Classic Eventing Nation

Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill Entry List Update: Oliver Townend Books His Ticket; 46 Total Entered

By on Sep 18, 2021 1:00 pm -

Oliver Townend and Cooley Master Class. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Entries have closed for the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, happening October 14-17, and as of now we’ve got a total of 46 entries on the list (though there still may be some latecomers to add) — and there are certainly a few exciting additions to the roster since our initial first look!

Cropping up now is FEI world number one-ranked rider and Tokyo gold medalist Oliver Townend, who will travel to the States from Great Britain for the second time this year, this time with Angela Hislop’s Cooley Master Class, who you’ll also remember well as a two-time consecutive Kentucky winner (2018 and 2019). Oliver took a few minutes to make the announcement on social media this week:

Also joining the overseas contingent will be Great Britain’s Harry Meade, who has entered the 12-year-old Superstition (owned by Mandy Gray and Harry); this pair was fifth at Kentucky on their American debut and will be looking to grab another top placing on U.S. soil next month.

Harry Meade and Superstition. Photo by Shelby Allen.

We will also have some Californian riders making the trek to Maryland as two-time Canadian Olympian Hawley Bennett-Awad with Jollybo as well as Andrea Baxter with Indy 500 have thrown their names in the hat.

Hawley Bennett-Awad and Jollybo. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Canada will be well-represented at Maryland with several new entries, including Karl Slezak with his Pan American Games partner Fernhill Wishes and Holly Jacks-Smither with CCI5* debutant Candy King. They’ll join Hawley, Lisa Marie Fergusson and Jessica Phoenix as Canadian representatives.

Meghan O’Donoghue will make her second CCI5* start of the year with the off-track Thoroughbred Palm Crescent, and Australia’s Dom Schramm rounds out a four-rider strong Aussie contingent (Sammi Birch, Clayton Fredericks and Ema Klugman) with Bolytair B.

To view the full entry list, click here. You can also take a look at our first entry preview here.

Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

It’s stacking up to be an incredible weekend that you definitely won’t want to miss! Don’t forget, this event will be open to spectators, and there is plenty of action to take in — even for your long-suffering non-equestrian friends and family. Special events will include a Fresh Food Fest and a Beer, Wine & Spirits Showcase, among many other extras. The USEF National CCI3*-L Championship and East Coast Young Event Horse Championships will also be held concurrently. Don’t wait to grab your tickets here.

Eventing Nation is proud to partner with the Maryland 5 Star to produce a Digital Program & Form Guide that will feature all the information you need to know, right at your fingertips and free to access. We’ll also be including a Deal Book with discounts and deals from both on-site vendors as well as other brands. Do you want to include your brand or product? Email me at [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you in Maryland. Go Eventing!

Area VII Championships Underway at Aspen Farms; Amber Birtcil Leads Tin Men Supply Advanced

By on Sep 18, 2021 6:57 am -

Amber Birtcil and Cinzano. Photo by Cortney Drake Photography.

Over 300 competitors contested dressage at Aspen Farms Horse Trials and USEA Area VII Championships in Yelm, WA on Friday, September 17. Aspen Farms is excited to host their annual Advanced division–the only Advanced division in Washington State. The Advanced division offers $4,000 in prize money sponsored by Tin Men Supply.

Amber Birtcil of California and Cinzano, owned by Cellar Farm, lead the Advanced after dressage on a score of 29.1. Young Rider Sophie Click and Quidproquo are second on 31.4 and Alina Patterson and Flashback are third on 32.1. The five Advanced competitors will take on Morgan Rowsell’s cross-country course starting at 10:50 a.m. on Saturday, September 18.

In the Open Intermediate, Jordan Linstedt and Staccato, a Hanoverian gelding owned by Janine Jaro, secured a convincing lead with a score of 21.8–nearly 10 points ahead of Marc Grandia and Campari FFF, owned by Team Rebecca, LLC, and Rachel Brickman-Raudales and Finally DG, owned by Leigh Robinson, who are tied for second on 31.1.

“The dressage specifically has gotten stronger and better this year,” said Linstedt of Staccato. “He’s starting to feel like I can bring him up in the ring. He’s much more underneath himself, so I can get better movement than I have in the past. But he’s always been a very good dressage horse.”

Of the cross-country course designed by Morgan Rowsell, Linstedt said “The course looks really good. There’s a new course designer here this year. He uses the land and the terrain and places the fences tricky–15 feet in a different direction might be flat ground, but he’ll place the fence where there’s a little terrain and the fence rides a bit bigger because of that. I’m excited about the course. There’s tricky stuff throughout.”

“He’s green at this level,” said Linstedt of Staccato’s cross-country performance prospects. “In the past, he has either went out and won, or we’ve had an issue at the water. He runs big and strong; I need to slow him down and bring him back together more for the water complexes, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow. I want him to be an Advanced horse, so this weekend I’m not thinking about going out and trying to win if I need to take my time. He’s a phenomenal horse; he has everything you want in a top-level event horse.”

USEA AREA VII CHAMPIONSHIPS

Aspen Farms is thrilled to once again host the USEA Area VII Championships. This year Championships consists of 10 divisions from Beginner Novice to Intermediate and over 150 horse and rider combinations who qualified in 2020/21.

Stephanie Cooper and Drs Resolute, owned by Get Lucky LLC, lead the Area VII Open Intermediate Championship on a dressage score of 30.2. “I thought he was great today,” said Cooper. “In the spring he was naughty here in the dressage. I was excited that he kept it together today and showed where he is at in his training.”

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s cross-country, Cooper said, “I think the cross-country looks great. I’m notoriously quite slow. The questions out there are made more difficult if you want to go fast and cut some corners; I’ll try to do that!”

In the Area VII Open Preliminary Championship division, Karen O’Neal and Clooney 14, owned by Annika Asling, are first of fifteen competitors on a score of 20–the lowest score of the day.

“I had to light a fire under him today,” said O’Neal of Clooney’s dressage performance. “He can be a little spooky and a little lazy at times, but quite a nice horse. I tried to ride him as forward as I could and keep him in front of the leg. He was great today and it was fun.”

Considering the cross-country course tomorrow, O’Neal said, “The course looks great. Very fair. He’s just turning 7 this year and is still green. He does spook. Keeping his mind in the game will be a challenge.” O’Neal is followed closely in the overnight placings by Jordan Lindstedt and Lovely Lola who scored 20.2.

“Lola was great today,” said Linstedt. “Doing the A test in the short court is challenging. She is a huge moving horse and very forward as well, so hard to contain. I felt like I was quite conservative. In that short court things come up so quickly; I could barely let her out and show her off too much. But she was very good–very rideable and through her back.”

In the Area VII Junior Training Championship, Lizzie Hoff and her 8-year-old Irish Sporthorse mare, HSH Explosion, scored 22.1 for the overnight lead.

“She was really lovely,” said Hoff, who has only been partnered with Explosion for several months. “It was a lot of improvement from our last couple of tests, so I was really happy with it. I think the cross-country course looks good. I’ve only done three events with her ever, so this will be the most technical course we’ve jumped so far. It looks fun.”
Dane Padgett and Cafe Noir scored 23 to sit in second, and Harper Padgett and Captivate scored 26.6 for third in the Area VII Junior Training Championship.

Kelsey Horn and Konnan O, owned by Mark Schreiber, overnight leaders in the Area VII Open Novice Championships. Photo by Cortney Drake Photography.

Tommy Greengard and Leonardo Diterma scored 20.5 for the overnight lead in the Area VII Open Training Championship. In Area VII Training Rider Championship, Julie Williams and Dark Horse earned 24.1 for the lead.

In the Area VII Open Novice Championship, Kelsey Horn and Konnan O, owned by Mark Schreiber, scored 21.2 for the overnight lead. Katy Hood and Padric scored 23.6 to take the early lead in the Area VII Novice Rider Championship.

Katy Hood and Padric, overnight leaders in the Area VII Novice Rider Championships. Photo by Cortney Drake Photography.

Caroline Hagens and Frequent Flyer Miles are the overnight leaders in the Area VII Junior Novice Championship in just their second show together. They qualified for the Championships at Rebecca Farms in July.

“He was very good today,” said Hagens. “He was nice and relaxed. Overall it felt like a really nice and smooth test. I’m excited to see how the course looks and how it will ride tomorrow.”

Stella Wright and Balladeer Kilbrickens Lad, owned by Patricia Culleton, scored 27.9 for second and Kate Wallace and Hang On Jimmy, owned by Kate Wallace, scored 28.8 for third overnight.

In the Area VII Beginner Novice Open Championships, Sarah Sullivan and Ready Or Knot Here’s Mouse!–her 5-year-old off-the-track-Thoroughbred that she bought as a wedding present to herself when he was 3-years-old–secured the top placing overnight with a score of 26.3. “I was very proud of him,” said Sullivan. “He’s kind of new to it. This is his first real show season due to COVID. He seems super game.”

Sarah Sullivan and Ready or Knot Here’s Mouse. Photo by Cortney Drake Photography.

Of the cross-country course, Sullivan said, “I like the course. I love that it is all different than last year. I’m excited to see what he does out there; I think he’ll have fun.”
On Saturday, cross-country begins at 9 a.m. with Area VII Open Preliminary Championships. Show jumping begins at 8:30 a.m. with Open Preliminary in the Tack Room Too sand arena.

Complete scores are available on Startbox Scoring, here. You can find additional show coverage on Aspen Farms Horse Trials Facebook page, here and on Instagram @AspenFarmsHorseTrials. You can also follow EN’s Instagram story for a takeover happening all weekend from Jordan Linstedt’s team!

Ros Canter Jumps Into Lead in Blenheim Palace International CCI4*-S

By on Sep 18, 2021 6:48 am -

Photo via Blenheim Palace International.

Ros Canter will go into the final cross-country phase in the lead in the CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials after showjumping clear on Izilot DHI.

Ros (pictured below), the current world champion, was in first after dressage in this prestigious young horse class with a mark of 26.6 on her own and Alex Moody’s eight-year-old, and just added 1.6 time-faults round the demanding showjumping track.

“I couldn’t be more delighted with him – he’s never even done an advanced class before, let alone a four-star, and then I was away in Tokyo [where she was Britain’s reserve rider], so even coming here was a big ask,” said Ros. “I was confident he would have the scope to do it and he’s very brave, but he’s a spooky horse, and this was a clever track.

“I’m very open-minded about tomorrow’s cross-country – if he sets out and he’s green, I’ll slow down. Of course it would be great to win, but I am more excited about him winning an Olympic medal in the future, so I am realistic about what we will do tomorrow.”

Izilot DHI may be making his debut at CCI4* level, but he won the CCI3*-Ls at both Houghton Hall and Blair Castle this season.

There were only seven clears within the time in this morning’s showjumping – for which the spectacular main arena was shrouded in fog – from the 49 starters. Tom Jackson, second on Jonathan and Lexi Hambro and May-Britt Wedd’s HH Moonwalk, left all the poles up but collected two time-faults. He will therefore set out across country on a score of 29.6.

Tom said: “It’s obviously frustrating to get time-faults, but he’s an amazingly talented horse and I couldn’t really have asked more of him. He went a little bit tight in his body in the slightly eerie atmosphere, but he still jumped clear and he’s one for which we have big hopes for the future.”

Nicola Wilson has risen four places to third on Jo and James Lambert’s Coolparks Sarco after posting a clear round inside the time, remaining on her dressage mark of 29.8.

Caroline Harris is in fourth on Becky Stones’ Miss Pepperpot after adding just 0.4 of a time-fault to her dressage score of 30.4.

“She’s amazing!” said Caroline. “She’s only been eventing for two years, really, so she’s come a long way. This was a proper jumper’s track – not really in terms of height, but the distances really kept you thinking.

“She’s quite feisty and she likes to go – she’s been double clear [at CCI4*-S level] at Burgham and Hartpury, but anything can happen tomorrow.”

Willa Newton also jumped clear inside the time on Cock A Doodle Doo to take fifth place, while Piggy March is in sixth on Cooley Lancer.

The CCI4*-S cross-country starts at 11.30am tomorrow (Sunday, 19 September) and can be watched via Horse & Country TV’s streaming platform, H&C+.

Blenheim Palace International CCI4*-L/CCI4*-S: [Website] [Entries] [Live Scores] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

Aachen Through the Lens, Part One: Just Loads and Loads of Photos, Y’All

By on Sep 18, 2021 6:30 am -

EN’s coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you in part by Kentucky Performance Products. Click here to learn more about Kentucky Performance Products and its wide array of supplements available for your horse.

Talk is cheap, baby — we know what you all really want is some hot-off-the-memory-card photos of life at CHIO Aachen, officially the world’s coolest equestrian venue. Officially dubbed the World Equestrian Festival, this sprawling competition features the very best of showjumping, dressage, driving, vaulting, and, of course, eventing over the course of its nine-day run. Ordinarily, all this plays out in front of roughly 350,000 visitors, who pack the various stadiums and competition grounds, but this year, we’re looking at a slightly pared-back (though no less spectacular) Aachen, which was relocated from its usual June dates in order to allow for spectators.

Today’s dressage, which unfolded in the driving field, has kept us pretty busy snapping the action and chatting to riders — so here’s how it’s all played out, as seen through the EN lens.

Ireland’s Alex Donohoe and Kilcandra Bonnie Reward score a 38.9 in this morning’s dressage. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Germany’s Andreas Ostholt and Corvette 31 put a 30.4 on the board to take 14th place in the first phase. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

A face we’ve all made after dressage at least once, let’s be honest. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

2019 European bronze medallists Cathal Daniels and a spicy Rioghan Rua reroute from Tokyo to tackle Aachen. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

A 34.9 puts Cathal and ‘Red’ in 29th place after the first phase. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

France’s Gireg Le Coz beams after a personal best puts Aisprit de la Loge into the lead. At the end of the first phase, they were in third place. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

A star of the future? Comeback queen Ingrid Klimke pilots a high-octane Equistros Siena Just Do It. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Jesse Campbell and Amsterdam 21 trend towards the lead but ultimately finish dressage in tenth place on their score of 29.6. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Grooms and their horses soaked up the relative peacefulness of the morning. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

And shared kisses, too. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Pocket-sized but powerful: Jonelle Price’s McClaren takes up his place in the top twenty. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“You’re doing amazing, sweetie”: Tim Price takes on Kris Jenner duties as the Kiwi contingent watch Jonelle’s test. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Jonelle is cheered on by her cohorts as she concludes her test and heads out of the ring. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Newly-minted Olympic bronze medallist Kevin McNab puts Willunga through his paces, taking ninth place at the end of dressage. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Airs above the ground: Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Cascaria V achieve lift-off in a flying change. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“He just tries so hard,” says Laura Collett of Mr Bass, who takes fourth place after dressage despite being ‘shaped like a wheelbarrow’ (her words, not ours). Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s a Bug’s life: Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus strut their stuff. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Fair Spot, ridden by Sweden’s Linda Algotsson, takes in the atmosphere at Aachen. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K fulfil the unwritten rule that every horse show must have at least one horse with a Harry Potter-themed name. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

France’s Regis Prud’Hon and Tarastro navigate the ring. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

That moment when your horse gives you everything, as demonstrated by Germany’s Sophie Leube and Jadore Moi. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Germany’s Sophie Leube celebrates after taking the dressage lead with Jadore Moi. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Sophie and German team trainer Hans Meltzer share a joyful debrief. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Sydney Elliott tactfully pilots a fizzy QC Diamantaire. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Sydney and Erik Duvander chat through the finer details. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Team USA watches on as Tamie Smith and Mai Baum prepare for their test. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum begin their autumn campaign in fine style. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tamie Smith showers Mai Baum with love after a beautiful test that saw them head into showjumping in second place. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Big ears and big dreams: Tamie Smith’s Mai Baum. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

New Zealand’s Tayla Mason and Centennial make their Aachen debut. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tayla Mason is all smiles amid the cheers of her Kiwi teammates. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tim Price and “show pony” Falco move into sixth place after dressage. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

I spy with my little eye: European showjumping champion Martin Fuchs schooling his horse. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

He might be a bit of a weirdo, but Will Coleman’s Off The Record is born to win, too. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Former EN-er Jenni Autry gives ‘Timmy’ a pat after a solid test puts him into 11th place. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa and Calle 44 reroute to Aachen after Tokyo disappointment. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Zara Tindall and Class Affair produce their test at Aachen, the venue at which Zara became World Champion in 2006. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

A Team USA horse is grazed in the shadow of one of Aachen’s grandstands. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Here’s to another day of top sport and great friends at the world’s best venue! Photo by Tilly Berendt.

CHIO Aachen CCIO4*-S: [Website] [Schedule and Scoring] [Entries] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

CHIO Aachen CCIO4*-S Cross Country Live Updates: Will Coleman WINS, Team USA Second!

By on Sep 18, 2021 3:17 am -

EN’s coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you in part by Kentucky Performance Products. Click here to learn more about Kentucky Performance Products and its wide array of supplements available for your horse.

Big ears and big dreams: Tamie Smith’s Mai Baum. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Good….evening? Morning, technically? I’m not really sure, but what I do know is that life as an equestrian journalist often involves a whole lot of weird working hours. It’s about midnight here in California and I’ve got my Nespresso machine all queued up to keep me on a steady drip (my night-loving days are far behind me, I’m afraid) and I’m ready to report for duty to bring you live updates from the Aachen action!

If you need a quick catch-up on what you’ve missed, you can catch Tilly’s report from Friday’s action here. Currently Team USA, consisting of Will Coleman and Off the Record, Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire, Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan and Tamie Smith and Mai Baum, sits in second position on a team score of 98.1 in the FEI Nations Cup competition. Great Britain leads the way on a penalty mark of 91.6, so it very much remains anyone’s game as we head into cross country. Lauren Kieffer and Vermiculus are competing as individuals.

Our U.S. riders’ times are as follows:

Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire: 9:50 a.m. local / 3:50 a.m. EST – CLEAR, 10.8 time
Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan: 10:06 a.m. local / 4:06 a.m. EST – CLEAR, 10.4 time
Tamie Smith and Mai Baum: 10:46 a.m. local / 4:46 a.m. EST – CLEAR, 7.2. time
Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus: 11:10 a.m. local / 5:10 a.m. EST – CLEAR, 11.2 time
Will Coleman and Off the Record: 12:10 p.m. local / 6:10 a.m. EST – CLEAR, .8 time

The full order of go and start list can be found here.

Rüdiger Schwarz is the course designer this weekend, and while I haven’t quite found an official course preview, you can sort of get a sense of what we’ll be seeing in this quick walkthrough with Team USA:

You’ll also be able to follow along with live SAP Analytics during cross country here. Live scoring will be here.

If you’re awake and want to watch the action live, you can sign up for ClipMyHorse.TV, which has a month-long free trial if you’re not already a member. The cool thing about CMH.TV is that phases are rather quickly put up on Archive (available to Premium members, which is what you’ll get with your free trial), and the Archive is also sorted by horse if you want to find individual rides. If a horse has done other shows filmed by CMH, those rides will also show up on that horse’s Archive page. Pretty nifty, especially if you like stalking Mai Baum your favorite horses and riders (trust me, no judgement here — I’ve literally made a whole career out of it, somehow). You can find the whole Aachen schedule here. There is a version of the live stream available with English commentary if you just scroll down from the main Aachen hub, past the press conferences section.

In the meantime, sit back and prepare to hit the Refresh button madly (or, if you’re waking up at a more decent hour, use this to catch up before you watch the replay!) as I’ll be updating you periodically right here.

CHIO Aachen CCIO4*-S: [Website] [Schedule and Scoring] [Entries] [Live Stream] [SAP Live Tracking] [XC Order of Go] [EN’s Coverage]

6:37 a.m. ET: Well that was quick! Tilly will be along later with the full debrief from Aachen — in the meantime, bust out the champagne! Well, maybe not for me. But maybe. It is the weekend, after all.

6:35 a.m. ET: Will becomes the very first American rider to win Aachen. “I’m overcome, I really don’t know what to say,” Will says in his post-ride interview alongside Tokyo champion Julia Krajewski.

6:27 a.m. ET: And here’s a look at your final finishing scores. We’ve got Tamie Smith in 10th with Mai Baum, Ariel and Leamore Master Plan in 16th, Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire in 27th and Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus in 52.4. What a great day!

6:26 a.m. ET: Team USA finishes just BARELY in second position on the podium. What a BANNER day for the U.S.!

6:25 a.m. ET: Will Coleman will WIN Aachen!! Unfortunately Kirsty has a runout at the corner at 22B, leaving Will alone at the top of the board. Excuse my French, but holy shit!

6:24 a.m. ET: Kirsty is a bit up on the clock and is really hustling to get home. She has two seconds in hand. She’s living just a bit dangerously at these last questions but the horse is responding beautifully to her urging.

6:21 a.m. ET: Laura is not going to make the time with Dacapo, which leaves Kirsty as the only one who can unseat Will for the win. My hands are sweating.

6:20 a.m. ET: I just can’t.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:18 a.m. ET: Will takes the lead!!! He is the fastest of the day with two seconds of time, putting him onto a 30.5. There are two riders who could take over, and our leaders Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI are on course. It’s going to be a thriller!

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:16 a.m. ET: Will is close!! He might be the closest so far to making the time as he heads into the main arena.

6:15 a.m. ET: We glimpse Will giving Off the Record a great ride through the angled brushes at 18. Let’s goooooo!

6:14 a.m. ET: Laura Collett is away with her second ride, Dacapo, who is currently in second on a score of 29.5.

6:13 a.m. ET: Emilie takes the clubhouse lead with 4 time penalties and a final score of 33.9! Meanwhile, Will is clear through fence 16.

6:13 a.m. ET: Emilie is also going to be close to the time as she approaches the final water in the main arena with about 10 seconds left on the clock.

6:11 a.m. ET: And Will is away with Off the Record! Will has a very strong chance here, coming forward after turning in one of the three double clear show jumping efforts on a score of 29.7. He’s clear through the gate question at fence 6 (I think. Don’t quote me on that).

6:10 a.m. ET: Well despite a couple of long routes, Yoshi picks up just eight time for a 38.0 with Calle 44. He’ll finish the weekend in the top 10, no worse than eighth.

6:08 a.m. ET: Yoshi takes the long route at the water at 22 with Calle 44 and are now headed for the main arena.

6:06 a.m. ET: And here we go with British rider Emilie Chandler and Gortfadda Diamond, who are currently in fourth position on a 29.9. Will Coleman and Off the Record will be our next to see!

6:05 a.m. ET: Andreas Ostholt and Corvette 31 are home with 14 seconds of time for a final score of 37.2.

6:03 a.m. ET: Now setting off are Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa, another who made the trip to represent his home country at the Olympics this summer, with Calle 44. This pair had a really unfortunate parting of ways at Tokyo but were no worse for the wear and will look to be competitive here, coming in on a score of 30.0.

6:01 a.m. ET: Damn! Aisprit de la Loge just hangs a leg at the penultimate water, pitching Greg over the head into the water. This is, surprisingly, our first fall of the day. Bummer! They were having a brilliant go. A couple horses have hung a leg at that second cabin, this is the first one to actually pitch the rider all the way out.

5:59 a.m. ET: Now joining us on course are German’s Andreas Ostholt and Corvette 31, currently on a score of 31.6. France’s Gireg Le Coz and Aisprit de la Loge are also on course and clear through fence 20.

5:57 a.m. ET: Sophie Leube is home in a time of 7:07 to finish the weekend on a score of 38.5. Here’s a look at the cool misting fans set up in the vet box:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:54 a.m. ET: Team New Zealand looks on as Tim navigates the track:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:54 a.m. ET: Ah, not quite! But Tim is still quick, he’s just got 4.4 time to add for a finishing score of 37.4. A lovely type, this Falco horse!

5:53 a.m. ET: Tim is going to be very close to the time, can he do it??

5:52 a.m. ET: A look at Tim through the big, turning open oxer question at 13:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:51 a.m. ET: We’re now joined by Germany’s Sophie Leube and Jadore Moi, who won the dressage but had a couple of unfortunate penalties in last night’s show jumping. They’re on a two-phase score of 31.9 so could still be quite competitive here with a fast clear.

5:48 a.m. ET: Tim is neatly through the Rolex Grand Slam water at 8, where Jonelle had her earlier issue with McClaren.

5:47 a.m. ET: And Tim is away with Falco! This pair comes forward on a two-phase score of 33.0 and tenth place, having had one unlucky and uncharacteristic rail down yesterday.

5:44 a.m. ET: A look at current team standings as we near the finish:

5:42 a.m. ET: Lara is nicely home with Cascaria V, who will finish the weekend on a score of 53.9. We have just a bit of a gap now as Kevin McNab was due up next, so we’ll see Tim Price and Falco out next in just a moment. We’re six away from Will and Off the Record.

5:38 a.m. ET: Linda Algotsson is home with 16.4 time for a final score of 67.5. We’re nearly to final nine horses to see, which will include the final team rider for Team USA, Will Coleman and Off the Record. Kevin McNab posted on his social media last night that he’s withdrawn both of his rides.

5:35 a.m. ET:

5:32 a.m. ET: Tayla Mason looks really pleased as she finishes with just 4.4 time for a final score of 43.1. Meanwhile, Romain Sans is living a bit dangerously, getting away with one at the at 22, but he’s now home and also one of the quickest with a total time of 6:58. He finishes on a score of 47.3. We’re also now joined by Sweden’s Linda Algotsson and Fair Spot, who are clear through 14. Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier, also a Tokyo Olympian, is also on course with Cascaria V.

5:26 a.m. ET: Kazuma is home with about 18 seconds of time, finishing the week on a score of 42.3. We’ll next see French rider Romain Sans and Unetoile de la Serre, on a two-phase score of 45.3, out on course.

5:24 a.m. ET: New Zealand’s Tayla Mason has to really urge Centennial to drop into the first water; he takes a good peek but they’re through. We also see Kazuma making their way towards home with about 30 seconds. He’ll have some time as well.

5:22 a.m. ET: Japanese Olympian Kazuma Tomoto is on course now with Bernadette Utopia — who I absolutely just adore, by the way.

5:22 a.m. ET:

5:19 a.m. ET: A look at Lauren through this funky bank-to-owl-hole question:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:18 a.m. ET: And Lauren is home with a time of 7:21 and 11.2 time! This puts her and Vermiculus on a final score of 52.4. What a great day for our U.S. riders — come on Will, bring us home!

5:17 a.m. ET: Lauren is into the main arena and very nearly home!

5:15 a.m. ET: Bug slips just a hair in the rather tight turn from big oxer to big oxer (unsure which fence number, so I’m not going to try to incorrectly guess!) but he’s clear through 18 now.

5:12 a.m. ET: Lauren is neatly through the Rolex Grand Slam water at 8, Bug looking keen as ever.

5:10 a.m. ET: Malin has a fabulous finish and will be the quickest of the day on 7 minutes flat. We now welcome Lauren and Vermiculus to the course! Go Bug go!

5:06 a.m. ET: Jérôme stops the clock at 7:08, another quicker round for this pair who will finish the week on a score of 47.6. We also have Germany’s Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch L (I love a good Harry Potter name!), on a two-phase score of 38.5. We’ll shortly see Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus, our U.S. individual pair, out on course. Ireland’s Alex Donahoe and Kilcandra Bonnie Reward, on a score of 52.9, are also on course.

5:05 a.m. ET:

5:02 a.m. ET: Oof! Amsterdam 21 lands down on his knees into the final water, but Jesse picks him up and they will finish with 10 time penalties and a final score of 51.6. We’re also now joined by Germany’s Jérôme Robiné and Black Ice, on a score of 41.6 after the first two phases.

5:01 a.m. ET: Looks like Jesse’s been given the all-clear so far at that corner. Also a sticky moment at the double brushes later on but he does a good job to navigate through clear. They’re into the main arena now and heading to the final water question.

4:58 a.m. ET: Thomas stops the clock on a time of 7:11 while we see our second New Zealand rider, another Tokyo Olympian in Jesse Campbell with Amsterdam 21. They have a very hairy moment at the corner 13B and the live scores literally just say “???” on the penalty mark for that fence. Here’s a look:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:55 a.m. ET: I missed it on the live feed (or it wasn’t shown), but Thomas Carlile had a great save at the owl hole. They’re clear through fence 20.

4:54 a.m. ET: And Tamie is the quickest of the Americans so far, picking up 7.2 time penalties in a time of 7:11 to finish on a score of 40.4. Mai Baum looked incredibly focused the whole way around, what a star.

4:53 a.m. ET: Tamie and Mai Baum are into the main arena! They’ll also have some time, but again not a ton.

4:52 a.m. ET: A look at a flying Lexus:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:52 a.m. ET: French rider Thomas Carlile and the beautiful Birmane are our next on course.

4:50 a.m. ET: Tamie is clear through 13. Zara stops the clock with 6 time penalties added for a final score of 46.1. We’re seeing riders getting consistently closer to the time now. Mai Baum has a big jump up the bank heading to the owl hole at…I’m not actually sure which number, but scoring now shows them clear through 18. I hope I’ve been getting the fence numbers right and apologize if I’m not as it’s a bit hard to do it without a proper map!

4:49 a.m. ET: Zara and Class Affair are pretty quick as they head into the main arena. She’s also been very quick and efficient across the ground today.

4:48 a.m. ET: Tamie and “Lexus” navigate the upright rails at 6 and now come to the first water.

4:45 a.m. ET: Cathal picks up just 2.8 time to finish on a score of 41.7 with the very quick Rioghan Rua. A testament to a rider’s ability to ride their horse on a track like this — Cathal really barely has to even touch the mare to adjust her and this efficiency was well-rewarded on a winding track such as this one. We will next see Tamie and Mai Baum out of the box — and they’re away!

4:42 a.m. ET: British rider Zara Tindall now sets off with Class Affair, who is on a score of 40.1. Cathal Daniels is clear through the double brushes at 18 with Rioghan Rua.

4:42 a.m. ET: Jonelle is really having to give McClaren a strong ride today, as he’s just looked a bit peaky or backed off in places. She’s nearly home though, navigating the final water in the main arena.

4:41 a.m. ET: Pats for Siena Just Do It:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:38 a.m. ET: Ingrid gives Siena Just Do It big pats as they cross the finish with that one stop and 14 time. Ireland’s Cathal Daniels and Rioghan Rua, who were sent to Tokyo but withdrew from competition, are now on course on a score of 38.9. We’re just a couple away from our next U.S. rider, Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Meanwhile, we get a glimpse of Ingrid, who’s still trotting out Siena’s Just Do It to lower her heart rate and cool her down. Always have to love her horsemanship.

4:36 a.m. ET: Bummer — McClaren says no at the second brush out of the water at fence 8, electing to go out the left-hand door instead. They’re clear on the second attempt as Ingrid comes into the main arena to finish up.

4:35 a.m. ET:

4:34 a.m. ET: Regrouping quickly, Ingrid now has a gorgeous ride through the questions at 13, 14 and 15. We now welcome New Zealand’s Jonelle Price and former Mark Todd ride McClaren, who are currently on a two-phase score of 33.4.

4:32 a.m. ET: Oh no! Ingrid and Equistro’s Siena Just Do It pick up the first runout of the day, ducking to the right at the second brush in the water at 8A. Bummer.

4:32 a.m. ET: A cute moment between Joseph Murphy and Calmaro:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:30 a.m. ET: Well no surprise here, Laura slots into the clubhouse lead after a very efficient ride aboard Mr Bass on a score of 36.2. A time of 7:03 for this pair as we see Germany’s Ingrid Klimke and Equistro’s Siena Just Do It, who are on a score of 38.7 for 18th place after two.

4:28 a.m. ET: A look at the cool SAP Live Tracking:

4:26 a.m. ET: A lovely round from Joseph Murphy and Calmaro, who have gotten the closest to the time and the only pair under seven minutes with a finishing time of 6:56. That’s just 1.2 time penalties to add for a three-phase score of 46.1. Meanwhile, Laura and Mr. Bass are clear through 15.

4:23 a.m. ET: And we’re now joined by a Tokyo gold medalist, Laura Collett and Mr. Bass, who come in on a score of 32.2 and seventh place after two phases.

4:21 a.m. ET: Madison Crowe is setting a fiery pace, only about 15 seconds down as she comes into the main arena. There is still a good amount of jumping to do in the arena, complete with a water jump and a narrow brush arrowhead question on a related distance to really test your riding in the final seconds. Madison comes home 14 seconds over to collect 5.6 time penalties. She is the second fastest of the day and will finish on a score of 40.5.

4:18 a.m. ET: Camille Lejeune and Noreway Harry are home in a time of 7:18 — it’ll be really exciting to see who, if anyone, will make the time. Elizabeth Power is the closest by a good bit with her time of 7:05, so I do think it will be doable but those who’ve collected decent amounts of time haven’t been hanging around. Meanwhile, we’ve got New Zealand’s Madison Crowe and Waitangi Pinterest (great name, honestly) as well as Ireland’s Joseph Murphy and Calmaro both on course.

4:14 a.m. ET: And they are home! Ariel stops the clock at 7:19 — excellent work! The horses are looking fabulous at the finish here, lots of positive riding and great finishes so far.

4:13 a.m. ET: Ariel and Leamore Master Plan are into the main arena! Just a few left to go, she will have some time but shouldn’t be a whole ton.

4:11 a.m. ET: Ariel grits her teeth to get Simon safely through the double brushes at 18, just a bit wiggly but clear.

4:10 a.m. ET: Sandra and Rosveel are home 52 seconds over but looking keen and confident at the end! Away we see our second French rider, Camille Lejeune and Noreway Harry.

4:08 a.m. ET: Ariel and “Simon” are neatly through the upright gates question at 8. Sandra has to test her core muscles as Rosveel leaves a leg at 21B, but she’s upright and kicking on!

4:07 a.m. ET: Sandra takes the winding long route at fence 18, avoiding the downhill run to the double brushes. This horse is just an eight-year-old, so perhaps education is the goal here.

4:06 a.m. ET: Man, what an exciting horse for Elizabeth, who at just nine put in a class, expert round. Azure is one to keep an eye on! And we’re off with our next American rider, Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan.

4:06 a.m. ET: A little peek at the track thanks to Tilly:

4:05 a.m. ET: Regis Prud Hon finished in a time of 7:47, and Elizabeth Power comes home in the quickest so far, 7:05.

4:03 a.m. ET: We haven’t seen much of Elizabeth Power, but she reappears now at the double brushes question at fence 18. Meanwhile, Germany’s Sandra Auffarth is away with Rosveel, currently in 35th on a score of 50.5.

4:02 a.m. ET: Sydney finishing strong with QC Diamantaire:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

3:59 a.m. ET: Now on is Ireland’s Elizabeth Power and Azure, who were one of just three clear show jumping rounds yesterday. They’re in 13th on a score of 34.6.

3:58 a.m. ET: Heck yeah! Sydney finishes with 10.8 time penalties and CLEAR! What a way to start for team USA! She will finish on a score of 55.4.

3:57 a.m. ET: Sydney is now into the main arena with a few questions left to go!

3:57 a.m. ET: Also on course now is French rider Regis Prud Hon and Tarastro, coming forward in 38th position.

3:55 a.m. ET: Sydney is giving QC Diamantaire an excellent ride after that sticky moment earlier on, and the horse looks to be gaining some confidence as they go.

3:54 a.m. ET: I apologize for the absence of GIFs, I’m still working on it but I’m having a stern discussion with my laptop at the moment. You will definitely want to grab your ClipMyHorse.TV pass to watch the replay, because this course is always just so entertaining to watch. A bucket list event, for sure! Meanwhile, Josephine actually bests Sam’s time with just about 30 seconds accumulated, despite taking that one long route. Sydney is clear through fence 16.

3:51 a.m. ET: QC Diamantaire has a good look at the drop in to the Grand Slam water at fence 8 but Sydney manages her steering well and keeps her leg on.

3:51 a.m. ET: Next out of the box and making her team debut for the U.S. is Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire, who are currently in 27th position on a score of 44.6.

3:47 a.m. ET: Next up will be Germany’s Josephine Schnaufer-Völkel and Pasadena 217, coming forward in 32nd place on a score of 48.4. Sam Watson goes into a score of 81 to finish the weekend.

3:45 a.m. ET: Ballybolger Talisman is looking really keen here as he and Sam get into the arena for the final few questions. They’ll be nearly a minute over the time of 6:53 (51 seconds over to be precise), which will be interesting to watch as he certainly didn’t hang about.

3:44 a.m. ET: Sam is riding really positively, which isn’t an easy task at Aachen. Often described as a “roller coaster” or simply a tight track with a lot of sensory stimulation, this track requires a brave, adjustable, catty horse.

3:42 a.m. ET: Ah, the clip strikes again! Sam and Ballybolger Talisman have the back rail at the corner at 13B and will pick up 11 penalties as a result.

3:40 a.m. ET: Ballybolger Talisman leaves a bit of his left leg hanging at the upright gates at the top of a steep, short hill at fence 8 but Sam sits tight and they navigate through safe.

3:39 a.m. ET: And we are off and running! Ireland’s Sam Watson and Ballybolger Talisman, currently in 34th place, are now on course. The optimum time is 6 minutes, 53 seconds.

3:34 a.m. ET: Ok, I’ve got the app working, which means no GIFs unless I can get it working on my laptop. I’ll keep you posted, but will do text updates for now once we get into full swing.

3:30 a.m. ET: Welp, so far things are off to a grand start…so far, ClipMyHorse.TV is not working for me so bear with me while I try to get it sorted!

Saturday Links

By on Sep 18, 2021 12:01 am -

Clearly no one is having any fun at Aachen. Nope, not at all! While I love these silly Kiwis, my fingers are crossed for our epic U.S. contingent today out on XC! Here’s how to watch and look out for live updates right here on EN too.

Looking ahead to certain other big events, Eventing Nation is proud to partner with the Maryland 5 Star to produce a Digital Program & Form Guide that will feature all the information you need to know, right at your fingertips and free to access. We’ll also be including a Deal Book with discounts and deals from both on-site vendors as well as other brands. Do you want to include your brand or product? Email us at [email protected].

North American Weekend Action:

Alhambra Fall Event (Alberta, Canada): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Aspen Farms International H.T. (Yelm, Wa.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Flying Cross Farm H.T. (Lexington, Ky.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

GMHA September H.T. (South Woodstock, Vt.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

MeadowCreek Park H.T. (Kosse, Tx.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Otter Creek Fall H.T. (Wheeler, Wi.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Stone Gate Farm H.T. (Hanoverton, Oh.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Unionville CCI4*-S (Unionville, Pa.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

The Event at Skyline (Mount Pleasant, Ut.): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Major International Events:

CHIO Aachen CCIO4*-S (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Schedule and Scoring] [Entries] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

Blenheim Palace International CCI4*-L/CCI4*-S (Oxfordshire, UK): [Website] [Entries] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

Saturday Links:

Bake Off’s first vegan star Freya Cox ‘deletes’ Facebook account after trolling

To Sit or Not to Sit?

Inside the Equestrians of Color Photography Project

What a Saddle Fitter/Equine Physio Wants Every Rider to Know

Just in on Jumper Nation: A Meeting Of Minds: Horses And Graduate School, Part I

Saturday Video: Feast your eyes on Tamie Smith and Mai Baum’s Aachen dressage test, which earned them a 25.2:

Friday Video from SmartPak: Jane Musselman & Bentley’s Best’s Win at the AEC

By on Sep 17, 2021 6:30 pm -

Jessica Phoenix and Bentley’s Best. Photo by Jenni Autry.

It’s so cool to see esteemed upper-level horses finding a happy place in the world for themselves, giving others the chance to experience for themselves the joys of our sport. Bentley’s Best, a 14-year-old Trakehner gelding (Hirtentanz 2 x Hauptstutbuch Baronesse XIII, by Eichendorff) is one such horse, who went through competing successfully at the 3* level with Jessica Phoenix to winning the 2021 USEA American Eventing Championships Novice Rider Championship with Jane Musselman.

The pair led from pillar to post on a score of 24.2.

Congrats, you two!

Yasmin Ingham Maintains Lead, Pippa Funnell in Contention on Day 2 of Blenheim Dressage

By on Sep 17, 2021 6:20 pm -

Photo courtesy of Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials.

Pippa Funnell, one of Britain’s most enduring and successful event riders, has given herself an excellent chance of a fifth victory at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials.

Riding 11-year-old Maybach, who is owned by Sweden’s SHE Eventing AB, Pippa scored a dressage mark of 27.2 to slip into fourth place on Friday afternoon in the CCI4*-L class, just two penalties behind leaders Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir.

“I’m really thrilled with him,” she said. “He’s a lovely horse, but not the most elastic in his movement, so I didn’t expect him to overtake Yasmin and (second-placed) Piggy (March).”

Pippa first won this prestigious class in 1993 aboard Metronome, and followed up in 1995 aboard Bits And Pieces, in 2003 (Jurassic Rising) and 2004 (Viceroy II). A veteran of British teams, with 12 senior medals to her name at Olympic, World and European Championships, she also won the Rolex Grand Slam in 2003.

Pippa added: “It is fantastic to have The Jockey Club (who are organising Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials for the first time) involved in eventing and bringing two forms of horse sport closer together.

“And it’s great to have lots of spectators once again — it feels like they are as glad to be out as we are, and the atmosphere they create is something we have really missed. Cross-country day tomorrow will be fun — if it goes well!”

Just after Pippa’s test on Maybach, the reigning world champion Ros Canter scored 26.7 with Michele Saul’s nine-year-old Lordships Graffalo to take third place in the CCI4*-L.

Ros, who has held on to her first-day lead in the CCI4*-S class, said: “It is much busier here today than it was yesterday, and I think Lordships Graffalo felt the atmosphere more than ever before. It’s great experience for young horses and stands them in good stead for the future.

“I think the cross-country course is lovely, and the more times I walk it, the cleverer I think (course-designer) David Evans has been.”

Cross-country for the CCI4*-L class starts at 11 a.m. tomorrow local time (Saturday 18th September), and can be watched live via Horse & Country TV’s streaming platform, H&C+.

Oxfordshire’s leading rider, Izzy Taylor, piloted the exciting future prospect Hartacker into sixth place after dressage in the CCI4*-S for eight and nine-year-old horses at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials.

Izzy, whose Bicester yard is just minutes from Blenheim Palace, scored 28.9 on Camilla Behrens’ nine-year-old. She is only 2.3 penalties behind first-placed Ros Canter (Izilot DHI), whose mark of 26.6 remained unbeatable on the second day of dressage.

Speaking afterwards she said: “He was a little bit nervous and held his breath in his trotwork, but he’s got a fantastic walk, which the judges rewarded, and a very good canter, so he pulled it back again.

“He just needs to be a bit proud of himself, which will come with experience. He only started eventing two years ago so he hasn’t done a massive amount for his age, but he’s very exciting, and generally a very good jumper, so hopefully he has it all.”

Izzy won at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials in 2017 with Be Touchable, and first rode here as a child in the Pony Club team show jumping competition.

She is due to represent Britain at the European Championships in Switzerland next week with Monkeying Around, who led the dressage in the CCI4*-L at Blenheim Palace the last time the event ran in 2019.

One of the great unique selling points of the sport of eventing is the fascinating breadth of experience that may be encompassed in a single competition. Blenheim Palace is no exception and, as well as Izzy, the field contains a host of experienced past winners including Andrew Nicholson, Pippa Funnell, Polly Stockton and Piggy French, plus Olympic gold medallists Oliver Townend and Tom McEwen, as well as those for whom Blenheim represents the fulfilment of an ambition.

Georgia Bartlett, 20, a CCI3*-S winner at Cornbury Park last year and former member of the British Junior squad, is realising a long-held goal in competing her first horse after graduating from pony classes, Spano De Nazca, in the CCI4*-L.

And she explained: “I only live locally, near Newbury, and have been coming to Blenheim as a spectator for years, so it has always been a dream to ride here.”

This is only the pair’s third competition this year after setbacks for horse and rider. Georgia broke her arm in a fall and her Spano de Nazca suffered a stone bruise and has been regaining fitness by swimming at racehorse trainer Warren Greatrex’s Lambourn yard.

Georgia added: “We have such a strong partnership and I am hoping that the cross-country course will suit him and that our fitness regime will have paid off.”

Emma Thomas, 22, is another relatively local rider, a member of the Warwickshire Hunt and Pony Club branch. She is competing in the CCI4*-S on Icarus, a Dutch-bred gelding bought from showjumper Jamie Wingrave, and in the CCI4*-L on The Buzz Factor.

Emma, who will be walking the cross-country course with Pippa Funnell and Caroline Moore, is studying for a Masters in bio-informatics at the Royal Veterinary College.

Referring to her compact 15.2hh Icarus, she said: “He’s a cross-country machine. I think this is just his course with the open distances.”

For the USA in the CCI4*-L, Katherine Coleman sits 23rd with Monbeg Senna and 51st with RLE Limbo Kaiser. Tiana Coudray is 40th with Cancaras Girl. In the CCI4*-S 8/9-y/o Grace Taylor is 9th with Game Changer and 17th with Hiarado.

Blenheim Palace International CCI4*-L/CCI4*-S: [Website] [Entries] [Live Scores] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

CCI4*-L Top 10 After Dressage 

CCI4*-S Top 10 after Dressage

Major Shakeup in Aachen Showjumping; Team USA Moves to Second Place

By on Sep 17, 2021 4:22 pm -

EN’s coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you in part by Kentucky Performance Products. Click here to learn more about Kentucky Performance Products and its wide array of supplements available for your horse.

There’s a lot going on in the main arena, but total focus pays dividends, as Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI discover. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There’s nothing quite like the adrenaline rush of Aachen, with its main stadium like a gladiator’s last hurrah and its inescapable glitz and glamour. That adrenaline rush, of course, is doubled when its organising team of cackling Germans decides to put eventing’s dressage and showjumping phases on the same day, with nary a couple of hours between them, simply to watch us all scramble and sweat to try to pump some kind of information out to the world. Is there a livestream simply showing panicking journalists? If so, how do we apply for the commentary job? “And as we tick into the forty-seventh minute, we see this contender reach a critical decision point: opt for a tactical food break or attempt to push through the brain fog in favour of an extra batch of quote transcriptions? Ahh, and we see the athlete in question take the latter option! She’s having a Tic Tac for lunch! Just one! Will it work in her favour or will we catch her chewing on a table leg and weeping in twenty minutes? Only time will tell, folks.”

Wait, sorry, you came here for showjumping updates? I was too busy slavering over the furniture to register that, sorry. But let’s get this crazy train back on the rails, folks, because showjumping came, it saw, it conquered, and now everyone is contemplating some kind of wide-scale emotional breakdown. That’s just a guess, for what it’s worth.

Aachen always builds a tough showjumping course — unsurprisingly, when you consider that it’s one of pure jumping’s most iconic and notoriously difficult venues. Even for the eventers, Frank Rothenburger‘s courses are technical and tough, and they make best use of that capacious main arena, which means there’s a lot of ground to cover and an atmosphere that’s pretty well unparalleled in our sport. Tonight, the pivotal second phase got underway as the sun set in spectacular fashion, and so our competitors jumped under the lights and surrounded by huge TV screens, which made it all too easy for horses to get distracted or backed off by the task at hand. A lot could — and did — go wrong.

But when it goes right? “It feels spectacular,” gushes Great Britain’s Emilie Chandler, who recorded one of the first clears of the evening with her five-star horse Gortfadda Diamond and was able to sit back and watch as everything changed around her, pushing her up into eventual fourth place — and what would have been the overnight lead, but for the 1.2 time penalties she added.

That’s the thing with this phase at this venue — it’s not just about the poles, though they do topple with extraordinary ease, as 29 of the 39 competitors discovered. It’s also about the time, which can so easily run away with you as you navigate your way around what feels like acres of space. With just one rail covering third to fifteenth place after dressage, there was remarkably little wiggle room, and it didn’t take much going wrong for a seismic shift to occur across the leaderboard. Just three combinations — Team USA’s Will Coleman and Off The Record, Japan’s Yoshi Oiwa and Calle 44, and Ireland’s Esib Power and Azure — managed clear rounds without any time penalties, allowing all three to make huge moves.

Sophie Leube and Jadore Moi pop through the influential triple combination at the tail end of the course. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Helping them along? The problems at the top. Two shock rails fell apiece for dressage leader Sophie Leube and Jadore Moi, competing for the home country, and second-placed Tamie Smith and Mai Baum, one of the best showjumping pairs in the field, amid anguished groans from the audience. This pushed them into ninth and eleventh places, respectively, but it wasn’t the only drama at the top. A solitary rail fell — and the clock ticked over by one second — for France’s Gireg le Coz and Aisprit de la Loge, who slipped from third place down to eighth, and fourth-place Laura Collett and Mr Bass dropped a rail to move into seventh.

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum regroup to jump the last. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

That opened the door for significant top-end movement — an open door that British rider Kirsty Chabert and her 12-year-old British-bred mare Classic VI (Calvaro FC x India Summer) took full advantage of. Though they didn’t quite join the ranks of the penalty-free, it wasn’t for lack of trying: Kirsty landed from the final fence with such an extraordinary burst of momentum that their 0.4 time penalty was awarded for adding just five one-hundredths of a second to the 80 second optimum time. But nonetheless, she was still able to catapult herself into the lead from her post-dressage placing of equal seventh.

Kirsty Chabert clears the last…

…and gallops through the finish line to take the overnight lead. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

That ‘equal’ remains vitally important: both Kirsty and Classic and fellow Brits Laura Collett and Dacapo earned a first-phase score of 29.1 to share a spot on the leaderboard, and both jumped clear rounds with 0.4 time penalties to finish the second phase on 29.5, though Laura stopped the clock nearly a full second over the optimum time and, as such, moves into second place for being further from that 80 second threshold.

Laura Collett and Dacapo slot into technical second place on the same score as the overnight leaders. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Though it might cause some passing frustration to British chef d’equipe that Laura’s clear came aboard Dacapo, rather than team horse Mr Bass, that’ll surely be a fleeting feeling: Mr Bass, who was fourth after dressage on 28.2, added just one rare rail and sits in seventh overnight, which gives the British team three riders in the top ten and puts them on an aggregate score of 91.6 after dropping the score of Zara Tindall and Class Affair. That’s a pretty healthy lead for them to maintain, but now, it’s not Team New Zealand that’s hot on their heels — it’s Team USA, sitting second on 98.1 after excellent clears by Will Coleman and Off The Record and Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan.

Will Coleman and Off The Record produce one of just three completely penalty-free rounds to move into third place individually. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

For Will, that foot-perfect round — which was one of just three to add neither jumping nor time penalties — doesn’t just help his team, nor is it simply a leap up the leaderboard for his individual chances, though they certainly look sunny after moving from eleventh to third place. Even more than that, it feels a bit like watching a redemption arc for the 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse, who’s ordinarily a reliable showjumper but tipped a rail on his last trip across the pond, at Tattersalls CCI4*-L in 2019, costing Will the win in the class for the second time in his career. Now, on the horse’s second competitive outing to Europe, he’s got the pesky poles behind him and can head into tomorrow’s tough, technical, intense cross-country challenge confident in the knowledge that this is where he truly shines.

Event horse or hunter derby champion? Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan demonstrate a textbook set of knees over the last element of the treble. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

And for Ariel? Although Leamore Master Plan‘s Irish brain and lanky body mean that the first-phase scores aren’t where the undoubtedly will be over the next couple of seasons, he’s proven already this season that he’s well on his way to becoming an excellent showjumper: he delivered one of the rounds of the day at Luhmühlen CCI5* back in June, earning third place at a venue that’s known for its extraordinarily tough showjumping tracks. Today, he showed that same class and scope, and Ariel made great use of his long stride to eat up the distances in the ring. They ultimately added 0.4 time penalties, but would climb from 28th to 16th.

Yoshiaki Oiwa and Calle 44 move into the top ten. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Two more riders were able to make significant strides into the top ten off the back of excellent clear rounds: Japan‘s Yoshiaki Oiwa and Calle 44, rerouting after a tricky Tokyo, added nothing to their dressage score of 30 and climbed from twelfth place to fifth, while Germany’s Andreas Ostholt and Corvette 31 added 1.2 time penalties to move from fourteenth to sixth.

Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire jump under the setting sun. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Both Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus and Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire tipped a solitary pole and added a smattering of time, putting them into 24th and 27th places respectively as we head into tomorrow’s cross-country. And what can we expect there? Well, intensity, in a word — Rüdiger Schwarz‘s courses are known for building in technicality as they go, and by the time you reach the halfway point, you can reasonably expect not to see a let-up until you cross the finish line in the main arena. To add to the challenge? Plenty of distractions, once again, from colourful branding to enthusiastic spectators. The time is also notoriously hard to catch, which we’re expecting to play a major role in tomorrow’s leaderboard: a single time penalty would push our leaders down to fourth place at best, and just eight seconds spans the entirety of the top ten. You’ll be able to watch the entirety of the action via ClipMyHorse.TV from 9.00 a.m. local time/8.00 a.m. BST/3.00 a.m. Eastern, or, if you don’t much fancy staying up until the silly hours to watch horses (sorry, but who are you, you strange, sane person?), then join us after the fact right here on EN for a full report on all the action, more photos than you can shake a jumping bat at, and probably a few more Tic Tacs. Until then, friends, Go Eventing!

The team standings going into the final phase.

The top ten heading into tomorrow morning’s cross-country finale.

CHIO Aachen CCIO4*-S: [Website] [Schedule and Scoring] [Entries] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

The 2022 USEF Eventing Dressage Tests Are Here

By on Sep 17, 2021 12:00 pm -

Photo by Erin Tomson.

US Equestrian has announced the publication of the new 2022 USEF Eventing Dressage Tests for Beginner Novice through Advanced, effective December 1, 2021, through November 30, 2025.

The tests are published on the USEA website and can be found here. The digital PDF versions of the judge’s copies of the tests will be available for purchase on the ShopUSEA website.

2022 USEF Dressage Tests

(Effective beginning December 1, 2021)

Beginner Novice: Test A | Test B

Novice: Test A | Test B | Novice Three-Day

Training: Test A | Test B | Training Three-Day

Modified: Test A | Test B | Test C | Modified Three-Day

Preliminary: Test A | Test B | Test C | Preliminary Three-Day

Intermediate: Test A | Test B | Test C

Advanced: Test A | Test B

The 2022 USEF Intermediate Test C, which is written for use in a 20×40 arena, may only be used for Eventing competitions that demonstrate a topographical or logistical hardship which renders the venue unable to assemble a 20×60 arena in the designated competition area. The process to request permission to use this test can be found here.