Classic Eventing Nation

Reigning Champs Great Britain Announce European Championships Line-Up

By on Jul 7, 2023 10:42 am -

The all-female British team who took gold at Avenches in 2021 — plus individual bronze medallist Sarah Bullimore — embark on their lap of honour after a clean sweep of the medals at the European Championships. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Hold onto your hats: the second line-up announcement for next month’s European Eventing Championships, set to take place from August 9–13 at Haras du Pin, France, is a seriously big one. The British team comes into this championships holding not just the gold medal from the previous iteration, held at Avenches, Switzerland, in 2021, but with all three individual medals, too — most notably, the individual gold, which was won by Nicola Wilson and the exceptional JL Dublin, who will defend his title under new rider Tom McEwen. All six named horses and riders have either won or finished in the top three in at least one CCI5*. No pressure, everybody else…!

And here she is, folks: your radiant European Champion, the sunny and superb Nicola Wilson! Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The six named horses and riders for the squad are as follows, in alphabetical order by rider’s surname:

Ros Canter (37) from Hallington, Lincolnshire, with Michele Saul’s Lordships Graffalo (bay, gelding, 11yrs, 17hh, Grafenstolz x Rock King, Breeder: Lordships Stud, Writtle College GBR). Groom: Sarah Charnley

Laura Collett (33) from Salperton, Gloucestershire, with Keith Scott, Karen Bartlett and her own London 52 (bay, gelding, 14yrs, 16.3hh, Landos x Quinar, Breeder: Ocke Riewerts GER). Groom: Tilly Hughes

Yasmin Ingham (26) from Nantwich, Cheshire (originally from Isle of Man), with The Sue Davies Fund and Janette Chinn’s Banzai du Loir (chestnut, gelding, 12yrs, 16.2hh, Nouma D’Auzay x Livarot, Breeder: Pierre Gouye FRA). Groom: Alison Bell

Tom Jackson (30) from Godalming, Surrey, with Patricia Davenport, Millie Simmie and Sarah Webb’s Capels Hollow Drift(grey, gelding, 12yrs, 16.2hh, Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan x Lucky Gift, Breeder: Jeanette Glynn GBR). Groom: Chloe Whitelam

Kitty King (40) from Chippenham, Wiltshire, with Diana Bown, the late Sally Eyre, Samantha Wilson and Sally Lloyd-Baker’s Vendredi Biats (grey, gelding, 14yrs, Winningmood x Camelia de Ruelles, Breeder: Phillipe Briviois FRA) Groom: Chloe Fry

Tom McEwen (32) from Stroud, Gloucestershire, with James and Jo Lambert and Deirdre Johnston’s JL Dublin (dark brown, gelding, 16.2hh, Diarado x Cantano, Breeder: Volker Göttsche-Götze GER). Groom: Adam Short

Four of these horses and riders will be named to the team, while two will compete as individuals — and these designations haven’t yet been awarded.

British Equestrian has also revealed their reserve list of horses and riders, from which they’ll pull replacements if any of their named six cannot take part. These, again in alphabetical order by surname, are:

Ros Canter (37) from Hallington, Lincolnshire, with Kate James and Annie Makin’s Pencos Crown Jewel (bay, mare, 14yrs, 16.1hh, Jumbo x Rock King, Breeder: Mrs Pennie Wallace GBR)

David Doel (30) from Chippenham, Wiltshire, with Gillian Jonas’ Galileo Nieuwmoed (dark bay, gelding, 12yrs, 17hh, Carambole x Harcos, Breeder: J. W. and A. P. Jurrius NED)

Pippa Funnell (54) from Dorking, Surrey, with Sarah Ross’ MCS Maverick (bay, gelding, 10yrs, 16.1hh, s. Mill Law, Breeder: Mrs M Watson GBR)

Yasmin Ingham (26) from Nantwich, Cheshire (originally from Isle of Man), with The Sue Davies Fund and Janette Chinn’s Rehy DJ (bay, gelding, 13yrs, 16.1hh, Tinarana’s Inspector x Big Shot Hope, Breeder: Noel Russell IRL)

Piggy March (42) from Maidwell, Northamptonshire, with John and Chloe Perry and Alison Swinburn’s Brookfield Cavalier Cruise (brown, gelding, 10yrs, 16.3hh, Cavalier Carnival x Atlantic Cruise, Breeder: Martin Ryan IRL) and James and Jo Lambert’s Coolparks Sarco (bay, gelding, 11yrs, 16.2hh, Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan x Clarion Hotel Coolcorran Cool Diamond, Breeder: Michael Burke IRL)

Tom McEwen (32) from Stroud, Gloucestershire, with Martin Belsham’s Luna Mist (bay, mare, 10yrs, 16hh, Alvescot Paper Moon x Wickstead Didger I Doo) and Fred and Penny Barker, Jane Coppell and Alison McEwen’s Toledo de Kerser (bay, gelding, 16yrs, 16.1hh, Diamant de Semilly x Papillon Rouge, Breeder: Kerstin Drevet FRA)

Gemma Stevens (38) from Horsham, West Sussex, with Pru Dawes’ Flash Cooley (grey, gelding, 11yrs, 16.1hh, CSF Mr Kroon x OBOS Quality, Breeder: Jim O’Neill IRL)

Oliver Townend (40) from Ellesmere, Shropshire, with Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan’s Ballaghmor Class (grey, gelding, 16yrs, 16.2hh, s. Courage II, Breeder: Noel Hicky IRL) and Paul and Diana Ridgeon’s Swallow Springs (grey, gelding, 15yrs, 16.2hh, Chillout x Cult Hero, Breeder: Maria Keating IRL)

Bubby Upton (24) from Newmarket, Suffolk, with Rachel Upton and The Zebedee Syndicate’s Magic Roundabout (chestnut, gelding, 13yrs, 16.1hh, s. Samraan, Breeder: Sharon Shone GBR)

Confirmed riders for the 2023 FEI European Championships:

Switzerland

A Full Circle Meeting for Mai Baum at Aachen

By on Jul 7, 2023 9:00 am -

Oliver Klingebiel, nephew of Mai Baum’s breeder Gunter Gerling, accepts the LRK3DE award for winning breeder. Photo courtesy of Ellen Ahearn.

It’s quite a feat to produce a horse to the pinnacle of sport. When a horse achieves success such as a CCI5* win, the credit is rightfully distributed amongst the rider, the groom, the coaches, the owners, the support crew, and the breeders — a literal village.

In winning the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, Ellen and Alex Ahearn’s and Eric Markell’s Mai Baum earned his place in history, his longtime rider Tamie Smith also solidifying hers as the first U.S. winner of LRK3DE in nearly two decades. His breeder, Gunter Gerling of Germany, was also honored as the breeder of the winning horse.

Though Gunter Gerling has sadly passed away in the years since he chose the Holsteiner stallion Loredano to breed to his Leoni mare, Ramira, his nephew, Oliver Klingebiel, was able to connect with ‘Lexus’s’ connections over the years. When Tamie won Kentucky, she reached out to Oliver — who provided the photo below of a very young Mai Baum a few years ago after Tamie won the Fair Hill then-3* — to arrange a time for him to accept the breeder award on behalf of his uncle.

A very wee baby Mai Baum. Photo courtesy of Ellen Ahearn and Oliver Klingebiel.

That meeting happened at CHIO Aachen just last week, when Oliver and his wife drove four hours to meet Ellen and Eric as well as Tamie and Lexus. It was a meaningful award and a special full-circle reunion of sorts for all of Mai Baum’s connections.

A full circle reunion! Photo courtesy of Ellen Ahearn.

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum finished third individually at CHIO Aachen and were members of Team USA, which collected silver in the team SAP Cup competition.

Friday News & Notes Presented by Stable View

By on Jul 7, 2023 12:03 am -

Hyde Park Garden Mews. Photo by Rowi McIntosh.

I love following this Facebook page called Between The Ears because photos like this pop up on my feed and it brings me small bursts of joy. Seeing the view from equestrians all over the world is like feeling kinship with a huge portion of the population, and yet a special club. I know that a lot of my best moments in the saddle were rides alone with my horse and my dog, and just looking at a view that is beautiful, or experiencing something really cool with just my horse as witness. Also, riding in Hyde Park is probably predictably on my bucket list.

The Maryland International + Horse Trials (Adamstown, MD) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times][Volunteer]

U.S. Weekend Preview

Arrowhead H.T. (Billings, MT) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Fairburn, GA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Huntington Farm H.T. (South Strafford, VT) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer]

Genesee Valley Hunt H.T. (Geneseo, NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Scoring]

Masterson Equestrian Trust YEH/NEH Qualifier (Lexington, KY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times][Volunteer] [Scoring]

Redefined Equestrian Horse Trials (Fort Collins, CO) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer][Scoring]

Summer Coconino HT and Western Underground, Inc. TR,N,BN 3 Day Event (Flagstaff, AZ) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

News From Around the Globe:

The world lost a legend this week with the death of Tullibard’s Hawkwind. On July 2, five-star eventer Jordán Lindstet Granquist said goodbye to her first advanced and five-star horse, Tullibard’s Hawkwind at the age of 25. “He was the one that first took me across the country to the biggest competitions of my life and opened my eyes to the endless goals and dreams in starting my career,” she wrote on Facebook. “He stole the hearts of many crowds as people could see the size of his heart and love for me as he galloped across the county. I’ll never forget the electrifying applause as we entered the Rolex stadium on Sunday 2012. Last in the standing but first in the eyes of so many that believed in us. His presence truly was remarkable and his wisdom was beyond extraordinary. When our Eventing career together came to an early end in 2013 he owed me absolutely nothing and had already given me everything.” [Flashback Friday to Tullibard’s Hawkwind]

There is evidence of “bit” wear on horses’ teeth dating back to 3500 BC, though it is generally believed that horses were first controlled by means of a rope around the lower jaw. Early designs may have been similar to the Native American “war bridle.” One of the earliest known examples of a metal bit comes from the ancient Near East, specifically from the region of modern-day Iran. If you’re a nerd like me, you’ll be fascinated with this lesson in the history of bits. [Summer School: Evolution of the Bit]

The 2023 Area III Championships took place at the Chattahoochee Hills Horse Trials last weekend. With twelve stacked championship divisions, each winning pair had their own journey to the top. Meet your newest USEA Area III Champions here. [Area III Champions]

Good equitation is valuable no matter what your discipline, as function follows form in a lot of ways. In this edition of Jumping Clinic, Beezie Madden describes correct leg contact with the saddle and horse. Not only that but Beezie comments on this rider’s release, seat, upper body and more. [Jumping Clinic with Beezie Madden]

 

 

 

 

Book Excerpt: When It Comes to Event Horses, When Is Compromise Okay?

By on Jul 6, 2023 4:00 pm -

In this excerpt from How Good Riders Get Good, Denny Emerson talks frankly about the kinds of qualities you must have in an event horse, and when it is okay to compromise.

Photo courtesy of Denny Emerson.

New Zealand’s famous (and very tall) eventer Mark Todd, FEI “Horseman of the Century,” drove quite a long way in 1983 to look at Charisma when he was offered the ride on the gelding while his top horse was laid up. He was surprised to discover that the prospect he’d traveled so far to see was a pudgy and unprepossessing 15.3 hands. Two Olympic gold medals later, Mark had got over the shock, and he and Charisma were a legendary partnership.

Ben O’Meara didn’t get Untouchable off the racetrack until the horse was eleven years old, an age at which most riders would have written him off. But Untouchable became one of the great Olympic Grand Prix jumpers.

Despite being an already “Wow!” jumper, Theodore O’Connor, an Arab/Shetland/Thoroughbred-mix just shy of 14.2 hands, was anything but my impression of a four-star horse when Christan Trainor brought him to my farm as a four-year-old. But Karen O’Connor saw something special in him a year later, and after finishing third at Rolex Kentucky in 2007, they won both team and individual gold at the Pan Am Games.

Victor Dakin wasn’t the prototype of my ideal eventer when I went to look at him in 1973. He was barely sixteen hands, his feet were narrow, his pasterns upright. He was hot as a firecracker to ride in dressage, and the Canadian Team coach had dismissed him, stating, “This bloody horse can’t canter!” He was one-half Thoroughbred, one-quarter Irish Draught, one-eighth Arabian, and one-eighth Morgan—hardly the usual mix for a top eventing prospect.

But he could run and jump forever.

By choosing to “compromise” on Victor, I was able to ride on a gold-medal-winning USET team, win the US National Championship, and ride clear rounds on cross-country over most of the world’s toughest courses for five consecutive seasons. Victor is a good example of a compromise that was a good choice, but I have also made my share of mistakes. I think many of the times I’ve made horse-buying mistakes it’s because I wanted to get something for nothing—or, to put it in plain English, because I’m cheap! I wanted to buy champagne, but I had a beer pocketbook, so I’d often get a horse that had some problem, rather than pay several times as much for a better horse.

By “problem,” I mean I would frequently buy horses that were hard to ride, either too hot or too strong, or very green. Always, of course, I’d do so assuming that I could fix that horse’s particular problems, and that often proved to be a wrong assumption. Hot horses tend to stay hot, and tough, aggressive horses sometimes calm down, but more often they don’t. Green is fixable; it just takes time. But my worst buying mistakes happened when I would compromise quality, a word that means different things to different horsemen, even when they are in the same discipline—and especially when they are in different disciplines.

In eventing, horses with “quality” are fancy movers. They trot with an elastic “flow,” and their canter is buoyant and uphill. Their gallop is silky and reaching, their jump is sharp and full of scope and power. If you start with a horse full of quality, you have realistic hopes. But if you compromise basic quality, you’ll never get there—no matter how much you struggle, and no matter how much riding skill you bring to the equation.

This excerpt from How Good Riders Get Good by Denny Emerson is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com).

The Spotlight Beckons: Don’t Miss This Casting Call For Virginia Eventers

By on Jul 6, 2023 2:14 pm -


In wildly exciting news, a documentary film about Kim Walnes and The Gray Goose — darlings of the US Eventing Team and the five-star level of competition through the 70s and 80s — is in the works, and even better? The team behind it is currently on the hunt for a female event rider and a grey horse to stand in for the subjects of the film. There’s some poetry in that: Kim and Gray themselves acted as body doubles in the eventing classic Sylvester, where they delivered the cross-country performances for the titular horse and his feisty rider.

The social media callout reads as follows: “We are looking to cast a female event rider and a gray horse to film some footage in Dublin, VA and Woolwine, VA the week of August 14. The footage would be used for an upcoming documentary.

Rider should be experienced with galloping xc. If interested, please DM riding pictures and video footage along with contact information to Shanyn Fiske or email to [email protected]

Preference for rider / horse pairs in Pulaski County, VA and surrounding areas.”

Kim Walnes and The Gray Goose. Photo by Peter Gower.

Do you have what it takes to stand in for one of the all-time greats of US eventing history? Don’t miss your chance — drop Shanyn an email and get ready for your close-up!

Follow from Home: The Inaugural (Kind of!) Aston le Walls CCI4*-S

By on Jul 6, 2023 12:43 pm -

Behind closed doors but no less buzzy for it, Aston-le-Walls set the stage for a useful spring four-star in the 2021 season. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This weekend sees a new event on the British calendar take centre stage: Northampton’s Aston le Walls Equestrian Centre, run by former team rider turned coach and selector Nigel Taylor, has long been a stalwart part of UK-based eventers’ season plans, with schooling opportunities galore, affiliated events throughout the breadth of the season, and arena eventing in the winter, too. But now, they’re taking the next step with their own international fixture — something that’s long topped their aspirations as as a venue.

This isn’t actually the first time we’ve seen Aston host a four-star, though: during the pandemic, they first hosted an elite competition weekend, allowing professionals and team pathway riders to give their horses an outing when government guidelines allowed for just that much wiggle room. Then, when Chatsworth couldn’t run its international fixture behind closed doors in 2021, Aston stepped up to host its CCI4*-S, with appropriately challenging courses designed by Captain Mark Phillips, and in doing so, gave many horses their first chance at an FEI event since Covid first struck.

Gemma Tattersall and Jalapeno. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Though feedback from that event was positive, Aston’s team was no doubt disappointed not to be granted an ongoing international fixture — but once again, they’re stepping in to fill a gap and save the day. This week would ordinarily be the domain of Wiltshire’s Barbury International, but after disputes between the organisers and British Eventing over unaffiliated fixture timetabling, the organisers decided to pull it from the calendar, leaving a challenging mid-summer space in the calendar. That gap is ably filled by Aston, with its ability to host two phases on a surface, thus minimising concerns about hard ground.

So what can we expect from the next few days of competition? Well, beyond that feature CCI4*-S class, there’s also a CCI3*-S, a CCI1*, several Novice sections — including a Novice Masters class — and a 105 Pony Trials class, too. The CCI3*-S sections are already well underway, and the CCI4*-S will begin tomorrow at 8.30 am, with a full day of dressage on the roster for both Friday and Saturday. Sunday will play host to this class’s jumping phases, beginning with showjumping at 9.00 am and then on to cross country, once again designed by Captain Mark Phillips, from 11 am.

Izzy Taylor’s Monkeying Around will return to Aston, where he finished second in the CCI4*-S in 2021. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There’s a hefty line-up present in this class, and you can browse entries, check ride times, and keep an eye on live scores here.

You can also preview all the weekend’s courses via the cross-country app, with maps and virtual walks available here.

Not able to make it in to spectate, which you can do for a mere £10 on the gate? No worries: you can watch all the action as it happens from home, as ClipMyHorse.TV will be on-site to broadcast the cross-country from all three international classes.

While we won’t have boots on the ground for EN this weekend, we’ll still be bringing you news and updates as the competition unfolds. Until then: Go Eventing!

Thursday News & Notes

By on Jul 6, 2023 12:03 am -

Just a casual photo. Courtesy of Yasmin Ingham Eventing.

Yasmin Ingham just continues to stun with her liver chestnut partner, Banzai du Loir, and the action from this past weekend is still fresh in my mind. I remember seeing them at Kentucky in the spring of 2022, and watching the ease with which they seemed to beautifully execute each phase. For anybody to look equally strong in all three phases is extremely rare, and for a five-star debutante (horse, in this case, not rider!) it’s practically unheard of. What do you know, at the tender age of twenty six, and a little more than a year later, she’s your World Championship title holder and first-ever British champion of CHIO Aachen. I won’t say called it, but, you know, called it!

The Maryland International + Horse Trials (Adamstown, MD) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times][Volunteer]

U.S. Weekend Preview

Arrowhead H.T. (Billings, MT) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Fairburn, GA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Huntington Farm H.T. (South Strafford, VT) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer]

Genesee Valley Hunt H.T. (Geneseo, NY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Scoring]

Masterson Equestrian Trust YEH/NEH Qualifier (Lexington, KY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times][Volunteer] [Scoring]

Redefined Equestrian Horse Trials (Fort Collins, CO) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer][Scoring]

Summer Coconino HT and Western Underground, Inc. TR,N,BN 3 Day Event (Flagstaff, AZ) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

News From Around the Globe:

This is something I’ve been pondering for a while now, and I’m glad to see it discussed online. In modern horse sports, we talk and think about soundness and the quest to maintain it at various levels of competition, but it’s more than just having a great vet on your side. It’s our responsibility as horse owners and riders to know that lameness can be the result of imbalanced feet, a chronically irritated ligament that isn’t addressed until it’s a bigger deal, or even stiffness that forces the horse to compensate, making him sore elsewhere. Every time you step into the stirrup, you could be riding your horse closer to soundness, or closer to lameness. [Are You Riding Into Lameness or Soundness?]

No matter the discipline, having a solid flying change is essential to moving up the levels. For some horses, it’s right there from the beginning and you thank your lucky stars. For others, it’s a lifelong challenge to get them clean and effortless looking, but with the right exercises and the proper coaching, you too can achieve your flying change dreams. [6 Simple Exercises for Flying Changes]
Hot on Horse Nation: Surviving & Thriving In The Heat

Goodbye pyramid, hello spiral! I loved reading this book from Sue Grice, where the traditional Training Pyramid is updated and reimagined into the Training Spiral. The basic idea of the Training Spiral is that you can progress through all the elements of the Scales in order (Rhythm, Suppleness, Contact, Impulsion, Straightness, Collection), without having to perfect each one before attempting the next. Instead, each element is completed to the degree that the horse can manage at his given level of training. As soon as one cycle of this training—one tier of the spiral—is completed, the next can begin—only in this new cycle (Tier 2), the degree of difficulty or quality expected is increased. [Learn the Training Spiral]

 

 

There is literally almost nothing I love more than foal videos:

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Window-Shopping at the Billy Stud

By on Jul 5, 2023 5:00 pm -

If you’ve ever attended an elite sport horse auction, you’ll know the unique and distinctive feeling of falling in love approximately five times in one evening – and then watching your dream horse be snapped up by a big bank account and, usually, a big-name rider. But that doesn’t make it any less fun to head to these highly-curated sales, and it also doesn’t mean you can’t find a great deal on a seriously classy young horse. My favourite role, though? Going along as ‘advisor’ (read: enabler) to my friends who are actually on the hunt for a new horse. Check out what the process of ringside spectating — and, yes, enabling — is really like with this vlog from British amateur venter Lucy Robinson, who recently attended Pippa and William Funnell’s Billy Stud auction to see some of their fabulous Billy-monikored youngsters in the flesh. Which would you choose?

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NEW EVENTING STICKER AVALIABLE.  Visit https://kppusa.com/spring2023/ to grab one for your barn.

How Cindy Anderson-Blank Built Monarch Eventing from Caterpillar to Butterfly

By on Jul 5, 2023 11:00 am -

This article is brought to you in partnership with Equestly and the just-launched Equestly Horses. See more Equestly Stories here.

It’s not everyday a fourth-generation ranch kid becomes a four-star eventer. Cindy Anderson Blank grew up working cows and running barrels in southeastern Oregon. Today, she’s fought tooth and claw to build what’s now Monarch Eventing in Berryville, Virginia. 

Cindy’s earliest memories involve horses: “My sister and I both started riding with my mother before we could even sit up, basically. My parents were working cows or whatever, and we had to go with them, so we grew up in the saddle.”

Cindy Anderson Blank aboard her trusty cowpony. Photo courtesy of Cindy Anderson Blank.

Cindy’s introduction to English riding was thanks to her kindergarten teacher and 4-H leader Denny Duke. Another local trainer, Norma Angele, introduced her to eventing. She did her first event when she was just eight years old on her trusty cow horse, and from then on out, Cindy was hooked. 

Finding eventing opportunities in southeast Oregon wasn’t easy. As soon as she turned sixteen and got her driver’s license, she started hauling her trailer over the mountains to take lessons in Medford, OR, which was three and a half hours away. 

Cindy attended Oregon State University to get her degree in Equine Exercise Physiology and spent her summer and holiday breaks working for David Acord with New Heights Training Stables. But, after college, she knew she had to head East, where there were far more opportunities to turn an eventing hobby into a full-time career. “After I graduated college, I worked as a tech for a little bit, like full-time small animal vet tech, just to build up enough cash to then start working my way East.”

Instead of taking a direct flight to the East Coast, Cindy slowly worked her way eastward as a working student. “I took a working student job for Jim Graham in Florence, Alabama for a couple years and took two horses with me, and stayed there until I basically ran out of money. Being a working student doesn’t pay very well,” Cindy said, laughing. 

Cindy Anderson Blank and Windchase Phoenix Star. Photo by Shelby Allen.

While Cindy said she learned a lot in her time as a working student, she said no one can afford to do it for very long without significant financial backing. She found what seemed like a blessing: a barn three hours outside of Chicago needed a barn manager and trainer. After three years working for herself, she realized she needed more instruction than she could afford to pay for. “If you go off to start your own thing to make some money too early, then you never get the knowledge base you need, you know? It’s just too hard to get instruction when you work for yourself and are just starting out. That’s why the working student thing is nice, but you can’t do that forever,” Cindy said. 

With three Preliminary horses and one Intermediate horse, she had made just enough of a reputation for herself that she could ride for someone professionally. Finally, she found the perfect position to grow her knowledge base and launch the rest of her career -– Olympian Phyllis Dawson was looking for a competition rider and assistant trainer. Not only had Cindy finally made it to the East coast, she had also found a mentor with a veritable wealth of knowledge. “At Phyllis’s, I was able to really gain a lot of competition miles and just so much experience. Her knowledge base helped me along and taught me about developing horses, conditioning horses, and training,” said Cindy.

 

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Cindy believes that the ten years she spent riding for Phyllis is what really allowed her to finally launch Monarch Eventing. Riding for Phyllis allowed her access to a great eventing education, without requiring the massive financial backing of being a working student or paying for lessons. While living and working at Windchase Farm, Cindy got the ride on Windchase Phoenix Star, who became her first 4* horse. “Windchase Phoenix Star was one that she owned, and I was able to take him Advanced. That was super,” said Cindy. “So I got four-star mileage on him and that’s kind of what got me to where I am today.”

While we routinely refer to young professionals who are just starting their business as “going off on their own,” it’s rare that someone is truly on their own. Cindy, for example, needed the help of two amazing friends, Darlene Judd and Andrew Brower, that she had met at Oregon State University. “They had a little extra space and they let me kind of build onto one of their barns to house a few more horses,” said Cindy. “And it worked. It worked really well to get my business going.”

Cindy helped Darlene get her homebreds started under saddle and in exchange, Darlene allowed Cindy to run her burgeoning business from their home. Darlene and Andrew were actually the inspiration behind the name of her business, Monarch Eventing. The two are entomologists and  Andrew is actually a butterfly specialist. “I liked the idea of — it sounds kind of cheesy, but — new beginnings, you know?” Cindy said. “The idea that you can crawl out of something and just make a beautiful vision a reality. The name Monarch Eventing was really to honor them.”

As Cindy’s business continued to grow over the next few years, she became too big for Darlene and Andrew’s home farm. Luckily, that’s when Sam Potter and Carlos Hernandez, CEO and COO of Equestly respectively, stepped onto the scene. Having already worked with Cindy as a sponsored rider for the Equestly brand since the fall of 2021, Carlos and Sam stepped up to the plate when she was searching for a new place to go. 

Equestly was leasing a farm in Virginia and offered it to Cindy so that she could build her program true to her vision. “They were very adamant that I could just build the training program out of their barn how I wanted it,” Cindy said, almost sheepishly. “That’s the thing that’s great about them — they’re not leasing the barn to make money, they’re leasing it to help my business get going and be able to stay going. In return, my business helps their business, since I’m a sponsored rider. Sam has her horses here and I’m able to help her with them. It’s very much a shared vision of what everybody wants it to be.”

Cindy Anderson Blank and Faberge. Photo taken by Carlos Hernandéz.

Together, Cindy and Equestly are creating a barn and training program that any horse would be lucky to be a part of. Their philosophy is simple: Horses first. Money second. “We’ve really tried to do everything absolutely for the horses’ best interest,” Cindy explained. “The best of feed, the best of care. We try to hire the best people you can possibly find. It’s important to us that we’re not making money at the expense of the horse.”

Of course, there’s a reason why some new business owners choose money over five-star horse care: it’s expensive to provide the best possible of everything and it takes time to grow a business the right way. Thanks to Equestly’s support, Cindy is able to take the slow and steady path to building the program of her dreams. Cindy believes that their shared vision is what makes the symbiotic partnership work so well. “It takes time to build a business up like that, but after a couple of years, you really start to see the benefits of that. And that’s also what Sam and Carlos are very focused on with Equestly,” Cindy said. “They’re very focused on quality and being able to create a brand that’s not just there to turn a profit, but to actually help people and make a difference for their sponsored riders and horses.”

Whether it’s mucking the occasional stall as needed or moving fencing around to create more pastures, Carlos and Sam have been hands-on in helping Cindy create the farm that she needs to grow her business. The new home of Monarch Eventing is located on more than 50 acres in Berryville, VA. It currently has 12 stalls, but that number is soon to go up with the addition of two more stalls. There’s an all-weather outdoor arena, which Cindy says she was able to ride in all winter long, plus a continuously growing cross country field out front — but Cindy’s favorite part of the property is the turnout. “The really nice thing about the property is it has exceptional turnout, like the turnout pastures are huge. The horses think they’re wilderness animals,” Cindy laughs. “They enjoy the land.”

 

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Monarch Eventing is located in a red-hot eventing community — the exact opposite of where Cindy grew up. But for her, it’s a paradise filled with new learning opportunities everywhere you look. “It’s easy to move to an area where you can be a big fish in a small pond. But in this area, even as a four-star rider, it’s like well, that doesn’t mean anything. You know, the knowledge base is already so high in this area,” Cindy said. “But it’s the place to be if you want to continue to educate yourself and continue to become a better rider and trainer.”

Building Monarch Eventing from the ground up hasn’t been an easy road for Cindy. “You have to take that first plunge of ‘I have no money behind me and I have nothing except the ability to work really hard,’” Cindy said. “We have a friend that says she spent her life jumping out of a plane and building the parachute on the way down and that’s pretty much what I did.”

The risks Cindy has taken are paying off. When asked what she’d tell other up-and-coming professionals who are looking to start their own program one day, she answered, “It’s all about having the right timing, being in the right place, and finding people that share your goals. Then you start to establish a vision of what you want and then you start to get a little bit of confidence like, ‘Okay, this is working and this is where I want to go.’ That’s when it starts to grow.”

Keep an eye out for Cindy in her Equestly gear galloping around the Advanced level this season with her horse, Faberge. 

Lessons Learned About Life & Riding from the Bromont Rising Program

By on Jul 5, 2023 9:47 am -

Lea Adams-Blackmore and Frostbite. Photo by Sally Spickard.

If you followed along with all the action from the MARS Bromont CCI Horse Trials, then you’re probably familiar with the Bromont Rising Program. The MARS Bromont U25 Rising Program, first introduced in 2019, awards young riders grants to offset the expenses associated with competing at either MARS Bromont or Galway Downs International in the fall, along with access to mentorship from world-class equestrian thought leaders. World Equestrian Brands rider Lea Adams-Blackmore is one lucky rider who has been awarded a place in the program not once, but twice.

Both years, Lea has competed aboard her horse, Frostbite. This year she competed in the CCI3*-L, a step up from last year’s ride in the CCI2*-L. She and the 10-year old Dutch Warmblood gelding (VDL Zirocco Blue – Zanna, by Corland) have risen through the eventing ranks together after she imported him from Ireland when he was just four years old. 

Lea and “Frosty” arrived at the venue on Monday and started working with three-time German Olympian Bettina Hoy on Wednesday morning. From there on out, Bettina was coaching the young riders every step of the way, through all three phases of the event. Riders also attended a private workshop with Cara Whitham to get the judge’s perspective on dressage. 

[You can read more about the MARS Bromont Rising experience in Canada here]

Even though Frosty is an experienced 3* horse, Lea knew the terrain at Bromont would prove challenging. “My goal was to just go and not be dead set on having the best result ever, but I thought it would be a good test for him.”

While the weekend would end up cut short after Lea and Frosty were ultimately eliminated on cross country after some trouble late on course, she still has moments she expressed pride in. For one, she’d been concerned that her nerves might interfere with her horse’s focus, but she was pleased to find that Frosty handled the challenges quite well. “I was really proud that he went into the dressage ring in that big atmosphere and just kept his cool and didn’t get tense,” she said. “Sometimes he just gets a little bit distracted by the environment, but he was really focused.”

“On cross country, up until that last combination, he was just unreal. I honestly couldn’t have been happier with him,” Lea said of the early end to her cross country round with Frosty. “The last fence was just like a little stump on top of a mound and he tried so hard, but I think I got a little distracted and we both got a little disheartened.”

Despite the premature ending, Lea has a mature perspective on her run at Bromont and came away with lessons on both life and eventing from Bettina Hoy, proving that horses — and great coaches — always have something to teach us, whether we come in number one or dead last. Perhaps we learn even more from the run-outs and refusals (we’ve all been there!) compared to the rides that bring home blue ribbons. 

Lesson #1: Focus on Fun

Lea Adams Blackmore and Frostbite enjoy a post-ride snack. Photo by Cealy Tetley Photography.

Frosty is a nice mover and has always done well in dressage, bringing in scores in the low 30s. Bettina’s task for Lea in the dressage phase was simple: make it look fun. “She was like, ‘Make it look easy, show him off. Sit up and make it look like you’re having the time of your life and easily floating around. The judge should think it’s all just super easy and fun,’” Lea said. “The minute you look like it’s laborious and you’re nervous, it becomes a struggle.”

Even at the topmost levels of the sport, it’s important to remember that we were all once pony-obsessed little kids who spent the entire day at the fair in line for the pony rides. “You know, this is all supposed to be fun,” Lea said. “There shouldn’t be this big, stressful, sort of feeling right before you go into the arena. It should just be easy, just let it be easy and keep it simple.”

Riders in the U25 program also did a workshop with Canadian FEI judge Cara Whitham. Lea’s biggest takeaway from this session was to make every hoofbeat count, from the moment your horse steps foot anywhere even near the ring. “The time before you go into the arena is super important because that’s where the judges put you in a category,” Lea said. “They’re going to score you a certain way based on that first impression.”

Lesson #2: Every Piece of Terrain Matters

Lea Adams-Blackmore and Frostbite. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

As eventers, we tend to talk about the terrain as it relates to the fences. But how often do you pay attention to every single dip and mound on those galloping stretches? According to Bettina Hoy, every piece of terrain matters, particularly at Bromont where there’s lots of it. 

The terrain was a significant challenge for Lea and Frosty: “There is so much terrain at Bromont. You don’t really think about it until you’re at minute six or seven and all of a sudden the horse underneath you is definitely not the horse you started out with,” she explained. 

Bettina encouraged Lea to think about the terrain in a new way. As the U25 riders walked the course with the three-time Olympian, she pointed out every piece of undulating ground the riders would have to consider. Whether or not it related to a fence, Bettina was adamant about noting each little dip and mound and encouraged the riders to do the same. 

“I feel like that is real cross country riding in a way, thinking about all of those little pieces of terrain and letting them become part of your plan because it’s all related, whether or not it’s near a fence,” Lea said.

Each small mound or divot or hill changes your horse’s balance and impacts their quickly fading energy. Lea came away from the course walk with the knowledge that to truly master cross country, you have to look at the course as a whole, including the terrain, instead of as individual questions.

Lesson #3: Be Your Horse’s Cheerleader

Lea Adams-Blackmore and Frostbite. Photo by Cealy Tetley Photography.

Hard ground and lack of rain in Lea’s home state of West Virginia made it hard to build Frosty’s fitness prior to the event. She also had to balance his fitness with his focus in dressage as, like most athletic horses, if he gets too fit he loses focus. These factors combined meant that Frosty was having a little bit of a harder time at the end of the course than expected.  

“Being a bit more of a warm-blooded horse, Frosty is a little bit harder to get the fitness on. Bettina told me after we were eliminated that ‘You’re gonna have to work a little bit harder at the end of the course’ and to have that in mind next time I go out,” said Lea. “It was a good lesson to make sure you’re cheering your horse on through those last couple of combinations, or even if the last couple of fences look simple or like they should be simple. Just don’t underestimate them.”

As responsible riders, Lea says that we need to be there for our horses when they’ve been there for us. “Help your horse out because they’re trying so hard and they aren’t going make a mistake because they are being bad.”

Eventing is a sport that tests the partnership between horse and rider. Lea says that she walked away from the event understanding more about how to be a better cheerleader for Frosty. “You have to be like their little cheerleader and tell them, ‘You’ve got this buddy.’ So yeah, so just being a little bit more proactive and putting him in a better position towards the end of the course and really letting him know that I believe in him.”

Lesson #4: There’s Always Something to Learn

Photo by Abby Powell.

After being eliminated on cross country, Lea was taking some time to think back on her ride and figure out where she went wrong. Bettina came over with some great advice that could apply to anyone who has ever made a mistake while riding (so… all of us!). “Bettina talked to me after cross country and said, ‘You are going to make mistakes on [Frosty] and he’s such a good genuine horse. He’s going to forgive you every time, and you’re going to be smarter for the next time you go out,’” Lea said. 

Instead of focusing on what went wrong, Bettina encouraged Lea to think of all the experience and education she and Frosty got from attempting Bromont. Their original goal was never to go out and win. Their goal was to push the threshold of what he could do just a little bit more to further his education. 

“It was a good test for him and I think the questions he saw are going to be super helpful later on,” said Lea. “Bettina helped me understand that if you’re not winning, you’re learning every single time you go out. Maybe it doesn’t go the way you plan, but there’s always something to be taken away from it.”

“And it’s not a big deal when something doesn’t go to plan. It’s horses,” Lea added. “That’s just sometimes how it goes. But every single time there’s something to be taken away from that. So just learn the lesson, put the learning experience in the back of your mind, and then get ready to move on to what’s next.”

Looking forward, Lea is hoping to eventually step up to the Advanced level with Frosty, and overall looks at her run at Bromont, and particularly being part of the MARS Bromont Rising Program, as overwhelmingly positive. “It was the time of my life, up until it wasn’t,” Lea said, laughing. “But overall, it was an awesome experience.”

There is still time to apply for the fall round of MARS Bromont Rising, which will award grants for competition at the late-October Galway Downs International in Temecula, CA. Click here to learn more and fill out a MARS Bromont Rising application if you’re eligible (or, share it with someone who is!). Applications are due September 1.

This article was sponsored by World Equestrian Brands, your source for trusted brands like Vespucci, Amerigo, and Sergio Grasso. Lea’s favorite World Equestrian Brands’ product has to be her Amerigo dressage saddle. “I think my dressage saddle has become my new favorite thing in the entire world. I got it last summer and it has been my most prized possession,” Lea said. “It’s a Vega that’s custom fit for Frosty. It just puts me in such a better position and that’s made his job so much easier.”

Click here to shop World Equestrian Brands products.