Classic Eventing Nation

Lauren Nicholson and Landmark’s Monte Carlo. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

After yesterday’s cross country round, Lauren Nicholson had mentioned that Landmark’s Monte Carlo always likes it at Red Hills International Horse Trials in Tallahassee, Florida and tends to do well at this event. She’s right: the pair finished 4th here in the four-star in 2021, second in the CCI3-S in 2020, and 5th in 2019 three-star. Altogether, they’ve made the trip to Red Hills nearly every year in the last decade. This year they came out on top.

Overnight leaders Will Coleman and Off The Record withdrew before show jumping today. Will told EN that the gelding had knocked his stifle at the last water complex on yesterday’s course and while he looked good last night, he came out of the stall stiff today. Will had radiographs taken, which showed no damage, but he opted not to jump the gelding in the final phase.

Subsequently, Lauren and “Patrick”, as he’s known around the barn or “Patty” for short, were left in pole position with a rail in hand over second place. They needed it — knocking a rail at fence 9 on the Chris Barnard-designed course — but it was enough to clinch the victory with a final score of 42.1, earning a fist pump from Lauren.

“Patrick is a barn favorite,” she says. “Everyone is very exited for him. He’s 16 years old now and he’s done a lot. He’s like an old friend at this point.”

Lauren Nicholson and Landmark’s Monte Carlo. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Patrick actually won his first start at the four-star level back in 2015 at Jersey Fresh International. Since then, they’ve contested this level at 21 international events, coming tantalizing close to a win a few times over the years. Lauren and Patrick ended their 2021 season with a fantastic 6th place at the inaugural Maryland Five-Star in October and then after a winter vacation they kicked the 2022 season off with a spin around the Open Intermediate at Rocking Horse Winter II before heading here to Red Hills.

A product of Ms. Jaqueline Mars’ breeding program at Landmark Stables and Stonehall Farm, Patrick is a U.S.-bred Irish Sport Horse sired by Formula One out of a full Thoroughbred mare, Glamour, by Flash Tycoon.

“He was a quirky young horse to put it kindly, but we run a very patient program and he has really blossomed now and he’s one of my best buddies at this point,” Lauren said.

Lauren says she prefers to run Patrick at the Advanced level only a couple times a year, so they’ll fly around and Intermediate again next before aiming for a spring three-day, most likely Kentucky.

Mia Farley and BGS Firecracker. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

It’s a sweet second place for Mia Farley and her own BGS Firecracker, who jumped a stylish double clear round today — they have yet to knock a pole at the four-star level — to keep a finishing score of 43.0. The 21-year-old rider and the Irish Sport horse mare (Capitalist x Emmas Courage, by Courage II) bred by Patty Byrne of BGS Sport Horses stalked the top of the leaderboard all weekend, sitting equal 4th after dressage and moving up to 3rd after their fast round across country yesterday.

“Crack” is back and maybe on the verge of a comeback tour. After Mia and the now 12-year-old Irish Sport horse earned the USEF CCI4*-L Reserve Champion title in 2019, the mare developed a minor injury in early 2020 and Mia has been extra patient in tending to her rehab. She brought her back into full work over the course of nearly two years, stepping back up to the Advanced level last fall.

For the spring season ahead, Mia is aiming for the CCI4-L at the Tryon International May 3-Day event where she hopes to be competitive with Cracker. Looking to the fall season, she has her sights set on either a move-up at the Maryland Five-Star or possibly a trip overseas to contest Blenheim. It all depends on perceived competitiveness and funding, but both are possibilities depending on what’s in the cards.

Joe Meyer and Buccaneer. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

New Zealand’s Joe Meyer steadily climbed the leaderboard over the weekend with 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse Buccaneer, starting off in 17th position after the dressage. Their double clear show jumping round today clinched a 3rd place finish with a score of 45.5, leaping a grand total of fifteen places over the course of the weekend.

“I was so happy with him today. My wife told me I was in fifth yesterday so I said, ‘That’s pretty good going, I better leave the rails up today,'” Joe laughed.

Buccaneer was the fourth fastest horse of the division out on cross country yesterday, but Joe wasn’t always able to harness the gelding’s speed to his benefit.

“You always want a fast horse, but as a young horse I didn’t really have the controls that I needed. Now he’s a bit more experienced and I’m finding him so much easier to ride and he’s super brave. He’s fairly small — he’s only 15.3 hands — which is perfect for me. He’s just an awesome, awesome horse … When I ask him to go he just motors.”

Buccaneer was acquired as a 6-year-old by Joe and his wife Ruthie through the 2016 Gorsebridge Go for Gold sale originally as an investment for a client with the intent to be produced and sold in the States. He was bred by David McCann of Hartwell Stud in Ireland, sired by Grad Prix show jumper Clover Brigade out of a Thoroughbred mare, Tobar Bhride.

Joe ended up keeping the ride on Buccaneer and the gelding is now owned by the Team Johnny Syndicate. The pair’s next stop this year will be Carolina International later this month and then they’ll head to contest the CCI4-S at Kentucky in April and possibly a long format four-star after that.

Phillip Dutton and Azure. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

The future looks bright for Phillip Dutton and Azure, a new mount owned by Anne, Caroline, and Michael Moran. The pair tipped one rail but maintained their fourth place position after cross country to end the weekend on a score of 47.2. We will be interested to see what Phillip has in mind for this mare, a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Omar x Cavalier Roselier, by Cavalier Royale), this season.

Woods Baughman and and C’est La Vie 135. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

The pairs that ended the competiton in the fifth through eighth spots on the leaderboard all vaulted themselves up in the standings thanks to double clear rounds today. 2021 USEF CCI4-L National Champions Woods Baughman and C’est La Vie 135 (Contendro I x Anette, by Aarking xx), owned by the Baughman family, round out the top five having climbed back up the scoresheet from 9th after cross country.

Great Britain’s Lesley Law finished all three of his four-star horses in the top eleven today. 11-year-old Lady Chatterley, a Holsteiner mare (Connor x Jucy, by Mytens) owned by Jackie and Steve Brown, was the highest placed of her stablemates, landing in 6th overall. Climbing from 25th after dressage, Lesley rode Tre Book’s Voltaire De Tre, the splashy Selle Francais gelding (Gentleman IV x Jasmina du Fresne, by Socrate de Chivre) to a 10th place finish and Craig McCallum’s Typically Fernhill, a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Dondoctro Ryal K x Castlefield Sarah, by Guy Cavalier), rounded out Lesley’s rides in this division with an 11th place finish.

7th place is occupied by another big mover: Clayton Fredericks and his own FE Coldplay, a 10-year-old German Sport Horse gelding (Guy Cavalier x Krone 18, by Kolibri) who sat in 18th place after dressage. Finishing in 8th are Lexi Scovil and her own 12-year old Zangersheide gelding, Chico’s Man VDF (Chico’s Boy x Chardonnay Z, by Caretano). Holly Jacks-Smither and Candy King, the 12-year-old British Sport Horse gelding (Grafenstolz x Eye Candy, by Moothyeb) tipped one rail, but still rose one place from 10th overnight to finish the competition in 9th.

Meaghan Marinovich-Burdick and Riviera Lu. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Meaghan Marinovich-Burdick had no idea that her weekend away at Red Hill would end with leading the victory gallop of the CCI3-S with her mare, Riviera Lu, finishing with a final score of 37.0. Their weekend started off with a nice ‘girls trip’ feel, as a friend from overseas accompanied her to the event and the week with just one horse feels like a nice little vacation from her training business back home.

A little shuffling at the top of the leaderboard in this division also occurred overnight, with Liz Halliday-Sharp withdrawing all of her mounts, including top-placed Cooley Moonshine and 3rd placed Quite Nice 11 with whom Meaghan sat equal with in the standings after cross country. The leaders heading into the afternoon, Arden Wildasin and Sunday Times, collected 8 faults for felled poles to end their weekend in 6th place.

Meaghan and “River” started off their weekend in 16th place after a dressage test that Meaghan says she was a touch disappointed with. A spirited mare (“She’s very spooky and opinionated, to put it in the nicest way,” Meaghan says), River took particular offense to the rain covers that the camera operators had draped over their equipment. 

“I felt like I honestly left a couple points on the table with that test,” Meaghan reflects, “but I looked it up and it was actually her best dressage at an FEI event, so I’ll take it!”

Meaghan purchased the now 14-year-old Brazilian Sport Horse (Rembrandt Jmen x Ravena 3J, by Diapason des Gaves) sight unseen in 2019 and the pair has been building a partnership over the last couple years. Meaghan says that her and River’s trickiest phase is the show jumping but with the help of their coach, Cathy Jones-Forsberg, who travelled down from Illinois to support them this weekend, they were able to push their demons aside and jump double clear.

“Today I was just jumping and having fun with my buddy,” Meaghan said.

The CCI3-S top three is rounded out by Caroline Martin and her own 7-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Galwaybay Blake (Tolan R x Doughiska Lass, by Kannan) in second place followed by Dana Cooke and Kingfisher Park Equestrian’s FE Quattro, an 8-year-old German Warmblood gelding (Quaterstern x Elina, by Coriograf B) who originally led the division after dressage.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Looking to the CCI2-S division, our top two remained unchanged wire-to-wire to wire with  Leslie Law and Fupsilon Grande lande, a 7-year-old Selle Francis gelding (Upsilon x L’Irlandaise, by Singasinga) owned by Beatrice Ray-Herme winning the top prize. Sara Kozumplik and Edith Rameika’s 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Otta B Quality (Up To Date x Dicarla-H, by Vittorio) maintained second place. Both pairs finished on their dressage scores of 25.3 and 25.8, respectively.

Jennie Brannigan and Twilightslastgleam. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Jennie Brannigan certainly had a weekend to be proud of, winning both the Advanced and Intermediate divisions in addition to other top placings across division, all aboard horses owned by her longtime supporters Tim and Nina Gardner .

She and Advanced division winner Twilightslastgleam lead the division from wire to wire. The US-bred unraced Thoroughbred gelding (National Anthem x Royal Child, by Northern baby) had three rails in hand over second place and used one of them to finish on a score of 47.9. Jennie also took 6th place in this division with FE Lifestyle, the 12-year-old German Sport Horse gelding (Leo Von Faelz x Berina A, by Brandenburger) with whom she represented the U.S. in the FEI Nations Cup leg at Boekelo last fall.

Connory, a 10-year-old Holsteiner (Contrato x Hocaponta, by Laurie’s Crusador), was the Intermediate division winner. The pair took the lead after cross country, lifting them from 7th after dressage, and then jumped double clear today to stay on top. This is the third win in a row for the gelding co-owned by Jennie and Tim and Nina Gardner. They most recently won their first outing of the season at Rocking Horse Winter III in the Open Preliminary division last week and prior to that we last saw this gelding at the Fair Hill International April H.T., where he won the CCI3-S.

Finally, Jennie claimed both the 3rd and 4th places in the CCI2-S aboard Keepsake and Kismet, respectively. Both 7-year-olds were bred in the U.S. by Nina Gardner and both share the same sire, the Thoroughbred National Anthem, who is also the father of Twilightslastgleam.

Thanks again to Shannon Brinkman for her photos and to Amanda Chance and Hilary McMichael for compiling the pedigree information found in this report and heard on the livestream. That’s all from Red Hills for now — thank you for following along on EN this weekend!

Red Hills: [Website] [Final Scores] [EN’s Coverage]

Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

When competitors arrived on the grounds of Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park in Tallahassee, Florida earlier this week, it was a balmy 87 degrees in the Florida panhandle. Flash forward to cross country day and everyone at Red Hills has experienced the gamut of weather conditions including dropping temperatures, heavy rain, and even tornado warnings. It was around 50 degrees for cross country at Red Hills International Horse Trials today — terribly chilly for the Floridian spectators out enjoying the action, but perfect for the horses running across country.

The weather added some insult to injury to the livestream as well, with a fallen tree branch taking down some important cables just after other technical difficulties had been remedied. We’d like to send a shoutout to the team at Red Hills and R.N.S. Videomedia for working so hard to get the livestream up and running, which they did just a couple horses into the CCI4-S class, so that this event could be enjoyed around the world.

Will Coleman and Off The Record Keep the CCI4-S Lead

It’s notoriously difficult to make the time in the top division at Red Hills, thanks to the winding, albeit beautiful, track designed by Mike Etherington-Smith. Nobody in the CCI4*-S (or Advanced) managed the feat today, but overnight leaders Will Coleman and Off The Record, owned by his namesake syndicate, came the closest to the optimum time of 6 minutes 39 seconds thanks to turning in the fastest round of the day as the only pair to cross the finish flags in under 7 minutes. They clocked in at 6 minutes 56 seconds, to add 6.8 time penalties to their score to keep the lead on a 30.6. Will chalks his fast time up to “Timmy’s” efficiency across the country:

“If I ride neat and smooth he’s usually fairly quick. I was just trying to pick good ground. and he seems to just have a knack for getting close to the time, if not under it. I just kind of rode him like I always do. He’s a very genuine animal and I appreciate that about him.”

While Will may have ridden Timmy, a 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Arkansas x Drumagoland Bay, by Are Ohio) bred by Peter Brady, as he usually does, Red Hills is not an event that Will usually rides at. He’s made a conscious decision this season to mix things up and travel to events that haven’t normally made his spring calendar in the past.

Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

“For myself and for the horses, we don’t get any better doing the same courses over and over. I thought this year would be a good opportunity to take my top horses to some events that have a bit of different feel and suit them differently than they might be used to. I figure if I want well-rounded five-star horses, I have to add some breadth to their experience.

“Red Hills is a unique place because the course comes at you fast and you have to be pretty sharp to come at it and give it a good crack, so I thought it would be a good challenge. I like that fact that we show jump last here, which we don’t do anywhere else on the spring calendar, so I can get a feel for how they’re jumping the day after cross country.”

A sport of highs and lows, Will experienced both within the same division. Sitting in 10th place after dressage with DonDante, the pair was one of the earliest out on course in the CCI4-S and had an unfortunate slip on the flat at the first water complex as they were turning on land to come back around through the water a second time. DonDante is a-ok, and Will will take some time to think about where he’ll route the 12-year-old Irish gelding next as he aims him at another crack at Kentucky next month.

“He’s a good horse with a bit of bad luck today,” says Will. 

Lauren Nicholson and Landmark’s Monte Carlo. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Will and Timmy will have rail and a handful of time in hand ahead of the now second placed Lauren Nicholson and Landmark’s Monte Carlo, the US-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding (Formula One x Glamour, by Flash Tycoon) bred and owned by Ms. Jaqueline Mars. Lauren had the second fastest round of the day and moved up one spot in the standings from third, adding 8.8 time faults to sit on a score of 38.1.

Now 16-years-old, Lauren and “Patty” have developed a lovely partnership, and their round was one of the smoothest to watch.

“I’ve been riding him since he was three years old, so I’m just excited when I get to go out on him. He’s really fun. We just have such a partnership now, so it’s pretty enjoyable out there. I had a great time and he’s always liked Red Hills and he’s always done well here.”

Mia Farley and BGS Firecracker. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Also moving up one spot on the leaderboard are Mia Farley and her own BGS Firecracker who now sit in third position heading into show jumping on a score of 43.0. Mia calls Firecracker, a 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare (Capitalist x Emmas Courage, by Courage II),  a long-format horse: she like to utilize those long gallops to make up time after setting up for combinations. Even so, Mia set out to challenge the time today and she and her mare made pretty easy work of the twisty Red Hills track. As one of first out on course, they spent a good portion of the day sitting as clubhouse leader after a fast round that garnered 12.8 time penalties.

Mia is also sitting 15th in the division aboard an exciting young horse in Phelps, an unraced 2013 Thoroughbred gelding by Tiznow, who is new to the four-star level. Though she wasn’t trying to be fast aboard Phelps, the pair came in just three seconds slower than Mia’s first romp around the track.

“He’s such a quick horse. He has his own style, but it feels great and he’s smart on course,” she says.

Phillip Dutton and Azure. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Moving up from ninth place after dressage and into fourth after the third fastest round of the day are Phillip Dutton and a new-to-him ride, Azure, who sit just 0.2 penalty points behind Mia on a score of 43.2. Azure is a striking gray mare who Phillip recently acquired the ride on thanks to owners Anne, Caroline, and Michael Moran. The 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Omar x Cavalier Roselier, by Cavalier Royale) was previously ridden through the CCI4-L level by Elizabeth Power of Ireland, who also is the mare’s breeder.

Joe Meyer and Buccaneer. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Joe Meyer and his own 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Buccaneer (Clover Brigade x Tobar Bhride, by Good Thyne) round out the top five with a score of 45.5, having moved up from 17th after dressage.

Jessica Phoenix and Bogue Sound. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

We have to look to 6th place to come across our first non-Irish Sport Horse on the leaderboard after the second phase. Jessica Phoenix and Amara Hoppner’s Bogue Sound, an off-the-track Thoroughbred gelding (Crafty Shaw x Carolina Blue, by Victory Gallop) earned the biggest-mover award after cross country, jumping 17 places from 23rd after dressage to 6th heading into show jumping with 47.6 penalty points.

Elisa Wallace and 14-year-old Let It Be Lee. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Not far behind on a score of 47.8 are Elisa Wallace and 14-year-old Let It Be Lee, owned by Donna Biggs and Rosemarie Spillane, another off-the-track Thoroughbred gelding (Bernstein x Sugaree, by Broad Brush), who climbed the leaderboard to sit in 7th place.

Dan Kreitl and Carmango. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Another 0.2 penalty points later, 8th place is occupied by Dan Kreitl and one of the youngest horses in the division, Kay Dixon’s 9-year-old Carmango, a German-bred Westphalian gelding (Chirivell x Taramanga, Templer). 

Woods Baughman and C’est la Vie 135. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

A victim of the tricky-to-get optimum time, Woods Baughman and his family’s 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding C’est la Vie 135 (Contender x Anette, by Aarking) dropped from equal 4th after dressage to now sit in 9th place heading into show jumping on a score of 48.6.

Holly Jacks-Smither and Candy King. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Holly Jacks-Smither and Candy King, a 12-year-old gelding (Grafenstolz x Eye Candy, by Moothyeb) bred in Great Britain by show jumping superstar Jay Halim, also find them further down the headboard after cross country, now rounding out the top ten with a score of 48.8 after having sat in second at the start of the day.

Looking to the Advanced division, which ran over the same track as the four-star, Jennie Brannigan and Twilightslastgleam, the patriotically named US-bred unraced Thoroughbred (National Anthem x Royal Child, by Northern baby) owned by Nina Gardner, held onto their lead in that division adding only time faults for a two-phase score of 43.5.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Moonshine. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Moonshine Move into CCI3-S Top Spot

We saw some shuffling atop the leaderboard of the CCI3-S division and generally throughout the scoresheet as time penalties played a large hand in deciding the leaders of this division as well. Unlike the CCI4-S, which only saw two riders suffer jumping faults throughout the division, a number of the CCI3-S pairs fell prey to jumping errors which also contributed to a very different headboard than we saw in this division after the dressage.

Dressage leaders Dana Cooke and FE Quattro collected 14.0 time penalties to drop them to 5th place after cross country, so Liz Halliday-Sharp and the Monster Partnership’s Cooley Moonshine now lead the division. Liz and the 10-year old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Cobra x Kilpatrick Duchess, by Kings Master) moved up the leaderboard from 4th after dressage thanks to a fast round that garnered only 4.8 time penalties and will head into show jumping tomorrow with a score of 31.9. Liz also sits in equal third place in this division on Quite Nice 11, sharing a score of 37.0 with Meaghan Marinovich-Burdick and Riviera Lu.

Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Speaking of fast rounds, Arden Wildasin and her own 15-year-old Sunday Times put the pedal to the metal and clocked the fastest time of the division, finishing just two seconds over optimum time to add 0.8 penalties to their dressage score. That speedy and clean round rocketed the Irish Sport Horse gelding (Cult Hero x Lackaghbeg Crest, by Sea Crest) from equal 23rd to 2nd on a score of 35.8.

Leslie Law and Fupsilon Grande lande. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Top Two Unchanged in CCI2-S

The time across country was finally catchable as we look to the CCI2-S division. Leslie Law and Fupsilon Grande lande, a 7-year-old Selle Francis gelding (Upsilon x L’Irlandaise, by Singasinga) owned by Beatrice Ray-Herme, remain our leaders on their dressage score of 25.3 while Sara Kozumplik and Edith Rameika’s 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Otta B Quality (Up To Date x Dicarla-H, by Vittorio) continue to be hot on their heels with another double clear round, leaving them on their dressage score of 25.8.

Show jumping kicks off tomorrow at 8:30 AM ET with the Open Preliminary division and then the CCI2-S. The CCI4-S is scheduled to begin after lunch at 12:30 PM followed by the Advanced, CCI3-S, and finally the Intermediate. You can find a full order of go here.

We’ll rejoin you tomorrow for the exciting conclusion of Red Hills 2022 and in the meantime we’d like to thank Shannon Brinkman for her always outstanding photos and also Amanda Chance and Hilary McMichael for compiling the pedigree information found in this report and heard on the livestream.

Red Hills: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Schedule] [Live Stream] [Live Scores] [EN’s Coverage]

CCI4-S/Advanced fence 18A. Photo by Shems Hamilton via CrossCountry App.

Cross country action at the 2022 edition of the Red Hills International Horse Trials in Tallahassee, Florida is currently underway! Red Hills welcomed back Mike Etherington-Smith for his 8th year as the cross country course designer for the CCI4-S and David O’Connor as assistant designer for the CC4-S and designer for the Advanced, CCI3-S, CCI2-S, Intermediate, and Preliminary divisions.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mike was unable to fly from the UK to Florida for the 2021 event, which ran without spectators, in order to do his usual course design duties. Instead, he FaceTimed David and builders Tyson Rementer and Levi Ryckewaert as they prepared the course and set fences. This year, Mike is happy to be back on site and here’s what he had to say regarding the 2022 track in his design notes:

“The course follows the same route as last year, which worked well, although there are some changes and some new fences. The key fences are in the usual places but the questions are different. The aim of the course remains the same as usual namely to give everyone a ‘fun run’ with a good variety of questions all up to height and appropriate for the level yet planned to give confidence as an early season run and the chance to get back in to the competition groove. The World Equestrian Games will be held in Italy in September this year and even though it seems a long way ahead those who have the ambition and the horse power will already be looking to put a marker down with USA High Performance this spring.

“My ambition as course designer is that horses and riders have a beneficial run, jump well, and come home feeling as though they have benefitted from their cross country. It is all about giving horse and rider the opportunity to show what they can do and are ready for rather than trying to catch them out, it needs to be a positive (not necessarily easy) experience to help set them up for the season ahead. The team from the City Parks have continued their good work on the ground and it seems to get better each year due to their efforts. As always my thanks to everyone involved in putting the courses together: Tyson and Levi plus Corinne and her excellent team of hard working volunteers.”

The CCI4*-S and Advanced divisions will run over the same course, with an optimum time of 6 minutes 39 seconds over 3789 meters. There are 24 numbered obstacles with 37 jumping efforts. The course winds through the beautiful moss-cladded Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park, a recreation and conservation area maintained year-round by the City of Tallahassee, Leon County and the Northwest Florida Water Management District. Take a peek at the course map for the marquee division, complete with audio explanations of each fence from Mike:

CCI4-S cross country kicks off at 11:45 AM ET and Advanced runs upon 4* completion. Red Hills is prepared to offer a livestream on the City of Tallahassee YouTube Channel, but has been experiencing technical difficulties so our fingers are crossed that we’ll get to enjoy some of the action today! The area experienced a substantial rain storm yesterday which took out their power and internet, and they’re working hard to remedy the situation.

Course maps for the other divisions can be found right here: [CCI3-S] [Intermediate]  [CCI2-S] [Preliminary]. Have wonderfully fun and safe rides today, everyone. Go Eventing!

Red Hills: Website, Entry Status, Ride Times, Live Scores, Volunteer, Live Stream

Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

This weekend eventers flock to Tallahassee, Fla. for the North America’s first FEI event of 2022 at Red Hills International Horse Trials. The picturesque Live Oaks draped in Spanish Moss make for a perfect background for this community-driven event, even with some tumultuous early spring showers.

The third to last pair of the day, Will Coleman and Off the Record claimed the top spot in the 36-entry CCI4*-S division. “Timmy,” the 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse (VDL Arkansas x Drumagoland Bay) owned by his namesake syndicate, boasts a 23.8. While this score is drool-worthy in its own right, it still is not the gelding’s personal best at the level (That would be a 21.9 at Great Meadow in 2020). Nevertheless, it still gives these two a five-point lead going into cross country.

Will took Timmy to stretch his legs in the Open Intermediate at Rocking Horse last month, but this is first International run since winning Aachen last fall.

Holly Jacks-Smither and Candy King. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Holly Jacks-Smither earned a 28.8 with her 12-year-old British Sport Horse (Grafenstolz x Eye Candy) Candy King for second place.

Lauren Nicholson and Landmark’s Monte Carlo. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Ms. Jaqueline Mars’ Landmark’s Monte Carlo is third with Lauren Nicholson in the tack. This partnership also impressed the judging panel for a sub-30 dressage result of 29.3.

Woods Baughman with C’est La Vie 135. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Fourth place is shared between Mia Farley & BGS Firecracker and Woods Baughman with C’est La Vie 135 on 30.2 points.

Lexi Scovil and Chico’s Man VDF Z. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Lexi Scovil earned 30.3 for sixth place with her 12-year-old Zangersheide gelding Chico’s Man VDF Z. Leslie Law sits seventh and eighth in a tight race with Typically Fernhill (31.6) and Lady Chatterley (31.8), respectively.

Phillip Dutton and Azure. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

A new ride for Phillip Dutton, Azure is ninth on a score of 32.4 in the pair’s FEI debut together. In 10th place is Will Coleman will his second ride Don Dante on a score of 32.6.

Dana Cooke and FE Quattro. Photo by Shelby Allen.

The CCI3*-S belongs to Canada’s Dana Cooke after the first phase with Kingfisher Park’s FE Quattro. The 8-year-old German Warmblood carries a score of 24.8 into the jumping phases.

Leslie Law and Fupsilon Grande Lande. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Leslie Law and Fupsilon Grande Lande lead the biggest division of the weekend. The 7-year-old Selle Francais, (Upsilon x l’Irlandaise) owned by Beatrice Rey-Herme, sits on 25.3, besting 51 other pairs in the CCI2*-S.

Jennie Brannigan and Twilightslastgleam. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

The small, but mighty Advanced division is headed up by Jennie Brannigan and Twilightslastgleam. Nina Gardner’s 12-year-old homebred score 30.7.

Joe Meyer and Harbin are in second place with a dressage result of 33.6, and Meg Kepferle follows in third aboard Anakin with a score of 33.9.

You can find a complete results list at this link. Many thanks to Shannon Brinkman and her team for the gorgeous photos from Red Hills this weekend!

Cross country kicks off at 8 a.m. Saturday with the Preliminary divisions. Be sure to tune into the live stream over the weekend with commentary that includes heaps of breeding and background of each horse. You can find the stream on the Visit Tallahassee YouTube channel.

Red Hills: Website, Entry Status, Ride Times, Live Scores, Volunteer, Live Stream