Classic Eventing Nation

A Delightful Weekend at TerraNova + Everyone’s New Favorite Emotional Support Mini

By on Oct 23, 2022 7:40 pm -

I have good news and bad news about my second day at TerraNova. The bad news is: the poutine food truck was not in attendance today. I know, no one’s dreams have been crushed more than my own. However, the good news is that I found an emotional support miniature horse named Nugget in the barn of John Michael Durr and immediately forgot about all my poutine woes. And boy, what a story little wry-nosed Nugget has. Don’t worry, we’ll get to that. First, let’s talk about Sunday’s competition.

The schedule kicked off with show jumping for the lower levels, which featured all the atmosphere and grandeur that had been present for the FEI divisions. It also featured something you rarely see in this sport outside of Championships: prize money and serious satin.

In addition to a total of $40,000 worth of prize money up for grabs in the FEI divisions, each horse trial division also offered $1,500 of prize money split between the top three placings. Plus, they gave ribbons (and when I say ribbons, I mean ribbons as big as a toddler, as well as neck sashes for first and second) through 8th place in the horse trial divisions and through 12th place for FEI divisions. Satin lovers, rejoice, TerraNova certainly delivers on that one.

I was able to watch most of the Training and Novice show jumping before the 3*-S cross country began. Not only were there enormous ribbons and prize money up for grabs, they also had victory gallops for every division. I’m a nothing if not a sucker for a good victory gallop (just me or does it always bring a bit of a tear to your eye?), and it gave the whole event more of a championship type feel.

Once the 3*-S was underway I headed over to see how the course was riding and scope out some of the fences. For spectators it’s very easy to go back and forth between the two areas since they’re so close together, and that’s what I tried to do as much as possible. The FEI divisions are fun, for sure, but there’s just something about the variety of horses, riders, colorful attire, and fun relationships between horse and rider at the lower levels that just cannot be beat. I mean seriously, I didn’t see a single FEI horse rocking a full glitter saddle pad, where I saw more than one at the lower levels. I rest my case. These folks are here to party, and I’m here for it.

Let’s hear it for this weekend’s top finishers!

CCI4*-S: Jacob Fletcher and Fabian (45.0)
CCI3*-S: Leslie Law and Castle Howard Romeo (30.2)
CCI2*-S: Buck Davidson and Stracathro Solitary Minstral (28.6)
CCI1*-S: Leslie Law and Fernhill Lottery (28.6)
Open Intermediate: Autumn Schweiss and Global Quarycrest (49.8)
Open Preliminary: Autumn Schweiss and Bamford CF (24.8)
Open Training: Alex O’Neal and Hardwired (23.6)
Training Rider: Amy Etheridge and Royal Lufftanzer (37.3)
Novice Rider: Maggie Shuman and Zach Eyed Pea (28.3)
Open Novice: Ben Noonan and Kay-O (24.7)
Beginner Novice Rider: Susan Cerbone and Seattle Sangaree (31.2)
Open Beginner Novice: Krista Wilson and Stella (21.8)
Intro: Terri Miller and Beau Regard (25.3)

After that it was back up to the food trucks for lunch (Hawaiian food truck to the rescue) before slathering on more sunscreen to head out for the 4*-S. By the way, it still wasn’t enough sunscreen to keep the Florida sun at bay, but was it even a horse show weekend if you don’t end up with a wicked sunburn?

No worries though, because this is where I finally encountered what was to be the ultimate highlight of my day. There I was, waiting by fence 1 for the 4*-S to begin, when I see John Michael Durr coming down from the stabling on Blue Rodeo (known in the barn as Stanley). But it wasn’t just JM and Stanley… they were accompanied by what might possibly be the most adorable animal I have ever seen on four teeny, tiny little hooves: Stanley’s very own miniature horse, Nugget.

Naturally I did what any responsible, professional reporter would do: I immediately ran away from fence 1 to video the trio as they trotted past (and ok, to be fair, there may have also been some equally professional squealing). At least I (barely) resisted the urge to abandon my assignment completely and follow after them. I did, however, immediately start scheming on how I would find the mini once he was back in the barns so that I could introduce myself properly.

Back to the task at hand. During the 4* cross country I moved throughout the first half of the course so I could see how everything was riding. All looked well from my perspective, although the first water was enough to cause some slight “bum-clenching” (to borrow a phrase from EN’s Tilly Berendt) a few times at the bounce bank. I’m willing to admit that could just be because I myself would rather jump through a keyhole made of lava than a giant up bank. Details.

Now there’s a cross country warm-up I can get on board with. Photo by Amanda Chance.

After the cross country was finished I had one mission: track down JM, Stanley, and my new favorite mini, because that was a story I knew I just had to hear. I caught up with JM at the finish line of the 2*-S cross country, where I was able to talk to JM about Stanley and find out how exactly this whole situation began.

Blue Rodeo aka Stanley is a Dutch Warmblood cross, bred in the USA by JM’s vet, Anne Baskett. He is by 1.60m showjumper stallion Peter Pan out of Sophie, who has show jumped to 1.30m herself (also with JM Durr).

Stanley was originally meant to be a mount for Baskett, but proved to be a bit too much of anxious, spooky, and worried type. JM admits that originally the horse was not his favorite, but says “now in a lot of ways he’s really become my favorite horse.”

It turns out that what Stanley needed was a bit more of a challenge, and as he came into his first year of competing at the Advanced level, he finally started to settle into his job. “The fences finally got his attention enough that he wasn’t spooking at everything like he did at Novice and Training,” JM said.

Even as he moved up the levels, though, things didn’t always look so certain for Stanley. After a particularly difficult show at Tryon, where the horse took exception to a very slightly misplaced dressage arena board and “melted down”, JM knew it was time to try something different. Stanley has always been an anxious horse at shows, not wanting to eat and sometimes even attempting to scale the stall walls. It was to the point where they either needed to find a way to help him mentally, or find him a new career. “It was either the pony, or we were going to stop. He’s always loved the job, but he just couldn’t get out of his own way.”

A match made in heaven? JM and his crew sure think so. Photo by Amanda Chance.

Enter: Nugget.

Nugget accompanies Stanley pretty much everywhere he goes both at home and at horse shows. The warm-up ring, AquaTred, trot and gallop sets (Nugget supervises those more than participates, because Short King legs), hacking – you name it, Nugget is there. They live in the same stall and for all intents and purposes are perfect BFFs. It’s a friendship that’s made all the difference in the world for Stanley, who now happily stands in his stall at shows with his best friend Nugget, both of them dozing together or munching on food.

After our chat, JM invited me down to the barn to meet the mini, so I hopped on the back of his UTV and off we went (note to anyone that might want to kidnap me: this is how). Once there, JM’s groom, Mackenzie Moran, was more than happy to introduce me to Nugget. By the way, his FEI passport has his show name as “Rodeo Clown”… get it? Blue Rodeo, Rodeo Clown? There may have possibly been another very professional squeal on my part when that was revealed.

It’s obvious that Nugget is truly a loved and valued part of the Durr Eventing team, and #supergroom Mackenzie even braided him for dressage this week. Can’t go down to the warm-up ring looking anything less than his best!

What makes Nugget even more heartwarmingly adorable is the fact that he’s got a wry nose, a congenital abnormality that causes his nose to be crooked. If you ask me (and probably Stanley), it just adds to his charm.

While JM and Stanley had an unfortunate blip on cross country today when Stanley got a bit distracted by a tent and just didn’t get his eye on a corner until it was too late, JM still says “this and Morven are probably the two best runs he’s ever had. That was my mistake today, the horse feels great.”

One more nugget of nugget, for posterity. Photo by Amanda Chance.

When asked why he chose TerraNova over other possible options this fall, he was quick to credit the layout and the venue. “This is similar to what we’re seeing for Championships, and you’ve got to support these venues that are going to get us ready to send teams to Championships. You also need tracks like this to support the ticket sales, where people can see everything. It’s a wonderful compliment for the fall calendar that I think is really important and unique, and we’ve got to support it.”

Having now experienced my first event at TerraNova, I can now see what he’s saying. It’s a class venue that puts on a very good event, with all the atmosphere and bells and whistles to put them in the top tier. It was my first weekend at TerraNova, but it won’t be my last. Especially if Nugget and Stanley are coming back… new #1 fan.

The Event at TerraNova (Myakka City, FL): [Website] [Final Scores]

#GoEventing at Ram Tap: Photos and Social Media from the West Coast

By on Oct 23, 2022 4:41 pm -

The West coast IS indeed the best coast, and I can say that as a sort-of-not-really longtime resident now. This weekend was Ram Tap weekend, held at Fresno County Horse Park and featuring divisions from Intro and Grasshopper all the way up through Advanced.

Many thanks to Sherry Stewart for capturing some moments from Advanced cross country yesterday; Team USA Nations Cup member James Alliston, fresh from a trip to the Netherlands to compete at Boekelo with Nemesis, would go on the take the win with Helen Alliston’s Paper Jam, adding just one second of time on cross country yesterday to his dressage score.

James Alliston and Paper Jam. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Olympic rider for Puerto Rico Lauren Billys turns and burns with Can Be Sweet. The pair would go on to win their Open Intermediate division. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Tommy Greengard gets in some prep for an East coast trip for Tryon International next month, finishing fifth in the pair’s first Advanced with Joshuay MBF.

James Alliston pilots Karma in the Advanced. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Taren Hoffos and Regalla finished third in the Open Intermediate. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Lauren Lopiccolo and Diego finished third in the Advanced. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Gabriella Ringer and Get Wild would go on to be the Area VI Preliminary Champions. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Ram Tap H.T. (Fresno, CA): [Website] [Scoring]

A Historic Win at Le Lion d’Angers for Anna Lena Schaaf + Strong Showing from U.S. Pairs

By on Oct 23, 2022 1:30 pm -

Anna Lena Schaaf celebrates a big win with Lagona OLD. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

Germany’s Anna Lena Schaaf may not yet be a household name on this side of the Atlantic, but she’s certainly done more than her fair share to earn that accolade and has made some history happen in France this weekend during FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships at Mondial du Lion. It’s not an easy feat to bring a horse back to Le Lion as a 7-year-old after competing as a 6-year-old — horses are sold, aren’t able to prep for the next level in time, get injured, and a multitude of things in between. It’s even more rare to see a 6-year-old champion return to win the 7-year-old title.

French rider Tom Carlile is one to have done it within the last decade, winning the 6-year-old title in 2013 with Tenareze and returning in 2014 to take the 7-year-old championship. Tom also puts himself into position to repeat his own feat next year here, taking the 6-year-old title Golden de Beliard AA today.

But never before has a non-French rider nor a mare taken the back-to-back wins, and Lena Anna has done just that. To boot, she’s done it in wire-to-wire fashion during both attempts with Lagona OLD (Lavagon X – Ile de Cartina, by Cartani 4).

Anna Lena Schaaf and Lagona OLD. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

“I was quite nervous when I walked the course,” Anna Lena said. “But since I started jumping and she jumped the first jumps just like there was no cross country the day before I become a bit more relaxed. Still a bit of pressure but in a positive way.”

Anna Lena has credited the experience gained last year multiple times throughout the weekend when asked how she was handling the pressure. Le Lion is an experience unto itself, and often just being here before is enough to give some horses an edge over their wider-eyed counterparts. Add in the fact that Lagona OLD, a powerhouse in a small stature, seems to relish the attention from gathered onlookers, and the pair had the extra bit of oomph needed to jump clear — not having a rail in hand over second-placed Piggy March — and solidify the win, on their dressage score of 18.6, and a new championship title to add to the collection.

“I can’t put it into words how proud I am,” Anna Lena continued. For her part, Lagona (or just “Lene” in the stable) is described as “the cleverest and quickest horse I know. In the beginning, I don’t even like her — she was a real mare and sometimes a bit bitchy. But now, she is like my best friend!” Mare fans, rejoice over this assessment — I think we have all been there. “I think I am the luckiest girl to ride a horse like Lagona. We are such a good team and we really did this together. I think this is the best feeling you can get with a horse.”

Le Mondial du Lion se termine sur un doublé historique de la jeune allemande Anna Lena Schaaf !

Première jument,…

Posted by Mondial du Lion on Sunday, October 23, 2022

All three American pairs in the 7-year-old championship find themselves within the top 10 at the end of the weekend with all pairs jumping double clear this morning.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Shanroe Cooley. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

Phillip Dutton and Ann Lapides, Caroline Moran, and Neill Sipes’ Denim (Dinken – Celia II, by Ibisco xx) are the top-placed Americans, finishing the weekend in 7th after starting in 13th, followed by Liz Halliday-Sharp with Ocala Horse Properties Shanroe Cooley (Dallas VDL – Shanroe Sapphire, by Condios) 8th and Caroline Martin with her, Sherrie Martin, and Molly Hoff’s HSH Blake (Tolan R – Doughiska Lass, by Kannan) in 10th. To read more from the Americans, with whom I caught up yesterday, click here.

Phillip Dutton makes his mark on his first trip to Le Lion with Denim. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

Caroline Martin amps up the crowd after a clear round with Turner/Holekamp Le Lion d’Angers Grant awardee HSH Blake. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

[Click here to view full 7-year-old scores]

A heartbreaking rail would drop two-phase leader Caroline Martin with her, Sherrie Martin and Luanne McElduff’s 6-year-old HSH Connor (Connor 48 – Galwaybay Merstona, by Mermus R) out of the winning spot today, but they will still take home a well-earned second place for their efforts this weekend. While Caroline will be disappointed about the rail, her results this weekend should give her a float of confidence to take forward into her final European event next weekend: the 5* at Pau with Islandwood Captain Jack.

Rails were scattered throughout this division and double clear efforts were rewarded with moves up the board; in this fashion, French rider Tom Carlile would move into the winner’s spot for the home nation aboard Scea de Beliard’s Golden de Beliard AA (Upsilon – Vieusigne, de Maury, by Jalienny). Yes, that’s Tom’s old hat partner and prolific sire Upsilon listed as sire of this Anglo-Arab mare, making this win an even more sentimental one for Tom. This mare is also a half-sister to the horse with whom he earned his first win at Mondial du Lion, Sirocco du Gers, another product of the matchmaking abilities of breeder and owner Gerard Brescon.

Caroline Martin and HSH Connor lower one rail but finish on the podium in the 6-year-old Championship. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

“It puts stars in your eyes,” Tom said to the media after his win. “This is also young horses. I love the high level and I live for it but it’s true that sometimes, when you have a hard blow, you get on a young horse and you start dreaming again. And there are dreams that come true. It’s the young horses that make us dream, speculate, it’s nice.” Tom says he’s got every intention of aiming for the 7-year-old title next year, provided, of course, the mare continues to show her blossoming confidence and talent as she moves up.

Cornelia Dorr and DHI Qyaracolle Z earn their top five finish. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

Also rewarded for her double clear efforts this morning were U.S. rider Cornelia Dorr with DHI Qyaracolle Z (Quinar Z – Celiacolle Z, by Chellano), who leapt up the board all weekend after starting in 16th to finish in fifth overall.

Canada’s Kelly McCarthy Maine and Cooley Cardento will leave France with more experience on the big stage — we can’t wait to see what’s next! Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

[Click here to view full 7-year-old scores]

Sunday Links from SmartPak

By on Oct 23, 2022 12:01 am -

I often think about how unique eventing is in that we get to rub shoulders with the giants of our sport so comparatively often. You’ll never run into Tom Brady at any local football game and you’re sure as heck not going to call him up and say, “Hey, can I come train with you? Will you be my mentor?” And how generous of our heros to put so much time and energy into imparting their wisdom upon the next generation? Eventing is awesome.

U.S. Weekend Action

The Event at TerraNova (Myakka City, FL): [Website] [Entries] [Live Stream] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day Event (Lexington, KY): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Flora Lea Farm Mini Event (Medford, NJ): [Website] [Ride Times]

Ram Tap H.T. (Fresno, CA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Tryon Riding & Hunt Club “Morris the Horse” H.T. (Landrum, SC): [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Waredaca Classic Three-Day Event & H.T. (Gaithersburg, MD): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Willow Draw Charity H.T. (Weatherford, TX): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Windermere Run H.T. (Kansas City, MO): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

FEI WBFSH Eventing World Championships at Mondial du Lion (Le Lion D’Angers, France): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scoring] [Schedule] [Live Stream]

Links to Start Your Sunday:

From The Brink Of Death To The Thoroughbred Makeover, Jaguar Ridge Is Everything To His Rider

Arr, Matey! Meet BenDeLaCreme, The Pirate Horse

You be the judge: Dressage “eLeague” under way

Secure the Seat for Better Balance

US horse owners urged to take part in needs assessment survey

SmartPak Sunday Feature: Got a case of the blues?

Sunday Morning Viewing: I have absolutely no idea what this delightful French vlogger is saying, but she’s bringing us a glimpse of the beautiful Mondial du Lion!

The Experience Does Not Disappoint at The Event at TerraNova

By on Oct 22, 2022 6:03 pm -

Sara Kozumplik and Rubens d’Ysieux lead the way in the TerraNova 4*-S. Photo by Al Green Photo.

There are eventing shows, and then there are events. When they named the TerraNova fall horse trials “The Event at TerraNova”, they weren’t joking: this, dear reader, is an event.

This weekend was my first time checking out the relatively new facility in Myakka City, FL, about two hours south of Ocala. Like many of you, I’d seen the photos on social media, and it looked nice, but I didn’t really have any pre-conceived notions. I rolled up this morning with my phone, my camera, and my appetite (look, I am a sucker for a good food truck) ready to check out the show jumping for the FEI divisions.

The Event at TerraNova Saturday Show Jumping

Show jumping day one of two. 💥

#TerraNovaEquestrain #TheEventAtTerraNova #ShowJumping #ShowJumper #Eventing #Eventers #FloridaEquestrian

Posted by TerraNova Equestrian Center on Saturday, October 22, 2022

That part did not disappoint. While the 4* field is only 12 entries deep, there are some quality horses among them. Despite having one rail down, Sara Kozumplik and everyone’s favorite unicorn, the Selle Francais gelding Rubens D’ysieux (Balougran Z x Davidoff Silver Shadow, by Mr Blue), are leading the 4* on a score of 35.7. There was only one clear round in that division, logged by Mary Bess Davis and her Anglo European Sporthorse, Imperio Magic (Cassander C x Khadija des Hayettes, by Banboula du Thot), which helped propel them up the leaderboard from 7th place to now be sitting in second position heading into the cross country tomorrow on a 36.7.

Leslie Law and Castle Howard Romeo lead the 3*-S. Photo by Al Green Photo.

Clear rounds proved equally hard to come by in the 3* division, with only five riders adding nothing to their dressage score, now all occupying the top five positions on the leaderboard.

While the FEI divisions were busy show jumping, the lower levels (this event also runs national divisions from Intro on up) were doing the fun stuff out on cross country.

We’re all here for the running and jumping part, am I right? The finish line for the cross country was across the driveway from the show jumping warm-up, and my attention was quickly captured by the cheers and enthusiastic “Good Boy!” and “Good Girl!” coming from that side of the road.

Plenty of room to move about, but an easy enough area to navigate for wanderers. Photo by Amanda Chance.

Luckily the design of TerraNova makes it easy for spectators to see multiple things at once. The show jumping and dressage arenas are centrally located around the VIP pavilion/Rider’s Lounge, with the barns (omg the barns, we’ll get those) on the periphery of that, and then the cross country start box just a bit farther down the road.

In the interest of giving myself a better idea of the lay of the land, I did what any intrepid explorer does -– I started wandering. First down to the cross country warm-up, just in time to catch some of the Training division leaving the start box. Then I walked around part of the cross country track to check out some of the 4* track before heading back in to check out the stabling.

I had heard that the barns were pretty incredible here, and they lived up to the hype: this definitely isn’t your average horse show stabling. The barns are beautiful, with 250 permanent 12 x 12 stalls, each fitted with a stall mattress system along with its own fan and light, operated by individual switches. There are even large TV monitors in each barn aisle, one at each end.

While I was back in the barns I was able to catch up with competitor Amy Etheridge, leader of the Training Rider division, who came all the way to TerraNova from Texas to compete with Oldenburg gelding Royal Lufftanzer.

“I am here on my friend Kathy Rivera’s ex-Advanced horse, Lofty,” Amy described. “He’s 20 this year and I am having a blast and learning so much.” I was there when she left the start box and can attest that the smile was a full 1000 watts.

When asked why she chose this event, over 1100 miles from home, Amy said, “My friend came to the inaugural event last year and raved about the beautiful facilities and wonderful organization. We jumped at the chance to make the trip this year, and the event is even better than I imagined. The attention to detail is amazing in all aspects.”

As for the courses, “They were challenging works of art and a blast to ride! The footing was the most cared for and forgiving ground that I’ve had the opportunity to compete on.”

The amenities here can’t be beat! Photo by Amanda Chance.

On that note, I have to say that you can certainly see where the priorities lay when they were developing this facility. The ground indeed does feel fantastic, and at one point I started trying to count how many sprinklers were situated around the course, but quickly gave up on that venture when I got into the dozens. The jumps and the footing are immaculate.

The more I wandered around the grounds, the more I started seeing all these little things that let you know it was designed with horses and their comfort in mind. The roads between all the barns and rings have a path of looser, softer dirt for the horse traffic, and harder packed dirt for vehicles. There is very little concrete here, with ample space and grass for hand-walking or hand-grazing.

Thoughtful design is evident throughout the rest of the facility as well. From the parking area spectators enter vendor row (I’m always excited to see vendors at horse shows, even if my wallet isn’t), followed by an area for food trucks (the Italian ice is a 10 out of 10), and even an art show. The VIP pavilion sits in between two large arenas, and since there’s also a dressage show happening this weekend, that meant we had dressage on one side and show jumping on the other.

On the other side of the vendors was a “Tiny Town” – a play area for kids (both enclosed and staffed with volunteers, for parents that need a bit of a break from child-wrangling, of which I saw many), to keep them entertained on these long show days.

TerraNova is still in the process of adding on to the facility, but the infrastructure in place so far makes for a great experience for both spectator and participant. Well, except for the fact that I couldn’t find the poutine food truck today… I suppose that’ll be a quest for tomorrow.

Cross country can be viewed live on the Horse & Country live stream here. Take a look at some of the questions Capt. Mark Phillips has laid out for the 4*-S riders below:

The Event at TerraNova (Myakka City, FL): [Website] [Entries] [Live Stream] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Live Stream]

Leaders Unchanged Following Cross Country at Le Lion d’Angers

By on Oct 22, 2022 3:34 pm -

Caroline Martin and HSH Connor. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

If Le Lion d’Angers hasn’t made it onto your eventing bucket list yet, let this serve as your sign: it needs to go straight to the top. I can’t quite call to mind any event that isn’t a 5* that attracts the crowds and buzz around these top young horses coming to the biggest challenge of their careers in France. The atmosphere is palpable, even while covering the event remotely as I am this week, and it feels like you’re getting a sneak preview at horses we’ll be seeing on future World Championship or Olympic squads (want proof? Many of the horses from the 2018 Le Lion are now household names now that they’re of 5* and Championship age — check out the results list and see how many names you recognize). Add in a gorgeous, impeccably decorated cross country, beautiful French fall weather, and enough to do for even the more non-horsey members of your party, and you’ve got yourself a quintessential eventing experience.

The idea behind a 6- and 7-year-old World Championship is a tricky one, isn’t it? On one hand, you want to separate the cream from the crop, providing a true championship-caliber challenge that also bears in mind the fact that, with any hope, there’s much more yet to come for these horses. The atmosphere here takes care of a good chunk of that task, as it’s more than most of the horses here will have ever seen with its tight roping and packed-in crowds. And while stalwart French course designer Pierre Michelet may have earned himself somewhat of a polarizing reputation, he’s popular in France — heralded for its young horse development system for generations — for a reason.

Liz Halliday-Sharp described the track best yesterday, noting that Pierre had left “room for interpretation” on his 2* and 3* tracks. A fundamental part of every event horse’s education is learning to acclimate — quickly — to changing terrain, to go away from each fence in pursuit of the time, to read and react quickly and seek out the next pair of flags.

“There’s a lot to do, but it’s not always about jumping,” Phillip Dutton elaborated after his clear round today inside the time aboard Denim in the 7-year-old class. “It’s about accelerating and turning and different angles coming to the jumps. Certainly it’s different style than what a lot of American horses are used to. I think it’s got to be the right kind of horse, but it’s a good experience for all involved.”

Of course, not every horse will come here and grow from the experience. Most riders here will be quick to tell you that it’s a certain type of horse that will excel here, and if you can coax them through three solid phases you’re sitting on a horse that’s well-prepared for the next steps in its career.

Certainly setting himself up as a definitive One To Watch™ early on this morning in the 6-year-old 2* division is Caroline Martin‘s HSH Connor (Connor 48 – Galwaybay Merstona, by Mermus R), who added no penalties and came home nearly 30 seconds under the optimum time to retain the lead earned in the dressage phase on a score of 25.2. Caroline left the box on a mission, putting to good use the old adage that if you ride the horse like it’s a seasoned campaigner, they’ll learn to step up and answer the questions as such. And like a knife through butter, Caroline carved her way through the track easily, shaving off seconds with her ability to kick for the next set of flags and trust in the boldness of the Irish gelding owned by Caroline and Sherrie Martin as well as Luanne McElduff.

“Connor was absolutely unreal,” Caroline told me. “He was so bright and brave and on it, there wasn’t really one question I was worried about. He did slip through one turn, but that was more my rider error than him. He was just absolutely class. I have such high hopes for him for the future. He felt like he could run four more minutes.”

If you’ve talked to Caroline at all this year, gratitude is the first thing you’ll hear from her — thanks to the support of her wonderful owners — who came onboard for these two horses after they were originally sourced to be sold by Kelly Hutchinson, and very nearly were sold two times — the Wilton Fair Grant provided by USEF and funded by David Lenaburg, and the mentorship of Rolex Grand Slam winner Pippa Funnell, she’s had a banner year basing in the UK and capping off with this event followed by one last hurrah at Pau next week with Islandwood Captain Jack.

“Coming here last year, I was completely a fish out of water and out of my element,” she explained. In 2021, she competed in the 2* here with Kings Especiale, finishing in 20th overall. “It’s the reason why I thought it was so important to move over here eventually, and the Wilton Fair grant couldn’t have come at a better time. All the thanks goes to the Federation, everyone who gave me that grant and David [Lenaburg], who provided the grant. If it wasn’t for that, there’s no way I would be in the position I am today. I think we have to come away from this weekend so far with how good my horses were and I think the future is bright for them.”

Caroline Martin shares a moment with Pippa Funnell after cross country.

Caroline says she has to pinch herself as she comes to the finish line these days, where Pippa’s almost always waiting for her. “It’s not often that a professional completely takes someone under their wing,” she said. “She’s given me so much of her time. I came to the finish and she started crying, and then I started tearing up. It’s just so special.”

As icing on the cake, Caroline also expressed her deep thanks for her receipt of the Holekamp/Turner Le Lion D’Angers Grant, which was awarded this weekend to 7-year-old HSH Blake, owned by Caroline and Sherrie Martin alongside Molly Hoff, who along with HSH Connor rose up via the USEA Young Event Horse Program. “It’s proof that the pipeline we have in America is working,” she said.

Cornelia Dorr and DHI Qyaracolle Z. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

Moving from 16th into 11th and well within range of a top 10, or better, finish are Cornelia Dorr with DHI Qyaracolle Z (Quinar Z – Celiacolle Z, by Chellano), who finished clear inside the time today in the mare’s first 2*-L effort. This is a horse originally sourced for Cornelia as a four-year-old by Kevin McNab via Ian and Heidi Woodhead. Cornelia purchased the mare off video alone, a gamble that’s paid off especially with Cornelia’s decision to go over to the UK and base with Kevin.

“It’s been my plan to take her here to Le Lion since I decided to come over for the year,” Cornelia said. “She’s really, really straight and really amazing brave horse. She’s actually braver than Daytona, I’d say, so I wasn’t terribly stressed about the course. I was curious how the crowds would affect her, and they didn’t affect her at all…so that was really cool and exciting for the future.”

“I’ve learned a lot about her this week, but specifically I think it’s been more confirmed to me that she’s a serious horse for the future,” Cornelia continued. “It’s been really great to know what she will be like going forward in an atmosphere like this. There was a huge dressage atmosphere, and cross country I think there were thirty thousand people and it’s just really great to have that confidence in her. And the fact that she’s so brave about the jumping — she reads everything so well, she’s just a little baby genius as I like to say.”

Kelly McCarthy Maine and Cooley Cardento. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

Canadian pair Kelly McCarthy Maine and Cooley Cardento (Cardento – Viranda, by Furore) picked up two refusals on course, one early on at fence 4B and a second at fence 18 but finished with more experience and knowledge to take home with them.

[View full 6-year-old 2* scores here]

Anna Lena Schaaf and Lagona OLD. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

Also holding onto her dressage lead in the 7-year-old 3*-L division are Germany’s young prodigy Anna Lena Schaaf, who aims to pick up a second consecutive championship win here at this event with Lagona OLD (Lavagon X – Ile de Cartina, by Cartani 4), last year’s 6-year-old winner. The quick and nippy mare learned much in her first trip here, Anna Lena says, which served to benefit the pair out on course today.

“I think she learned a lot here last year,” Anna Lena said. “It was good that she was already here — she knows the crowd and she knows all the different jumps. I think some horses are a little bit spooky, but for her it was just like, ‘okay can we do this now?’ She was so straight on our line and so focused, and she really wants to run. I don’t have to push her after a jump. It was really easy for me. She is a small horse with not the biggest canter, and she always lands directly after the jump which is really easy for me because I can be quick and add one more stride between the fences. She has really quick reactions.”

Tomorrow will tell us whether or not we’ll see the 6-year-old champion come back to win the 7-year-old championship for the first time since 2014, when Tom Carlile’s Tenareze added another trophy to his 2013 Le Lion title. “I had a bit of pressure, but today I don’t feel this — I’m just so so happy with how it went today and so proud of Lagona,” Anna Lena said. “Tomorrow we will see — I think then I have a bit more pressure but I hope I can handle it.”

[Click here to view full 7-year-old scores]

Phillip Dutton and Denim. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

It’s mostly been a banner weekend for the strong American contingent, and heading into tomorrow’s finale it will be Phillip Dutton with Ann Lapides, Caroline Moran, and Neill Sites’ Denim (Dinken – Celia II, by Ibisco xx) as top-placed for the U.S. in the 3*-L, adding nothing to their dressage score of 26.3 to move up to 10th. Believe it or not, this is one event the well-traveled Phillip has not been to before, so it’s a bit of a bucket list tick for him, too.

“There’s not many events I haven’t been to!” Phillip told me. “And [Denim] is a very exciting seven year old, so it’s good to mix in with the other top seven year olds in the world and his owners were excited for the opportunity to come over.”

Phillip calls the learning experience here “eye-opening” for young horses, and while he admits this wouldn’t have been his ideal cross country track, he does acknowledge that it’s all to play for in terms of the development of the horse. “Certainly the atmosphere and the intensity and pressure on the horses is unique,” he elaborated. “I’m not sure the cross country was that educational, it’s not my ideal cross country course, but it’s all part of the horse growing up. I think it’s got to be the right kind of horse you bring here, but it’s a good experience for everyone, including the owners, and it’s a fun event to be at.”

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Shanroe Cooley. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

Next for the U.S. are Liz Halliday-Sharp with Ocala Horse Properties’ Shanroe Cooley (Dallas VDL – Shanroe Sapphire, by Condios), who also showed his top class on cross country today to add no penalties to his starting mark of 27.3.

“He was unbelievable,” Liz said. “He’s kind of a freak of a horse, he just finds it very easy. He was 16 seconds inside the time, which wasn’t really my plan but he has such a huge stride, he found it all very easy.”

Yesterday, Liz expressed some frustration with the dressage scoring on Thursday — despite a mistake in the medium canter during her test with Shanroe Cooley, she felt the marks she received were lower than the quality she showed. It’s an interesting phenomenon, to track scoring when a division runs over multiple days. Friday’s tests saw no test rider intended to align the judges’ scoring, and one could make the argument that the scoring rubrics trended somewhat differently on the second day. Liz’s score put her well further down than she would have liked to begin, and with good going today on a track that won’t typically eliminate a ton of horses (remember the concept of development here — you wouldn’t want to see a ton of eliminations, but sometimes this makes it difficult for riders to climb even with double clear jumping efforts), Liz was unable to move up the standings as aggressively as she would have liked to. She and “Dallas” still leap from 16th to 12th, however, just over two poles out of the lead with a formidable show jumping test yet to come tomorrow.

“Walking the course, I thought everyone might make the time,” Liz said. As I mentioned earlier, a track like this is a fine line and a unique challenge — test the horses, make your mark as a championship combination, but don’t punish. Liz says she felt an additional combination or question to slow the horses down on the way home could have at least made the time less gettable. “For me, it was a softer track than I rode in 2019 and the time was very easy. I feel like there could have been something to slow them up after the last combination. It’s a fine line, I’m sure, for Pierre Michelet as well because they are young horses.”

Time in Europe is about to become more the norm for Liz, who sat down with Chris and Rob Desino of Ocala Horse Properties and coach Erik Duvander after the Maryland 5 Star to map out the next year. That plan includes a couple of 5* events that begin with a B, to name a couple. The Desino brothers, who first entered into event horse ownership with a younger Deniro Z, have built up their string of Halliday horses to the point where the goal is to have several qualified for the Paris Olympics in two years’ time.

“It’s a sport that you can actually get around and understand, and take an interest in and care about,” Chris described when asked how eventing became the Ocala Horse Properties home. “On a Thursday, you can be up, on a Friday you can be down, but you can talk to the same people who really care about each other. It’s just a sport that’s very small but means a lot to everybody who’s here. Everyone here is so supportive of each other.

Caroline Martin and HSH Blake. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

Caroline Martin is right behind Liz, moving to 13th with another double clear effort aboard HSH Blake (Tolan R – Doughiska Lass, by Kannan), adding no additional marks to her dressage score of 27.4.

Lucia Strini and Keynote Dassett. Photo by Irish Eventing Times.

It was sadly not the weekend for Lucia Strini and Plain Dealing Farm’s Keynote Dassett (Vigo d’Arsouilles – Bubble Gum, by Cardento), who came to grief on cross country today with two refusals and an eventual retirement at the final combination on course, a tricky downhill bank made to feel like you’re jumping off a roof to two angled brushes on a camber (Tilly, I hope you’re reading this and are proud). While their overseas adventure ends here, I hope some valuable experience and exposure was nonetheless gained and that we’ll see this pair back out smashing it soon.

Sunday will bring the final horse inspection as well as show jumping, which begins at 11:00 a.m. local time / 5 a.m. EST for the 2* and 2:30 p.m. local / 8:30 a.m. EST for the 3*. I’ll be back with one final missive from France (or, well, from my living room, which is currently operating on French time — which is admittedly way less enjoyable than actually being in France) tomorrow. Until then, Go Eventing!

FEI WBFSH Eventing World Championships at Mondial du Lion (Le Lion D’Angers, France): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scoring] [Schedule] [Live Stream] [FEI YouTube Channel]

Millbrook Horse Trials is Back for 2023!

By on Oct 22, 2022 10:00 am -

Tim Bourke and Buck Davidson enjoy a victory lap at Millbrook. Photo by Abby Powell.

Good news for the eventing calendar and Area 1: The Millbrook Horse Trials has announced, after a hiatus in 2022, that they will be back up and running in 2023, July 27-30.

Millbrook has been an important fixture on the Area 1 and national calendars, as well as in the local community, since 1985, and is special to many people. As the last Advanced event in Area 1 each season, “it is important to the Board that we do everything possible to keep this event on the schedule well into the future,” Sharyn Antico, event secretary and co-organizer, stated. “We are thrilled to have finally come to an agreement with the new venue owners.”

“We are here to run a quality competition, and we want to do a great job. We want to do this for the competitors, the sponsors, the land owners, the community and the sport… We support all levels of eventing, and are excited to be part of the new strategic calendar, by continuing to offer the Advanced Level in Area 1,” Sharyn commented, stressing the importance of creating an event that works for everyone and providing opportunities for the community.

The Millbrook water complex. Photo by Kate Samuels.

The Board is appreciative of this encouragement and of the supporters and volunteers who have made Millbrook a community event and a fixture for eventing’s High Performance and amateur riders alike.

Riders also shared their excitement and gratitude for the event to continue. As 5* event rider Booli Selmayr says, “I’m relieved and ecstatic that Millbrook Horse Trials will be running again this coming year. It has a vital role on the calendar for upper level riders along the east coast… and a destination event and summer goal for so many Area 1 riders. It’s an event in the area that has the atmosphere for riders to test themselves and their horses against the best in the country. [Additionally], Millbrook is one of the few events left which has a cross country course built into natural terrain, and is imperative for developing horses and riders for the future – to have to run and jump on the Millbrook hills. A massive thank you to those who have made this possible for 2023!”

Similarly, Kentucky and Burghley rider and long-time Millbrook competitor and supporter, Marcia Kulak is excited to see Millbrook back in action. “I’m a lifelong Millbrook attendee, as I competed in the inaugural event back in the 80s,” Marcia reflected. “[Millbrook] has always been an integral part of the Area 1, with [Area 1] relying on Millbrook to uphold the standard of the area’s calendar. You can bring your top horses, young horses, and clients for all levels to enjoy a weekend, and feel a venue and an atmosphere of such stature.”

While it’s important for competitors, Marcia also reflects on the role that Millbrook plays in the community: “The horse trial is a large part of the community as well, providing a social and community gathering space for horse and non-horse people alike. That’s unique for a once a year competition, with a lot of inherent value that the Board of Directors clearly recognize. I’m grateful for the event to be back up and running, and for the behind the scenes work to make it such a wonderful weekend.”

Plans for 2023 include rerouting part of the cross country track and expanding the country Fair, introduced in 2021 with much success, with family activities, vendors, and food. There are ways for everyone to participate and enjoy Millbrook Horse Trials.

Organizers hope to see a flood of support and encouragement as they gear up for next year’s event. Keep an eye on Millbrook’s website for more information, and how to best support the event, including community participation through volunteering and sponsorship.

Saturday Links from World Equestrian Brands

By on Oct 22, 2022 12:01 am -

Photo via Liz Messaglia on Facebook.

Watch out citizens of Eventing Nation, it’s a a cold one out there! Or, well, maybe it is at venues other than TerraNova for example. The full winter is still ahead of us, but it was somehow colder in Missouri and Kentucky than it was in Massachusetts this week! We all better bundle up I guess.

U.S. Weekend Action

The Event at TerraNova (Myakka City, FL): [Website] [Entries] [Live Stream] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day Event (Lexington, KY): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Flora Lea Farm Mini Event (Medford, NJ): [Website] [Ride Times]

Ram Tap H.T. (Fresno, CA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Tryon Riding & Hunt Club “Morris the Horse” H.T. (Landrum, SC): [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Waredaca Classic Three-Day Event & H.T. (Gaithersburg, MD): [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Willow Draw Charity H.T. (Weatherford, TX): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Windermere Run H.T. (Kansas City, MO): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

FEI WBFSH Eventing World Championships at Mondial du Lion (Le Lion D’Angers, France): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scoring] [Schedule] [Live Stream]

Links to Start Your Weekend

Inside Piggy’s world

Baughman, Davidson Receive FEI Yellow Cards At Mars Maryland 5 Star

From One Extreme to Another: Former Bull Rider and Jockey Travis Atkinson Claims His Spot in Eventing

Bold Choices Lead To Thoroughbred Makeover Championship For She’s A Bold One

‘He’s their pride and joy’ – popular Santini starts new life in eventing

World Equestrian Brands Pick of the Week: Do you worry about your horse’s polos/boots creating too much heat during regular training?

Equilibrium Stretch & Flex Flatwork or Training Wraps are your perfect solution. They are soft and offer the support of an exercise wrap with the convenience of a boot. Breathable Stormatex material helps regulate skin temperature– The hotter your horse, the more breathable the wrap. Cooler legs are proven to be less prone to injury.

Saturday Viewing:

Midsouth Notebook: A Grit Your Teeth and Get On With It Type of Day

By on Oct 21, 2022 11:14 pm -

Dom Schramm and Quadrocana. Photo by Samantha Clark.

Both FEI cross country courses, the 2*-L and especially the 3*-S designed by Jay Hambly rode tough today at Hagyard Midsouth in Lexington, KY. In the 3*-S there were just seven clear rounds from 14 starters and only one of them — Cosby Green on the experienced Highly Suspicous — inside the time. The coffin, which came early, was influential; sited close to the 5* coffin seen at Kentucky this spring, multiple horses jumped the rail in only to be surprised by the gaping ditch with a large blue hose in it at the bottom of a steep decline. Later on, the water out in the tailgate field caused a little trouble, and a wagon to an acute corner on returning into the infield was also responsible for some penalties.

Leading the 3*-S pack overnight is Jeff Beshear who positively cruised round on his OTTB Say Cheese. Jeff was glad to have some solid rounds this year under his belt as they set off on course this afternoon. “He was awesome!” he smiled. “This is his best phase and we’ve done a bunch of hard ones this year so I actually didn’t think this looked all that challenging when I walked it. It’s hard, but after doing Great Meadow, Morven and Carolina in the spring I felt really good about it. He’s done a coffin like this one so I thought we’d be ok there and really there wasn’t anything else that he even looked at.”

Jeff and Say Cheese’s dressage score of 32.5 was their best so far at this level, and they added just a scant 0.8 worth of time penalties to it today. “I was happy with his score [yesterday], I thought he did a really good test and between he and I — we’re a little limited so I think we’re probably peaking at what we can score,” he laughed modestly. “But he’s a machine! He can make time anywhere I let him. I didn’t push him too hard in certain places but we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

Jeff has been working hard on their show jumping but admits “he struggles in that phase and when he’s tired it’s even worse.” Both this horse and Jeff’s 2* ride, Storm Is Due, will have a break following this weekend but Jeff is hopeful he can step Say Cheese up to Advanced in the spring. “Neither one of us have ever done that,” he explained, and although he muses Say Cheese might be a better Short format horse he doesn’t rule out a career akin to Kevin Keane’s. “Maybe some day I can catch up to his legacy!”

Jeff’s wife, Emily, is back in the saddle and was back in the winner’s circle at Morven recently, and their son Nicholas has been crushing it this year, adding a 2* and a 3* win to his resume. “I’m more competitive with my son”, Jeff admits. “But then again, my wife does it for a living and I do it for fun! We all cheer each other on and I usually watch his lessons and that’s more the lesson I get than anything else because it’s obviously hard to take lessons from your wife!”

Emily and Nicholas were both supposed to be here this weekend too but sadly “the horses just didn’t work out to come”, so instead his parents are here supporting him this weekend, and his mother Jane, an experienced and accomplished fox hunter, eventer and all-round horsewoman in her own right, has been diligently adding grooming and videoing to her workload.

Local rider Cosby Green rode an efficient and professional round on Highly Suspicious, adding nothing to their dressage score and finishing the day in second place in the 3*-S. Cosby has grown up in Lexington — and more specifically the Horse Park — and riding at the highest level has long been her goal. “I’ve never wanted to do anything else. I remember when I was twelve years old, out here in my pink and green colours going Beginner Novice,” she said. “So it’s really special to have done the three-star here and to have done the Advanced in the past. It’s fun to measure your progress through the years. I love it here.”

Highly Suspicious came to Cosby’s barn about five years ago from Will Coleman. “We’ve been climbing up the ranks and doing some Advanced and trying to find our footing at four-star, but we thought this weekend we’d just do a nice, easy run in the three-star and get the confidence back,” she said.

Obviously walking the course with some higher level form was encouraging but nonetheless, Cosby granted, “I didn’t think it was that bad because we have done a lot together but at the end of the day it was a proper three-star, and the results definitely showed that and it rode like it!” Tryon’s 4* is probably next on their agenda following their good round today, and then Cosby will head to Ocala this winter with fellow Lexingtonian (via California!) Allie Knowles. Highly Suspicious goes by “Puff” in the barn which Cosby says suits him because “he’s just looking for snacks all the time and he’s got a really bubbly personality!”

Australian rider Dom Schramm was delighted to feel like he finally got all the moving parts together with his super-talented bay mare Quadrocona today, easing her home with a handful of time penalties to slide into third place going into the show jumping tomorrow. “She’s just such a good horse,” he reiterated. “I’ve known she’s unbelievable since she was a four year old and she’s been successful along the way, but we’ve just had one little thing after another which has prevented her from having superstar results. I think it’s all starting to come together now.”

Dom was not surprised by the trouble the track caused today. “Walking the course, I thought that Jay set a lot of really forward lines. I’m lucky that my mare is pretty nippy and I didn’t add [strides] everywhere, but the places where I thought it could get a bit sketchy I just made a bit of a wider turn and helped her, so I was a bit slow. I think if you were out there really gunning for it and you got even some of those lines a little bit wrong I could see where it might all fall apart. I thought it was a good course, I thought [Jay] did a good job, it certainly wasn’t easy, not at all!”

Stella Sunstein and Quite Quality. Photo by Samantha Clark.

Early to go in the order on his first horse, Penhill Celtic, Boyd Martin took a tumble at ditch in the coffin. “It’s a spooky fence and I underestimated it because he’s been such a good cross country horse,” Boyd said. “I had a great shot at part A and then as he jumped the rail he looked at the ditch and he slammed on the brakes and I slid up his neck and then poor old Donald was in a tiff and a frenzy jumping around and he threw me off.”

Luckily neither of them were any the worse for wear — “good as gold, it was graceful!” — and Boyd was able to lay those demons to rest definitively on his second ride, Contessa, with an emphatic and impressive clear round to move up to fourth place overnight.

“She was fantastic,” he agreed. “She’s so seasoned now and she had a nice run; this is her preparation for Tryon four-Long in a few weeks.” Despite his little blip, Boyd was full of praise for Jay’s track. “I loved the course,” he gushed. “I think maybe a couple of the distances were a bit open but at this level, we come to Kentucky and we should expect a coffin and a sunken road, good water jumps, narrows….I love coming here, they’re brilliant courses, top design. It was a green field with the three-Long last weekend at Maryland so I praise the course designer and I think we’ve just got to be ready that when we come here it’s up to scratch.”

Lynn Symansky’s flashy Global Cassero 3 was originally and inexplicably awarded 20 penalties but once they were removed it was just 13.6 time penalties that dropped them from second after the first phase to their current fifth position.

“I went slow on all of them. He was good but the ground was a bit firm so the plan was to go out and give them a good run and make it easy.” Lynn was a little surprised by the trouble the cross country caused today. “It walked like an average, stiff track”, she mused. “The coffin rode really, really hard. I think it was easier when it was filled with water because the horses didn’t peek so much at it; then they drained it and there was a blue hose in there so maybe it was a horse-eating snake!” Despite his experience Lynn said “Jerry” even had a look at the coffin but overall, “he was very good but the course certainly rode harder than it walked.”

Elaborating, Lynn mused that it was a good experience for all her horses. “It was a good track, I thought [Jay] did a good job with it. I didn’t walk away from it thinking it was too hard before going out and Jerry was good. For the greener horses it was pretty hard, especially walking it for my intermediate horses. I think it was a proper three-star track and just because the field has trouble I don’t necessarily think that’s a reason to dumb it down, I think it was up to the standard.”

Kentucky is in the midst of an extraordinarily dry period, and Lynn appreciated the mammoth effort the grounds crew have made to try and alleviate the hard footing, with aerating and non-stop sprinklers. “They did what they could with the ground,” Lynn agreed. “They really made a huge effort to make the ground as good as possible but you can’t add six weeks worth of rain in a weekend!”

An unfortunate stop at the coffin saw dressage leader Allie Knowles and Katherine O Brien’s Business Class drop to sixth place after this phase, but overall she was encouraged by their round today.

“It was great. We’ve had some trouble recently this fall, so I knew he would be backed off and it was a tough coffin, but once I jumped it I think he knew I was serious and he went beautifully. I think this will help him moving forward,” Allie said. Like so many of the riders I talked to, Allie was a fan of the course. “It’s a proper three-star track”, she confirmed. “He’s a very well-schooled horse but he and I have just not been on the same page in the last few months so I think this was definitely a step in the right direction. Obviously I of course wanted to go clear but I think we are headed back that way so I think it was a good progression for our confidence, and even having the stop I think he’s going to leave more confident than when he started and I will too. The results page doesn’t always tell the whole story!”

There were 21 clear rounds in the 2*L from 30 starters and Dom Schramm sits atop that leaderboard on another striking dark bay mare, this time It’s Adomos Fuwina. The Horse Park is bustling with action with the Training Three-Day and a plethora of lower levels also taking place — the organisation to coordinate all the things truly boggles the mind, and I only wish I could cover every division equally.

There are final horse inspections early Saturday morning before the FEI divisions show jump to decide the final placing.

Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day Event (Lexington, KY): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Friday #FOMO from TerraNova: Lucienne Bellissimo Best of CCI4*-S

By on Oct 21, 2022 5:30 pm -

We are well underway at The Event at TerraNova, where divisions ranging from Starter up through 4*-S are running at the beautiful facility that boasts plenty of updates from its inaugural running last fall. Friday was all about dressage as we look ahead to the jumping phases over the weekend. Amanda Chance will be bringing us missives from on the ground beginning tomorrow, but for now let’s catch up on scores and social media from Myakka City, FL.

Lucienne Bellissimo is in two of the top three spots on the leaderboard with Horse Scout Eventing’s Dyri (1st – 30.8) and Tremanton (3rd – 31.9). Sandwiched in between the two are Sara Kozumplik and her longtime Advanced/4* partner Rubens d’Ysieux (31.7).

Leading the dressage after today in the 3*-S are Leslie Law with Jackie and Steve Brown’s Castle Howard Romeo on a score of 29.8. Ben Noonan and his up-and-comer Street Fighter are in charge of the 2*-S on a score of 26.7. There is also a 1*-S running this week, and Leslie Law has won the dressage portion aboard Fernhill Lottery (28.6), also owned by Jackie and Steve Brown.

[Click here to view full scores through the first phase at Terranova]

Don’t forget there is a full live stream available on Horse & Country, featuring both the eventing as well as the dressage CDI4* competition! Click here to view the schedule (H&C+ subscription required).

Tomorrow, the National divisions will run cross country while the FEI divisions show jump, concluding with cross country on Sunday morning. You can view the full schedule for each day here.

The Event at TerraNova (Myakka City, FL): [Website]. [Entries] [Live Stream] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]

TerraNova Equestrian – Dressage

It's been a great day of dressage for both The Event and TerraNova Dressage! We've been enjoying incredibly lovely weather and look forward to seeing more dressage tonight for FEI levels from the Prix St Georges to Grand Prix.

#TerraNovaEquestrian #TheEventAtTerraNova #TerraNovaDressage #Equestrian #HorseShow #Eventing #Dressage #EquestrianLife

Posted by TerraNova Equestrian Center on Friday, October 21, 2022