was a very good test for him and for us. I’m very proud of how he handled everything. It’s pretty nice and very spoiling to ride a horse that is so quiet and calm — I think we literally were the most concerned for warming him up for too long and I think I got on him 20 minutes before my ride. We basically went down to the warm-up and went straight to the final warm-up and had two horses before I went and could have done with less time, to be honest. He was really good.”
Jenny Caras and Trendy Fernhill. Photo by Mariusz Chmieliński.
After a light season in 2023 while both Joey and Jenny got back into full fitness after injuries, Jenny ramped up with the 4*-S at TerraNova and an Advanced run at Tryon to prepare for this weekend. “He was foot-perfect at Tryon so I’m hoping to sort of replicate that this weekend. That was the perfect final run for him, I think — a very twisty, intense course, which this track definitely is tomorrow.” A 2023 recipient of the Karen E. Stives Grant through the USET Foundation, Jenny has put the opportunities presented to her to good use and is hoping to put that practice to good use on Saturday.
“It’s maybe not dimensionally the biggest track that I’ve seen, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in technicality and it’s a thinking course — it’s very intense,” Jenny said of the Marcin Konarski-designed cross country course. “So I think it will actually ride big. I anticipate it to be hard work, to be honest. I have a plan with my horse. He’s genuine, so if I do my job, he’ll do his. I’m looking forward to it and just hoping to do the best we can for the team. This has been a huge learning experience for me, and I’m really excited that this opportunity was given to Joey and I.”
Andrew McConnon and Ferrie’s Cello. Photo by Leszek Wójcik.
Andrew McConnon will be in 24th individually aboard Jeanne Shigo’s Ferrie’s Cello (Chello III VDL – Karelza, by Wolfgang), scoring a 34.8 from the judges (Nick Burton (GBR) and Katarzyna Konarska (POL)) on Friday. This is the second Nations Cup team appearance for this pair, who also were named to the U.S. squad for the leg at Bromont (CAN) in 2022. They improve on the dressage mark from that competition by nearly six penalty points today and put themselves into strong stead to make some moves up the board with a competitive trip around cross country tomorrow.
“I was very happy with Jeanne Shigo’s Ferrie’s Cello today in the dressage,” Andrew said. “He was likely the most relaxed and rideable I’ve had him thanks in part to Leslie Law’s coaching and direction during these last ten days or so overseas. Looking forward to doing our best to finish on that score!”
Cassie Sanger and Fernhill Zoro. Photo by Mariusz Chmieliński.
Last but definitely far from least are Cassie Sanger and Fernhill Zoro (Verdi – Oronia 2, by Voltaire). A 35.5 will place them into 27th individually ahead of tomorrow’s cross country.
“So far this trip has been super educational!” Cassie, who finished in third place overall and was also the highest-placed young rider at Maryland 5 Star’s USEF CCI3*-L National Championship last fall, commented. “Coming across the world for a competition and competing on a U.S. team is a completely new experience for me so I’m trying my best to learn as I go. Today I thought my horse and I put in some of our best work yet but I’m a bit disappointed with a few of my mistakes as they were quite expensive. It’s a huge track tomorrow and it won’t be a dressage show so me and Zoro will be giving everything out there so we can get it done for the team.”
Photo by Leszek Wójcik.
Team USA, unlike leading Team Germany, has a fourth team member and, as a result, a drop score. This could give the team the edge they need to swoop ahead of the Germans tomorrow and Sunday, but for now the focus is on having a strong experience to build for the future.
“I know we’re going to be told to go for it tomorrow,” Caroline Pamukcu elaborated. “And we’re also learning life lessons and trying to come up with ways to win big medals. Tomorrow is a totally different day. And the standard is different here. You have how many different countries always raising the bar — they just push each other naturally. So it’s a great environment for us to be in, and Leslie’s done great work to make sure we’re sharp and ready to execute our plans.”
Current team standings after dressage can be found here. Individual standings can be found here.
Tomorrow’s cross country brings a new challenge, and the action gets underway at 7:00 a.m. EST / 1:00 p.m. local time. We’re in luck this week as the FEI is generously providing a free live stream to bolster support for these Nations Cup events, and you’ll be able to view the cross country on YouTube here. You can find a starting order here, and I’ll go ahead and list team USA’s times below. Poland is 6 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
Andrew McConnon and Ferrie’s Cello – 2:06 p.m. local / 8:06 a.m. EST / 5:06 a.m. PST
Cassie Sanger and Fernhill Zoro – 2:30 p.m. local / 8:30 a.m. EST / 5:30 a.m. PST
Jenny Caras and Trendy Fernhill – 2:57 p.m. local / 8:57 a.m. EST / 5:57 a.m. PST
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake – 3:24 p.m. local / 9:24 a.m. EST / 6:24 a.m. PST
The Strzegom Facebook page is full of excellent content, ranging from interviews with riders and officials such as Eric Winter and Derek di Grazia. If you want the full experience, head over to the page to watch all the videos. Below you can see a preview of the cross country course, designed by Polish designer Marcin Konarski (click here to view the video directly on Facebook):
Everything is ready. Check out our map of LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials 2023 Nations Cup cross country test and get ready for tomorrow’s emotions 💪🏻🐎
Sunrise over the Virginia Horse Center. Photo by Dave Taylor.
Two horses displaying neurologic signs at a USEF licensed competition at the Virginia Horse Center (VHC) were confirmed positive for Equine Herpesivrus-1(EHV-1). Both horses were immediately moved off the grounds to a veterinary clinic. One horse is receiving medical care and is stable. Sadly, the other horse was euthanized due to the severity of clinical signs.
Approximately 80 exposed horses that were stabled in the same barn as the two positive horses at the VHC have been placed under quarantine, prohibited from competition, and placed in isolation by the State Veterinarian’s Office of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. All exposed horses are being monitored twice daily for fever (temperature over 101.50° F) and other clinical signs.
No other horses at the horse show are considered exposed and the horse show will continue. However, out of an abundance of caution, the unexposed horses are having temperatures and clinical signs monitored.
The USEF Equine Health and Biosecurity Veterinarian, Dr. Katie Flynn, has been in direct communication with all parties regarding the response to the confirmation of EHV-1. “I applaud the VHC staff, the show veterinarians, competition management, and show participants for their prompt response and collaborative efforts to immediately implement biosecurity measures to protect the health of all equines on the premises,” said Dr. Flynn.
Based on the thorough assessment of the premises by the Virginia State Veterinarian’s office, and the immediate activation of the VHC biosecurity and disease response plan upon confirmation of EHV-1; the USEF supports the continuation of competition with the enhanced biosecurity measures and monitoring of horse health through twice daily temperature recording and observation for signs of illness. USEF will continue to monitor the situation.
As a reminder when commingling horses, there is always a risk of disease. There is no way to eliminate all risks. Vaccination and good biosecurity practices reduce the risk of disease while at competitions. For more biosecurity tips for keeping horses healthy during competition visit https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/Kgxcgp4ytKE/exhibitor-biosecurity-measures-pamphlet
Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk. Photo courtesy of LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials.
Is June the most action-packed month of the season? It’s very possible – and certainly, here at EN HQ, we’re pretty sure the crazy train has never whizzed along quite so quickly. In Europe this week, hot off the back of last week’s Luhmühlen CCI4*-S and CCI5* – and ahead of next week’s CHIO Aachen – all eyes have turned to rural Poland, where the LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials has attracted a host of serious competitors for classes from CCI1* through to CCI4*-L. Most notably, though, is the Nations Cup CCIO4*-S that’s happening this weekend – partly because it’s the latest leg to play host to the intense battle for series domination this year, which will earn one nation a coveted place at next year’s Paris Olympics, and partly because it’s also the site of the latest USEF development grant. The US has a strong team of four tackling this week’s competition, gaining experience and fighting for top placings, too.
Dressage has now concluded, and the small but perfectly-formed German team is in the lead, followed by our US European Development Grant-winning team in second. The Dutch team sits third, and best-placed of the nations who are fighting for that Olympic qualification at the end of the season. Individually, it’s even better news for the US: Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake are out in front going into tomorrow’s jumping phases on a score of 28.1, followed by Germany’s Johanna Marloh and Crazy Carlotta on 29.3 and the Netherlands’ Sanne de Jong and Enjoy on 29.4. You can check out the full scores so far here.
Tomorrow is all about cross-country, and it’ll be starting at 13.00 local time (12.00 p.m. BST/7.00 a.m. EST). As part of the FEI Nations Cup series, it’s all free to watch live on the FEI’s YouTube channel, and you can also rewatch the action that’s happened so far. Here are tomorrow’s starting times, and you can rewatch day one’s dressage here:
And day two’s dressage here:
Here’s where you’ll be able to find tomorrow’s cross-country stream:
And finally, following Sunday morning’s horse inspection, you’ll also be able to tune in for the Nations Cup showjumping, from 14.30 local time (13.30 BST/8.30 a.m. EST), here:
The unique terrain of Haras du Pin will host the European Championships this summer. Photo courtesy of Haras du Pin.
On Wednesday June 14, media and institutions gathered at the magnificent Haras National du Pin (Orne, Normandy) for a preview of what is sure to be the highlight of the summer eventing calendar. In the presence of Astier Nicolas, double Olympic medallist and member of the French team, Michel Asseray, French National Technical Director in charge of eventing, and Pierre Le Goupil, international course designer, the details of the event, in terms of both sport and entertainment, were outlined. It was also an exclusive opportunity to discover the infrastructures of the brand-new Pôle International des Sports Equestres (PISE), where some of the tests will be held.
Four new sub-irrigated arenas, natural grandstands, spacious and functional permanent stables, and a multi-faceted reception building: the PISE offers new perspectives for competitors and spectators alike. The main arena will host the opening ceremony on Wednesday August 9, followed by the dressage test on Thursday August 10 and Friday August 11, before giving way to the breeding competitions organized by Cheval Normandie, the association gathering all the sport horse breeders of Normandy. The action then moves to the Parc du Hautbois on Saturday for the crucial and always spectacular cross-country test, before finishing on Sunday on the iconic Château arena with the ultimate show-jumping test…and the reveal of the new European champions!
Thus, the continent’s best combinations will come to compete for medals but also, for some nations, a spot at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. As a major event of the 2023 season, the FEI Eventing European Championships is for many the main goal of the season. With a core group of twenty people (plus up to 300 volunteers during the competition), everything is currently being put in place by the Ustica association, organizer of the event at the Haras National du Pin, to offer all teams and spectators the best possible conditions to guarantee great sport and a great show.
Gaspard Maksud and Zaragoza at Haras du Pin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Guillame Blanc will act as event director, as he has been since 2017 on the ‘Grand Complet’ (CCIO4*-S FEI Eventing Nations Cup), within the organizing association Ustica, as well as acting as technical delegate for numerous international competitions.
“After so many years of competition, you grow up,” he smiles. “When you look back and see where we started from 27 years ago with our first competition, it’s really satisfying. It’s also a challenge, especially for an organization like ours, which is entirely associative. All our projects are progressing well. We’re finalizing with Argentan Intercom and the SNCF to make it easier for spectators to get here. Everything is falling into place. We have also established several collaborations with various research and health organizations to ensure maximum safety for the horses’ well-being.
“This is very important to us. The new infrastructures built on the site will enable us to move up another level. This is a major challenge. With the Paris Olympics on the horizon, it will also enable us to repeat protocols with very high-level horses.”
These words were echoed by the French team rider Olympic team champion and individual runner-up at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Astier Nicolas: “The unique site of the Haras du Pin offers us an excellent opportunity to develop our horses on a cross-country course of the highest level. Of course we enjoy competing abroad, but we’re even more excited here in France, where we’ll have home advantage before the Olympic Games next year.”
The cross-country course, the highlight of the four days of competition on Saturday August 12, is the focus of much attention. While the course remains a “secret” right up to the last moment, course designer Pierre Le Goupil’s plans have been drawn up.
“The course is mapped out and the obstacles are all in my head,” he says. “We’ve planned a big loop of over 4000m in the grasslands of the Haras du Pin, an area very different from the Parc du Haut-Bois, where the start and finish will take place. Efforts will be progressive but even, with decreasing difficulty at the end. The terrain is never flat, and riders will need to keep their horses’ energy to tackle the course’s topography, which is comparable to that of the 2014 World Equestrian Games. The course has been designed for some forty obstacles, spread over 5800m, to be cleared in around ten minutes. Discovery will be limited, as all the nations are used to coming to this terrain on the occasion of the Grand Complet. Riders know every inch of it. We have a superb setting and a perfectly adapted course with plenty of space and gradients. Normandy is a beautiful place.”
With a year to go until the Olympic trials (July 27-29 for eventing) in the gardens of the Château de Versailles, only seven European nations have already qualified: France (as host country), Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, the USA, and New Zealand at the World Championships in Pratoni last year; Poland in a group C qualifier at Baborowko; and Australia and China in a qualifier at Millstreet. The FEI Eventing European Championships in Le Pin-au-Haras will distribute two new tickets for countries that have not yet qualified. The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Belgium, Italy and Austria are candidates for these two tickets — the penultimate chance to see Versailles (a final ticket will be awarded at the end of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup circuit).
“There’s qualification for some nations, with inevitably some happy but also some disappointed ones at the end of the competition, but we can be sure that the nations will also want to show their muscles a year before the Olympic Games,” predicts the director. It promises to be one hell of a good fight — and a hell of a show, with the Tricolores, on the podium at the last two Olympic Games (gold in 2016, bronze in 2021), hoping to win their first ever European team title in front of their home fans.
Strides for Equality Equestrians is thrilled to announce that Sabrina Sharpe of Missouri has been selected to receive the Summer 2023 Ever So Sweet scholarship to study with Sara Kozumplik at Overlook Farm. Sharpe is the youngest ever recipient of this competitive, one-of-a-kind scholarship opportunity for equestrians of diverse backgrounds to train, learn, and build their professional networks under the guidance of an upper-level professional eventer.
Sharpe, 17, is a rising senior at Park Hill South high school in Kansas City, MO. She is a nationally rated Pony Clubber, certified in HB level horse management and working toward her C3 certification, and she has successfully evented through Novice. She currently competes with her 7-year-old off-track Thoroughbred gelding King (TJC: Barbie’s King), who she restarted herself in 2021. Sharpe and King are working to make a transition to hunter-jumpers after King showed a lack of enthusiasm for cross-country.
One of Sharpe’s hopes for her ESS Scholarship is to learn from professionals how to reckon with changes in training goals that come from listening closely to what the horse wants and needs, and how to balance her horse’s needs against her own eventing aspirations. In her application, she wrote candidly about the impact of this experience and its relation to broader experiences as an equestrian of color. “Because of facing many obstacles, such as financial access, being a first generation equestrian in my family, and being a person of color in general, I was proud and excited to buy and start my own OTTB, which has been a great joy and an extreme heartbreak. In one regard, he is amazing at dressage, show jumping and hunters, and is delightful on the ground, but on the other, I love cross country and he does not.”
Sharpe will begin her scholarship with Kozumplik this week at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, FL, where she will meet Sara and ESS alum Sierra Lesny and hit the ground running in her educational experience, witnessing and participating in Kozumplik Equestrian’s Florida season. Through the generous sponsorship of Kozumplik and Edy Rameika, Sharpe and King will then spend the remainder of the summer months training with Sara at Overlook Farm Equestrian Center in Berryville, VA. The scholarship covers expenses for full board and training costs for King, several lessons per week, housing for Sabrina, a stipend to cover living expenses, competition fees, and coaching at competitions.
Sabrina will also improve her horse care skills by learning to manage and care for upper-level horses and working with the Overlook team in the running of a large, competitive barn. She is especially excited to gain experience with the upper-level eventing world as she contemplates what her future professional and personal equestrian goals will be. She is also excited to have more opportunities and a larger platform to share her experiences as an equestrian of color and to educate others on the importance of inclusion and representation across the horse industry. In her application, she shared that she has experienced prejudice as a rider of color, “but in light of those experiences, I have found more good than bad in people, I’ve developed everlasting friendships, met people that have helped me grow in my riding experiences, and recently have been discussing the importance of allyship in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Ultimately, I want a career that allows me the opportunity to help others with a similar background as mine.”
Sharpe is the fifth recipient of an ESS Scholarship, the first participant to train at Overlook Farm while still in high school, and the first recipient representing the Midwest and USEA Area IV. In addition to the opportunities she will have this summer, Sharpe will serve as an ambassador for the ESS Scholarship in coming years and will join a growing community of Ever So Sweet and Leg Up Scholarship recipients who are working to make diversity more visible in equestrian sport.
Follow Sabrina’s journey firsthand on the @see.eversosweet Instagram, and check in with her and the other alums at @stridesforequality on Instagram and on the Strides for Equality Equestrians Facebook page. Learn more about Strides for Equality across our website, and consider donating to support riders like Sabrina today!
