Classic Eventing Nation

Doug Payne and Vandiver Grab the Win in The Fork at TIEC CCI4*-S

By on Apr 4, 2021 10:30 pm -

Doug Payne and Vandiver. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Sunday saw thrilling finishes across the board for The Fork at TIEC presented by Nutrena®, but none as definitive as Doug Payne (USA) topping the leaderboard in the ProElite® CCI4*-S Division, in addition to top-ten placings with Quantum Leap and Starr Witness, in fifth and eighth. In between rides and coaching across all divisions in Eventing, Payne was also winning in the Jumper rings as part of Tryon Welcome 2 competition, where he went two-for-two aboard Quintessence. Read more about Tryon Welcome 2 results here.

Sunday at Tryon International Equestrian Center and Resort (TIEC) saw competitors contest Cross-Country and Show Jumping phases of The Fork at TIEC presented by Nutrena®, with upper levels challenging the Captain Mark Phillips (GBR) course design on the White Oak Cross-Country Course and Michel Vaillancourt (CAN) designing Show Jumping courses in Tryon Stadium. Read below to see results and interviews from all divisions.

Doug Payne (USA) and Vandiver, the 2004 Trakehner gelding (Windfall 2 – Visions of Grandeur, by Mystic Replica xx) owned by Debi Crowley and Doug and Jessica Payne, were the only pair to avoid adding time faults to their score after Cross-Country, securing the win in the ProElite® CCI 4*-S Division on a score of 25.7. Payne also collected fifth place with Quantum Leap, the 2011 DSP gelding (Quite Capitol – Report to Sloopy, by Corporate Report) owned by Doug and Jessica Payne, on a score of 34.6, while Starr Witness, the 2011 Dutch Warmblood mare (Chello III VDL – Carmen, by Veneur) owned by Laurie H. McRee, Doug Payne, and Catherine Winter, scored 37.9 to grab eighth place. Holding steady all weekend at second place, Boyd Martin (USA) finished on a score of 28.1 for reserve with Tsetserleg, the 2007 Trakehner gelding (Windfall *PG* – Thabanna, by Buddenbrock) owned by Christine, Thomas IV and Tommie Turner. Tamie Smith (USA) held onto the podium with Mai Baum, adding 7.2 to her score to finish with a 28.4 in third aboard the 2006 German Sport Horse gelding (Loredano – Ramira, by Rike) owned by Alexandra Ahearn, Ellen Ahearn and Eric Markell.

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Payne, whose three CCI 4*-S mounts are all qualified for Tokyo should he get the chance to go, reported that his goal with each horse was to “let them flow and see what we could get done,” which resulted in top ten finishes. “Quinn [Vandiver] is the old man of the group, but he’s just getting better and better each year! He’s honestly easy and efficient – it’s not that I wasn’t trying to go fast, but he’s just a quick horse. He covers the ground and is easy on himself,” Payne explained. “Whereas, with Quantum [Leap], who was pretty close to the time, every once in a while needs to be set up a little more. He’s a five-star horse in the making, without a doubt.”

Starr Witness, Payne’s Pan-American Games mount, is aiming at a 4*-L run in Jersey unlike the others, who are aimed at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, he explained. “Clearly, she’s a classy horse as well. She just doesn’t have the base fitness that the other two do at the moment. Fitness is a little less urgent with her right now. We’ll see what we can do the rest of the season!”

Doug Payne and Vandiver. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Payne was one of numerous riders to take advantage of jump schooling opportunities under the lights in Tryon Stadium and Dressage test of choice schooling offerings. “I think it’s a great opportunity, and honestly, under-utilized,” Payne shared. “You seldom ever get a chance to ride in an atmosphere that’s provided here, so to do that in a schooling environment is awesome. Hopefully that continues, because it was super valuable.

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

“Only at Tryon could you jump and event in the same weekend easily,” Payne emphasized about his multidiscipline weekend. “The footing [on Cross-Country] was excellent, I thought. It’s super helpful that they pulled the little jumps off last night. I can’t say enough [about the team here.] Tryon has done an excellent job here, and we look forward to coming back as often as we can!” Payne concluded, “I’m really lucky to have this group of horses and the team behind us that makes it all happen. There’s certainly a lot going on, but it’s great.”

Lucienne Elms and Tremanton. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Lucienne Elms and Tremanton Breeze to CCI 3*-S Win

Lucienne Elms (GBR) blazed around the White Oak Cross-Country Course with Tremanton to maintain their lead in the CCI 3*-S Division, finishing on a score of 28.9 for the win. Allison Springer (USA) and Crystal Crescent Moon, the 2013 Connemara cross gelding (Catherston Dazzler – Ebony Moon, by Mystic Replica) owned by Nancy Winter, grabbed reserve on a score of 29.3 after their double-clear Cross-Country run, while Tamie Smith and Solaguayre California, the 2011 Silla Argentina mare (Caspara – Solaguayre Calandria, by Casall) owned by David and Julianne Guariglia, kept their 30.8 score to receive third place.

Elms said that the 2012 Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain mare (Birkhof’s Graffenstolz – Trevia, by Hand in Glove) felt confident and balanced, lending to a speedier ride than she had anticipated. “Genuinely, my plan was actually just to let her find a rhythm and then not hassle her out a bit, but I set off riding forward and actually, the way they built it, the course rewarded quite forward riding, I guess, and the combinations were built to sort of just keep moving. So she felt confident, and balanced, and the ground was great. So I just kept the same rhythm and when I got to the furthest part of the course, I saw that I was on a pretty good time at that point. Every time she landed, I kept her just moving forward; she’s got a lot of blood in her with a natural gallop. I rode carefully through the second water. That was a little bit big for her. And then she had loads of gallop left!

“That’s the joy of her having a full thoroughbred dam: she can open up and dig deep when she needs to!” Elms emphasized. “But I’ll definitely now back off for a month or so to give her some time, but I’m really encouraged with that run. The course was brilliant; it was really educational, and there was a table on four strides to a corner on the way home. When they build like that, it’s lovely cause it just prepares them for the next level. It’s just lovely education for the horses’ brains.”

After a successful weekend with multiple rides beneath her, Elms is now looking to aim Tremanton for a 3*-L at the Tryon International Three-Day Event in November, after a lighter summer ahead of her. “I really just want to say thank you so much to the Tryon team for creating such a professional, international environment. The arenas and the footing are fantastic. I know how much effort they’ve had to put in, given that we had so much rain here last week,” she concluded.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Maya Black and Double Diamond C Dominate CCI 2*-S Division

Maya Black (USA) and Double Diamond C, the 2015 Hanoverian gelding (Diacontinus – Lois Lane CBF) owned by Laurie Cameron, capped off the weekend with a win in the CCI 2*-S Division, making light work of the White Oak Cross-Country course to finish on a score of 28.8. Meghan O’Donoghue (USA) and Fashionable Man, her own 2013 Thoroughbred gelding (Charitable Man – So Francie), claimed second place on a score of 30.8, while third place went to Jordan Crabo (USA) on a score of 32.3 aboard her own FE Uncle Sam, a 2014 Holsteiner gelding (Uriko – Tinka I, by Paramount).

Black summed up her Cross-Country tour with Double Diamond C, whom she calls “Perfect Peter,” as a “pretty perfect round. He was perfect out there, and everything rode great. He jumped very confidently, and very rideable, and he jumped really well into the water. Sometimes he can jump a bit big into the water, but now at this level, the water jumps are getting bigger, so he’s jumping more normally into the water because it’s a bigger drop. He felt very well prepared and comfortable and just galloped around and felt exactly how I would have hoped him to be!”

Facing no trouble at the drop-in at the water obstacle that caused her to take a tumble last fall, Black emphasized that she was extra prepared to have good rides on all three shots she took on course. “I jumped off that jump into the water three times today, and I made sure to put my arm back all three times, which might’ve been a little extreme, but I [was determined] to not do that again! They all three jumped in super, and didn’t have any bobbles, so that was good.”

After qualifying her rides for a 2*-L later on in the season, Black will give her young mounts some well-deserved rest time before planning for the fall season. “Really, for their age, my horses are ahead of schedule, basically, so they’re going to have an easy while when we head back to Virginia. They’ll get out in the fields for a month or so, and then we’ll start working on flat work and fitness again before we look at the plan for the fall. I’m trying to keep them sound and happy for the future!”

Boyd Martin and On Cue. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Austin Skeens and What Gives Win their First CCI 1*-S

Austin Skeens (USA) the 2014 Thoroughbred gelding owned by Heather Skeens, What Gives, made light work of the CCI 1*-S Division to claim the gelding’s first FEI event on a score of 39.4. Second place went to Anna Billings (USA) with her own Wexford Cruise, the 2013 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Loch Cruise – Glebe Creme, by Rich Rebel), on a score of 44.1, while Sandra Holden (USA) and Cano Cristales, her own 2003 Hanoverian gelding (Conteur – Konny, by Kolibri), rounded out the podium on a final score of 65.6.

Skeens reported that he wasn’t sure how What Gives would handle the massive environment that TIEC offers as a venue, but was amazed to see his young mount take everything in stride. “We came into this not exactly sure what we’d have, because it’s just such a big venue, especially [for a horse] who’s never been here. But he was just such an absolute superstar, in all three phases. I’m just incredibly impressed with the way he handled all of the atmosphere everywhere that he went.”

Beyond the scores, Skeens is excited to have discovered that What Gives handles atmosphere and excitement “like a pro” and that even on Cross-Country, they left the start box and “didn’t look back. He was super super fast, and jumped everything just as well as he could and carried on straight to the finish line. He had lots of gas left in the tank at the end, even after the big hill. At the bottom, he was ready to take me right up it. It was really, really great.”

Going forward, Skeens will reassess his plans for What Gives after such a successful outing, he admitted. “We will just kind of see where the road takes us. When you have a weekend like this, you kind of look at everything in a different light. He came into the Dressage and really held his own against some really nice horses, and then of course he ran Cross-Country like a champion. He’s proving that he’s really a great horse, so we’re just lucky to have him on board.”

Though he’s competed at TIEC before, at the 2017 American Eventing Championships, Skeens concluded that he had especially enjoyed arriving early and enjoying Tryon Resort’s atmosphere outside of the competition rings. “I just brought one horse, so being at Tryon has been great. I always love coming here – whenever you get an excuse to come to a place like this, definitely do! It’s just another world, you know. The experience is great, and it’s like Disneyland! It was nice to have an extra day to kind of take in the sights and spend Friday just enjoying the park and enjoying life here. It’s just really fun to be here, and it was a great weekend. We will definitely be back!”

Arden Wildasin and Tokyo Drift. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Will Faudree and Boyd Martin Collect Advanced Division Wins

Will Faudree (Southern Pines, NC) and Mama’s Magic Way, the 2011 Hanoverian gelding (Mighty Magic – Straightaway) owned by Jennifer Mosing and Sterling Silver Stables, collected a win in the Advanced – Test A Division despite pulling two rails in Show Jumping and adding 16.4 time penalties after Cross-Country, finishing on a 52.2. Lucienne Elms (Campobello, SC) and Atlantic Vital Spark, her own 2010 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Atlantic Sparky – Atlantic Biance), improved from fourth to second on a final score of 58.7, while Sarah Kuhn (Aiken, SC) and Mr. Cash van de Start, Deborah Kuhn’s 2012 Belgian Warmblood gelding (Deauville de la Vie – Ishtar van de Start), retained third place honors on a final score of 59.1.

Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way led the entire weekend in the division, and he calls the gelding a “kindred spirit” who is really starting to come together as an Advanced horse. “He’s a really cool horse. Everybody that knows me and him knows we’re basically like kindred spirits, like 3-year-old toddlers let loose in a candy store on a sugar high. The Dressage is starting to come together, and there’s more there, which is really exciting. He’s a super jumper and he’s really fun to ride on the Cross Country and in the Show Jumping.”

Though pulling a few rails in Tryon Stadium Saturday night didn’t cost them the win, Faudree mentioned that his horse’s extreme carefulness became a bit of a foil when shadows on the ground started to look like ground poles: “I felt a bit bad for him last night. One rail, I could’ve given him a bit more room, but the next rail it was like he was trying to bounce the shadow rail in front of the jump. The lighting in the ring at the time, about an hour before sunset when he went, just made him a bit spooky. I felt a bit bad for him because he does not like to touch things! He was just superb at Cross-Country,” Faudree shared. “It was a great track and a great venue to be at leading up to Kentucky in a couple weeks.”

Boyd Martin (Cochranville, PA) retained his one-two placing in the Advanced – Test B Division, with Long Island T taking over the lead after Cross-Country phase to finish on a score of 41.8 with the 2006 Oldenburg/Thoroughbred gelding (Ludwig von Bayern – Highlight) owned by the Long Island T Syndicate. Luke 140, the 2011 Holsteiner gelding (Landos – Omega VI) owned by the Luke 140 Syndicate, finished in reserve on a score of 42.7. Staying steady in third, Daniela Moguel (Shelby, NC) piloted Cecelia, the 2003 Thoroughbred mare (Connecticut – Penny Stock) owned by Jorge Martinez and Paloma Garcia, to third place with a final tally of 47.3 points.

Tamie Smith and Danito. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Caroline Martin and Vamonos are Victorious in Open Preliminary

Caroline Martin (Miami Beach, FL) and Vamonos, the 2015 Zangersheide gelding (Andiamo VH Kapelhof Z – Quasimodelle Kapelhof Z), which she owns with Sherrie Martin, scored a win in the Open Preliminary Division on a final total of 32.2, improving from second to first and trading places with Paige Crotty (Southboro, MA) aboard Excel Star Armina Z, her own 2012 Irish Zangersheide mare (Air Jordan Z – Cromina Z), who finished on a score of 33.4 for reserve after adding four faults to her score. In third, Mary Bess Davis (Mansfield, GA) and her own Imperio Magic, the 2014 Warmblood gelding (Cassander C – Khadija des Hayattes), scored 38.1 after pulling a rail in Tryon Stadium.

Martin is still getting to know Vamonos, after she received him as a wedding present recently, she revealed. “I just started riding him about a month and a half ago. He was produced by Emily King, who took him to young horse championships and stuff like that as a six year old. He had a quiet year last year and went back to his home in Ireland. Funny enough, he’s a wedding present! My friend who is a dealer and sells horses with me got him for me as an engagement/wedding present. He’s a super horse, and I ended up buying him. We’re just getting to know each other.”

Though they’ve only been to a few shows together yet, Martin sees Vamonos as a horse to bring up the levels and keep in her string for the long haul. “He’s definitely able to go up the levels. We’ve got a big future, and we’re looking more towards next year! It was a good weekend for all of the horses,” she concluded. “The surfaces for Dressage are amazing, and the Show Jumping under the lights in the big stadium is a great atmosphere for the horses. It was very good practice for them, and the Cross-Country course was lovely.”

Benita Strini and DHI Kevin G Collect Open Novice Win

Benita Strini (Scottsville, VA) and DHI Kevin G, the 2015 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Plain Dealing Farm, led Open Novice the whole way to finish on a score of 20.2 in their competitive division. Kelly Waters (Verbank, NY) earned second place aboard Family Man, her own 2008 Hanoverian gelding, ending up with a final score of 21.2, while Audrie Stanka (Simonton, TX) and Jenny, the 2014 Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Zachary Brandt, took home third place on a score of 23.3.

The Fork at TIEC: [Website] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

First McKinlaigh Cup Set to Be Awarded at Twin Rivers Spring International CCI4*-L

By on Apr 4, 2021 10:00 am -

Bec Braitling and Caravaggio II. Photo by The West Equestrian.

The debut of a CCI4*-Long division at the Twin Rivers Spring International Three Day Event highlights a much-anticipated long weekend of high-flying eventing action. The competition takes place April 8-11 at the Baxter family’s Twin Rivers Ranch in Coastal Central California’s Paso Robles.

The CCI4*-L, one of only six normally held in the U.S., was originally scheduled to debut last year as the cherry atop what’s become a fixture of the eventing circuit in the West. Despite last year’s cancellation, entry levels are back at pre-COVID highs. “It’s exciting to see the sport rebounding as a whole and there is a lot of enthusiasm about coming back,” says Connie Baxter, Organizer. Since resuming events under “new normal” protocols last summer, the Twin Rivers team has ample experience staging safe competition. Those measures prevent spectators, but there are ample opportunities to enjoy the action as a volunteer.

Based at Twin Rivers Ranch, CCI4*-L contender Bec Braitling relays that already substantial upgrades and improvements have intensified. “At Twin Rivers, it’s always about the cross-country,” she says of the 500-acre property’s beautiful track and challenges designed for the past year by Hugh Lochore of Great Britain. “The Baxters have gone especially out of their way on the footing and there are several new fences and complexes, plus a lot of little improvements that will give it a good feel.”

International dressage and the jogs will be staged in the beautiful hilltop area where show jumping takes place, adjacent to the covered collecting ring. International flags and sponsor banners contribute to an electric atmosphere surrounded by the wine country’s rolling hill vineyards. Long format divisions at the 2*, 3* and 4* level run alongside Short format competition at 3* and 4*, plus Horse Trials levels Beginner Novice through Advanced.

Gina Miles and McKinlaigh. Photo by Mike McNally.

The McKinlaigh Cup

Prize money in the CCI4*-L division jumps to $5,000 and the winning horse will be honored with the new McKinlaigh Cup. The beautiful trophy has been donated by Thom Schulz in honor of his lovely late wife Laura Coats. Schulz and Coats owned McKinlaigh, the Irish Sporthorse who partnered with Gina Miles in 2008 Olympic individual silver. McKinlaigh was developed and lived out his retired life at the couple’s Rainbow Ranch in nearby Creston. The handsome, bold horse passed away at 26 in January of 2020.

Schulz and Coats were impactful supporters of eventing, Pony Club and other equestrian activities in the Central Coast area. The presentation of the McKinlaigh Cup at the Spring International connects that generous tradition to today’s top sport. Winners in each of the Long format divisions will also receive a custom Twin Rivers jump provided by Jen and Earl McFall’s Dragonfire Farm.

Alexis Helffrich and Graceland’s Lincoln. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Proving Ground

The Spring International is one of only six competitions in the United States to offer the CCI4*-L division. This rigorous test of the horse and rider partnership, guts, stamina and skill is an important proving ground and preparation for international contenders.

“They are constantly upping the game here,” said USEF Eventing Performance Director Erik Duvander of Twin Rivers Ranch during a March 2020 visit. He described it as one of a few venues that is shifting the sport’s geographic balance in the United States. “In the past it was often said that you need to go East to make it, but it’s really important that riders be able to make it out here.”

Twin Rivers Ranch began when the Baxter family saw 500 acres of dormant farmland and envisioned it as the perfect stage for international equestrian competition. With the Spring International, those visions materialize to the benefit of equestrians and fans throughout the West Coast. Remarkably, Twin Rivers’ growth and national prominence has not come at the expense of the welcoming, family vibe that has distinguished it from the get-go.

The family’s continual focus on upgrades includes new permanent stabling this year. Fully-covered permanent stabling with 36 12′ x 12′ stalls are first offered to Twin Rivers Ranch members. Year-round supporting Ranch members also receive unlimited access to all open facilities — for two horses with the same owner. Members are exempt from non-member fees at all schooling shows, and family members and/or additional horses can be added at a modest cost.

The Spring International is made possible by generous sponsors: Presenting sponsors include Professional’s Choice, manufacturers of sports medicine boots for equine athletes; Auburn Labs, manufacturers of the adaptogenic APF Formula for horses, people and dogs; Best Western PLUS Black Oak, which offers exclusive discounts for exhibitors; and Get Away RV Rentals, which delivers fully-outfitted RVs to the venue for those who want to stay on site.

Supporting sponsors include Riding Warehouse, the horse gear and apparel supplier; and Chubby Cov, makers of beautiful custom stock ties. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Christina Gray of Gray Area Events at [email protected]. Volunteers are critical to the Spring International’s success and offer a great entrée to the sport, even for those without prior experience.

James Alliston and RevitaVet Elijah. Photo by Ride On Photo.

Up Next

The Spring International anchors an exciting year of competition at Twin Rivers Ranch. The Fall International in September is a happy host of the Adequan/USEF Youth Team Challenge and the 2021 season finalé is another prestigious calendar highlight: The Future Event Horse and Dutta Corp. Young Event Horse West Coast Championships. These two West Coast championships were staged together for the first time last year by the Twin Rivers team, receiving high praise from all involved.

  • Spring International: April 8-11
  • Schooling One Day Horse Trials: May 23
  • Schooling Show: June 6
  • CDS Dressage: June 12-13
  • Summer Horse Trials: July 1-4
  • Area VI Adult Camp: July 30-31
  • CDS Dressage: Aug. 14-15
  • Fall International: Sept. 23-26
  • USEA Future Event Horse & USEA Dutta Corp. Young Event Horse West Coast Championships (and an FEH qualifier), Oct. 29-30.
  • Schooling Halloween Horse Trials: Oct. 31

Easter Sunday Links

By on Apr 4, 2021 12:01 am -

Happy Easter, EN! Whether you’re out competing, working hard as usual, or enjoying some downtime this Sunday we hope have a an enjoyable holiday, whatever that means for you! Every year I see a few photos of lucky kids doing their annual Easter egg hunt on their ponies and I have a pang of nostalgia for the good old days of being a kid on Easter. Sure, I can buy my own Cadbury eggs now, but given the opportunity I’d still grab a basket and scour the the yard for eggs again if someone hid them for me. I always did love a bit of competition! And if I could ever get someone to set up a horseback egg hunt for me, well, that would just be *chef’s kiss*.

U.S. Weekend Action:

The Fork at TIEC: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Pine Hill H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Rocking Horse Spring H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

International Action:

🇦🇺 WAYER International CCI: [Website] [Entries] [Scores]

Sunday Links:

Three five-star winners, a medallist and an unusual mare: 17 top horses have fun in the sun at Aston-le-Walls elite event

Taking the Edge Off: Calming Supplements for Horses

$2m goal to build new facility for Philly’s real-life “Concrete Cowboys”

The Jockey Club Releases 2020 Data From Equine Injury Database

EHV-1 relief fund aims to help devastated showjumping community

Just in on Jumper Nation: Paradise in Maryland: Dream Farm Presented by Stable View

Sunday Video: Piggy March had 5 horses in the Advance section at Aston-le-Walls, which took place this past Wednesday. She recaps her day — just her second competition of the season so far — in her latest vlog:

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum Atop the The Fork at TIEC CCI4*-S

By on Apr 3, 2021 10:30 pm -

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

This article has been updated on 4/4 with additional information and quotes from the official press release.

Reporting on an event remotely in the absence of a live stream presents a challenge, but it’s one we’re happy to navigate thanks to the help of photographer Shannon Brinkman. Action condensed into two days kicked off today at The Fork at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) presented by Nutrena, and it’s Tamie Smith and the Ahearn family and Eric Markell’s Mai Baum leading the charge in the ProElite CCI4*-S division after dressage and show jumping’s completion today.

Tamie and the 15-year-old German Sporthorse gelding by Loredano out of Rike earned a career-best at the four-star level in the dressage, riding before judges Mark Weissbecker and Gretchen Butts, scoring a 20.4 to best their previous FEI best of 21.9 (CCI3*-S, 2019). “Lexus” wouldn’t be one to lower a rail at this level, and though he and Tamie collected two seconds of time as the sun set on Tryon, their two-phase score of 21.2 was enough to keep them atop the leaderboard.

“Like any competitor, you can always find places where you can improve, but he’s just super consistent,” Tamie reflected. “The things we’re improving are very miniscule, really. I was really pleased with him. He’s such a professional in the sandbox.”

While Tamie herself has competed at TIEC before, Mai Baum is a Tryon first-timer, but wasn’t fazed by the atmosphere in Tryon Stadium, she reported. “I wouldn’t have been in a stadium like that with him before, and he’s never been here to Tryon. The atmosphere in the stadium is quite electric, and he’s a careful horse, so sometimes that can work against you, but he was super confident and felt great.”

A confident ride in a new, exciting environment was exactly what Tamie was hoping to get from her experience before heading to contest the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, she revealed. “I thought that it would be a good idea to come to Tryon to get the electric, big arena atmosphere, because that’s how Kentucky is going to be. I wanted to get a read on the horses leading up to Kentucky, so I’m just really pleased with how he handled it, and he’s super rideable and confident,” she detailed.

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg TSF. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Turning in one of only five double clear rounds on Michel Vaillancourt’s show jumping track were second-placed Boyd Martin and Christine, Thomas and Tommie Turner’s Tsetserleg TSF (Windfall – Thabana, by Buddenbrock), who will go into tomorrow’s cross country with a score of 23.7. Boyd and the Turner family’s On Cue (Cabri d’Elle – On High, by Primitive Rising) are also inside the top five after two, sitting fourth on a 26.6.

Doug Payne and Vandiver. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Doug Payne and Debi Crowley’s Vandiver (Windfall – Visions of Grandeur, by Mystic Replica xx) move one spot up into third overnight thanks to their double clear round, leaving them on a two-phase score of 25.7. Rounding out the top five are Liz Halliday-Sharp and The Monster Partnership’s Cooley Moonshine (Cobra – Kilpatrick Duchess, by Kings Master), who finished second in the 7-year-old Young Horse World Championships at Le Lion in 2019 (and third in the 6-year-olds at Le Lion in 2018).

Lucienne Elms and Tremanton. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

In the CCI3*-S division, it’s Lucienne Elms with Horse Scout Eventing LLC’s Tremanton (Birkhof’s Grafenstolz – Trevia, Hand In Glove) in charge after two phases on a score of 28.9, moving up from third after dressage. This is the first CCI4*-S for Tremanton, a 9-year-old British Sport Horse mare with whom Lucienne has been partnered since 2020.

“She’s still very green at the 3* level, and just did her first one last month with me at Stable View. Dressage today was the best result that she has had at the FEI level. She’s a very nice moving mare,” Lucienne explained, “but she has a tendency once she gets in the arena [to let] tension interrupt her lateral work, and today was the first time that she really let me ride her, so I am thrilled for that! It was the biggest track that she has jumped, and I was pleased that she jumped really cleanly, [for] a nice confident round.”

“I have to go steady with her tomorrow. It wouldn’t be in her best interest for me to try and make the time because she is still very new to this level. I would like to keep her in a rhythm that keeps her in a fairly decent position. She is really one that I want to produce slowly and properly,” Elms emphasized. “I have no doubt at all that one day she will be back in the lead and I can then put my foot [on the gas] a little bit!”

Leading the way in the CCI2*-S are Maya Black and Laurie Cameron’s Double Diamond C (Diacontinus – Lois Lane CBF), a 6-year-old Hanoverian gelding making his FEI debut this weekend.

“I think he’s handling the atmosphere really well, and he went into both the Dressage and Show Jumping and just was on task, and jumped well and confidently,” Maya said in the event press release. “He was really rideable and really as good as he could be for this point in his training and his career.”

Last but most certainly not least in the international divisions this weekend, Austin Skeens and Heather Skeen’s What Gives (Spring At Last – All the Words), moving up from second into first to tackle cross country on a two-phase score of 31.4. This is also an FEI debut for this pair, who most recently finished fourth in the Open Modified at Carolina International last month.

Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Two Advanced divisions are also running this weekend, and after dressage and show jumping it will be Will Faudree with Jennifer Mosing and Sterling Silver Stables’ Mama’s Magic Way (Mighty Magic – Straightaway, by Star Regent xx) in the lead of the A division on a score of 35.8; Boyd Martin and the Luke 140 Syndicate’s Luke 140 (Landos – Omega VI, by Limbus) in charge of the B on a score of 28.3.

Many of these horses, including four-star leaders Mai Baum, Tsetserleg TSF, Vandiver, and On Cue (as well as many others in the four-star and Advanced divisions this weekend) are in their final prep stages for the Land Rover Kentucky CCI5* at the end of April. Capt. Mark Phillips’ four-star track tomorrow consists of 35 jumping efforts with an optimum time of 6 minutes, 31 seconds. Check out a preview of the track:

Many thanks to Shannon Brinkman for the gorgeous shots from today’s action – you can order your own show photos from this weekend by clicking here. We’ll be back tomorrow with a final report – and we will also update this report with additional details as they are made available.

Go Eventing.

The Fork at TIEC: [Website] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Five-Star Rider Ashley Johnson is Studying Elite Eventing Athletes: How You Can Help

By on Apr 3, 2021 12:00 pm -

Ashley Johnson and Tactical Maneuver. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Ashley Johnson is a busy woman. When she’s not competing at the top levels with her longtime partner, Tactical Maneuver, she can be found coaching the University of Florida’s eventing team, judging, or running her own business in Ocala, Fl. – and now she’s adding a master’s program through Harvard University to her busy day planner. As a part of her studies in Psychology, Ashley is running a study on elite eventing athletes in an effort to collect more data about the sport.

“The reality is that there have been a lot of studies done on elite athletes in other sports, but almost none for eventing athletes,” Ashley explained. “And eventing is an extremely demanding and technical sport, so there is surely some interesting data to collect by studying the riders at the top.”

As a part of her Master’s Thesis, Ashley is conducting a research study aimed at riders competing at the CCI2* – CCI5* level this spring. Following each international event on the calendar, Ashley is requesting that riders take a few minutes to fill out the anonymized survey.

“I’m trying to collect as much data as possible in order to make the resulting analysis more accurate,” she explained. “My goal is to contribute to the overall literature about elite eventing athletes through this study.”

If you are 18 or older and are competing at the two-star level or above between now and Land Rover Kentucky, please email or text Ashley (610-212-0294) to obtain a link to the survey. Riders can complete the survey multiple times if they compete at multiple events and are asked to do so within 48 hours of the conclusion of the event.

#EventerProblems Vol. 252: Prepare for Takeoff

By on Apr 3, 2021 12:30 am -

The perfect distance? I don’t know her. Sometimes you just have to go out there and measure that distance with your heart ❤️. Some of you feel the same from the looks of it! Here’s the latest roundup of your #EventerProblems:

Saturday Links

By on Apr 3, 2021 12:01 am -

Not to toot our own horn or anything (OK, but actually to do exactly that) but we publish so many awesome stories and pieces of eventing news every week that it can be hard to keep up sometimes, right? I mean, I write for EN and sometimes I can’t keep up with everything we’ve got going on. Thankfully, we’ve found a solution in our newly redone weekly email newsletter. Instead of hitting your inbox on Monday morning, we’re now coming at you on Fridays and highlighting some of the cool stuff you may have missed throughout the week, as well as letting you know what’s on tap for the weekend. So if you haven’t resubscribed to our eNews yet, click here now and don’t miss another week!

U.S. Weekend Action:

The Fork at TIEC: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Pine Hill H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Rocking Horse Spring H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

International Action:

🇦🇺 WAYER International CCI: [Website] [Entries] [Scores]

Saturday Links:

Cottongim’s Legacy Lives On In Prophet

Quiz: What’s Your Mental Blindspot?

Countdown to Kentucky: Sharon White and Cooley On Show

A Virus Races Through the Horse World. No, Not That Virus.

Enhance Collection with Positive Tension

Best of Blogs: Introducing Spring Pasture

Saturday Video: Polo star Kareem Rosser got to cross one off the bucket list recently! Don’t forget to check out Kareem’s newly-released memoir.

GREAT JOB by our special guestKareem Rosser who fulfilled a personal dream this morning on a very cold and windy day at Fair Hill. Kareem galloped a Thoroughbred racehorse on the track for the first time. We are so glad we could play a part in that for him!! 🏇👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Posted by Herringswell Stables, Ltd on Friday, April 2, 2021

#FlashbackFriday Video from SmartPak: Head Back to Checkmate ’91

By on Apr 2, 2021 5:56 pm -

Roads and tracks, enormous number bibs, and Torrance Watkins – oh my! You all know by now that your faithful friends at Team EN are big fans of a nostalgia trip into eventing history (or should that be horse-story? Ha. I’ll get my coat.) – and RNS Video Media have been trawling through their archives to share some hidden gems from decades gone by.

Today, we’re travelling back in time to Checkmate International Three-Day Event in Ontario, where some of the best North American horses and riders of the early 90s were out in full force. Sew up those porter boots, tuck your chin in that plastic cradle and head down to the start box: it’s time to go eventing, old-school style.

By the Numbers: The Fork CCI4*-S

By on Apr 2, 2021 11:30 am -

Half a decade ago, The Fork was the final destination for almost every Kentucky-bound pair, offering a preview of who was really reaching peak performance prior to the late April event. With the addition of so many other options, the competition has largely split. However that doesn’t mean we won’t see some brilliant performances this weekend; several top contenders have chosen this venue as their final prep run, likely due to the similarity in atmosphere between the stadiums. Tryon offers a setting that rivals Kentucky for sheer spectacle and helps prepare a fit horse for what he might see in the Bluegrass in a few weeks.

Since The Fork relocated to Tryon in 2017, there has only been one pair for all of the Advanced and 4*-S divisions to finish on their dressage score, and not one winner has done it. Phillip Dutton and Z came the closest in 2018, adding only one second of cross country time to their dressage score en route to the 4*-S win in 2018, while Tsetserleg TSF and Boyd Martin won in 2019 thanks to having the fastest cross-country round with only 12 seconds over optimum time.

The winners of both the Advanced and CCI4*-S here have never had a single stadium rail, with the 4*-S winners adding nothing at all to their score in the stadium phase. All of the winners have also been within 16 seconds of either the optimum time or the fastest pace of the day, but their dressage ranking has mattered less; winners of these divisions have varied from 1st to 10th after dressage.

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg TSF return as the only pair to previously win a division at this venue, having won the most recent running in 2019. Liz Halliday-Sharp paired with her experienced Fernhill By Night to win an Advanced division in 2017, but instead brings Deniro Z and the green Cooley Moonshine out to play this weekend.

DRESSAGE

It’s not often we get to see Mai Baum put on his dancing shoes and it’s been even longer since Tamie Smith last competed him on the East Coast…since the fall of 2018 in fact. Competed conservatively during 2020, Tamie conserved this talented horse for his first 5* start this spring and a further eye on the Tokyo Olympics. Mai Baum has only gotten better with age, with a 2020 average of 18.8 bettering his 2019/2018 average by nearly 7 points.

Mai Baum will be very difficult to beat, but one of the few horses to top him on the flat is his stablemate Danito, also ridden by Tamie Smith.  The striking chestnut sits on a career average of 24.8 in seven starts at the level, and bested Mai Baum last summer at Galway Downs. Yet another flashy chestnut who will be contesting for the top is Mai Baum’s Pan American teammate Starr Witness, ridden by Doug Payne. This mare has been extremely consistent since her debut at this level at the beginning of 2020; she has scored 70% or better in each of her six starts at the level thus far.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Yet another Pan American horse, but this one far more experienced, will also be right up in the mix. Tsetserleg TSF has a two year A/4* average of 27.0 penalties but Boyd Martin made sure the horse did his homework during the competition break in 2020 and came out swinging, averaging only 25.4 penalties in his two 2020 starts. Meanwhile, Deniro Z and Liz Halliday-Sharp spent most of the fall 2020 season racking up wins, proving that the horse has come into his own on the flat. In five 2020 starts, Deniro Z broke the 75% mark in three of them, and scored no worse than 27.5 overall.

Doug Payne has another heavy hitter in Vandiver, who hasn’t scored less than 70% since 2019, and twice exceeded the 75% mark in 2020 for the first time in his career. Wizzerd and Matthew Flynn round out the pairs most likely to score in the twenties; in five starts in 2020 and 2021, they’ve laid down sub-thirty tests all but once.

SHOW JUMPING

After stadium, most of the top five should stay in the top five, but with a bit of a scramble in the order. Two of the potential top five horses, Vandiver and Danito, are more likely to have a rail than not. Since 2018, Vandiver has had a rail in 70% of his 4*-S stadium rounds when cross-country was held last, while Danito has a 50% clear rate at this level but five total rails overall out of six rounds. Both of these horses may have enough cushion after the first phase to maintain a top position despite a rail but will likely drop a few placings.

Matt Flynn and Wizzerd. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Meanwhile, Mai Baum hasn’t had a rail in a short format since 2015, Deniro Z has jumped clear in 9 of 10 A/4*-S rounds dating back through 2019, and Wizzerd hasn’t added anything to his dressage score in four ’20/21 starts. Starr Witness has incurred rails in only one of her six starts at the A/4* level and although Tsetserleg TSF averages half a rail in his career A/4*S starts, he hasn’t had a rail in four A/4/5* starts dating back through 2019.

Other horses to keep an eye on in this phase are Quantum Leap, Vermont, Miks Master C, and QC Diamantaire.

CROSS COUNTRY

Don’t look for the top five to look appreciably different again on Sunday; the top five to six horses all have some serious speed in the cross country phase.

Body Martin and Tsetserleg. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Tamie Smith is not one to dawdle on cross country and on Mai Baum, she has the ability to turn and burn as she’d like. With the fastest speed rating in the field, this horse will be right up with the fastest pairs, if not the fastest, on Sunday. Liz Halliday-Sharp has been on a mission with Deniro Z and has made the time in her last two 4*-S runs with him with runs that were near the top of the field in terms of pace. Tsetserleg TSF hasn’t had a lot of runs to stretch his legs in the past couple years but he hasn’t needed to; in his last 4*-S run, which was at this venue two years ago, he posted the fastest round of the day and followed that up with a round inside the time at Kentucky.

Both Danito and Vandiver should bounce back in this phase even if they do incur a rail in stadium. Doug Payne posted the second fastest time of the day last fall with Vandiver at Blue Ridge here at Tryon and followed it up with a round at the Tryon 4*-L only one second over the time. Danito might be a touch off the pace of the leaders but not by much; when going clear across the country at the 4*-S level, he and Tamie Smith average less than 10 seconds off the fastest pace.

Other horses to watch in this phase who could creep up into the top ten based on speed are Voltaire de Tre, Miks Master C, Quantum Leap, and QC Diamantaire.

PREDICTIONS:

WINNER

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Mai Baum is extremely hard to bet against, based on his record. He has won 8 of his 10 career starts at the A/4*-S level, and never finished worse than 4th. Between his strengths in dressage and stadium, he should have a significant cushion headed into the final phase and even if he doesn’t, he owns the best speed rating in the field.

FASTEST CROSS-COUNTRY ROUNDS

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

As mentioned above, Mai Baum also owns the fastest speed rating in the field but you wouldn’t know just by glancing at his record; he has never made the time at this level and format. The reason for that is that in only three of his starts at A/4*-S has anyone in the field made the time, meaning that in seven of his starts, the entire field posted cross-country time penalties. That is when this horse seems to excel, posting the fastest pace in four of those seven runs, and coming in at only one and four seconds over the fastest pace in two others. Since this venue is incredibly difficult to make the time, the field is set for this horse to do what he does best once again.

NEW TO THE LEVEL

Colleen Loach and Vermont. Photo by Abby Powell.

Vermont continues to be a horse to keep an eye on for the future. Colleen Loach has brought this horse on carefully and after three starts, the pair has an average of 30.7 in dressage, has incurred only one rail in three rounds, and a speed rating of less than 20 seconds slower than the fastest pace.

EXTENDING CLEAR JUMPING STREAKS

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum also happen to own the longest clear jumping streak in the field at the A/4*-S level; they’ve jumped eight consecutive clean rounds at these levels.

BIGGEST MOVER

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

Keep an eye on  Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent to climb the leaderboard; these two have significant strength in the jumping phases and a likely clear stadium round paired with a cross-country round within 20 seconds of the fastest pace should propel them up the ranks throughout the weekend.

OTHER DIVISIONS

  • Of course the two Advanced divisions contain some Kentucky-bound horses to watch; Mama’s Magic Way and Islandwood Captain Jack will be contesting the A test while Qorry Blue d’Argouges, Long Island T, Cecelia, and Business Ben all make their final prep for Kentucky in the B test.
  • Caribbean Soul, a horse competed through 4* by Clark Montgomery, is now being campaigned by Caitlin Silliman in the OI.

Dressage and show jumping take place on Saturday, with cross country held on Sunday. Sadly, there is no live stream but keep your eyes locked here for all of our coverage!

The Fork at Tryon International: Website, Entry Status, Ride Times, Live Scores

Dappir Ridge Road to the Makeover: It’s Not All Sunshine & Rainbows

By on Apr 2, 2021 9:00 am -

For trainers accepted to the hybrid 2020/2021 Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, the work continues after a weird last year. The 2021 event will take place at Oct. 12-17 at the Kentucky Horse Park. Between now and then, this team of four trainers will be blogging their journeys, including their triumphs and their heartbreaks, successes and failures, for Eventing Nation readers.

In 2020, we met the team of trainers from Dappir Ridge Eventing in Charlottesville, Virginia, and now their sights are set on 2021! Here’s the latest Dappir Ridge Eventing update.

Shake and Spin (“Ole”) and Crafty Oak’s Run (“Ronin”) in the miserable February sleet.

Recently, I’ve been noticing a pattern across-the-board on social media platforms as well as in equestrian articles in regards to how training horses is being portrayed. When scrolling through Facebook, Instagram and blog posts, one might come to the wrongful conclusion that bringing a horse along, especially a baby OTTB, is a glorious cakewalk that follows a linear path from racetrack to sporthorse glory, all in a timely manner! This is a complete delusion brought about by the fact that most people only write/post about their horse when things are going well. 

I think that it is important to illuminate the truth of the matter, which is twofold: Firstly, there is no one singular path or formula. Each horse is different, and each rider is different, therefore the timeline of bringing a horse along is undoubtedly going to be vastly different from one to the next. Secondly, baby horses (and horses in general!) are terribly self-destructive creatures that have a knack for taking our carefully formulated plans and aspirations and turning them upside down. This is normal, people — take it from us! 

I hope that our testimonials below regarding the cursed month of February will grant a smidgen of solace to our comrades across the country on their journey to the 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover. At the very least, it will validate the truth behind the old adage “misery loves company”!

Adriana Nannini

Since our last blog post in January, I must admit that I really haven’t made a ton of progress with Wicked Soprano (aka “Raven”). There are a couple of reasons for this; firstly, at the end of January, Raven came up very lame. Dr. Giunta determined that Raven had an infection in her frog, which required several weeks of treating with Thrush Buster, as well as endlessly soaking, packing and wrapping the foot. 

As soon as the frog infection finally cleared up, Raven banged the inside of her hind cannon bone while flailing around in turnout, which was enough to make her unsound yet again. The wound seemed pretty superficial at first, but as time went by, it didn’t seem to be healing — it kept scabbing over but wouldn’t heal underneath. I spent a few weeks scrubbing, dressing and wrapping the leg, plus treating her with SMZs, until the wound finally began to heal. 

On top of it all, the month of February was a miserable, rainy, icy mud pit here in central Virginia. It seemed to precipitate every single day for an entire month. Unfortunately, this resulted in very limited turnout time for Raven. In an effort to get her out of her stall to stretch her legs, I would attempt to hand walk her every day, which was more akin to flying a kite than actual walking. 

Now that the sunshine has returned and Raven has healed from her myriad of physical ailments, she is back to work. However, I must say, she can be rather tense and nervous under saddle at times. I try to combat this by maintaining a consistent routine for her, and keeping things simple. I also make a conscious effort to keep a “zen” attitude while in the saddle, and try to not react at all when she gets tense. 

It is easy to compare one horse to others in the past. For example, when I reflect on this time last year, it seems like my 2020 Makeover horse, Sevennotrump (“Tricks”), was already cantering around little courses. However, the reality is that Tricks had plenty of setbacks of his own, and we also had a perfect, dry, balmy winter last year. 

I am fully aware that some horses just take a little more time, and my number one goal with Raven is to be patient and let her dictate the timeline of our progress. There is absolutely no rush, and I have a feeling that if I take my time with her, it will pay off in the long run.

Wicked Soprano (“Raven”) battling a month-long frog infection. Photo courtesy of Adriana Nannini.

Adriana Nannini riding Wicked Soprano (“Raven”). Raven can be tense at times, but when she does relax, boy is she lovely! Photo courtesy of Ashley Balazs.

Raven makes me smile! Photo courtesy of Ashley Balazs.

Dr. Kelly Giunta, VMD

Not much training has happened since my last post. Robbie Jones had an abscess and we all thought he was dying for about two weeks! He had plenty of rest to heal his sore foot, given the terrible weather we had in February.   

I spent a lot of time over the winter studying for an exam and can now announce that I am a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation! Now it is time to get back in the saddle. Robbie is just starting back into a regular riding and fitness routine, which includes lunging in the Pessoa system, and long lining. Robbie has also perfected his trick of “smiling”, which increased his fan club of human carrot suppliers. 

Robbie Jones demonstrating his signature smile at War Horse last year. Photo courtesy of Kelly Giunta.

The things we do when we’re bored. Photo courtesy of Kiki Osbourne.

Alex Austin

This winter has been challenging for a variety of reasons, one of which being Virginia’s terrible weather. If it wasn’t raining it was sleeting, if it wasn’t sleeting it was snowing. So overall, riding was limited. 

In early February, Crafty Oak’s Run (“Rōnin”) came in with a knee the size of a football! Though fairly sound on it, we gave him some down time with wrapping and meds. Our best guess is that he and his young pasture mate got to rough housing, which is one of their favorite pastimes (much to their older, wiser, and more mature “babysitter”s chagrin)! 

Immediately on the heels of Rōnin’s injury was the onslaught of terrible weather that left everyone stabled for longer than usual and sheets of ice everywhere. However, we’ve hopefully made it through the worst of it, and the weather has been getting warmer and sunnier bit by bit. 

Rōnin took his first field trip this past Sunday to a local combined test just to hang out and see the sights. He was a perfect gentleman and even got to pop over a couple of cross rails while there. There is lots to work on and plenty of catching up to do with this big redhead!

Rōnin sporting a very comprehensive wrap job following his knee incident. Photo courtesy of Alex Austin.

Rōnin spent quite a bit of time hand-grazing in the month of February. Photo courtesy of Alex Austin.

The sun finally came out, and we got to play with our ponies! Adriana Nannini riding Wicked Soprano (“Raven”) and Alex Austin riding Crafty Oak’s Run (“Ronin”). Photo courtesy of Ashley Balazs.

Alex and Ronin make a very picturesque pair! Photo courtesy of Ashley Balazs.

Kiki Osbourne (Our Fearless Leader)

The month of February wasn’t at all what any of us caring for 35 horses wanted to deal with! Thanks to Mother Nature, we experienced nonstop rain, snow, and as a result, MUD. I kept hoping the mud would freeze, as even though that’s not ideal either — at least the horses won’t have their shoes sucked off, or strain a tendon sliding into a gate or fence in turnout. Not to mention, if my fields have any chance of growing grass this spring, they can’t be uprooted by sliding horse hooves.

All of this weather nonsense resulted in many horses spending way too much time inside their stalls. I was frustrated, the horses were frustrated and their owners were frustrated. Not only could they not go out much, there were very limited places to ride. Up and down the gravel road can only be so productive (and so entertaining) for almost three weeks straight. Our rings had quickly turned to lakes, and frozen lakes on the cold nights. 

Every once in a while the temps dipped down below freezing at night and we were able to get them out, but nothing consistent. If anyone knows me, I love the horses to be outside as much as possible! So it was a really difficult three weeks! Riding lessons were scarce. I typically teach 25-30 lessons a week. Instead, I was only able to teach two to three a week if we were lucky enough to find a dry place and moment in time. 

My sweet Makeover mount, Shake and Spin (“Ole”), got hacked down the road two times the entire month. The bright side of all of this is that it made me realize what a lovely mind this guy has. What 3 year old can you pull out of the stall after limited turnout, hop right on and walk down the road on a loopy rein? He had a buddy, just in case, but never put a foot wrong.  

About two weeks ago, we were able to start to get back to normal with turnout, riding and lessons, thankfully! Ole learned to long line, and not surprisingly, acted like he had done it all his life. He has had a few more hacks and rides, and is so willing and smart. Even though he won’t be able to do a lot at the Makeover because he is so young, I’m excited to slowly bring him along for October’s event! On to warmer, drier weather … I hope!

Our arena under snow cover. Photo courtesy of Kiki Osbourne.

Our arena under water! Photo courtesy of Kiki Osbourne.

Ole looking very picturesque in the snow. Photo courtesy of Kiki Osbourne.

Until next time … Go Thoroughbreds and Go Eventing!