Classic Eventing Nation

A Once In A Lifetime Horse

By on Oct 25, 2013 6:00 pm -

Having fun with Skybreaker!

Saturday I went for a hack with a buddy of mine. All we really wanted to discuss were live scores from Fair Hill. We were desperate to know who made it around both the CCI two and three star courses. From that conversation came this notion of a once in a lifetime horse; which horses we consider to be in this category, what it takes to become one, if we had ever had one, and if you can have more than one?

Every rider must have his or her own list of criteria for what constitutes as a once in a lifetime horse. Arguably, we do not throw around this phrase lightly, nor we do attach this phrase to every horse that comes into our lives. I wonder how many riders have had, or are riding what they consider to be a once in a lifetime horse? I wonder how many, of all the Advanced riders in the country, consider the horse they are currently sitting on to be a once in a lifetime horse? Or, are they just really exceptional horses that made it to that level? What’s the difference between an exceptional horse, and once in a lifetime horse? How could a horse competing at the advanced level not be a once in a lifetime horse? All advanced riders please cast your vote now!

Now, let’s leave the upper level guys in a corner alone, and focus on the lower level riders and horses. How many amateur riders think they are sitting on a once in a lifetime horse? How many are still looking for, or hoping that someday they will have that incomparable horse? Evidently, a once in a lifetime horse can be competing at any level. An outstanding horse can be found going novice. Some people might chuckle, or roll their eyes, but a great horse is a great horse regardless of the level they are competing.

Valonia at Huntington 2012

Of course, comparing what an advanced level horse does to that of a beginner novice horse almost seems absurd in some ways. A beginner novice horse doesn’t enter at “A” in a collected canter. A beginner novice horse doesn’t have to jump an arrowhead, three strides to a massive table, to a roll top into water. But, there is no reason why a beginner novice horse couldn’t be a once in a lifetime horse to countless riders. If we are asking all event riders in the country what they consider to be a once in a lifetime horse, then we would have to clump all the levels together in order to be fair.

Because I am an event rider, and because I have goals of competing beyond training level, I have not personally had a once in a lifetime horse YET. I have sat on, and ridden many amazing horses. Do I consider myself to have extraordinary horses? I believe so. Have my horses and I achieved my personal goals as a team yet? No, we have not…but there’s still time! Do I think I might possibly be sitting on one, or two potential once in a life time horses? I do. If someone asked me to write down 10 adjectives to describe MY OWN version of a once in a lifetime horse it would be as follows:

1)      Sane

2)      Intelligent

3)      Athletic

4)      Forgiving

5)      Hard-working

6)      Inquisitive

7)      Tolerant

8)      Bold

9)      Personable

10)  Team-Player

 …now, what would your list of adjectives consist of?

Kristi Nunnink Checks In From Pau

By on Oct 25, 2013 4:45 pm -

Kristi Nunnink is here at the Pau CCI4* competing her lovely mare R-Star for the USA. She was kind enough to agree to blog for us again and tell us about her experience here in France. After dressage, Kristi stands in 41st place on a 54.1 following a dressage test that had both the good and the bad. Thanks to Kristi for writing, and thanks for reading!

Kristi & Rosie warming up for dressage (photo by Kate Samuels)

From Kristi:

Pau is incredibly beautiful. If I could speak more than a smattering of French I might even think of staying! The weather reminds me a lot of Southern California, but it is much greener, with grass and flower gardens everywhere you look. The grounds are very impressive, and much of the event is held on a large steeplechase and racing training center. 

Sadly, Rosie and I did not have the stellar dressage test that we were counting on. We had some very last minute bitting issues with her double bridle and had to put her in a snaffle. I wasn’t quite able to get her back from the extensions, and we had the occasional bobble as a result. However, Phillip and Hannah Sue had outstanding rides and scored very well. The rest of us may have not received the scores that we wanted, but we are certainly not embarrassing the United States here at Pau.

David took us on our course walk today, and we spent over two hours discussing how we would ride certain combinations. At the end of the walk he informed us that he was counting on all of us to turn in clean rides tomorrow with a minimum amount of cross-country time penalties. This, he explained, is what we need to make better team results. The good news for me is that he’s less concerned about perfect dressage riders! Rosie and I are hoping to have an awesome ride tomorrow, and I hope that all of the US and Canadian riders do the same.

 

From H&H: Respected Endurance Figure Denounced by FEI

By on Oct 25, 2013 3:37 pm -

Photo by Eric Swinebroad

The Horse & Hound is reporting that Pierre Arnould, coach of the Belgian Endurance Team and member of the FEI Endurance Committee, has been denounced by FEI secretary general Ingmar de Vos.  Mr. Arnould has openly criticized the FEI for their handling of the doping issues in Endurance, and has gone so far as to say it could become a banned sport.

From H&H:

Mr de Vos, who revealed committee members have to sign non-disclosure agreements, said Mr Arnould had made “unsubstantiated allegations” without first consulting the FEI.

“As an individual, Pierre Arnould can speak his mind, but he cannot speak on behalf of an FEI committee without consulting its chair and his fellow members,” he said.

“His actions show a total lack of respect. Mr Arnould is in clear breach of this signed agreement and his behaviour is totally unacceptable.”

 

Read the full story from H&H.

David O’Connor Talks Team USA at Pau

By on Oct 25, 2013 2:55 pm -

David O’Connor was kind enough to sit down and chat after finishing the final cross-country course walk with Team USA this afternoon at Les Etoiles de Pau. The dressage has been a mixed bag for Team USA over the past two days, with two pairs scoring in the 40s and the remaining five scoring in the 50s. It would be a different matter entirely if those scores in the 50s were the best those five riders and horses could produce, but the fact of the matter is that all of them are capable of turning in mistake-free tests with scores in the mid- to low-40s. Scores in the 50s are not up to international standards. David knows that, and the riders know that.

But none of them are making excuses, and everyone is owning their mistakes, which is a critical step on the road to being competitive here in Europe. The next step starts at about noon tomorrow when Team USA sets out on a mission to deliver seven clear cross-country trips. All seven of these pairs can produce clear trips, and, as David said in the interview, clear cross-country trips are ultimately what land riders on the podium. Pierre Michelet’s course will require every ounce of mental energy our riders have to give, especially in the final minutes when some of the most challenging combinations appear. But each of these seven riders can do it. Go Team USA.

Pau Links: [Website] [EN Coverage] [Live Scores] [Course Preview] [Cross Country Times]

Pau Day Two Wrap Up, Plus Interviews with Lucinda Fredericks & William Fox-Pitt

By on Oct 25, 2013 2:00 pm -

Lucy Wiegersma & Simon Porloe, 6th place overnight (photo by Kate Samuels)

After two full days of CCI4*dressage, watching a total of 75 horses and riders compete and eating more than my fair share of french bread, I’ll admit that I’m fully ready for some cross-country action. However, before we get to that, let’s talk about the bigger picture here at Pau 2013. What makes a winning dressage test? Who was bringing the big guns, and who is heading out on cross country tomorrow with something to prove?

While this might be an obvious statement, I think it bears repeating. To win at this level, you have to be absolutely brilliant throughout the entire test. Competency just doesn’t cut it. If you have decent work through every movement, but your horse has one late lead change, you’re out. If you break to the canter in one trot extension, you’re out. The competition at this level in Europe is cutthroat, and if you leave half a point on the table, someone else will snatch it up. With 23 horses scoring in the 40s today, you positively could not afford to have any mistakes in order to remain competitive.

William Fox-Pitt and Cool Mountain, 3rd after dressage (photo by Kate Samuels)

While we’re at it, a good moving horse isn’t going to be able to pull the same scores as the horses that are phenomenal in both the trot and the canter. Gone is the day of showing improvement for the gaits that you have, because now you have to have an above average working gait to get the good scores. The judges today were clearly willing to reward the extravagant movers who were able to stay accurate. Learning to teach your horse to do correct changes is imperative; as double coefficients in the scoring, many riders fell victim to penalties there.

Team USA had an up-and-down performance as a whole in this first phase. While I feel that we’ve shown improvement in general, there are definitely some riders in the stables tonight who are disappointed in their scores. We have all the talent in the world, but it’s a matter of putting it all together here in Europe when it matters. The big idea this weekend is to bring all the riders home with clear cross-country rounds tomorrow and finish the event with an education on how the World Equestrian Games are going to feel next year.

 

Lucinda Fredericks & Flying Finish (photo by Kate Samuels)

Lucinda Fredericks continued to show her dominance in this phase by gaining the only score in the 30s today aboard Flying Finish. Lucinda broke four ribs and her collarbone in a rotational fall earlier this year at Tweseldown, and she mentions in her interview below that it almost ended her riding career, but she feels now that she’s come back stronger than ever, and she isn’t here to do anything but give it her best and go for the win. When asked about the cross-country course, Lucinda responded that while it isn’t terribly big, the course is quite long (at 11 minutes 48 seconds, 6,720 meters long) and the hardest combinations are at the end, so the horses and riders have to stay attentive for a long time. She says that her horse is a “long diesel truck” of an animal, and that may hinder him in some places but will also benefit him in others. See her interview below for a full report from Lucinda, including her thoughts on tomorrow.

The other big story of today is obviously William Fox-Pitt, who did the unimaginable feat of placing second, third and fourth with all three of his horses within 1.8 points of each other. I mean, really, who does that?! He was quite humble in his interview, saying that he was delighted with Cool Mountain, as the horse hasn’t been out at a big competition since Badminton 2011. He thinks that the biggest challenge tomorrow will be in the mental tenacity of the horses and riders — that they continue looking ahead and focusing on the skinny elements that come up around the turns.

William predicts that the crowds will be an enormous factor, as the weather is going to be amazing, and the CCI4* doesn’t start until midday. The horses will have to be very focused to see their flags with the thousands of spectators lining the jumps. William is also riding this weekend nursing an injured back from Le Lyon last weekend, for which he has a personal physiologist attending to him here at Pau. He says that it is feeling good so far, but he hopes that it doesn’t get thrown out of whack again tomorrow in between his three rides. Apologies for the English speakers, William breaks into French at about 1:10 in the interview and returns to English at 4:56.

Andrew Nicholson & Mr Cruise Control, 10th place overnight

Cross country begins tomorrow at 12:15 p.m. Pau time, 6:15 a.m. EST. U.S. and Canadian rider times are listed below, and the action will all be available on FEI TV (look for me in a flattering yellow photographer’s vest near the water jumps!)

North American Cross-Country Ride Times
Peter Barry & Kilrodan Abbott: 1:07pm (7:07am EST)
Kathryn Robinson & Let It Bee: 1:27pm (7:27am EST)
Clark Montgomery & Universe: 2:19pm (8:19am EST)
Hannah Sue Burnett & Harbour Pilot: 2:39pm (8:39am EST)
Lynn Symansky & Donner: 3:03pm (9:03am EST)
Michael Pollard & Mensa G: 3:23pm (9:23am EST)
Kristi Nunnink & R-Star: 3:43pm (9:43am EST)
Phillip Dutton & Mr Medicott: 4:15pm (10:15am EST)
Marilyn Little & RF Demeter: 4:27pm (10:27am EST)
Hawley Bennett-Awad & Gin & Juice: 4:31pm (10:31am EST)

Pau Links: [Website] [Live Scores] [Course Preview] [Cross Country Times]

Marilyn Little Breaks Down Her Dressage Test at Pau

By on Oct 25, 2013 12:58 pm -

Marilyn Little and RF Demeter. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Marilyn Little was kind enough to chat with me after walking the cross-country course this afternoon following her dressage test with RF Demeter. As Marilyn said in the interview, she lost points along the way for little things here and there, and there’s no room for error at a big four-star competition like Les Etoiles de Pau. Demi was a bit spooky about the cameraman at B, and Marilyn said she should have taken more time to help the mare adjust to that, as it ultimately negatively affected several movements. She also trusted Demi a bit too much in the extended canter, and the mare changed early, so Marilyn is understandably a bit disappointed tonight. Chin up! Many thanks to Marilyn for chatting, and best of luck tomorrow on the cross country.

Update: I forgot to add that announcer extraordinaire John Kyle and his lovely fiancé Pippa Roome, who moonlights as the eventing editor of Horse & Hound, are also here at Pau this weekend. You’ll spot John toward the end of Marilyn’s interview when he pulls off an impressive photo bomb. Well done, John. Go eventing.

Pau Links: [Website] [Live Scores] [Course Preview] [Cross-Country Start Times]

Lucinda Fredericks and Flying Finish Win the Dressage at Pau

By on Oct 25, 2013 11:30 am -

Lucinda Fredericks and Flying Finish. Photo by Jenni Autry.

With the judges cracking down on scoring today, Kate and I wondered if we’d see any scores in the 30s before the conclusion of the dressage at Les Etoiles de Pau. Lucinda Fredericks and Flying Finish scored 39.2 to just sneak into the 30s — the only pair to ultimately do so — and win the dressage with a lovely test in the final group to go today. Lucinda was second after the dressage with this horse at Luhmuhlen, and they were in fine form again today. She said in the post-dressage press conference that the horse is becoming very consistent and workmanlike in how he approaches this phase, and it’s probably about time to begin treating him as such. Kate has been dutifully recording all the top dressage tests over the past two days, so be sure to check out the video below.

William Fox-Pitt and Cool Mountain. Photo by Jenni Autry.

William Fox-Pitt finishes the dressage with all three of his mounts — Seacookie TSF, Cool Mountain and Neuf Des Coeurs — and  sitting in second, third and fourth places on scores of 41.5, 42.2 and 43.2, respectively. He had a chance to take the lead from Lucinda with Cool Mountain as the final ride of the day, but he didn’t quite get there, and he goes into the cross country in third place with that horse. William said in the press conference that he was quite pleased with Cool Mountain, and now he’s looking ahead to tomorrow, when he’ll be riding through some pain after tweaking his back last weekend at Le Lion. He’s riding at Pau under the watchful eye of Jenny Hummel, his physiologist, and he’s hoping to get through tomorrow without too much pain. You’ll hear more on his injury in the press conference video.

Hawley Bennett-Awad and Gin & Juice. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Hawley Bennett-Awad and Gin & Juice were the final pair to go this afternoon for Team Canada, and they were one of the 23 pairs to finish inside the 40s, scoring 49.5 to sit in 22nd place overnight. Ginny can be a bit of a firecracker in the little white box, and I thought she behaved nicely today for Hawley. Marilyn Little and RF Demeter were the last pair to go this afternoon for Team USA, and they scored 51.2 to sit in 27th place overnight. They were on par for a very good score at the beginning of the test, and then the marks started dropping in the canter work. I chatted with Marilyn after her test, and she said Demi’s gaits and the quality of the work are where they need to be, but she knows there are some technical problems she still needs to address. I’ll have that interview uploaded shortly.

Marilyn Little and RF Demeter. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Team USA finishes the dressage with two riders in the 40s and the rest in the 50s — definitely a mixed bag across the board, and it’s clear we’re still not where we need to be in this phase on the international stage. Coach David O’Connor was kind enough to sit down and chat with us this afternoon about his thoughts on how Team USA performed over the past two days, as well as give some insight on how he’s coaching the riders to tackle Pierre Michelet’s cross-course course. So stay tuned for the interview with David, as well as Kate’s thoughts on the day, press conference interviews with William Fox-Pitt and Lucinda Fredericks, and an interview with Marilyn Little. And while you’re waiting, be sure to watch all of Kate’s videos below and check out all her photos on Eventing Nation’s Facebook page. Go Pau.

Pau Links: [Website] [Live Scores] [Course Preview] [Cross-Country Start Times]

The View From Kentucky Presented by World Equestrian Brands

By on Oct 25, 2013 10:00 am -

EN loves photos shot between the ears! If you happen to be out for a hack, are riding in some obscure place or just take some cool photos aboard your mount, send them to [email protected] with a quick blurb about the photo’s story. This week’s View comes to us from Britney Hensman at the Kentucky Horse Park.

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From Britney:

Here’s a view looking at the statue of Bruce Davidson at the Rolex stadium. Halo and I were hacking on the Kentucky Horse Park grounds during the Hagyard Midsouth Horse Trials. What a neat thing to be able to see while hacking at the horse park. Halo sure used it as inspiration for the weekend.

 

Boyd Martin Broke His Arm, Will Probably Miss Today’s Rides

By on Oct 25, 2013 8:56 am -

Well damn.  That’s an x-ray of what once slightly resembled Boyd Martin’s arm.  Boyd dislocated his elbow and broke his arm on Thursday when a horse kicked him at his farm in Pennsylvania, according to Boyd’s barn manager and head groom Lindsey Taylor.  Boyd is scheduled for surgery today and there is no word yet on how long he will be out.

It goes without saying that EN sends our heartiest get-well-soons to Boyd.  This has been a tough year for Boyd on the injury front.  He rode around Rolex with a shredded ankle and had surgery on that the following week.   Between Rolex this year and competing through the spring 2011 season with an unknowingly broken wrist, Boyd’s picture is in the dictionary next to “eventing tough.”  Feel better big man, nothing can hold you down, and we’ll see you out here again soon, at least three times faster than the doctors would like.  [Picture via FB]

Go Boyd.

Update 11:35 a.m. — COTH quotes Boyd’s wife, Silva, as saying he was hand-walking one of his young horses that was coming back from an injury. “The horse spooked and he kind of spun around and kicked him in the arm.”

Update 5:03 p.m. — Boyd is out of surgery and heading home to start the recovery process.

Kirsten Cowan: Waredaca Classic 3-Day Part II

By on Oct 25, 2013 8:50 am -

Kirsten Cowan, author of The Beast Eventer blog, has made it to the Novice 3-Day at Waredaca this weekend with her mare Keeping It Classy (Ariat).  Is your goal to complete a full format 3-day?  Read on as Kirsten reports on dressage, hacking R&T, and steeplechase practice yesterday at Day 2 of Waredaca.  Many thanks to Kirsten for writing, and thank you for reading.  [Read Part I]  [Waredaca Live Scores]

From Kirsten:

We are not in Area I anymore! — Waredaca Classic 3-Day Part II

Part of the stunning xc course!

Why hello there!  Today was another jam packed day at the Waredaca Classic 3-Day!  There were some pretty major things that everyone had to accomplish today:
1) Hack the track for Phases A & C to make sure you know where you are going out there tomorrow and to locate all of your gates!  For those of you who are wondering what I am talking about out there on Phases A and C there are a bunch of gates that you must pass between while you are trotting the Roads and Tracks phases of the long format.  Yesterday we were taken out in trucks to get a look at it, but it was SO important to hack it and actually see where you have to go on horseback.  I felt like I knew the course so I used hacking C as my warm up for the steeplechase practice and suddenly I found myself back out in the corn field because I had missed the turn to continue on the track for Phase C.  I also decided to trot out a kilometer and see where my mare paces compared to the desired 4-minute kilometer.  Of course, being me I chose to practice on the kilometer that involved some rougher terrain that made it necessary to walk a bit bringing us in at 4:45.  But I figure that’s not horrid for a rougher section of trail!  Best part?  The beast mare was thrilled to be trotting along the trails!  There is not much to complain about when you are trotting a forward happy horse around a property that looks something like this:
Hacking A out on Phase A first thing this morning!  It’s a shame the scenery is so horrid.  😉
2) Steeplechase Practice!!!  The organizers designed today to again be split between the Novice and Training riders.  So while the Novice riders went and played dressage in the sandbox the Training riders got to go gallop down some brush fences!  Unfortunately I was attempting to create a dressage horse at the time my partner in crime, Christine and Erin’s Shenanigans (Zoe), had a go at them but she reports the Zoe-Zoe was thrilled to be out running and jumping.  After dressage Ariat and I had our turn to practice.  Our first go wasn’t pretty… I have this horrible habit of forgetting how to ride, taking my leg off, and looking down at the fence.  Take it from me, this is NOT a smart life decision!  So when it was time to get Ariat out over the ‘chase fence we had a deep chip over the first attempt and when we landed I wanted to “Gibbs Slap” myself.  I KNOW how to ride this horse!  I should probably do it now!  So on our second trip around I kept her in front of my leg and we still found a deeper distance than most, but it was solid and powerful.  Ariat and I are still not extremely confident with the longer spots and continue to work on this through practice and strengthening exercises!  But you really don’t need to hear about our winter homework, you are reading this for the 3-Day info!
Practice Steeplechase fence!
3)  XC Course Walk!  This evening after the bay mares were fed and bundled up against this wind Waredaca is experiencing Christine and I had a chance to walk our steeplechase course and then also our separate Phase D’s.  Once we did this we met back at start and headed out with our official course walk with the experts!  This evening Novice walked with Stephen Bradley and he was great at chatting a bit about each fence, how he might ride it, what he would be looking for in the horse, where the rider should be focusing, etc.  This means that the competitors have now had the opportunity to walk our Phase D’s with two extremely experienced professionals and who have done a great job answering about a million and a half questions.
One of two steeplechase fences

Course walking!!
….. I feel like there was something else going on today…. something important………. OH!  Dressage!
4) Dressage Test!  Today was also the dressage day!  Novice went first in the morning and Training went in the afternoon.  It was pretty different for Ariat and I to not only ride in the standard size dressage ring (do you KNOW how long that long side is?  My trainer swears it is 60m, but I am rather certain it is actually 7 miles long) but to also ride for a judge at B.  The tricky part about this, at least for Ariat and I, is that we have apparently become really good at hiding our flaws from the judge at C!  The Beast put in a solid test despite some minor issues of her bracing against me.  The Novice 3-Day dressage test is a tricky one in that through the way it is designed really demonstrates if your horse is soft, bending, and on the bit.  For those of you who know my horse we are typically none of those things!  So I left the ring feeling a bit disappointed as Ariat had warmed up incredibly well and was super bendy-flexy before heading up for our test, but we got it done and earned a respectable 32.  We received a 28 from the judge at C and a 36 from the judge at B and these scores were then averaged together to arrive at a 32.  I *believe* this has us tied for something like 24th place?  There were some simply lovely dressage tests out there today and sincere congratulations to all of those riders who I may or may not have silently cursed out as scores of “21” and “22.5” echoed back into the stabling area….