Classic Eventing Nation

Laura Collett and the Weirdest Horse at Boekelo Top Dressage Leaderboard

By on Oct 11, 2024 4:41 pm -

Laura Collett and Dacapo take the first-phase lead at Boekelo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“Look, if I could understand this horse, my life would be a lot easier,” laughs Laura Collett of the fifteen-year-old Dacapo, who marched into the lead in the final session today with a sparkling, established test and a score of 23.7. “What I do know, though, is that for whatever reason, he loves Boekelo – so I’ll keep bringing him!”

That game plan has worked out pretty successfully for Laura and the historically mercurial Holsteiner so far: the Dacapo of old, the one who, say, got himself eliminated at Tattersalls in 2019 just weeks after making light work of the tough Chatsworth track, or who spent the entirety of his admittedly short 2020 season picking up 20s that all felt pretty avoidable, has never had a blip at busy Boekelo in his three trips here. And more than that, he’s become seriously competitive, too: in 2022 he finished third, having gone sub-22 in the first phase, and last year, he was sixth with a cross-country clear inside the time. And so now, Boekelo is his big party for the year, even if Laura does occasionally give him a go somewhere that she reckons might tick some of the same boxes, such as Luhmühlen last year, where she ultimately retired him on course.

Laura Collett and Dacapo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

He’s a mysterious sort of soul, certainly, but we reckon Laura’s not too sad about having a tailor-made excuse to come to the party capital of eventing each autumn. And when you can come and party AND top the leaderboard? That’s even better – which she knows well, having won the whole thing back in 2019 with London 52.

“He’s very, very pleased with himself,” she jokes as Dacapo roots around for treats and praise from the support team surrounding him. “He just seems to like it – he likes to relax and have a beer and enjoy the party! He was very naughty two days ago – he planted and was fairly disgusting to ride, and that’s when I knew he’d be alright today.”

Laura Collett and Dacapo. Photo by Alex Jeffery.

He’s perhaps the most predictable unpredictable horse in the field – but when he’s on side, Laura says, he’s a joy to be partnered with.

“He can do all the moves as long as he’s rideable and in front of the leg, and I think the key thing today was that he was in front of me, so I could actually ride him and we could go in and have a nice time,” she explains.

While much of the talk around the competition grounds is about how the tough conditions will affect the state of play tomorrow, Laura’s not at all worried about the mud: “It’s a great track, and to be honest, he’s either going to go or he’s not going to go, and that’ll come down to him, not the ground!”

Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Julia Krajewski and the ten-year-old Nickel 21, who was pulled in from the travelling reserve position to represent Germany at this summer’s Paris Olympics, came very close to repeating last year’s feat of leading the first phase here – but since that ended up with them going for a swim in the main water, we reckon that if there’s any superstitious side to the Tokyo gold medallist, she’s probably quite happy to settle for second this time around.

And there’s more than just a good placing, a great score of 24.4, and a rewriting of fortunes to be happy about – just weeks ago, she wasn’t sure if she might lose the ride on the talented young gelding until a longtime supporter, Prof. Dr. Bernd Heicke, stepped up to purchase the horse, who had long prior been owned by his stud, Gestüt Fohlenhof. When Nickel was initially sold on from the stud, Julia purchased him for her then-student, Sophia Rössel – and when Sophia decided to step away from riding  and go travelling, Julia took the reins back in 2022.

For a while, he was the yard ‘fun horse’ – he’d go to competitions here and there, always performing well and usually placing, but without any expectations that he’d become a top-level horse. But then he just kept showing, and kept exceeding those expectations, and suddenly, he was a four-star horse, and a very good one at that: he was third on his debut at the level at Strzegom just last year, finished on the podium on his next two outings, and then won the CCIO4*-S at Arville last August. He was ninth in last year’s Blenheim CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds, had his whoopsy at Boekelo in the water where trips and stumbles were common – we’ve been told a full resurfacing has happened ahead of this year’s competition, which is welcome news – and then rerouted to Montelibretti for a second crack at CCI4*-L in November, finishing second.

And this year? He won Aachen, finished in the top ten in the bumper selection trial at Luhmühlen, was named the travelling reserve for Paris, and then stepped up to the plate when Sandra Auffarth’s Viamant du Matz couldn’t present, ultimately finishing eleventh individually.

All that to say, in short, that he’s a serious horse, and one that Julia is deeply fond of – but after Paris, the Rössels decided the time had come to bid farewell to their stint at ownership, and suddenly, Julia found herself right back in 2018, when she returned home from the World Equestrian Games with fischerChipmunk FRH, then just Chipmunk, to be told that he was being put on the market. She would lose the ride, shortly thereafter, to Michael Jung, for whom the horse was bought with help from the German Federation.

Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Luckily, though, Julia was granted a reprieve this time.

“They kept it between us, and there was no pressure that the sale had to be made immediately, but I knew I wanted it solved quickly and not to wait around for someone to have the chance to offer really crazy money,” says Julia. “And the Professor, who’s really the best person, said to me, ‘look, I’ve said it before, if they ever wanted to step away from the sport, I’d do it.’ So it didn’t happen in half a day, but it happened – and that’s something that makes you so, so grateful as a rider. You don’t ever know how to repay these people for what they do for you. To be able to keep Nickel and not have to give away another horse you’ve brought to the top level… I mean, winning Aachen and going to the Olympics, that really does something with the bond between you and a horse if you do it together. And so when he said he’d do it, I really cried for a long while.”

Now, having enjoyed a close partnership with her friends the Rössels, and with a concrete security on side, she’s able to look ahead to a bright, and hopefully long, future career with the young talent.

“I know I could maybe bring up another horse to the top level, but I would just love at some point to sit on a horse where I’ve done, you know, five championships, lots of five-stars, and I know how it’ll be,” she says. “And I don’t always have to think, ‘will he do this? Will he do that?’”

And en route to those moments, there are these performances, which make Julia “so proud of Nickel. He’s just such a dude! I think he can become more fluent in the trot, because he’s still a bit of a showjumper in that way, and he’s still growing and getting more strong. But in the end, he’s only ten and in his third season of eventing, and he’s still getting experience. And he’ll only get experience if he goes out and does things, and so that’s why we’re here.”

Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

German team anchor Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K came into the ring as the penultimate combination of the day – and the 96th pair we watch produce a test over the last two days, not that we’re counting or anything – and made the trip count, posting a 25.2 to take provisional third place. It’s a score the 12-year-old gelding has only ever bettered once, at any level: that was in 2022 at Blenheim, when the pair posted a 24.6 and ultimately went on to win.

“I’m really happy with him – he stayed patient the whole time, and I was able to do everything I wanted to do,” says Malin, who largely trains on her own and would be a consistent high-20s to very low-30s scorer with this gelding. “I live really far away from everybody, so I work a lot by myself. Then I asked Bettina [Hoy] if she could just help me a little bit at the competitions, and maybe through the winter, so we can get the marks. And then yesterday, one of the girls was watching the test while I trained – so I think it’s just great teamwork, and everybody just puts the effort in.”

Malin, who was part of last year’s European Championships team and finished fourth at Kentucky this year, was a close contender for selection for the Paris Olympics – and while a strong start at Boekelo doesn’t quite make up for not going, Malin’s still excited to be in a better-than-hoped-for position.

“There’s no Michi Jung here, just Julia [of the big guns] – so it was great that Emma [Brüssau] did such a good test, and now I have the 25, which I’d never actually thought about. And I’d never thought about the fact that we might be able to be in front of Great Britain! So that feels good – but I do think tomorrow is the important day here.”

Emma Brüssau and Dark Desire GS. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Did 25-year-old Emma Brüssau ever imagine, before entering the arena at Boekelo as the German team’s second competitor, that she’d take over the lead long held by yesterday’s stars, Sarah Bullimore and Corimiro?

“Not at all,” she laughs. But, she says of her longtime partner Dark Desire GS, “she’s felt really good in the warm-up and over the last few days – so motivated and fresh.”

Emma, who rides as part of the Warendorf training system for young German up-and-comers, has plenty of history with the now fifteen-year-old mare: they came together in 2016, and won individual silver at the 2018 Young Rider European Championships in Fontainebleau, before returning to become the champions in 2019. Since then, they’ev stepped up to four-star, ridden for Germany on Nations Cup teams, and moved on up again to five-star, at Luhmühlen last year, where they finished 21st.

And so now, with Emma thinking ahead to next season, which she expects will be the mare’s last before a well-earned retirement, it’s all about showing off everything they’ve learned along the way and enjoying every step of it. In doing so today, they delivered a 26.6, their best-ever CCI4*-L score, to take the lead for much of the afternoon and ultimately earn themselves first-phase fourth place ahead of Bullimore.

“She felt so good in the arena, and I was able to really enjoy riding her in there. She’s quite experienced now, and so I can rely on her to stay with me even in an arena like that, and we could just enjoy ourselves.”

The changes, says Emma, were a particular highlight of the test, “and the walk, which was quite motivated but still with me. She was really feeling so nice through the whole test.”

Kitty King and Cristal Fontaine. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Great Britain’s Kitty King and her 2018 Six-Year-Old World Champion Cristal Fontaine go into cross-country in seventh place on a score of 28. They just missed out on a more competitive mark in the extended trot at the very end of the test, when the striking grey gelding lost a touch of panache – an issue Kitty is well aware of, and which she’s found a rather exciting way to overcome. Her entry to the main arena was reminiscent of a cannonball going off – the pair exploded into the ring, quite tactically, before regaining their composure to prepare for their test.

“He’s quite lazy, and so we do a lot of working him forward so he’s in front of the leg,” says Kitty. “This was actually a slower entry than when we went into the ring at Burghley [for the guinea pig test] – I think [commentator] Nick Luck thought the racing was starting there! He’s a very laid-back horse, and he can lack a little bit of go sometimes, so it’s all very much to keep him in front of me. It worked out for us today until we finished our canter work, and then, unfortunately, we lost it in the extended trot, which is usually his party piece.”

Astier Nicolas and Alertamalib’or. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

France’s Astier Nicolas slots in to eighth place just four-tenths of a penalty – or one second tomorrow – behind her with Alertamabil’Or, himself a winner at the Young Horse World Championships at Le Lion in 2017 as a seven-year-old.

Now fourteen, Alertamalib’or is about as consistent as they come: he seldom strays out of the 27 to 30 bracket in this phase, and he’ll never surprise anyone with a 40 on the flat – “but nor will he come out and do a 20,” laughs Astier. “But I had a wonderful feeling in there, and there’s not much I’d have liked to go differently. He’s an experienced boy, and we know where he is in the dressage standards. Today’s been a day where he was really on my side, as he often and usually is – I don’t have any regrets coming out of the ring.”

Phillip Dutton and Possante. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Phillip Dutton is the best of the US contingent at the end of the first phase, and part of a four-way tie for ninth place that sees him share a score of 28.7 with Austria’s Lea Siegl and Van Helsing P, Britain’s Izzy Taylor and SBH Big Wall, and Max Warburton and Monbeg Exclusive.

His excellent test came in partnership with Possante, who he took on just over a year ago from British competitor Emily King.

“He’s a cool horse – he wants to please, and he wants to do a good job, so it’s fun to ride him every day,” says Phillip. “You’ve got to get to know each other a bit, and just this year I feel like he’s ‘my’ horse. It takes a while for them to know what you’re looking for, and he’s quite a sensitive horse, so you can’t rush that kind of thing with him. You’ve got to be patient in how you get your point across with him.”

That sensitivity, Phillip continues, makes Possante “a very spooky horse – you can almost hear his brain going, ‘I know I shouldn’t spook!’”

For his first experience of a significant atmosphere, though, the charismatic eleven-year-old excelled himself – and while he’s not yet been ridden for the time at four-star while under Phillip’s auspices, this sophomore CCI4*-L could well see the team anchor put the gelding to the test under pressure.

Hallie Coon and Cute Girl. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Last year, team US thirds Hallie Coon and Cute Girl went into cross-country in second place, and while they didn’t quite pull off the same feat this year thanks to some anticipation ahead of the walk-to-canter transition, and then a late flying change as a result of that anticipation, they once again showed how much the little Holsteiner has developed in her body. She fairly floated into the ring, not with the flicky-toed front end that used to be a sure sign of tension through her body, but with genuine lift, impulsion, and a connection between horse and rider, and leg and hand, that’s been two years of hard work in the making.

“We’ve been focusing on order versus chaos,” laughs Hallie. “It’s been a little bit chaotic in the past, and sometimes, chaos looks fancy – but we’re working more on order.”

That focus certainly kept the wheels on the bus more than they feasibly could have been: this week, Cute Girl is joined in the stables at Boekelo by two of Hallie’s younger mares, who go on to Le Lion d’Angers next week, and that’s given her the new experience of dealing with separation anxiety in the workplace.

“I think I probably got the best out of her that I could have,” concedes Hallie. “She’s been really, really happy this week, and it’s often about keeping her comfortable and in her zone. She got a little spicy at the end of the walk, and that affected the first change, so it obviously wasn’t a perfect test, but onwards and upwards.”

Their test earned them a 30.4, which puts them in 23rd place going into cross country – a phase in which the pair have progressed in leaps and bounds since starting to train with British team performance manager Dickie Waygood last year.

“We’re going to give it everything we’ve got tomorrow,” says Hallie, who has two four-star victories under her belt with the mare so far this year. “She’s a mudder, and she doesn’t mind the wet in most circumstances, so we’re going to fly through it.”

Mary Bess Davis and Imperio Magic. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We didn’t get a chance to catch up with Georgia’s Mary Bess Davis, who’s making her long-awaited European competitive debut this week as the pathfinder for the US team, but she and the ten-year-old Belgian-bred Imperio Magic made a sweet start to their week, putting one of the horse’s best four-star scores of 35.8 on the board to sit 65th overnight.

For a young horse, he’s actually got quite a lot of mileage at this level now: he and Mary Bess, who owns as well as rides him, finished seventh in Tryon’s CCI4*-L earlier this year and fourth in the CCI4*-L at TerraNova last November. We’re looking forward to catching them tackling tomorrow’s track in their trademark efficient fashion, and we’ll bring you a full debrief with them over the weekend to find out how the European dream is in reality.

Cassie Sanger and Redfield Fyre. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Cassie Sanger and Redfield Fyre put a 36.4 on the board as team USA’s second pair, which puts them in 68th place overnight and reflects, there or thereabouts, where the Dutch-bred eleven-year-old is at in this phase.

“It was one of his better tests he’s put in all year,” says Cassie, who made her debut here last year at the age of just nineteen with Fernhill Zoro.

“The dressage phase is not his favorite, and it’s definitely hard work — but I’m really happy with how he handled the atmosphere,” she says of this year’s mount. “He’s just so level going into the ring, all the time. He doesn’t get wound up or anything. So it’s just keeping him loose and supple, and he’s getting stronger and stronger with that.”

While the buzzy, distracting environs of Boekelo’s main arena can be off-putting for some horses, Redfield Fyre doesn’t mind a bit of atmosphere, as Cassie discovered this spring.

“I think he actually he likes it quite a bit,” she says. “Kentucky was his first real atmosphere this spring, where he did his first four-star and he just went in there like he was how he was in the warm-up. And same thing today – he just got a tiny bit spooked by a couple of the bushes, which is not unusual for him. He’s a little bit spooky at random things, but because he’s a horse who likes to work a bit lower, that can actually help to lift him up.”

Cassie’s amassed plenty of frequent flyer miles for a rider so young, and this year – her second season to see her competing on European soil – she’s feeling a happy familiarity with the whole process.

“I’m finding it much easier, and I’m much more comfortable in the atmospheres and the whole thing, especially with the cross country. I think that’s what sets European events apart. This is my second year at Boekelo; and so it’s nice to come back to an event that I’ve been to. It’s feeling much more familiar.”

The gritty, mud-loving Redfield Fyre will be an exciting horse to watch across tomorrow’s track: he and Cassie finished fourth in Bramham’s CCI4*-L for under-25s this summer, which runs over the same track as the main Bramham CCI4*-L class, commonly heralded as the toughest course of the level anywhere in the world. So a bit of mud over the generally very flat Dutch countryside? That’s something he can butter up and eat for breakfast.

And as for the teams, who came forward today to begin their fight for the Nations Cup finale title? It’ll surprise you not one bit, looking at the flags at the business end of this leaderboard, to learn that the Germans have clinched the first-phase lead, sitting on an aggregate score of 76.2, 4.4 penalties ahead of Great Britain. France, the de facto winners of the 2024 FEI Nations Cup series, sit third in the leg standings on an 87.8, 3.4 penalties behind the Brits. The Belgians are fourth of the eleven teams, while the USA currently sits in fifth on a score of 94.9.

The team standings after dressage.

The team riders will be the first to head out onto cross-country tomorrow, in a reversal of the schedule as we saw it over the two dressage days. They’ll kick off proceedings for us from 9.30 a.m. local time (that’s 8.30 a.m. BST/3.30 a.m. EST), with Belgium’s hugely experienced partnership of Karin Donckers and Fletcha Van’t Verahof, 20th overnight on a score of 30, acting as pathfinders. You can find the times in full here, and for US rider times, keep reading.

  • 9.46 a.m. (8.46 a.m. BST/3.46 a.m. EST) – Mary Bess Davis and Imperio Magic
  • 10.30 a.m. (9.30 a.m. BST/4.30 a.m. EST) – Cassie Sanger and Redfield Fyre
  • 11.26 a.m. (10.26 a.m. BST/5.26 a.m. EST) – Hallie Coon and Cute Girl
  • 12.10 p.m. (11.10 a.m. BST/6.10 a.m. EST) – Phillip Dutton and Possante
  • 13.09 p.m. (12.09 p.m. BST/7.09 a.m. EST) – Lauren Nicholson and I’ll Have Another
  • 13.24 p.m. (12.24 p.m. BST/7.24 a.m. EST) – Olivia Dutton and Sea of Clouds
  • 14.12 p.m. (13.12 p.m. BST/8.12 a.m. EST) – Alexa Gartenberg and Cooley Kildaire
  • 14.21 p.m. (13.21 p.m. BST/8.32 a.m. EST) – Sophia Middlebrook and Prontissimo
  • 15.27 p.m. (14.27 p.m. BST/9.27 a.m. EST) – Cosby Green and Cooley Seeing Magic
  • 15.36 p.m. (14.36 p.m. BST/9.36 a.m. EST) – Lauren Nicholson and Larcot Z

We’ll join you here tomorrow for a full debrief on how Adrian Ditcham’s course ultimately exerts its influence on the competition, which sees 20 penalties cover the top 95 at the moment. We’re expecting some big surprises, probably a few overnight withdrawals, and a time that could prove influential, because with the amount of rain that’s fallen over the Twente venue in the lead-up to the event, it’s a real battlefield out there, and changes were being made to the course throughout the last two days. If you want to watch the day’s sport play out, you can follow along with the livestream here. Until next time: Go Eventing!

The top ten at the culmination of dressage in the Military Boekelo CCIO4*-L.

Military Boekelo Links: Website | Times & Live Scores | Live Stream | EN’s Coverage

Dyri Dances to the Lead at the Morven Park International CCI4*-L

By on Oct 11, 2024 3:46 pm -

Lucienne Bellissimo at the fall Morven Park International. Photo by Lindsay Berreth/USEA.

A trifecta of American eventing has come together at the Morven Park Equestrian Center this weekend. Not only did the iconic CCI4*-L get underway, but this weekend also marks the opening leg of the US Equestrian Open and the 2024 USEF/USEA Developing Horse Eventing National Championships for 6- and 7-year-olds. Record prize money is on the table as, thanks to MARS Equestrian, an additional $15,000 will be awarded to the top-placed American-bred horse within the two 4* divisions.

As the opening leg of the US Equestrian Open, there’s certainly additional pressure on our 4*-S competitors this weekend. This brand new event series highlights all three Olympic disciplines. For eventers, it includes 18 4*-S qualifiers (with more potentially to be added) spanning across the country and will conclude with a final event right here at Morven Park in 2025. Riders are given points based on their placing at each qualifier they complete, putting them in the running to earn the season points bonus as well as qualify for that final event. A total of $250,000 in prize money is up for the taking in eventing alone. Including show jumping and dressage, $2 million will be awarded to the nation’s top riders.

Want more information on the Open field this week? Click here to view EquiRatings’ Form Guide.

Despite the added pressure of the national spotlight, Lucienne Bellissimo and Horse Scout Eventing’s Dyri (Diarado – La Calera, by King Milford xx) danced their way to the top of the leaderboard at the end of day one in the CCI4*-L at the Morven Park International & Fall Horse Trials. The 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding has scored below 30 in his last five events -– the majority of his 2024 season. He’s coming off a win in the 4*-S at Stable View Oktoberfest at end of September. While he still claimed the top spot on the leaderboard today, he scored higher than usual, pulling in a 30.7.

Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri compete at Morven Park in 2023. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Lucienne attributes his higher score to an early ride time and a shorter-than-usual warm-up. “In all honesty, I would have normally done a little free ride with him, but because my ride time was 8:07 a.m., I didn’t get a chance to do that,” she said. “So he was a touch more tense than he normally would be. I’ve been working a lot more on just his straightness on the center lines and just trying to tweak those areas. And I felt as though he nailed his halt in the center lines today. Some of his lateral work wasn’t quite as true as we’ve had it historically, but I was really pleased with him. And he’s an absolute pleasure to ride on the flat now. He always focuses in the ring.”

Never one to have small goals, Lucienne had been aiming for a sub-26 score this morning and believes Dyri has a bright future ahead of him. “I am a perfectionist,” Lucienne said. “And I think this horse deserves for me to be a perfectionist, because he’s good enough. I really think he’ll get a low-20s test when it all comes together and I’d like to be able to get him there.”

“His attitude is so consistent, and he’s been just a gift all season,” she continued. “To be honest, I think he’s led at his last sort of four or five CCI4* that he’s done. And I really hope I can just do it justice over the next 12 months now and produce him to be confident cross country, and then hopefully we’ll tick all the boxes.”

Lucienne and Dyri have been focused on building the gelding’s confidence on cross country, particularly when it comes to ditch and coffin complexes. Once he’s confident, then Lucienne will start to go for the time.

“He can be such a careful horse, which, again, it’s a blessing. But sometimes I think he almost takes it out of himself, because he gets so looky and he can hang in the air a little bit, and then, bless him, he’s almost losing a second to every fence through the first half of the course,” Lucienne said.

Dyri came to FEI eventing late in life, competing in his first 1* at 8 years old. Lucienne says that because he missed out on traditional fitness work as a young horse, he’s still creating that foundational strength that’s so key to eventing.

“I just keep reiterating that I’m playing the long game on him if he needs to come home with time, he can have some time. I adore him, and I really hope that in the next year or two, he can get a big win,” Lucienne said.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, our 4* contenders will have excellent conditions to tackle Derek di Grazia’s tricky course. “The ground looks fantastic, so that’s definitely in our favor,” Lucienne said. “I would love to be able to get him home in 10 time faults or less if I can. That said, I’m gonna let him tell me when we’re roughly halfway. If he’s breathing and traveling and in the bridle, I’ll keep coming home. But I’m certainly not gonna go like a bullet out of a gun around the first half. I’m gonna let him get halfway, and then if he’s breathing well, I’ll try and get a little bit braver on the way home with him, but I think the course here normally causes enough trouble.”

Hannah Sue Hollberg and Carsonstown. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Following Lucienne is Hannah Sue Hollberg and Carsonstown (Lougherne Cappuchino – Nonavic Spyridonna, by Limmerick) with a score of 32.1. Owned by Christa Schmidt, “Carson” is a 2012 Irish Sport Horse that Hannah describes as a bit behind the leg on the flat and with quite a few… quirks.

“He’s Irish and German, and he’s got the naughty side of both, I feel like,” she said. “He’s just taken a while to kind of grow up and develop. He bucked me off really badly in the dressage warm-up about three years ago and that’s when I got injured. So it’s been a bumpy road with him, but he has really come all the way around in all three phases. And he loves his job now, and it’s a blast to ride him.”

Hannah Sue had a secret weapon helping her prepare for this weekend’s CCI4*-L: grand prix dressage rider Nicholas Fyffe. “I’ve been working with Nicholas Fyffe on the flat, and he has ridden him a couple times for me. And it’s incredible, the difference that he can make. They just all halt square after he rides. He’s been extremely helpful, and I just love riding with him. He’s got the best way of teaching and explaining things and supporting.”

Aiming for the 5* level next year, Hannah Sue and Carson decided to come to Morven Park as part of their preparation. “I think that this is one of, if not the hardest, four star longs in the whole world, in terms of cross country. And I love Carson. He’s an amazing cross country horse, and I want to move him up, hopefully to the five star level next year. So this is a very important next step.”

Despite the challenges tomorrow brings, Hannah Sue and Carson are ready to tackle the cross country course. “The harder, the better, baby. For real, with this horse, if it’s easy, it’s like he has no interest, he has no respect for the fences.”

Buck Davidson and Cooley Candyman. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Buck Davidson and Cooley Candyman (Sligo Candy Boy – Dashing Hill, by Flame Hill) are hot on Hannah’s heels with a score of 32.3. Owned by Buck Davidson and Carl Segal, the 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse has had a light few competition seasons since 2021. “I’m just super, super happy with him, and just love the horse,” Buck said. “I just love riding him. He’s been off for a bit with some leg trouble, but hopefully we’re in good shape.”

“Morven Park is, quite honestly, a better cross country course than Fair Hill. It just felt like Fair Hill needs a horse that can just gallop and get to the top of that hill for the water, and then you’re all right,” Buck said. “Rolo’s only 11. I didn’t want to have him discouraged and be tired at Maryland, so I thought this was a better place to bring him.”

Buck threw caution to the wind and didn’t do the familiarization ride prior to his dressage test. “I’m really, really proud of him. I went in all brave and I didn’t do any of the ring familiarization and I didn’t do a pre-ride. And he’s good, like he might have played around a bit before, but he seems to go in there now, if he’s not tired, he doesn’t mess around.”

While Buck is looking forward to cross country tomorrow, he’s also attempting to make the time on a lightning-fast trip to Florida this afternoon with hopes to be back by his ride time tomorrow. Everyone keep your fingers crossed the traffic goes Buck’s way. “I’m on my way to the airport right now to go pick up my kids in Florida and then fly back. So my biggest thing right now is that all the planes are on time so I can be back here to ride tomorrow,” Buck laughed.

Jennie Brannigan and Connery. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Leading the US Equestrian Open qualifier CCI4*-S is Jennie Brannigan and Tim and Nina Gardner’s Connery. What many fans don’t know is that Connery’s barn name is “Sean,” which is something I will never get enough of. Scores are tight in the 4*-S this weekend, with Jennie just barely keeping second placed Hannah Sue Hollberg and Business Ben at bay by 0.3 points.

This weekend marks one year since Sean was last running at the Advanced level; he unfortunately came up with a hot leg at Boekelo last year and has taken the time to recover. “When he was at Boekelo last fall, he had a little bit of a hot leg there, and so we gave him extra time off.” This weekend marks Sean’s first Advanced/4* start in his return to the top levels.

Jennie is hoping to turn around a streak of bad luck that has tailed Sean throughout his Advanced career with this weekend’s run. “He’s had a couple unlucky things happen, like he tripped in a creek at Boekelo. It didn’t have anything to do with a jump. And then he just fell turning on the flat at Rebecca. It was my fault,” Jennie said. “So,  I’m just excited to have him back, because he’s a really nice horse and one of my best ones for the future.”

According to Jennie, the 4*-S walks like a true Derek di Grazia track — a real challenge. “I don’t think it’s gonna be a dressage show, that’s for sure,” she said. “I walked the course with Erik [Duvander] last night, and it looks really proper, like Derek’s courses always are.”

You can get a good preview of what’s in store for tomorrow in the Morven cross country preview:

A fence-by-fence preview is also available on CrossCountryApp here.

The first riders will leave the start box tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. eastern time, with the 3* leading the way, followed by the 4*-S and then the 4*-L. If you can’t attend in person, you’re missing out on the beautiful fall atmosphere in Morven Park, but you can catch up on some of the action by watching the first leg of the US Equestrian Open on the USEF Network, which will carry all cross country tomorrow. You can also follow along live on the Morven Park YouTube channel here.

Morven Park Fall International & H.T. (VA): [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [YouTube Channel] [USEF Network] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Friday News & Notes from Stable View

By on Oct 11, 2024 12:01 am -

Barry, is that you with a new hair color? Maybe not, but Emily Hamel certainly has an eye for horses that love to jump out of photographers’ frames! Meet Newman Hoksehoeve, a 7-year-old Dutch gelding by Casago who is a new addition to Emily’s string this year. Clearly Training level isn’t *quite* impressive to this young talent. Hang on tight, Emily!

U.S. Weekend Preview

Morven Park Fall International & H.T. (VA): [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [YouTube Channel] [USEF Network] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

The Event at Isaacks Ranch (NM): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring]

Redefined Equestrian H.T. (CO): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Pine Hill Fall H.T. (TX): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Poplar Place Farm October H.T. (GA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

Military Boekelo CCIO4*-L (Netherlands): [Website] [Entries/Timing/Scoring] [ClipMyHorse.TV Live Stream] [FEI YouTube Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

News & Reading

Eventing Nation and Horse Nation are pleased to present our upcoming Holiday Gift Guide series! A series of gift idea lists aimed at everything from the Organizational Freak to the Tech Nerd in your family or barn group, this series will launch in mid-November to help all of the hapless gift givers out there with a gift you’ll ACTUALLY want. If your brand would like to place a product into a list or even obtain full ownership of an exclusive list just for you, visit this link to fill out our interest form. Placements in these lists start at $250, and insertions are being taken until November 11.

EN’s classified site, Sport Horse Nation, got a makeover! It’s still the eventers-only online marketplace you know and love, but we’ve added advanced user features and upgraded search functionality to make it easier for riders to connect with the unicorns they’re searching for. EN readers get unlimited free listings until October 10th with promo code “GoEventing” at checkout. Check it out today! [SHN]

Don’t forget to nominate a #Supergroom working at Morven Park this weekend for our Achieve Equine award! Nominations close today (October 11).

Catch up on what went down on day one in preliminary competition at the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover. [Preliminary Competition Concludes]

Area 8 riders! Miami Valley Horse Trials needs to hear from you! Please take a moment to fill out this quick survey.

What do you need to know about basic fitness for your event horse? It’s important not just from a “need to get around this cross country course without dying from hyperventilation” standpoint, but also from an injury prevention view. [Read up on this concept here]

Is there a correlation to the health of the global markets and economy and the health of the horse industry? Common sense says yes, but there is more nuance to this relationship. [Read on]

If your horse suffers from asthma, there are some ways to manage this effectively. Dr. Susan White chimes in with some tips and tricks for what you should know as a horse owner. [Read more]

Sponsor Corner: Stable View

Want to get your brand out in front of thousands of competitors each year? Why not sign up to sponsor one of Stable View’s Competition Barns? Sponsorship benefits include two sponsor branded barn signs, arena signage, digital coverage, road side promotion, and more. Contact Shannon Habenicht at [email protected] or 704.779.6502 for details.

Video Break

Manage a horse that anticipates aids and/or transitions with these quick tips from Amelia Newcomb:

Homebreds, Heartaches, and Redemption Songs: Sarah Bullimore Takes Day One Boekelo Lead

By on Oct 10, 2024 4:22 pm -

Sarah Bullimore and Corimiro. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The first day of dressage at Military Boekelo’s CCI4*-L, which incorporates the FEI Nations Cup finale, saw a whopping fifty horses and riders take to the main arena – but even with such a wealth of talent on show, truly exciting scores were hard to come by. It would take us until very nearly the lunch break to see a score sub-30; by the end of the day, we’d have just seven in the bag, and that first one – a 27, scored by Britain’s Sarah Bullimore and her eight-year-old homebred, Corimiro, would remain at the top of the table.

It’s a brilliant start to the competition for a few pretty compelling reasons: first, that it’s heartening to see Sarah back atop a leaderboard after a couple of seasons she’d probably rather forget, which have included time off for some of her best horses and a spiralling of form for her string leader, individual European bronze medallist Corouet. It’s also, in this competition that tends to be a stepping stone for the stars of the future, such a buzz to see a homebred young horse like Corimiro stepping up to the plate in Boekelo’s electric arena.

“He’s a lovely, lovely horse,” says Sarah, who bred the son of Amiro Z from her former team ride, Lilly Corinne, who is also Corouet’s dam. But Corimiro, she continues, “is probably the most similar to his mother [of all her progeny]. They all want to work, and they want to do a job, and so he can be a bit impetuous, like, ‘come on, let’s get on with it!’ But he’s beautiful to train, with a lovely mind, and it’s almost like the busier it is, the better he is.”

That much was evident with Corimiro came into the arena, with its myriad distractions, ringside bars, and cross-country fences, and immediately relaxed into himself.

“What I loved the most today was that if you were to ask him to stand quietly outside of the ring, he’d be like, ‘no, no way!’ But at the end of my test, in the ring, I halted, I saluted, the crowd cheered, I dropped my reins, and he just stood there, very still, until I said to walk on.”

That love for a bit of a buzz means that Corimiro is, Sarah admits with a laugh, “a bit of a nightmare at home! He lives out, and if he has to come into the stable for the night because we’re leaving for a competition early the next day, he barely sleeps because he can’t miss anything – he has to keep a look out over everything.”

A silver lining: Corimiro and Sarah Bullimore. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

When he gets to an event, though, after a fidgety, impatient journey over, “he has a walk around, because he likes to check out the surroundings and see where he is, and then he’s like, ‘I’m ready to go hang out in my stable now.’ He just loves it.”

Sarah was “chuffed to bits” with his work in the ring today, which came after a couple of seasons that saw both periods of time off and major successes. Those successes included a podium finish in the Six-Year-Old World Championships two years ago, and a surprising rejection for the British line-up at the Seven-Year-Old World Championships last year. Instead, though, he clocked up three autumn victories that season: two in OI classes at Little Downham and Kelsall Hill, the former of which was full of more experienced horses preparing for Boekelo or Pau runs, and a win in Montelibretti’s CCI3*-L. This season, his step up to four-star has seen him take tenth place in the prestigious CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds at Blenheim. It’s a lot to celebrate already – but the best is yet to come, across the phases.

“There’s more to come in the walk – right now, he gets a bit impatient in it, because he knows there’s canter coming, and he’s too intelligent not to anticipate that,” she says. “He’s like, ‘this walking – it’s boring!’ But he’s only eight, and he’s really not done a lot this year, but he loves to learn. And it’s so nice to have an exciting one for the future after a bit of a shit couple of years.”

Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Kiarado d’Arville. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s been a bumper day for homebreds at Boekelo: in second place on 27.3, just three-tenths of a penalty behind the leaders, are another pair hoping to put a happier closing chapter on a tricky stretch of time.

In many ways, Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier is still on top of the world: she became her country’s first-ever five-star winner at Luhmühlen this spring, before heading to the Paris Olympics and leading her team to an exceptional fourth place finish. But the aftermath of those extraordinary moments hasn’t always been easy: first, she broke her collarbone while riding at her home event, Arville, scuppering her plans for a trip to Burghley with Hermione d’Arville. Then, the Belgian team’s Paris result hung in the balance after a positive drug test for one of her teammates. Finally, shockingly and heartbreakingly, Hermione died suddenly in the stables at Lignière a few weeks ago, leaving Lara and her tight-knit team and family bereft at the loss of a horse who was much more than just a competitive partner.

And so there were few smiles broader than hers when the second of her two eight-year-old rides today, Kiarado d’Arville, delivered his best-ever four-star result in his CCI4*-L debut.

“I’m not trying to go and win it,” she says, “but instead I’m here to try to enjoy my sport again, and my horses.”

Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Kiarado d’Arville. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

But, says Lara, who finished second here last year with stablemate Ducati d’Arville, “Kiarado is very special to me. He got a bit hot in there, with the wind and everything, so I got a bit anxious that maybe it’d be a tricky test. But then he goes in and he really shows that he’s been to [the Young Horse World Championships at] Le Lion d’Angers twice: he wants to try really hard for me, and he can cope with the atmosphere. He has it all, and so hopefully I can carry on producing him and bringing him up the levels.”

Last year’s Seven-Year-Old Vice World Champion Kiarado, like Lara’s five-star winner Hooney d’Arville, is out of Lara’s former Young Rider and World Championships mount Nooney Blue, and though they have different sires – Kiarado is by Diarado, while Hooney is by Vigo d’Arsouilles STX – they’re not wholly dissimilar in their brains.

“He’s a bit like Hooney, but actually, he can be more extravagant in his emotions,” says Lara. “Hooney would be more likely to keep it all to herself, and then suddenly, it’s too much. He’s more the type to ask me to hold his hand all the time, and if he gets in a panic, it can be tricky. But so far, when it’s important, he’s always been really good.”

Kiarado comes to this, his CCI4*-L debut, off the back of a win in the CCI4*-S at Strzegom.

“It wasn’t a big class like Blenheim, but there were some really good horses and riders there – and he made it feel really easy,” says Lara. “I didn’t go too fast; I just wanted to give him a nice run and that was good enough to win it. We had one pole in the showjumping – we were jumping out of the shadow and into the light, and we missed. When you’re coming back from a collarbone fracture and everyone’s telling you not to ride, and you miss at the first fence, it’s not a great feeling! But he was really good.”

Lara also sits 14th overnight with Quintus on a 32.1, and will ride the more experienced Formidable tomorrow as part of the Belgian team – because when is Lara not the busiest rider at any given competition?

Lea Siegl and Van Helsing P. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

She might not be on an eight-year-old homebred, but like the women ahead of her on the leaderboard, Austria’s Lea Siegl is hunting for redemption after a year of enormous ups and downs that began at Pau last year, where she suffered a crashing fall with top horse DSP Fighting Line. Not long after her recovery from her injuries, she sustained an early-spring broken leg, which required her to have a high-intensity operation, a metal plate put in above her ankle, and a period of time spent with her leg in an elevated sling.

But Lea, who was fifteenth at the Tokyo Olympics with ‘Fighty’, didn’t have time to be injured: she’d hoped to use Pau as her final qualifying result for Paris, and now, the spring season – and her chance to pin that last qualification down – was slipping away.

“The doctors told me I had to lie down for eight weeks, but there wasn’t enough time – so after the eight weeks, I went straight to Baborowko [CCI4*-L] having only ridden a few times beforehand,” says Lea. And those rides? All stirrupless.

“The doctors said I could try that, because stirrups would put a lot of pressure on the break. And that really just made me feel exhausted. It was quite intense, and the doctors were trying really hard.”

But her eyes were on the prize, and while she didn’t know how her leg would hold up to ten minutes of galloping, she made the trip and got the qualification. In Paris, though, all that work would come crumbling down: DSP Fighting Line was held, and then eliminated, at the first horse inspection.

“He was in great shape and feeling good, and he’s done an international since, but in Paris, that was just shit,” admits Lea, who plans to head to Pau again later on this month to rewrite her story there.

That, and this, are part of a broader plan to get herself back on top form: a chance to tackle big fences again, with horses she knows inside and out and trusts intrinsically, ahead of a long off-season of physio, strengthening, and rebuilding at the base she shares with her partner, Swiss five-star champion Felix Vogg. And her partner for this week will be a huge part of it: the fourteen-year-old Van Helsing P, with whom she sits third overnight on a score of 28.7, has been by her side from the start of his career, through the Young Rider European Championships in 2019, and at two Senior European Championships.

“Van Helsing was always the type who’d give 200% at a competition, and both he and DSP Fighting Line have really felt like they’ve looked after me since my injuries,” says Lea. “It’s like they know. And so I’m really happy to have him here this week, and in such good form. He’s much more relaxed now, and he can show more his potential than when he was a bit younger. He always wanted to try too hard — he wanted to be too nice. And now, he’s a bit calmer.”

Max Warburton and Monbeg Exclusive. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Great Britain’s Max Warburton very nearly stole the lead at the end of the day, but a blip in the flying changes meant he had to settle for equal third place overnight and a score of 28.7 with his Badminton mount, Monbeg Exclusive.

“It’s a shame, because the changes would usually be a pretty solid thing for him, but he was very, very good,” says Max of the thirteen-year-old, who he took on from Andrew Nicholson in 2022.

A calm, fluid test for the pair was offset by the horse’s palpable excitement as he exited the ring – a whirling dervish experience that Max is well used to by now.

“He’s always going, but normally he knows when it’s dressage and he behaves himself – then he comes out of the test and he’s like, ‘it’s cross-country!’,” he laughs.

Alex Hua Tian and Poseidons Admiral. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

China’s Alex Hua Tian rounds out the top five on a score of 29 with eleven-year-old Poseidons Admiral, winner of last year’s Asian Games and this summer’s Strzegom CC4*-L.

“He’s got a lot better with looking at things, and he’s growing up very quickly now,” says Alex. “Next year, I’m really hopeful that with all the work we’ve done this year, he’ll be quite reliable in the ring. He feels like a very exciting up-and-coming four-star horse – I say up-and-coming, because he’s still uber-careful.”

That carefulness, he continues, is at its peak in muddy conditions – and if there’s one defining feature of Boekelo this week, it’s definitely mud.

“I’m glad I ran him at Blair [in August], because I think that that taught me a lot about him, and I think he learned a lot as well,” he says. “The muddier it is, the higher he jumps, and he still needs a bit more time, a bit more experience to learn that he needs to save himself a little bit. So I think if we run this week, it’ll be a good experience for him again, to just try and be a little bit less extra.”

If they do get to run – patches of standing water notwithstanding – Alex plans to run him faster and more competitively than he did at Blair, where he took it steady and let the gelding learn over the tougher course and terrain.

“I think I’ll run him competitively, because I think he’s confident enough to have a crack, but at the same time managing expectations that if he tries too hard again at the beginning, I might just have to take the foot off the gas,” he says.

Calvin Böckmann and Altair de la Cense. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Germany’s Calvin Böckmann sits sixth overnight with his former Young Rider mount Altair de la Cense on a 29.4 – a score that was just slightly lowered by an extravagant spook on the A end of the arena – while Cosby Green is best of the US contingent so far in overnight eighth place with eight-year-old Cooley Seeing Magic, who produced a 29.9 in his CCI4*-L debut.

“I’m really happy with him,” says Cosby, who finished 34th with the gelding at last month’s Blenheim CCI4*-S, where he began his week scoring in the mid-30s. “He’s kind of been quietly produced, without running at many internationals, but it’s really just been all about establishing those fundamentals that he has, and that’s really come through whenever we need it.”

That approach – minimal internationals and more focus on low-pressure national-level runs – has been a tactic introduced to Cosby by her mentors Tim and Jonelle Price, the latter of whom she inherited the gelding from last year.

“I think it was maybe a week or two after coming to England, back in March last year — Jonelle just said, ‘get on this horse and go do a Novice’, and he was amazing. We’ve been best friends ever since.”

This weekend’s cross-country track will be “the biggest test he’s ever done — but he’s just dead obedient, and he’ll jump where I tell him to go. So I’m just going to attack the course and try to go as fast as I need to go to get over the size of the fence, and just listen to them. But I really have a lot of faith in our fitness program. I know he’s ready to take it on, and it’s going to be a huge askm but our partnership’s so good.”

Lauren Nicholson and Larcot Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Lauren Nicholson sits thirteenth on the second of her two rides, eleven-year-old Larcot Z, who was formerly produced by Reagan Lafleur and Will Coleman. The pair put a 32.1 on the board – a higher score than they’ve tended to produce, which Lauren didn’t feel reflected the quality of the Zangersheide’s work in the ring.

“I’m just always a little disappointed when the judges kind of won’t have an opinion — like, they kind of stick on 6.5,” says Lauren. “Either like it or don’t! It’s hard as riders – but he was very good; he’s young, and it’s the first time he’s really seen an atmosphere.”

Larcot is owned by birthday girl Jacqueline Mars and former campaigner Reagan, who she credits with putting a super base on him as a younger horse.

“I’m very, very lucky Reagan and Will had him before me, because I’ve really been able to hit the ground running since,” says Lauren. “I’ve had him about a year, and we’re still pretty new to each other. He’s got a plethora of nicknames from every stable he’s been in – I call him Huck Finn, because he’s very charming and handsome and not mean-spirited in the slightest — just a bit ornery!”

Since taking him on, she says, Larcot’s work has “gotten stronger and stronger and more connected, stronger and stronger behind – and he’s still got so much lift to gain still.  We’re still getting to know each other; we’re just learning what he is and what he likes.”

For Lauren, her early-morning test with first ride I’ll Have Another was “a bit shite,” she laughs – but a class-leading score was never her aim today with the eleven-year-old Latvian Warmblood (Gaultjers x Kameja, by Cavalero), who she rides for Brandye Randermann.

Instead, she says, this trip – and this season – is all about exposing the gelding to the wider world.

“A lot of people don’t really know the story on him, and on paper it’s funny, because it’s like, ‘what is happening?!’” says Lauren, who sits 50th overnight with the gelding. “But this is actually the first season that I’ve really been able to train him.”

Lauren, who has piloted him throughout his eventing career – a career in just its third season – had long felt that there was a piece of the puzzle she couldn’t figure out with him. One day, she might get an impressive mid-20s score with him in a national class; the next time out, he might move up into the 30s or even the 40s.

“Late last summer, we found out with an MRI that he had a lot of neck issues – arthritis and chips and all sorts of things going on in there,” she says. “I’d been like, ‘well, I don’t usually make horses shut down; I’m generally pretty good on the flat’, and so that explained so much. And once we treated it, he’s been like a whole new horse since.”

“Thank god his owner Brandy is like, the most patient, lovely person. Between her and Christa Schmidt and Ms Mars, it’s so nice, because they’re all so horse-friendly. She believed me when I wanted to do an MRI, even though the X-rays didn’t show anything, and so we were so relieved to find something.”

Lauren Nicholson and I’ll Have Another. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This is I’ll Have Another’s third CCI4*-L dressage test: he made his debut this year at Tryon in May, putting a 35.8 on the board and then retiring across the country. The next month, he and Lauren rallied on their reroute to Bromont, finishing fifth in that tough CCI4*-L after starting on a much-improved 32.8. Today, they rather plummeted back down to a 41.1 thanks to some tension and subsequent small mistakes, including a lead swap in the canter extension, but even early in the morning, Boekelo’s main arena provides a buzzy, distracting atmosphere, and one that’s an essential part of the gelding’s ongoing education.

And pushing through a slightly trying day on the flat? Well, that’s easier done when, as Lauren does, you believe in a horse this much.

“The test wasn’t as good as it should be, but I feel like I can work on it now – and he’s a good, old-fashioned, hot event horse,” she says. “I rate him as much as any horse I’ve ever had as far as cross-country goes, and I’m actually thrilled with the weather here, and all the rain, because he’s that kind of horse that’ll come through on a day nothing else gets around. He’s a real scrapper, and he really fights for the flags. He’s very green in a lot of ways, but in a lot of ways, I think both the horses I’ve got here will be better than anything I’ve ever had. One day, we’ll see that on paper!”

Boekelo, Lauren tells us, has been a crucial lynchpin in the development of almost all of her superstars’ careers.

“It’s always been very good for me – I brought Veronica here, and Bug [Vermiculus] did his first four long here, and Patrick [Landmarks Monte Carlo], and Meadowbrook’s Scarlett. So iIt’s worked well for us in the past!”

Olivia Dutton and Sea of Clouds. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Olivia Dutton and the ex-racehorse Sea of Clouds produced a sweet test for a 34.2 – pretty much bang-on their predicted score – to sit in twentieth place going into the second day of dressage.

“He tried really hard for me. I was maybe hoping for a little bit better of a score, but the changes were a little anticipated, so I think that’s where we lost some of the points. But he really tried hard for me, and did a pretty mistake-free test,” says Olivia, who took the ride on ‘Socsy’ on from her father, Phillip, in late 2022.

“We’ve actually had him since he was four years old. Our friends Graham and Anita had him as a racehorse, and they thought he would be better suited as an event horse — so it’s worked out very well for us, but it’s also extremely nice that my dad has himvery well-trained. The last few years we’ve really created a great partnership together, and he knows me very well, and I know him very well.”

Together, they’re embarking on their first venture abroad – and Olivia says there’s no horse she’d rather be doing it with.

“It’s really amazing, and I feel very lucky for this opportunity to even come here, and just to get this experience on this horse is really amazing. It’ll definitely be tough, but he’s a tough horse. He’s a racehorse, and I think that might benefit us a little bit. He’s very gritty and when it gets harder, he just gets tougher so hopefully it’ll work out for us!”

Alexa Gartenberg and Cooley Kildare. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Alexa Gartenberg begins her Boekelo debut in overnight 27th place on a score of 35.3 with the former Sharon White mount Cooley Kildare, with whom she’s been learning the ropes of life on the British eventing scene for the last couple of years.

“I was meant to come just for last year, and then I stayed for this year, and now I’m figuring out how to stay even longer,” admits Alexa, who’s been based with Australian Olympian Kevin McNab and his wife, Emma, throughout her sojourn in the UK.

Their guidance, and the stark differences of the UK scene, have all come together to help her prepare for this moment, she says.

“It’s definitely, like, experiences that you can’t get at home,” she says. “I mean, you can just go out here and see the footing here — I’m sure everyone that’s not familiar with this footing will obviously find it’ll take an extra toll on their horses. In England, you get this footing, you get hard footing – you’re ready for everything.”

Alexa and ‘Kili’ had only come together as a partnership six months or so before moving to the UK, and since then, Alexa says, the aim has been to get themselves mileage and confidence across the phases.

“It’s just getting us the miles at this level. He’s actually quite an insecure horse, and gets a bit nervous, I think because he just internalizes everything. If you, like, pet him and are just hanging out with him, you wouldn’t think he has a bother in the world. But I think it’s just because he just internalizes everything, so it’s just about growing his confidence and growing my confidence. But he’s a machine.”

Sophia Middlebrook and Prontissimo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Like Olivia Dutton, Sophia Middlebrook is making her European debut this week aboard the ten-year-old Baltic-bred Prontissimo, who she’s been learning the ropes at the upper levels with.

“I’m so lucky with him – he’s one of those horses who doesn’t think about an atmosphere, so my warm-up tends to translate into the arena,” says Sophia, who sits 33rd overnight on a 36.5. “He’s funny. He’s like, one of those sleeper agents: he’s so quiet, he’s like a kid’s horse, and then every now and then he turns on, like a little quicker, and you just don’t know when. But I mean, otherwise, I’m happy that he’s so reasonable. Really, a sweet, sweet kind horse.”

The opportunity to ride Prontissimo came through owner Christa Schmidt, who initially bought him to be her own competition horse.

“He’d done one two-star before she got him, so he was so quite green, and when he [was imported], he was just big and long and  with no brakes and no steering. And so she was like, ‘I think he’s got more in him. Let’s just see take them as far as we can.’ I’m obviously so grateful to have had that opportunity – she’s so generous to me in letting me take my time with him, because it’s both of our first time [at the upper levels].”

Tomorrow sees a further 46 horses and riders take to the dressage arena, with 43 of those coming forward as members of Nations Cup teams. You can look at the times in full here, or catch tomorrow’s US riders at these times:

  • 35 a.m. (8.35 a.m. BST/3.35 a.m. EST) – Mary Bess Davis and Imperio Magic
  • 07 a.m. (10.07 a.m. BST/5.07 a.m. EST) – Cassie Sanger and Redfield Fyre
  • 39 p.m. (11.39 a.m. BST/6.39 a.m. EST) – Hallie Coon and Cute Girl
  • 11 p.m. (14.11 p.m. BST/9.11 a.m. EST) – Phillip Dutton and Possante

As usual, you can tune in to the live stream via ClipMyHorse.TV, and head on back to EN tomorrow afternoon for an in-depth look at everything that went down between the boards. Until then: Go Eventing!

The top ten after day one of dressage at Boekelo.

Military Boekelo Links: Website | Times & Live Scores | Live Stream | EN’s Coverage

Sport Horse Nation Spotlight: 5 Gorgeous Grays

By on Oct 10, 2024 12:30 pm -

In the market for a new four-legged partner? You may find your unicorn on our (recently redesigned!) sister site, Sport Horse Nation. Each week we feature a few current listings for inspo. To celebrate the relaunch, EN readers get unlimited free SHN listings until Oct. 10 with promo code “GoEventing” at checkout. Check it out today!

Whether you’re in the market for a future superstar just earning their stripes or a seasoned international competitor, Sport Horse Nation believes there’s a perfect home for every horse. Our latest edition of “Spotlight” features five gorgeous grays ranging in experience from “started under saddle this summer” (with an adorable baby rose grey coat to match) to “has traveled the world, with wins all the way up through the 4* level” (accompanied by a full white coat of wisdom).

What’s your shade of grey?

Experienced Winning 4* Horse/Safe/YR and Amateur friendly

  • Name: FE Missisippi (“Missi”)
  • Year Born: 2010
  • Height: 16.2
  • Breed: Wurettemburg
  • Gender: Mare
  • Eventing Competition Level: Preliminary
  • Comfortable Show Jumping Height: 1.30 meters
  • Comfortable Dressage Schooling Level: Fourth Level
  • Location: Mooresville, NC, USA
  • “FE Mississippi has traveled the world, with wins all the way up through the 4* level. She has represented Canada at both the Pan American Games and World Eventing Championships! Missi loves her job!  She’s easy to ride, knows all the dressage tricks and has super changes. She knows her job xc, is always looking for the flags and is a lovely jumper. Read more …”

Carla Z: this big mare has it all

  • Name : Carla Z
  • Year Born: 2018
  • Height: 17
  • Breed: Zangersheide
  • Gender: Mare
  • Eventing Competition Level: Prospect
  • Location: Middleburg, VA, USA
  • “Carla is a class act! We have really been enjoying having this big mare in the barn. She is ready for a new rider to take the reins and finish her in any direction. She could be a true three ring wonder with the style to do the hunters, the technique to do a jumpers, and the ridability to do eventing. Carla has it all– lovely movement, a great jump, beautiful technique, and a big rolling stride. Read more …“

Dreamy Imported Connemara Cross For Sale

  • Name: Excel Star Balboa
  • Year Born: 2020
  • Height: 16
  • Breed: Connemara Cross
  • Gender: Gelding
  • Eventing Competition Level: Prospect
  • Location: Nottingham, West Nottingham Township, PA, USA
  • “Ever wish you could smush your bestie and your favorite horse into one perfect horsey shaped bundle? Meet Excel Star Balboa, a charming, newly imported Connemara cross who is everything you could want in a new partner and more! Kind, smart, athletic, forgiving, he will charm you into making him your new bestie for life! Read more …“

Talented and athletic gelding with a great personality

  • Name: Monbeg Ulysses
  • Year Born: 2019
  • Height: 16.1
  • Breed: ISH
  • Gender: Gelding
  • Eventing Competition Level: Prospect
  • Location: Clermont, FL, USA
  • “Better know as Cruise in the barn, is an exceptional young horse with a willing attitude and the talent to match to continue in any direction. Simple on the flat, soft in the mouth with three uphill gaits and an extremely comfortable canter. Currently jumping 3’ft courses. Cruise could easily cross over into the hunter jumper world and continue his career as a three ring horse. Read more …“

She’s Got The Money: great prospect

  • Name: She’s Got the Money (“Honey”)
  • Year Born: 2021
  • Height: 16
  • Breed: Thoroughbred
  • Gender:  Mare
  • Eventing Competition Level: Prospect
  • Location: Dickerson, MD, USA
  • Excerpt: “Honey is un-raced and was started under saddle this summer. She is green, but willing and a quick learner! Honey is currently doing basic flatwork, jumping small fences, and hacking out. She has a quiet temperament and is easy to ride. Honey shows lots of potential and is a great prospect to bring along! Read more … “

Preview the First US Equestrian Open of Eventing Qualifier Leg at Morven Park Fall International

By on Oct 10, 2024 9:00 am -

There’s much to look forward to this weekend as the Morven Park Fall International & H.T. prepares for take-off, hosting a slew of championship divisions and a qualifier leg for the new US Equestrian Open. Let’s take a look at what’s on tap in beautiful Leesburg, VA.

Boyd Martin and Commando 3. Photo by Sally Spickard.

The Offerings

Morven Park’s CCI4*-L is a major fall destination for horses needing an MER qualification. It’s a tough track on par with its counterpart at Bromont with a Derek di Grazia-designed cross country that takes full advantage of the rolling terrain and expansive space found on the property. Truthfully, there’s certainly enough room on this property to host a CCI5*! Derek di Grazia took over designing here after the tragic passing of former designer Tremaine Cooper in 2021.

Also on offer this weekend is a CCI4*-S division as well as FEI divisions from 2*-S up, and National divisions from Novice through Preliminary. Within the CCI3*-S and CCI2*-S are the USEF/USEA Developing Horse National Championship for 6- and 7-year-olds. Want to learn more about the field? Click on over to the USEA’s Fast Facts here.

Within the two 4* divisions, a trophy for the top-placed American-bred horse will be awarded by MARS Equestrian, with an additional $15,000 in prize monies up for grabs for this prize.

For the 4*-S division, we’ll see the first Qualifier leg for the brand-new US Equestrian Open, a circuit aimed at promoting the three Olympic disciplines ahead of the LA Olympics in 2028. $2 million in prize money is on offer across the three disciplines of dressage, show jumping, and eventing, and $250k is up for grabs in eventing alone. Morven Park is the first of 18 qualifier legs spanning the country. Riders are given points based on their placing at event qualifier leg they complete, putting them in the running to earn the season points bonus as well as qualify for the final, which will take place here at Morven Park in October of 2025. Qualification for the final, which will be at CCI4*-L competition, is achieved by earning at least one MER from a qualifier leg. For the series bonus, riders’ six best scores will be factored in for the final ranking. You can see an explainer of the series here.

The Piedmont Equine Practice will award prizes to the top-placed U25 riders in the CCI3*-S and the combined 4*-L and 4*-S divisions. The Rockview Mr. Diamond Award will be given to the top-placed rider in the Preliminary Rider division. Finally, the Sparrow’s Nio Award will be given to a pair in the CCI3*-S, selected by the Ground Jury, who demonstrates incredible partnership with their horse throughout the weekend.

The Schedule

Beautiful Morven Park! Photo by Sally Spickard.

We’ll kick things off with the First Horse Inspection for the CCI4*-L division on Thursday, October 10 at 3:00 p.m. EST.

Dressage will begin on Friday, October 11, with the 4* divisions going first and concluding with 2*-S dressage. National divisions will start their competition with dressage and show jumping on Saturday, October 12.

On Saturday, we’ll see the FEI divisions tackle cross country, starting at 9:00 a.m. EST with the 3*-S, followed by the 4* divisions and ending the day with the standard 2* divisions, which will have show jumped earlier in the day on Saturday.

Sunday brings about our Final Horse Inspection for the 4*-L, followed by show jumping for all FEI divisions except the standard 2*-S and National cross country. Show jumping begins with the 2* Young Horse competitors and concluding with the 4* divisions.

How to Watch Live

Dana Cooke and FE Quattro. Photo by Sally Spickard.

You’ll have two opportunities to watch live all weekend, including one option to catch at least some of the action for free by accessing the Morven Park YouTube channel. USEF Network on ClipMyHorse.TV will also carry CCI4*-L and CCI4*-S dressage, all cross country on Saturday, and all show jumping on Sunday. You can access this live stream using your ClipMyHorse account or by linking your USEF account for free access. You can find instructions on how to link your accounts here.

Who’s Competing

The Morven Park Leaf Pit. Photo by Sally Spickard.

18 horses and riders are entered in the CCI4*-L and 16 are entered in the CCI4*-S. The list for the 4*-L includes Great Britain’s Lucienne Bellissimo with both Dyri (who just won the 4*-S at Stable View Oktoberfest) and Tremanton, ticking off more boxes as she aims for a potential 5* next spring. Buck Davidson’s ride, Cooley Candyman, was second in the 4*-L here in 2021 and will be looking for a clean finish this weekend after picking up a pesky 20 on cross country at Tryon’s 4*-L earlier this year. Ariel Grald’s stunning Isla de Coco, who’s not finished worse than third in FEI competition since competing here as a 7-year-old in 2021, will tackle her first 4*-L after some intentional prep and solid finishes in her three previous 4*-S starts. Canadian Olympian Colleen Loach will bring forward FE Golden Eye for his major fall goal. Allison Springer will bring back her Bromont 4*-L winner, No May Moon, for another crack at the level after showing us all how it’s done in fine fashion at the tough Canadian venue in June. Arden Wildasin and Sunday Times are also inching toward a 5* debut next year, having competed well at Bromont this spring and now aiming for an equally strong finish at Morven Park.

In the 4*-S divisions, we’ll see riders such as Mia Farley, bringing her younger horses Invictus and BGS Calculated Chaos for a crack, Hannah Sue Hollberg and former Allison Springer ride Business Ben, Erin Kanara with another OTTB in Charmed Victory, Ema Klugman and RF Redfern, Emile Beshear Mastervich’s VHC Eventing 3* winner Rio de Janerio, and a slew of other competitive combinations both early on in their 4* career and carrying more experience.

This is, of course, by no means a full list, so you can view all of the entries across divisions here.

I will be our eyes and ears on the ground this weekend as I arrive on Thursday evening, so stay tuned for daily reports from the action! Also, if you’re grooming at Morven Park — or if you know a #Supergroom working here this weekend — please nominate yourself or someone you know for our Achieve Equine #Supergroom Award! Nominations close on Friday, October 11.

Morven Park Fall International & H.T. (VA): [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [YouTube Channel] [USEF Network] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Thursday News & Notes from TerraNova Equestrian

By on Oct 10, 2024 12:01 am -

Some special news coming ahead of Pau at the end of this month: Gwendolyn Fer’s European Championships and 5* partner, Romantic Love, will be formally retired on Sunday following show jumping. This pair won Pau in 2017, adding to their pile of five FEI wins and 17 top-5 finishes spanning a 13-year career. Many happy returns to this incredible horse!

U.S. Weekend Preview

Morven Park Fall International & H.T. (VA): [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [YouTube Channel] [USEF Network] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

The Event at Isaacks Ranch (NM): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring]

Redefined Equestrian H.T. (CO): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Pine Hill Fall H.T. (TX): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [Volunteer]

Poplar Place Farm October H.T. (GA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

Military Boekelo CCIO4*-L (Netherlands): [Website] [Entries/Timing/Scoring] [ClipMyHorse.TV Live Stream] [FEI YouTube Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

News & Reading

Keep up with updates on Hurricane Milton as the storm makes landfall on Florida’s Gulf coast.

Eventing Nation and Horse Nation are pleased to present our upcoming Holiday Gift Guide series! A series of gift idea lists aimed at everything from the Organizational Freak to the Tech Nerd in your family or barn group, this series will launch in mid-November to help all of the hapless gift givers out there with a gift you’ll ACTUALLY want. If your brand would like to place a product into a list or even obtain full ownership of an exclusive list just for you, visit this link to fill out our interest form. Placements in these lists start at $250, and insertions are being taken until November 11.

EN’s classified site, Sport Horse Nation, got a makeover! It’s still the eventers-only online marketplace you know and love, but we’ve added advanced user features and upgraded search functionality to make it easier for riders to connect with the unicorns they’re searching for. EN readers get unlimited free listings until October 10th with promo code “GoEventing” at checkout. Check it out today! [SHN]

Don’t forget to nominate a #Supergroom working at Morven Park this weekend for our Achieve Equine award! Nominations close tomorrow (October 11).

Early bird ticket pricing launches TODAY for the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event! Score the best pricing on your tickets for the #BestWeekendAllYear here.

Jimmy Wofford’s legacy lives on in the Legacy Scholarship offered in his honor by the Waredaca Eventing Education Foundation. Area VI young rider Keira McKeon reflects on the benefits of this award and the education it provides in her write-up for the USEA. [Read it here]

German rider Malin Hansen-Hotopp has been awarded the Golden Riding Badge in her hometown of Schleswig-Holstein, commemorating her accomplishments (which this year include a top-5 finish in her first 5* at Kentucky). [Read more on the award]

Dutch venue Kronenberg has resigned its post as organizer of the 2025 FEI Pony European Championships for Dressage and Eventing. The FEI now seeks a new organizer and host venue, with a portal for applying open until October 23. This leaves more than one European Championship in flux, as we also do not have a date or venue announced for what would be the 2025 FEI European Championships for Eventing. [Read the story]

Sponsor Corner: TerraNova Equestrian Center

Giving back has always been at the heart of every horse show at TerraNova Equestrian Center. Since its inaugural event in 2021, TerraNova has partnered with several charities to raise money for local causes. This fall, TerraNova Equestrian Center is taking this giving to the next level with commitments to three charities: The Azinger Family Compassion Center, Easterseals Ranch, and Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee.

Featured during The Event at TerraNova in November, Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee is bringing its popular Empty Bowls charity fundraiser back to TerraNova for a second year. Held Saturday, November 16th from 11am to 2pm, Empty Bowls symbolize the importance of coming together to fill the bowls of our friends and neighbors in need. This community event benefits The Food Bank of Manatee, a PLUS program of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee.

Read more about the awesome efforts TerraNova makes for its community here.

Video Break

The new season of Horse & Country’s original series, Riding the the Reddens, is out now! Tune in for the first episode below, and find the rest on H&C+ here.

One Horse Withdrawn at High-Octane Boekelo First Horse Inspection

By on Oct 9, 2024 11:18 am -

Military Boekelo: we’re fine. Everything’s fine. (Send help.) Photo by Tilly Berendt.

At most horse inspections, the small talk – and there’s a lot of small talk – goes something like this.

“Hi! How are you! How have you been! How are your horses! How’s your wife! Isn’t this weather funny! Horse horse horse!”

At Military Boekelo CCIO4*-L, the FEI Nations Cup finale, the crown jewel of the Dutch eventing scene, and the party capital of our sport, it goes a bit more like this:

“How are you alive? Is that a black eye? Where did you wake up this morning? If I don’t find a burger soon I’m going to garrot myself with a lead rope and a hoof pick.”

Often, I find photographing a Sunday morning final horse inspection quite hard work, mostly because everyone looks incredibly tired and lacking in joie de vivre. At Boekelo, it’s the first horse inspection that’s the problem, because nary a one of us has escaped without mud in our hair, bags upon bags under our eyes, and a green pallor kind of reminiscent of those 1970s avocado bathroom suites. My last memory from Tuesday night’s famously raucous party is watching one rider’s dog roll gleefully in another rider’s puddle of sick; my penultimate memory is seeing Tim Price’s sad, wet, mud-covered flip flops abandoned under a table next to the dance floor while their asbestos-toed owner merrily Irish jigged his way into the sea of people. We are a sorry species today. We are not well. You mustn’t pity a single one of us. We only have ourselves to blame.

Are Giovanni Ugolotti’s sunglasses a fashion statement or a cry for help? It’s hard to say. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

But nevertheless, we persisted. We might not have been thriving, but surviving felt like enough of a win, and the fact that everyone made it up from the stables to the first horse inspection, held in front of ground jury Laure Eslan (FRA), Angela Tucker (GBR), and Stuart Bishell (NZL) means that everyone deserves a rosette in our eyes. (Including, frankly, us.)

That we all made it through the next couple of hours and nearly 100 horses – and drama after drama after drama – without crying is also hugely commendable.

At one point, the holding box looked like this:

And then, four hours or twenty minutes later, depending on the hangover level of the person you happened to ask, it looked a little bit like this:

In total, there were six horses sent to the hold over the course of the presentation, and a further three asked to trot a second time. Sweden’s Amanda Andersson and Jersey, the USA’s Sophia Middlebrook and Prontissimo, and Dutch competitors Jordy Wilken and Carrickview Ambassodor were each given a second go up the strip, and while Amanda and Sophia were then accepted into the competition, Jordy’s mount was reallocated to the holding box, where he joined a rather illustrious line-up made up of fellow countryman Jan Mathijssen and Geronimo, Ireland’s Susie Berry and Clever Trick, the USA’s Cassie Sanger and Redfield Fyre as well as Lauren Nicholson and I’ll Have Another and Dan Krietl and Carmango.

Susie Berry and Clever Trick. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The reason for all the excitement? By anyone’s reckoning, it came down to a trot-up strip that was rather rockier than expected: as at last year’s event, we made use of the new trot-up location in a cul-de-sac by the venue’s tarmac parking lot, with a surface put down for the purpose. After the first smattering of holds, though, competitors began to warn their friends and teammates about the stones in the middle, and the subsequent presentees came forward expecting first to try to avoid them, and then to potentially have the bum-clenching stress of a visit to the holding box.

Dan Krietl and Carmango. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

In the end, though, we lost just one combination from our initial line-up of 98 starters. That was, sadly, Indiana’s Dan Krietl, who’d made the long journey over with fan favourite Carmango for their second European trip in as many years, this time as the recipient of the Dutta Grant. He opted to withdraw the eleven-year-old from the holding box without re-presenting.

“I was quite surprised,” he admits, “because I rode him this morning and he felt great, and he felt good when I trotted him up. But if there’s something there then I have to try to look at it as good news, because I’d have run him this week thinking he felt really great.”

Dan and his team are planning to take a closer look at the gelding and pinpoint any potential issues, and, if this is just one of those moments of rotten luck at a horse inspection, he’ll plan a reroute in the States, potentially at TerraNova.

Is Dutch Olympian Sanne de Jong the only person having fun here right now? MAYBE. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The competition here at Boekelo will now begin in earnest from tomorrow morning, which will herald day one of dressage, and the turn of our individual competitors. That’ll start at 9.00 a.m. local time (8.00 a.m. BST/3.00 a.m. EST), with Great Britain’s Harrison Colling and Trevi Fountain first to go. On Friday, we’ll see the 11 teams battle it out between the boards for the leg win. The 2024 series title is, in effect, written on the wall: the series leaderboard currently sees France in a commanding lead on 370 points, followed by Great Britain and Germany, tied for second place on 240 points and 100 points can be earned here for victory. You can find tomorrow’s times in full here, or, if you’re tuning in to the livestream on ClipMyHorse.TV to cheer on our ten-strong US contingent, you can see the first batch of them do their tests tomorrow at these times:

  • 9.35 a.m. (8.35 a.m. BST/3.35 a.m. EST) – Lauren Nicholson and I’ll Have Another
  • 10.25 a.m. (9.25 a.m. BST/4.25 a.m. EST) – Olivia Dutton and Sea of Clouds
  • 12.04 p.m. (11.04 a.m. BST/6.04 a.m. EST) – Alexa Gartenberg and Cooley Kildaire
  • 12.25 p.m. (11.25 a.m. BST/6.25 a.m. EST) – Sophia Middlebrook and Prontissimo
  • 15.46 p.m. (14.46 p.m. BST/9.46 a.m. EST) – Cosby Green and Cooley Seeing Magic
  • 16.07 p.m (15.07 p.m. BST/10.07 a.m. EST) – Lauren Nicholson and Larcot Z

We’ll be back tomorrow, full of electrolytes and hopefully slightly less sadness, to bring you everything you need to know from day one of dressage — and probably, as always, a fair amount of stuff you neither need nor want to know, too. Join us as we descend into madness and Military Boekelo.

Military Boekelo Links: Website | Times & Live Scores | Live Stream | EN’s Coverage

Nominate a Groom at Morven Park for EN’s Achieve Equine #Supergroom Award

By on Oct 9, 2024 10:30 am -

It’s time for another round of our Achieve Equine #Supergroom Award! This time, we’re hitting the road to give out some in-person awards, one at Morven Park this weekend and others at the MARS Maryland 5 Star next weekend. Stay tuned for the nomination form for Maryland 5 Star grooms, as well our upcoming winter #supergroom Award that will be open to all grooms.

For now, we’d appreciate if you took a moment to nominate a hardworking groom who is working at Morven Park Fall International this weekend for one of two #Supergroom backpacks with a few surprises inside. Nominations will close on Friday, October 11, and we’ll contact the winners to get them their prizes over the weekend at Morven Park.

To nominate a #Supergroom, click here or use the form embedded below. Good luck to all, and Go Eventing!

Morven Park Fall International & H.T. (VA): [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [YouTube Channel] [USEF Network] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

How to Follow Military Boekelo CCIO4*-L This Weekend

By on Oct 9, 2024 9:00 am -

Hallie Coon and Cute Girl jump into the main water at Boekelo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We’re kicking things off on a busy weekend of top-level eventing with two major CCI4*-L events happening here in the U.S. at Morven Park and also at Military Boekelo in the Netherlands. As I write this, the First Horse Inspection at Boekelo will be wrapping up, so you can anticipate a jog report coming from Tilly Berendt later on today. In the meantime, here are some more bits of information to help you follow along all weekend.

The Schedule

Tomorrow sees the start of two very full days of dressage, with 97 entries finalized for the start of competition. This is down from the original number of 103, and we do see that the USA’s Dan Kreitl has unfortunately withdrawn Carmango from competition before it begins; Tilly tells us he was sent to the hold along with several others in the field and then withdrew from the hold. She’ll have more in her forthcoming jog report.

Dressage will kick off at 9:00 a.m. local time, which is about 3:00 a.m. EST, on Thursday and Friday, 10/10 and 10/11.

From there, we’ll move to a full day of cross country on Saturday (10/12), also beginning at 9:00 a.m. local time / 3:00 a.m. EST.

Show jumping will commence at 10:30 a.m. local time / 4:30 a.m. EST on Sunday (10/13) to determine the final individual and Nations Cup team winners.

How to Watch Live

There will be two live streams to follow this weekend, one on ClipMyHorse.TV (which you’ll need a membership to watch — more info on that here) as well as on the FEI YouTube channel, which is free. You can find all of the scheduled live streams on the FEI YouTube channel here. All three phases will be broadcast on both streams.

Who’s Competing

More like — who isn’t competing? Boekelo is a big destination for many riders based in Europe, and it’s also one circled on the U.S. Eventing Team’s calendar each fall. The atmosphere at Boekelo — known amongst eventers as a perfect party venue, featuring a raucous competitors’ welcome party on Tuesday evening each year — is unmatched, with spectators crowding in on cross country day to imbibe while taking in the action. This and it’s up-to-standard CCI4*-L course makes it a standout for competitors looking to tick off an MER for a 5* next spring or to gain some strong Nations Cup experience.

A total of eight Nations Cup teams representing Germany, Ireland, USA, Great Britain, Sweden, the Netherlands, France, and New Zealand. Representing the USA are team riders Phillip Dutton and Possante, Mary Bess Davis and Imperio Magic, Cassie Sanger and Redfield Fyre, and Hallie Coon with Cute Girl. Also representing the USA this week are Lauren Nicholson with both I’ll Have Another and Larcot Z, Olivia Dutton and Sea of Clouds, Alexa Gartenberg and Cooley Kildaire, Sophia Middlebrook and Prontissimo, and Cosby Green with Cooley Seeing Magic.

You can view the full list of entries here, which is the same link that will serve as your leaderboard throughout the weekend. Stay tuned for much more coming your way all weekend from Boekelo!

Military Boekelo CCIO4*-L (Netherlands): [Website] [Entries/Timing/Scoring] [ClipMyHorse.TV Live Stream] [FEI YouTube Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]