Classic Eventing Nation

Aachen Showjumping Update: Michi Maintains the Lead; Everyone Else Plays Pick-Up Sticks

By on Jul 1, 2022 2:29 pm -

Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk retain their Aachen lead in the second phase. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Boy, does Aachen move fast: we were scarcely free of the Deutsche Bank stadium, the site’s secondary devoted to dressage, before the eventing competition moved over to the capacious main stadium with its 40,000 seats and wide swathes of grass footing. There’s nowhere quite like this in equestrian sport, and it’s even more unique in eventing – though Kentucky’s main arena offers an impressive stadium setting, this feels like striding into something more akin to Wembley. That can be a bit of an eye-opener for horses, who often go rather starstruck in their rounds, and it also lures riders into using a bit too much of the available space. As a result, poles fall liberally — and the time penalties rack up pretty prolifically, too.

Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser continue their Badminton redemption arc, moving up a placing after delivering a clear round. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We saw no small amount of action in the ring this evening, with just nine of the 42 combinations delivering fault-free rounds. Notable among those four-faulters were previously second-placed Will Coleman and the ten-year-old Chin Tonic HS, who tickled and toppled the airy upright at seven to drop to sixth place going into cross-country; Ros Canter and her World Champion Allstar B, who had an early rail to drop from fourth to eleventh; Germany’s Boekelo winners Sophie Leube and Jadore Moi, who tipped the second element of the double to slip from seventh to twelfth; and Will Coleman again, this time with last year’s winner Off the Record, who had the same rail as Sophie to move from ninth to thirteenth. France’s Stephane Landoise, tenth after the first phase with Chaman Dumontceau, also slid from the top ten, moving down to fourteenth after knocking an early pole as the last to go.

William Fox-Pitt’s Little Fire delivers the goods as his breeder watches on. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

That opened the door for those nine clears to act as the catalysts for fortuitous leaderboard climbs. Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser, arguably the most reliable show jumpers in the field, delivered the goods to step up from third to second, while William Fox-Pitt and Little Fire, whose breeder is here spectating this weekend, did the same to climb from sixth to third overnight.

Tim Price’s Pau winner Falco delivers a stylish clear. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Many of the clears came at the tail end of the class as the anchor riders of each team delivered their best efforts. Among those was Tim Price, who orchestrated a one-place climb to fourth after a characteristically stylish round with his 2021 Pau winner Falco – though he’ll be ruing the 0.4 time penalties he picked up, which prevented him from going ahead of William Fox-Pitt.

Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz make their move up the leaderboard with a super clear. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Sandra Auffarth, third to go for the German team, moved up from eighth to fifth with her Tokyo mount Viamant du Matz, which put them ahead of previously second-placed Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS in sixth.

Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Buck Davidson and Carlevo halve their placing with one of the nine double-clears of the day. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There was plenty to celebrate in camp USA, though: they also hold seventh place after a sparkling clear from Buck Davidson and Carlevo propelled them up from 15th – and the team itself moved up from fourth to third place in the standings.

Yasmin Ingham and Rehy DJ step up to eighth overnight. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

British partnership Yasmin Ingham and Rehy DJ — or Piglet, to his friends — moved up to eighth place from sixteenth after an attacking, confident clear, and Australia’s Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos, with whom they were equally placed after the first phase, delivered the first faultless round of the day to move up to ninth overnight. The top ten is rounded out by Ireland’s Joseph Murphy, who survived a sticky jump mid-course with Calmaro to move up from 21st.

Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent get the job done under pressure. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We also saw a super clear with 1.2 time from the USA’s Meghan O’Donoghue, who jumped from 26th to fifteenth place with her ex-racehorse Palm Crescent, while fellow US teammate Sydney Elliott had an unlucky pair of rails, plus 1.2 time penalties, to slip from 28th to 34th place.

Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The margins are looking tight as a tick as we head into tomorrow morning’s cross-country finale — well, expect at the top of the leaderboard, of course. Michael Jung boasts a 4.2 penalty lead over Tom McEwen, which translates as 11 seconds in hand, and though Aachen’s time is notoriously hard to catch, it’s hard to imagine the super-fast pair needing that much of a buffer. Tom’s margin ahead of William is slimmer: he’s 0.8, or two seconds, ahead, and from then on out, much of our line-up stands within seconds of one another. We’ll be taking a closer look at the challenge to come soon — in the meantime, Go Eventing!

The team standings after two phases at Aachen.

The top ten after an influential showjumping phase at Aachen.

CHIO Aachen Links: Website|Entries|Live Scoring|Live Stream|EN’s Coverage|EN’s Insta|EN’s Twitter

Michael Jung Leads Aachen Dressage with Faultless fischerChipmunk FRH

By on Jul 1, 2022 12:07 pm -

Michael Jung’s Kentucky champion fischerChipmunk FRH delivers a 22.2 to take an unsurprising first-phase lead. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

In perhaps the least surprising moment of 2022’s sporting calendar so far, Michael Jung has taken a decisive first-phase lead at Aachen with his Kentucky champion, fischerChipmunk FRH. The pair scored an exceptional 22.2 in a faultless test, putting them 3.6 penalties ahead going into this afternoon’s showjumping.

“Everything was a highlight — he was nice to ride, relaxed, and positive,” says Michi, who brought the horse back into work just a couple of weeks ago. “He’s just done a bit of training and hacking — it’s all easygoing, but he’s on very good form.”

Will Coleman and ten-year-old Chin Tonic HS impress again on German soil, sitting second after dressage. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

After an impressive effort at Luhmühlen’s CCI4*-S two weeks ago, where he led the dressage and ultimately finished eleventh in a top-class field, Will Coleman‘s Chin Tonic HS is back with a bang: he sits second on a 25.8 after an expressive, fluid test that didn’t at all betray his innate inexperience.

“He still feels like a kid at his first state fair — he goes in there and he’s like, ‘wow, look at this!’,” says Will. “He doesn’t do anything wrong, but you sort of feel that you’re not really attacking the test. But I think we’ll get there, and for a young horse on his first big excursion he’s been great, and we’re really, really happy with him.”

Will’s sojourn with the exciting gelding has been part of a mission to give him valuable experience that’ll hopefully set him up well as a championship horse for the future.

“It’s taken a bit out of him, and I do feel like he’s a little bit not totally himself, but he’s got a great brain in a lot of ways and he’s an honest, genuine horse, so even when he feels a little bit like he’s had some of the spark taken out of him, it’s been really nice to see that he’s still answered the bell to this point. It’s all part of the process, and that’s really why we brought him over and are doing this — it’s to see how he copes and see where we can support him better for the future. It’s a fact-finding mission, but I think he’s well worth the investment.”

2021 champion Off The Record betters last year’s test – despite errors in the canter work. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Will heads into the second phase with an impressive two horses in the top ten: his 2021 Aachen winner, Off The Record, posted a 28.5 to better last year’s score by 1.2 penalties, which was enough to put him in ninth place at the end of this phase. That’s two places up from where he started last year, despite mistakes in the canter work, proving that the overall  picture has undeniably improved – helped along, perhaps, by ‘Timmy’s’ recent swap to a double bridle.

“It’s a really strong field — like, an Olympic quality field, and so anyone who’s put in a test that’s in the top ten should be fairly happy,” says Will. “There are little things that you always think can be better, but my horse has tried really hard and although we had a couple of little unfortunate mistakes at the end, it’s a three-phase competition, so we have to put it behind us and just look ahead.”

The uncharacteristic mistakes included a swap to the left lead coming out of the corner at the start of the canter work, and another swap after the extended canter: “that was maybe a little bit of tension creeping in, or maybe when he made the first mistake it rattled him a little bit. He does try in his own way, and it’s one of those things where I don’t know if I can explain why it happened, but it’s not catastrophic. I do think he’s a bit farther along, and I was really happy with the test, but I’m just bummed for him more than anything — I probably could have done something a little better in there, and I’m not going to blame him for that. Hopefully I can make it up to him in the other phases!”

Those other phases — which begin with this evening’s showjumping in the main arena and conclude with tomorrow morning’s technical, intense cross-country course, should certainly fill Will with some confidence, because he’s sitting on a horse that won this competition last year with two clear rounds and just 0.8 time penalties across the country. But ever the pragmatist, Will’s determined to keep looking forward, rather than dwelling on prior successes.

“I’m just trying to keep things in a good perspective,” he says. “It’s a different year, and even the horses are different than they were last year. The course is different; everything is different. We’re back at Aachen, and that’s the only thing that’s the same, so I’m trying not to have a whole lot of memory of last year — I’m just trying to focus on what’s in front of us.”

Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser look on super form, taking provisional third after the first phase. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Another rider who’s committed to looking forward — though for rather different reasons — is Great Britain’s Tom McEwen, who sits third on 26.4 with his Tokyo individual silver medallist Toledo de Kerser. They come to Aachen after a tough spring for the rider, whose Badminton bid with the Selle Français ended with a shock fall near the end of the course, and who has since had similarly odd blips at Bramham, where his ride Dream Big fell in the final line while showjumping for a top ten placing, and at Luhmühlen, where a dog on course caused his horse Bob Chaplin to spook and fall at the penultimate fence on cross-country.

But Tom, who’s a stalwart member of the British team, is wise beyond his 31 years, and he’s aware that bad luck — just like good — tends to come all at once, and all you can do is keep on working through it. Already, he’s got plenty to be excited about: the walk, which has been something of an Achilles’ heel for the gelding, looked at its best in today’s test, which was packed to the hilt with quality.

“That walk was an 8 for him, comparable to everyone else, and I’m really pleased,” says Tom. The one expensive blip came in the first flying change, which earned them 4.5s from the judges at C and E.

“It’s a shame, because that’s been nailed all the time outside — but I didn’t quite have him connected coming out of the corner,” he explains. “The rest, though, felt really nice — really clear, really supple, and really forward.”

Tom, whose bid for World Championships selection likely hinges on a good run here this week, didn’t actually rely on an arena-based game plan for improving the details, including that walk — instead, it comes down in large part to backing off the now-15-year-old.

“All the pieces have connected on their own, to a degree, and we’ve really worked him out and had a good set plan here. He’s getting older, and he doesn’t need to work half as much as he used to. Our prep probably wasn’t perfect; he had a run at Farley last weekend just to give him a run after Badminton, and normally I wouldn’t do that, so he’d probably have a bit more punch to his trot. But I couldn’t be happier; he tried his heart out and was brilliant.”

World Champions Ros Canter and Allstar B add a karaoke element to their test, but still deliver a competitive performance. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

World Champions Ros Canter and Allstar B have also scaled back the schooling to great effect this year, and although we got ‘Allstar B: The Musical’ in the arena today, the pair earned themselves a very good score of 26.5 to take fourth place going into showjumping.

“Albie’s best friend Zenshera is here this week to do the Ride & Drive class, and they’ve got particularly attached to each other since they’ve been here,” says Ros of Albie’s near-constant whinnying throughout the test. “He actually hadn’t whinnied at all until he started his test, but I think he was amazing, actually, because he managed to whinny and only have half his mind on the job and still pull out one of his best tests. Most horses, if they were whinnying and distracted like him, would jog in the walk or something, or their heads would move, and he really felt no different than usual. I was over the moon with how he went — I think this year, I’m probably getting better and better at riding him.”

Since the European Championships last September, Ros has taken all of Albie’s schooling out of the arena, choosing instead to hack him extensively and let him mentally and physically unwind – and that method is still serving her well, particularly as the seventeen-year-old gelding hasn’t long been back in work after his post-Badminton holidays.

“He hasn’t done an awful lot — he hacked for a couple of weeks, and then went in the arena twice and jumped a few times and then he’s come here,” she says.

The rangy gelding is a consummate long-format specialist and excels over tracks such as Badminton and Burghley, so while Ros concedes that Aachen might not be his ideal event, she was keen not to pass up an opportunity to compete at the extraordinary venue for the first time: “I’ve never been and I really wanted to come, and he was probably the only one that fitted in, schedule wise. I don’t run him at many four-shorts, because he’s a better long format horse, but I’d kind of run out of options — it probably isn’t his ideal track, but he’s such an old pro and we’ll give it our best shot.”

Tim Price and Falco dance to a spot in the top five after the first phase. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

2021 Pau winners Tim Price and Falco looked on great form to take provisional fifth place on a score of 26.8, while sixth place is held for now by William Fox-Pitt, whose Little Fire could be on track for Pratoni selection with a competitive run here. Their 27.2 just betters the score they earned at Badminton, where they finished thirteenth this spring.

William Fox-Pitt and Little Fire contain the spark for a 27.2. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The home nation holds seventh and eighth place, with Sophie Leube and Jadore Moi taking the former on 27.5 after rerouting from Luhmühlen CCI5*, where they retired at the first water after an exuberant entrance and a subsequent loss of reins meant they were well off their line for the next element, prompting Sophie to make the call to save her Boekelo winner for another day. Behind them on 28.3 is Sandra Auffarth with her Tokyo partner Viamant du Matz, who produced a test of improved fluency from their Luhmühlen effort, which saw them earn a 31. The top ten is rounded out by young Frenchman Stephane Landois, who earned a 28.6 with Chaman Dumontceau.

 

Buck Davidson and Carlevo go sub-30 despite it being Carlevo’s ‘worst test’, per Buck. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

A broken-footed Buck Davidson and Carlevo sit fifteenth on a 29.9 despite a mistake in the first canter strike-off, which saw them pick up the wrong lead for a stride: “It’s really irritating; I don’t think I’ve ever missed a canter strike off with him, even in practice — but sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug, right? There’s two more phases, though, and I can’t fault him. I’ll take it on the chin and be better next time, for sure.”

Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent fly the flag for ex-racehorses. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Aachen debutantes Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent, who were eleventh at Kentucky this spring, go into showjumping in 26th place on a very respectable 31.6.

“I was thrilled with him; he tried really, really hard — and we’re here for the team, most importantly, so I hope that we can contribute to that,” says Meghan. “He’s an American Thoroughbred, and he raced, so I’m definitely also trying to show that they still have a place in the sport.”

Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire far eclipse their previous Aachen test, posting a 32.4. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire sit 28th on a 32.4, which doesn’t quite rival the competitive scores they’ve earned at venues such as Boekelo, but is a considerable improvement over last year’s test here, which saw the leggy gelding boil over in the ring. Part of Sydney’s plan of action? Arriving to Europe early, so she could get a couple of weeks of training in at the Belgian base of Lara de Liedekerke Meier and Kai Steffen Meier.

“We really wanted to let him settle, and Kai has been helping us keep that theme going from Boekelo,” says Sydney. “He’s very fragile, and a bit of a delicate flower, so he likes to get settled in — and Kai and Lara are basically family now, so it’s hard to even think about leaving!”

We’re heading straight into showjumping now, so stay tuned for more updates from Aachen. Go Eventing!

The top ten after dressage at CHIO Aachen.

CHIO Aachen Links: Website|Entries|Live Scoring|Live Stream|EN’s Coverage|EN’s Insta|EN’s Twitter

Team America Takes Gold in FEI Youth Equestrian Games

By on Jul 1, 2022 10:00 am -

Team North America won gold at the FEI Youth Equestrian Games 2022 in Aachen (GER) today. (L to R) Mimi Gochman (USA), Shannon Grubba, (CRC), Carlos Andrés Meany Morataya (GUA), Xaviera Maurer Buch (MEX), Gabriela Maradiaga (HON) and Chef d’Equipe DiAnn Langer. (FEI/Richard Julliart)

It took a thrilling three-way jump-off to decide the result of the team competition at the FEI Youth Equestrian Games 2022 in Aachen, Germany Thursday afternoon. And it was the North American quintet of Mimi Gochman (USA), Carlos Andres Meany Morataya (GUA), Gabriela Maradiaga (HON), Shannon Grubba (CRC) and Xaviera Maurer Buch (MEX) who clinched gold ahead of Team Europe in silver and Team Africa in bronze.

First to set out in the third and final round, Gochman set the standard when flying through the finish with the lovely grey gelding Merino van de Achterhoek in 32.26 seconds and couldn’t be caught. But the sheer delight on the faces of Great Britain’s Claudia Moore who scooped silver medal spot for Europe and Morocco’s Jad Guerraoui who earned bronze for Africa told the story of this super-exciting youth tournament that will come to a close on Saturday when the individual medals will be decided.

It has already been a wonderful opportunity for young people who would otherwise be unlikely to meet to come together in the most iconic arena in the world of equestrian sport. And the riders, all aged between 15 and 18, have truly risen to the occasion.

Saad Ahmed AL SAAD QAT rides DSP CESSY during team competition 1st round in Aachen Germany on 29 June 2022
© FEI/ Richard Juilliart

Phenomenal

The standard of competition has been phenomenal all week. Divided into six continental teams, the 30 contenders from 30 different countries had only a few days to get to know their borrowed horses before yesterday’s first round in which Africa, Europe, Asia and North America finished on a zero scoreline when the best three results from each group was taken into account.

Despite brilliant double-clears from Qatar’s Saad Ahmed Al Saad (DSP Cessy) and Iran’s Marilya Manavikherad (Cornelia Marie), Team Asia had to count four faults so slipped off the radar along with Australasia who completed with eight and South America who finished up with a total of 20 over the two days.

The Australasian result however belied fantastic performances from Syria’s Aya Hamcho (Campari 329) and New Zealand’s Dylan Bibby (Chasseur Ask Z) who were amongst the 14 riders to post double-clears by the end of the day.

Mimi Gochman rides Merino Van de Achterhoek.
© FEI/ Richard Juilliart

Looked threatening

With four more of those coming from the North American team they always looked threatening.

Gochman’s lovely quiet ride with the 12-year-old Darco gelding got them off to the perfect second-day start before Meany Morataya, also clear yesterday, followed suit with the mare Annelie which was formerly competed by German international rider Mario Stevens. Maradiaga (DSP Goldquelle) had a fence down on both days but both Grubba (Volk D’Ermng) and Maurer Buch (Lawita 3) were foot-perfect so, third team into the ring, they already had the podium in their sights. But it was still far from over.

Team Europe also added nothing to their zero score when Belgium’s Bart Jay Junior Vandecastelle (Haya), Germany’s Charlotte Hoing (Andy’sBoy Bretoniere) and Britain’s Claudia Moore (Largo van de Molenhoek) produced double-clears while Greek rider Annie Mayo Vatidis (Despacita) picked up their second four-fault result of the week and Jeanne Hirel from France (Galliano LW) followed yesterday’s four-fault effort with a clear. Now for sure there would be a jump-off.

And then Team Africa joined in. Tunisia’s Elyes Chaouachi (Maestro v. Donkhoeve) and Zimbabwe’s Amy Hay (Ypaejae Jeremy) were both clear yesterday but collected eight and four faults apiece in the final on Thursday. But when Egypt’s Haya Osama El Borai (Jadzia), Morocco’s Jad Guerraoui (Lady Angeles) and Thomas van Rijckevorsel (Lucy 781) all racked up double-clears it was game on – a three-way battle for the podium places would have to decide it.

Mimi Gochman rides Merino Van de Achterhoek.
© FEI/ Richard Juilliart

First

First against the clock, USA’s Gochman put Team North America on the map in 32.26 seconds and Great Britain’s Moore was just 0.33 slower over the new track when next to go for Team Europe. This left all the pressure on Jad Guerraoui whose lively mare, Lady Angeles, cleared the line in 33.33 seconds to take the bronze for Africa.

Britain’s Claudia Moore is a multiple medallist at European Pony and Junior level but she still felt the pressure. “I knew Mimi had an incredible round and I wanted to match that. I kept quite cool, calm and collected and went in and I had so much fun and I had my entire team behind me and I think that was the thing that drove me the most!”, she said. And like all the young riders this week she thoroughly enjoyed competing in the world-famous Soers arena. “The crowd, the atmosphere, the ground, the jumps, it’s such an amazing thing for the youth. Some people in their professional career never get to jump at Aachen and for us to be able to do it at this age, and have this type of experience early on, is amazing!”, she said.

Newly-crowned team gold medallist, Gochman, said, “going first is a bit challenging sometimes but I gave it my all and it paid off! I’m very proud of the way it went!” She talked about creating a bond with the Belgian-bred Merino van de Achterhoek with whom she has clearly struck up a great relationship already.

Podium – Team North America 1st place team Europe 2nd place and team Africa 3rd place in
Aachen Germany on 30 June 2022
© FEI/ Richard Juilliart

Growth period

“The first thing I tried to do was not to be too defensive…I don’t know him and he doesn’t know me so of course there’s going to be a little bit of a growth period.

The spirit of these FEI Youth Equestrian Games is infectious and the winning team’s Chef d’Equipe, DiAnn Langer, spoke about the positivity it has already engendered.

“The earlier they start this type of competition – the younger they are the better for our future. It’s about more than just producing a winner, a second and third, it brings the young riders together to meet so many new people and make great friendships”, she said.

So what does she think about Team North America’s chances for more glory in Saturday’s individual medal-decider? “We have our hopes and today Mimi, Claudia and Thomas showed what they are made of, but all the riders on all the teams have the same capabilities. On Saturday the fences will be a bit higher and it’s a whole new competition but one thing is for sure – it’s going to be great sport!”

Volunteer Nation: Three Events That Need Help This Weekend

By on Jul 1, 2022 9:00 am -

 

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Sometimes game faces look more like … bottoms … than faces. But you know what? We’ll take what we can get. And behind every successful bottom, there’s a village of folks who got that bottom to where it ought to be. Groom, vets, farriers, trainers — but also every person behind every event where they compete. Without volunteers, those events wouldn’t exist. Truly, volunteers are the unsung heroes of our sport.

Here are three events that could use a hand this weekend.

USEA Events

Twin Rivers Summer Horse Trials  (June 29th to July 2nd, 2022)

Other Events

IEA Leg Up Schooling HT (July 1st to 2nd, 2022)

Pine Hill GHCTA Schooling Horse Trials (July 2nd to 3rd, 2022)

Friday News & Notes Presented by Zoetis

By on Jul 1, 2022 12:03 am -

Lea Siegl’s DSP Fighting Line. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Happy Friday! Tomorrow is my life partner’s birthday, and he turns 21. Of course I am talking about Nyls du Terroir, my first Advanced horse and the most impeccable steed that has ever existed. I’m off to purchase some Guinness for him, and I’m 100% making him a customized carrot cake and doing a photoshoot just for the Instagram likes. So, stay tuned.

U.S. Weekend Preview

Twin Rivers Summer H.T. (Paso Robles, CA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scores] [Volunteer]

Summer Coconino H.T. I (Flagstaff, AZ): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scores] [Volunteer]

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

Essex H.T. (Far Hills, NJ): [Website] [Ride Times] [Scores] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Schedule] [Entries] [Leaderboard] [Eventing Main Page] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

News From Around the Globe:

In 2015, Lauren Balcomb had a successful eventing career in her native Australia, but like so many others, decided to cross the globe and settle down in the US. She grew up down the road from Boyd Martin, and continued her eventing education with him once she was here, but quickly met Australian show jumper Sharn Wordley, and began to change her focus onto show jumping. This week, she won her first FEI Grand Prix aboard her own and Sharn’s Verdini d’Houtveld Z in the $140,000 Lugano Diamonds FEI CSI3* Grand Prix at the World Equestrian Center. [From Eventer to Show Jumper and Around the World]

Independence Day is here. Many of us enjoy the 4th of July with picnics, parades, time with family and friends, and – of course – fireworks. Although we may relish in the festivities, our equine pals may not be quite as thrilled with our revelries as we. The loud noises and disturbances caused by the fireworks, parades and other celebrations can upset our horses and lead to injuries, runaways and other problems that, frankly, most of us can do without. With that in mind, here are 10 ways you can ensure your horses are safe and as comfortable as possible during the upcoming holiday. [10 Ways to Keep Your Horses Safe for July 4th]

Horse shows can be truly mystifying to the metropolitan journalist, as expressed by their often convoluted coverage. While I won’t name exactly which publication has fallen victim to this teachable moment *cough*, I will say that as an athlete Mary-Kate Olsen deserves better sports recognition. The thing is we would love for more mainstream media to cover equestrian events, so this isn’t an attempt to dissuade journalists from making valiant efforts to grasp our niche sport. We just want you to sound informed doing it. (Because horse people notice.) [A Guide to Covering Horse Sport for Regular Journalists]

Best of Blogs: Pressure Proof with Daniel Stewart — The Quickie Plan

 

#TBT Video Break: Klimke’s the Queen of Aachen

By on Jun 30, 2022 3:30 pm -

2019 was the Year of Bobby at Aachen, as the Nations Cup CCIO4*-S competition was handily won that year by German Olympian Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD.

We dug into the archives to bring back Ingrid’s narrated helmet cam from her cross country round aboard Bobby, giving us an excellent view of the twists, turns, and crowds at this unique German venue.

Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD take Aachen. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This should get you pumped for this weekend’s action, which commences tomorrow (tonight, technically, in the U.S.) with dressage in the morning and show jumping in the evening, followed by cross country to finish on Saturday. You can view the full competition schedule here and catch the live stream on ClipMyHorse.Tv. here.

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Schedule] [Entries] [Eventing Main Page] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

Wet and Wild: One Horse Held in Star-Studded (and Soggy) CHIO Aachen First Horse Inspection

By on Jun 30, 2022 1:52 pm -

Reigning Aachen champions Will Coleman and Off the Record. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There’s nowhere quite like CHIO Aachen. Nestled in the crook of Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium, it’s an absolute oasis of horsey excellence that has no rival in any discipline – and if you want to see the best of the best, all in one place, this is where you want to be. This week sees the creme de la creme of showjumping, dressage, driving, vaulting, and eventing come together to battle for some of sport’s most coveted titles, and in between standing at the riders’ lounge bar and marvelling over the fact that Daniel Deusser is to our left and Isabell Werth is to our right, we’re managing to carve out some time to cover (in our humble opinion) the finest competition of the week: the CCIO4*-S.

We were rewarded for our efforts with a thunderstorm that began as promptly as this afternoon’s first horse inspection did, putting an end to several days of blazing sunshine. But all’s fair in love, war, and horse sports, and so we all cracked on undeterred, watched on by several pure dressage riders schooling in an adjacent arena and probably wondering why on earth any of us whinge about flying changes when they can do approximately 480 in a row without breaking a sweat.We jest, but actually, herein lies the real magic of Aachen: from beginning to end, it’s an extraordinary educational experience for everyone who crosses the threshold, whether they’re a fan, a rider, a groom, a trainer, an owner, or whatever other role they hold. Want to learn how to approach an airy upright? Go watch Steve Guerdat do it at 1.60m. Want to see how to set up true collection? Nip over to catch Catherine Dufour piaffing in the Deutsche Bank stadium. Want to get a sense of what figurative balls of steel look like? Head over to cross-country to see our competitors giving a fine display in the art of abject bravery and trust in a horse.

Cathal Daniels chats to the ground jury before representing CDS Cairnview Romolu. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

But before we get to all that, of course, there’s the formalities — and today, that was the horse inspection, held before the ground jury of president Dr Ernst Top (GER), Peter Gray (CAN), and Christina Klingspor (SWE), the latter two of which will make up part of the ground jury at this September’s World Championships.

Just one horse was held at the very start of the afternoon’s proceedings: that was the eleven-year-old Irish Sport Horse CDS Cairnview Romolu, one of two mounts for Ireland’s Cathal Daniels. They were accepted upon representation, though after some deliberation, and no further holds were ordered, though France’s Camille Lejeune was asked to trot Good Size des Quatre Chenes a second time. With minimal drama – and a palpable desperation to get everyone back under the safe cover of the bar – the horse inspection concluded with all horse-and-rider pairs, plus all presented Jump and Drive entrants, accepted to begin the competition tomorrow.

It’s all pretty fast and furious on the schedule for the eventers here at the CHIO. They’ll begin with dressage tomorrow from 8.30 a.m. local time (7.30 a.m. BST/2.30 a.m. EST), and then, after a couple of hours’ break, they’ll head over to the famous main stadium for showjumping as the sun sets. Cross-country follows on Saturday morning, and by beers o’clock, we’ll know who our 2022 CHIO champions are. Efficiency is key — we are in Germany, after all.

The field of entries we’ve got in front of us is as heart-rate-raising as the timetable, mind you. Aachen, which is an invite-only event and also a team competition — though not part of the FEI Nations Cup series — always commands a seriously good line-up, but this year’s feels particularly excellent. That’s been further qualified by the chaps over at EquiRatings, who crunched the numbers and have dubbed it the most competitive four-star field of this year so far – particularly wild when you consider that that includes the likes of Thoresby, which was a pivotal Badminton prep event back at the start of the season.

Sarah Bullimore and Corouet begin their redemption campaign. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Many teams are using this as a way to help with their World Championship selections, and a great performance under pressure here will certainly help some riders’ chances: among those excellent competitors who are here for a redemption run are British entrants Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser, who took individual silver and team gold at Tokyo but had a hugely uncharacteristic crashing fall at Badminton, and Sarah Bullimore and her homebred Corouet, who won individual bronze at last year’s European Championships but picked up a green 20 in the horse’s five-star debut at Kentucky. For Germany’s Anna Siemer and FRH Butt’s Avondale, who have been excellent at two European Championships and helped the Germans to team silver at last year’s Europeans, it’s a chance to put an early fall at Pratoni’s test event to bed, while Boekelo winners Sophie Leube and Jadore Moi have rerouted here after an early retirement in the mare’s five-star debut. They led the dressage here last year and will certainly be among those to keep a close eye on, particularly if you like following future gold medallists — they’ve got an enormous amount of talent to burn and will no doubt be mainstays at major championships before too long.

Olympic gold medallists Julia Krajewski and Amande de b’Neville. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s also our first chance to see some serious heavy hitters back on the main stage after major victories: Michael Jung will ride his Kentucky champion fischerChipmunk FRH, and our Olympic gold medallists, Julia Krajewski and Amande de b’Neville, come to Aachen off the back of a win in the CCI4*-S at Wiesbaden a few weeks ago. Last year’s Pau winners, Tim Price and Falco, will be on the hunt for a serious result, as will individual Olympic bronze medallists Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos. We’ve also got our reigning World Champions, Ros Canter and Allstar B, on the bill, plus this year’s Luhmühlen winner Felix Vogg, who rides his Pratoni hopeful Cartania this week. Of course, it would be remiss of us to miss out a sterling sophomore appearance at Aachen for Off The Record, who is the reigning CHIO champion with the USA’s Will Coleman. They return to the show with a rejigged dressage bitting set-up that we saw in action in their test-run dressage at Luhmühlen CCI4*-S, where they put in one of the leading efforts before withdrawing.

India’s Fouaad Mirza and Seigneur Medicott return to the world stage after impressing at Tokyo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Prefer to focus your attentions on the stars of the very-near-future? There’s plenty to sink your teeth into, including Great Britain’s Yasmin Ingham, who was second at Kentucky with Banzai du Loir and rides Rehy DJ this week, and India’s Fouaad Mirza, who was impressive at Tokyo with the former Bettina Hoy mount Seigneur Medicott. Austria’s young superstar Lea Siegl, who’s just 23, comes forward with DSP Fighting Line, with whom she was 15th at the Olympics, and Switzerland’s Nadja Minder, who delivered two of the seven clears inside the time at the Pratoni test event, will ride Aquila B.

In total, we’ve got 13 nations represented across the 42 competitors, and the USA has a crack line-up in Will and Off the Record, Buck Davidson and Carlevo, Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent, and frequent flyers Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire, who once again took advantage of some pre-show training at the Belgian base of Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Kai Steffen Meier.

Fancy catching all the action as it happens? You can tune in via ClipMyHorse.TV or via the Aachen website (though you may need a VPN for the latter!). You can find the times for tomorrow’s dressage here — and in the meantime, here’s the soggiest trot-up gallery you’ll see this year, maybe.

CHIO Aachen Links: Website|Entries|Live Scoring|Live Stream|EN’s Coverage|EN’s Insta|EN’s Twitter

Social Media Influencing and Other Provisions in USEF’s Revamped Amateur Status Rules

By on Jun 30, 2022 11:00 am -

Renee Senter and Regina. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Since its creation in early 2021, the USEF Amateur Task Force has worked to clarify and update the rules surrounding amateur and professional status for adult competitors at licensed events. US Equestrian is pleased to announce that the Task Force has completed its assignment.

The Amateur Task Force consists of representatives from across US Equestrian-affiliated breeds and disciplines, and through focus groups, member surveys, and comments received through the Amateur Task Force inbox, the members have worked to determine the most pressing concerns of US Equestrian members and propose fair solutions regarding the rules surrounding amateur and professional status for competing members. These classifications are primarily outlined in GR1306 of the USEF Rulebook.

In its first year, the Task Force helped to create several rule change proposals that addressed common concerns and were ultimately passed by the Board of Directors. The following changes went into effect ahead of the 2022 show season:

Barn Duties: Amateurs may now accept remuneration for certain hands-on barn duties at home and on show grounds, including grooming, clipping, longeing, braiding, and tack cleaning.

Social Media Influencers: The rule now defines Social Media Brand Ambassadors and Social Media Influencers and permits amateurs to accept remuneration for engaging in those activities.

Teaching Basic Lessons: Amateurs in the American Saddlebred, Saddle Seat Equitation, Morgan, Arabian, Andalusian/Lusitano, National Show Horse, Paso Fino, and Western divisions are now able to teach basic riding lessons to beginner, non-competing riders in a part-time capacity under the supervision of a USEF member with professional status.

Status Change for Young Professionals: Members age 25 and under who have engaged in professional activities may reapply for amateur status after a three-month waiting period, down from the previous 12-month waiting period. An individual may only use the three-month option one time, and the 12-month waiting period still applies to adults over age 25.

You can read much more about the updates to the Amateur Status rules and how they may affect you here.

An Organizer Overhaul, but Eventing will Continue at Woodside Horse Park

By on Jun 30, 2022 9:00 am -

Grace Walker Alonzi and Frantz kick on for home on cross country at Woodside earlier this year. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Worry for another lost event rippled through the Area VI community late last week on social media as news spread that Robert Kellerhouse’s Woodside Eventing would no longer be organizing events at Woodside Horse Park in California. However, the Bay Area facility, which also plays host to recognized competitions in other disciplines such as hunter/jumper, reining, and vaulting, has confirmed that it plans to still host events going forward.

Kellerhouse Presents/Woodside Eventing had organized three-day events, including the popular annual Preliminary Challenge and international competitions up through CCI4*, multiple times each year dating back to 2004; the venue has hosted eventing competitions for nearly 40 years.

“It is with a heavy heart that we advise that our time at the Horsepark at Woodside has come to a close,” Robert wrote in an open letter announcing the change.

For their part, Woodside Horse Park has indicated that they were notified of the partnership dissolution at the same time as Robert’s statement was published. “Notification was provided to us in parallel with a social media post,” a letter, sent to Horse Park members on the morning of June 24, reads. “Woodside Eventing’s unilateral decision and subsequent announcement do not reflect our deep commitment to quality eventing offerings on the West Coast.”

Robert noted that facility improvements, particularly on the cross country tracks, were needed in order to continue hosting quality events. “While in the past we have made these long term investments, we have done so with the backing of the Horsepark through the length of time we were provided to operate,” he explained in the letter.

Steve Roon, Executive Director of Woodside Horse Park, confirmed that the venue is currently working to secure its own licensing to host USEA and USEF-recognized events (Robert Kellerhouse had previously held the license to run the event at Woodside, and has subsequently applied to use that license for an August Horse Trials at Galway Downs).

In the letter sent to Horse Park members, the facility’s Board of Governors explained the intention to continue hosting events at the facility, which is also home to trainers and competitions from a wide range of other equestrian disciplines. Steve stated that the Park management is currently working with Area VI, USEA and USEF leaderships to obtain its own license to host the originally approved August 12-14 and October 6-9 Horse Trials. “The Horse Park is committed to providing eventing competitions at Woodside in 2023 and beyond,” he said.

Steve also addressed concerns about cross country footing, as noted in Robert’s statement as well as in a few comments from riders on social media. Steve indicated that designer and builder Bert Wood would be returning to work on the course at Woodside for events going forward and was confident that the footing issues will be mitigated. Many of the issues, he explained, stemmed from a mixture of soil types along with some changes to how the ground was managed leading up to the event. Bringing Bert back, he said, will enable the Horse Park to provide an excellent cross country experience.

“I appreciate the time we were provided by the Horsepark Board and its presidents. I am forever grateful to the 20,000 starters we have hosted throughout our 18 years’ time in Woodside,” Robert concluded in his letter. “We could not have done so without the support from the teams we have in the office, XC/SJ design and build, show operations, competition safety, special event prep and planning, sponsorship and last but not least the amazing volunteers at Woodside. You all have been instrumental in our success.”

The latest update provided by Woodside Horse Park can be found here.

This story is ongoing and we will continue to follow up on this to provide more updates as they are made available.

Thursday News & Notes Presented by Stable View

By on Jun 30, 2022 12:03 am -

All the post-cross-country feels. Photo by JJ Sillman.

In my continued effort to understand the equine experience, I’ve purchased myself a veritable library of books on physical therapy, massage, myofascial release, and acupressure amongst others. I’m a nerd, and I love learning random new skills, and I’ve been applying some of what I’ve learned to each of the horses that I interact with every day, and it’s really made a huge difference for all of them. Just knowing how to read reactions and pain responses as I slide my hands over their bodies is amazing, and I highly recommend having your body worker teach you a few moves. Your horse will thank you!

U.S. Weekend Preview

Twin Rivers Summer H.T. (Paso Robles, CA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scores] [Volunteer]

Summer Coconino H.T. I (Flagstaff, AZ): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scores] [Volunteer]

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

Essex H.T. (Far Hills, NJ): [Website] [Ride Times] [Scores] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Schedule] [Entries] [Eventing Main Page] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

News From Around the Globe:

McLain Ward and Contagious took their first win of the week at CHIO Aachen and one of the first individual victories at the iconic venue for Ward, besting a class of 56 entries for a competitive win. The duo stopped the timers as the third fastest combination in the first round and ultimately secured victory after finishing the second round in 41.41 seconds. “Contagious was fantastic. This is a class that everyone in the sport dreams of winning and for us, Aachen is the biggest competition in the world, and the one that means the most to the rider. The Rolex Grand Prix, the Nations Cup, and the Prize of Europe are the main events here and it’s very important and such an honor to win one of those classes,” said Ward. [McLain Ward Wins Aachen]

Amateur eventer Amy Dobbins didn’t really expect her college project pony, Oliver Twist, to re-enter her life years after selling him, let alone watch last month as he helped cinch a U.S. Eventing Association Intercollegiate National Championship. Now 17, “Ollie” has brought multiple young riders across the country through the eventing and show jumping rings, moving from Georgia to Arizona to California before returning to Dobbins at the end of 2020. [Pony Boomerang Wins Championship]

Imagine: you are at the biggest sporting event of your life. The stakes are high, and you have spent countless hours preparing for it. However, you are expected to just show up and immediately perform. You cannot stretch or take a practice swing. You have no time to loosen up or sharpen your eye. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Just like us, our horses need adequate time to warm up each day. A warmup is any preparation for work, and it is often the leading edge of that work. It is the small aid response that becomes the more advanced aid response. [A Case for Warming Up with Kyle Carter]

Best of Blogs: Hard Work Isn’t Enough to Show Successfully — It’s About Privilege 

Heel problems are common hoof issues in horses, with some estimates attributing more than one-third of all chronic lameness to the heel (caudal) region. The condition owners might be most familiar with is the low heel, which also happens to be one of the most difficult heel problems to manage. Scott Morrison, DVM, partner and head of the podiatry center at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, in Lexington, Kentucky, described the issues low heels can cause and the mechanical tools farriers and veterinarians can use to address them. [Managing Low Heels in Performance Horses]

Sponsor Corner:

Check out this heck of a save from Area III Championships at Stable View’s summer event last weekend: