Classic Eventing Nation

Global Results Round-up: Portugal Winter Tour Wraps Up, Shane Rose Takes Two Down Under

By on Dec 7, 2020 4:00 pm -

Two international CCI4*-L competitions on opposite sides of the globe were contested this weekend: the third and final leg of the Portugal Winter Tour at Barroca d’Alva as well as the Wallaby Hill CCI4*-L in New South Wales, Australia. All told, it was Australian riders’ weekend to shine; Australian rider Samantha Birch won the CCI4*-L at the Portugal Winter Tour while Shane Rose took double honors in both the CCI4*-S and CCI4*-L at Wallaby Hill.

The third and final week of the 2020 Portugal Winter Tour wound to a close this weekend, culminating in a CCI4*-L that tested the field of 25 horses and riders. Weather played a role each week during the Tour, with rain making for some wet and challenging cross country tracks designed by Eric Winter. At the end of the final weekend, Australia’s Samantha Birch and Hunter Valley II took home the win in the headlining CCI4*-L division on a final score of 32.5.

Hunter Valley II, a 15-year-old Australian Sport Horse gelding owned by Samantha and Lyndon Mcleod, has been partnered with Samantha for the majority of his international career, enjoying a few starts with Tom McEwan in the irons briefly in 2015. Samantha, who bases in the UK, can often be found in the jumper ring when she isn’t eventing. This pair enjoyed a nice lead-up to the first FEI win of the gelding’s career, earning third place in the CCI4*-S here at Barroca d’Alva last month.

Karin wins two classes in Barroca d'Alva, Portugal!
First place with Fletcha van 't Verahof in CCI4*-S and first place…

Posted by Karin Donckers on Saturday, December 5, 2020

Representing New Zealand, Samantha Lissington took home second place in the CCI4*-L aboard Ricker Ridge Sooty Gnz, owned by Samantha and Pip Mccarroll. This is the top finish at the CCI4*-L level for the 9-year-old Holsteiner/Thoroughbred gelding who moved up to the level last fall.

Coming third in the CCI4*-L are Ludwig Svennerstål and Balham Mist, a 13-year-old British Sport Horse owned by K L Jarvey, Limerick / Andrew Ayres, and Svennerstål Eventing.

Karin Donckers suffered a broken knee and broken ribs in a freak accident at Arville in August of this year, but she returned to form aboard her Olympic and World Equestrian Games partner, Fletcha Van ‘T Verahof, to take home the win in the CCI4*-S. The 15-year-old gelding owned by Karin, Joris De Brabandere, and Carl Bouckaert has had a lighter 2020, having nothing to prove with accolades such as a fifth place finish at the 2014 World Equestrian Games and a top-20 finish at the 2018 Games.

To view full results from all divisions at the Portugal Winter Tour, click here.

Shane Rose and Easy Turn. Photo by Stephen Mowbray.

Looking to Wallaby Hill in New South Wales, it was Shane Rose for the win in both the Gow Gates Insurance CCI4*-L and the CCI4*-S. Easy Turn, an 8-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by Shane and Niki Rose, picked up her second CCI4*-L win in as many attempts; the pair also won this event last year. The mare improved on her finishing score from 2019 (30.1) to complete the weekend on a final score of 26.6 with just some time added on cross country.

Watch Shane and Easy Turn’s cross country round:

Rider Video of CCI4*-L winner Shane Rose on Easy Turn at the 2020 Wallaby Hill International 3DE

Rider Video of CCI4*-L winner Shane Rose Eventing on Easy Turn at the 2020 Wallaby Hill International 3DE. Watch more Wallaby Hill XC videos at ridervideo.com. It's good to be back.

Posted by Rider Video on Sunday, December 6, 2020

Stuart Tinney took home the second and third place finishes in the CCI4*-L aboard Celebration (27.3) and Leporis (33.0). Celebration, a 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Karen and Stuart Tinney, Robert Utley, and Elisabeth Brinton, has finished first or second in 9 out of 16 FEI starts and adds another to his collection this weekend. Leporis, another 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Karen and Stuart Tinney, also has a highly competitive record to his name. Notable on this gelding’s record is a second place finish in the Adelaide CCI5*L in 2019.

Finally, looking to the CCI4*-S, Shane and his partner for the 2018 World Equestrian Games, Virgil, took home the top honors on a final score of 27.4. 2020 has been a light year for Virgil, owned by Stuart and Michelle Hasibar, also; he won the CCI4*-S at Camden, New South Wales in October as his sole other FEI start this season.

Shane Rose and Virgil. Photo by Stephen Mowbray.

Shenae Lowings and her 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Bold Venture, picked up the highest CCI4*-S result of their career with a second place finish this weekend on a final score of 33.2. This pair had some growing pains in their debut at the level earlier this fall, but they’ve quickly righted the ship and now have two solid outings under their belt. Katie Taliana and her 16-year-old British Sport Horse gelding, Trevalgar II took third place in the CCI4*-S on a score of 34.8.

To view full results from Wallaby Hill (and to get a look at how the Nominate scoring platform, coming soon to the U.S., works), click here. Many thanks to Stephen Mowbray and the media team at Wallaby Hill for providing some shots from the action:

IOC Confirms Inclusion of and Quotas for Equestrian Sports at Paris 2024

By on Dec 7, 2020 1:00 pm -

Charlotte Dujardin celebrates at the Rio Olympics. Photo by Arnd Bronkhorst/FEI.

All three equestrian disciplines – Jumping, Dressage, and Eventing – have been formally confirmed for the Paris 2024 Olympic program. In addition, the six events – team and individual across each of the three disciplines – and the full quota of 200 athlete/horse combinations have also been endorsed.

News of the confirmation came during today’s International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board online meeting, at which the full program for Paris 2024 was formally approved. Individual International Federations were also provided with details of the event program and athlete quotas for their sport in an official letter from IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper.

The ratification means that equestrian will keep its quota of 75 athlete/horse combinations for Jumping, 65 for Eventing and 60 for Dressage.

Rendering via Paris 2024.

“We are very happy to receive formal approval of our three disciplines for Paris 2024 from the IOC Executive Board and also confirmation that our athlete quota remains untouched at 200”, FEI President and IOC Member Ingmar De Vos said.

“This confirmation is also a token of appreciation for the efforts the FEI and the equestrian community have made to increase the fan base and improve digital figures for our sport. We really appreciate that the IOC didn’t touch our quota as we knew they needed to reduce the overall Games-wide quota to 10,500 athletes, but our sport has grown so much over the last decade that a reduction of our quota would have been detrimental to the universality of our Olympic competitions.”

The equestrian events will be staged in the grounds of Versailles, with King Louis XIV’s Palace as a stunning backdrop at one of the French capital’s most iconic Games time venues. The UNESCO World Heritage Site will also be the site for Modern Pentathlon.

Full details of the Paris 2024 event program were publicly announced at a press conference with the IOC President today. The IOC press release is available on www.olympic.org.

Groundbreaking Australian Entry System, Compete Easy, Is Coming Stateside

By on Dec 7, 2020 11:00 am -

An Australian online entry system called Nominate will soon be making its stateside debut. Under the name Compete Easy, it is certain to revolutionize the processing of information at U.S. events.

What if you could enter an event with the same ease of point-and-click customization that you booked an airline ticket? All your information populates automatically including results, eliminating the need to dig through records and re-enter information time and time again. You can prearrange each detail, from selecting your stall the same way you select a seat on a plane to choosing how many bags of shavings you wish to have waiting for you when you get there, as you might choose an in-flight meal. Did your horse miss some fitness work or lose a bit of convenience at its last outing, so you want to drop down a level? No need to email the secretary — just hop into the system and change it yourself.

Screenshot courtesy of Compete Easy.

The service doesn’t stop when you get to the show. Because dressage judges upload your scores directly into the system, movement by movement, you’ll know in real time how you performed — as can anybody with the free and easily downloadable app, making it a much more interactive experience for spectators both ringside and following along from afar. Think: the jumbotron at a five-star event, marking each movement in realtime, but on your phone. And a live stream can be easily integrated.

Similarly for cross country, anyone can follow along in real time, ticking off each obstacle cleared via the app. For riders, literally by the time you get back to your stall or trailer, you’ll know your official time and penalty score. The Australian version of the app, Nominate, which has been around for 15 years, has found that the instant access discourages scoring delays because of appeals.

The cross country jump judges have the ability to video any or all horses if they want to, and the TD can retrieve the video. There’s a safety angle, too: the cross country controller can see where everyone is on course at all times, and if a horse has, say, two stops, the TD can select that horse on the app and immediately access its history. What were its most recent results? Did it have five rails in show jumping? Instant access to historical and current data can help inform a TD’s decision to pull a rider up.

From an organizer’s perspective, Compete Easy is nothing short of a revelation. The system saves an average of about 15 minutes of office work per rider. So if you have 400 horses, that’s 100 hours. Rather than puzzling together a stabling plan that accommodates riders who want to stable together, riders essentially create the stabling plan themselves. Rather than the office punching in 150 dressage tests between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., the scoring populates automatically. Rather than double, triple and quadruple handling of information, there becomes a single point of entry. The scorer becomes a supervisor. Office work, which is so often dependent on the labor of increasingly scarce volunteers, becomes automated.

Since its founding in 2001, the Australian app Nominate has since grown to process entries for a wide range of sports — in excess of 10,000 transactions per week — and has integrated membership and ticketing systems that are used by a large number of sporting and non-sporting clients. They have also developed the world’s first technology in their SpeedCheck and LiveScore dressage systems, and they developed and maintain the national databases for several national sporting bodies including Equestrian Australia.

Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, will be one of Compete Easy’s earliest adopters, and we expect many more U.S. events to follow suit. We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates as this system comes to life and no doubt changes the experience of our sport for competitors, organizers and fans alike.

You can download the app at the App Store for free: Compete Easy, or, www.competeeasy.com.

 

Weekend Winners: Rocking Horse, Sporting Days

By on Dec 7, 2020 9:00 am -

Welcome to the first December edition of Weekend Winners for 2020! We have two events to get to this weekend, plus a special shoutout to some fun folks in Area VI.

This weekend’s Unofficial Low Score Award goes to Ronald Zabala-Goetschel and Wise King Cooper, who won their Open Novice division at Rocking Horse’s December Horse Trials on a 17.4. Wise King Cooper is a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion homebred by Ronald and Christine Geurden. “Cooper” is a half-brother on the dam side to Ronald’s Pan American Games and Bolivarian Games partner, Mr. Wiseguy. Congratulations!

Rocking Horse December H.T.: Final Results

Open Intermediate: Kimmy Cecere and Landmark’s Monaco (27.5)
Open Preliminary: Laura Welsh and Saturday Night Clive (24.8)
Preliminary Rider: Sara Kelson and Rhonaldo (32.5)
Open Training A: Leslie Law and Windchase Starfire (25.2)
Open Training B: Catharina Ardakani and Cobra King (29.8)
Preliminary/Training: Holly Jacks-Smither and Anderboch Flier (33.5)
Training Rider: Kathleen Abrams and Spintastic (24.6)
Jr. Novice Rider: Ava Rickert and Favonius Nite (33.3)
Open Novice A: Robin Walker and Oldcourt Grafen Dance (24.8)
Open Novice B: Ronald Zabala-Goetschel and Wise King Cooper (17.4)
Sr. Novice Rider: Krista Wilson and Stella (31.7)
Jr. Beginner Novice Rider: Hannah Catsulis and Solo Mio Amor (29.3)
Open Beginner Novice: Carole Schaff and Lucky In Louisiana (24.5)
Sr. Beginner Novice Rider: Jessia Vaughn and Mr. Sandman (36.5)

Sporting Days Farm H.T.: Final Results

Open Preliminary: Sarah Cousins and Hagrid (51.8)
Preliminary Rider: Leila Cluff-Ryan and Grand Finale (34.6)
Open Training: Jodie Potts and Island Fever (33.9)
Preliminary/Training: Julie Richards and Fernhill 13 (35.0)
Training Rider: Crockett Miller and Mr Panda (29.6)
Novice Rider A: Ava Friese and CMF Diamond Promise (31.7)
Novice Rider B: Eleanor Gray and Get Going (34.5)
Open Novice: Becky Holder and Miracle Eclipse (28.6)
Training/Novice: Mellisa Warden and Unfolding Blame (35.4)
Beginner Novice Rider: Jane Manetta and George (32.3)
Open Beginner Novice: Elise Santiz and Power Trip (28.5)
Starter: Carleigh Fedorka and Judge Johnny (32.8)

Finally did the damn thing 🏆

Leo was foot perfect today for the win, scoring a 28.5 in the dressage and putting in 2…

Posted by Elise Santiz on Saturday, December 5, 2020

I had a wonderful weekend at Sporting Days Farm. Emmaretto CSF and Star Shrek had their first Training level…

Posted by Daniel Sarango on Sunday, December 6, 2020

And just for fun, I wanted to give a special shout to my buddies in Kansas City, who put on a fundraising jumper show for much-loved Area IV coach Julie Wolfert, who has her sights set on contesting the 2021 Mongol Derby. Julie is a stalwart part of Midwest eventing and her students and supporters showed up to party this weekend at this fun show!

Monday News & Notes

By on Dec 7, 2020 7:32 am -

A quieter Burghley than usual, as seen from the Lion’s Bridge. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This is such a strange and unfamiliar holiday season, but something about that is making me lean into it more than I have in years. I’ve somehow become some sort of manic Martha Stewart mini-me, drying orange slices for hours in the oven to make garlands, festooning my entire cottage in delicate little copper-wire twinkle lights, and concocting an endless assortment of mulling spices and festive gin infusions. (Do we need a hip-flask recipe post, EN? I feel like we do.) I’m spending this entire strange month seeing off this entire strange year with wonderful friends near and far, old and new, meeting up for socially-distanced walks and talks and coffees in red cups, and it’s honestly already the best Christmas I’ve had in years.

What has this got to do with eventing, or with your own Monday plans? Well, not a lot, admittedly, but for the fact that I felt that all this making merry needed to include an appropriate send-off to my homes away from home, most of which I never got to see this year. And so I hopped into the car, headed three hours due north, and met up with two of my very best friends – both exceptional journalists at Horse&Hound and all-around good eggs – for a jolly good stomp around the hallowed turf of beautiful Burghley Park. I’ve been coming to Burghley for years – it was the first five-star I ever attended, and years later, my first-ever press accreditation – but I’d never been to the estate or house at any other time of the year.

The easiest way to make equestrian journalists giddy in the off-season? Take them to their favourite venues and let them jump logs on the ground. On foot. Photo by Lucy Elder.

Reader, it was surreal and magical and all I can say is this: if you’re missing all the eventing that wasn’t this year and you’re in reasonably close proximity to the home of one of your favourite internationals, do try to pay it a visit. Driving in the usual press entrance by the house gave me actual tummy butterflies, and seeing its gilding and ALL. THOSE. WINDOWS. sparkling in the crisp winter sunlight made everything feel as though it would be alright eventually. Off we trotted from the house to the Lion Bridge, where we watched the estate’s resident herd of sheep clamber around the Collyweston Slate Mine fence. Then we picked our way down to Discovery Valley, confirmed that none of us fancied jumping its cavernous open corner, and headed out into an eerily empty field to find the jog strip – extraordinarily small without its usual fanfare of crowds, grandstands and marquees. Now, in its off-season, it’s just a tiny sliver of hard surface in the middle of an expanse of surprisingly undulating green. It all felt quite remarkably peaceful (until, of course, we wandered over to the Leaf Pit, which somehow looks even bigger when found in the wild).

It’s been a funny old year without so many of our favourite events, but visiting Burghley in its hibernation period reminded me of one unshakable truth: they will be back, and when they are, they’ll be even better than we all remembered. And honestly, I’ll raise a hip flask of mulled pomegranate gin to that.

National Holiday: It’s National Cotton Candy Day. I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten cotton candy outside of the months of July and August, but okay.

US Weekend Results:

Rocking Horse December H.T.: [Website] [Results]

Sporting Days Farm H.T.: [Website] [Results]

Global Eventing Round-Up:

  • The third and final week of the Portugal Winter Tour came to a close in Barocca d’Alva, with the long-format divisions joining the array of short-format divisions on the roster. The premier class, the CCI4*-L, was won by experienced British-based Aussie pair Sammi Birch and Hunter Valley II, while Belgium’s Karin Donckers took the CCI4*-S with her stalwart partner Fletcha Van’t Verahof. The US was well represented with a fourth place finish in the CCI3*-L for Hallie Coon and new partner Global Ex.

Your Monday Reading List:

The team at EquiRatings have launched a new rating system designed to definitively determine the best event horses of all time. The Elo system – named for Hungarian physics professor Arpad Elo – has been reworked from the world of chess, and the horse who takes the lead for the all-time best record probably won’t come as much of a surprise. [Who is the best event horse in the world? Data experts build a ranking to find out…]

Have you been obsessively watching the new series of The Crown? If so, you’ve likely been loving the focus on Princess Anne’s equestrian career (discipline switch and venue change aside, of course). But do you know the young British rider who stepped in to play the character in those nail-biting riding scenes?  Meet 23-year-old Amy Inglis. [How Amy Became a Star of ‘The Crown’]

I’m never more glad to have a plain brown wrapper mare than I am in mud season. If you’re not so lucky, keeping those white legs clean – and that sensitive skin healthy – is probably one of your biggest stressors at this time of year. Fortunately, Heels Down has got some tips to help you. [How to Keep Those White Legs…Actually White in Winter]

In your riding life, you’ll occasionally encounter those horses who are just, well, tough. Whether it’s because they’re naturally just tempestuous characters, or whether they’ve been made tricky through bad experiences, working with them will be among your biggest challenges – but they can be extraordinarily rewarding, too. Here, Tik Maynard explains how he approached three such characters. [My Three Toughest Horses, and How I Addressed Each One]

Morning Viewing:

Have you got to grips with travel-induced ulcers? The team at Fox-Pitt Eventing explain their tried-and-tested preventative measures for keeping your horses happy and healthy when hauling.

EN’s Top 10 Videos of 2020, #9: Charlotte Dujardin’s Dreamy Horsey Holiday

By on Dec 6, 2020 1:00 pm -

We’re looking back on the wild year that has been 2020 and counting down the top-viewed videos shared on EN this year. Here’s #9!

After ensuring we kept back to a distance that he was comfortable with, the giraffe was later happy to show us his lands, but at his pace.

How incredible they are! 😍

#siraistud #siraihouse #kenya

Posted by Charlotte Dujardin on Thursday, February 6, 2020

Charlotte Dujardin recently took the trip of a lifetime to Kenya where she saw some of the world’s most beautiful creatures. Her view was especially unique as she toured the landscape from the top of her borrowed horse, Kyoto, a Boerperd/Friesian.

Our favorite part? Charlotte took the opportunity to school some cross country:

Photo via Charlotte Dujardin.

Go Charlotte. Go eventing.

Nope, not arguing with this giraffe 😂

Posted by Charlotte Dujardin on Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Can You Help the Frangible Technology Fund Reach Its Fundraising Goal?

By on Dec 6, 2020 10:00 am -

The USEA Foundation’s Frangible Technology Fund at work! Photo by Shelby Allen.

The Frangible Technology Fund was established earlier this year in an effort to raise awareness and funding for research and equipment grants. To date the Frangible Technology Fund has raised over $430,000. Once $450,000 has been raised, a $50,000 matching grant from The Manton Foundation will activate to reach the final goal of $500,000.

🏳️ Calling all eventers! 🚩

We are so close to reaching our fundraising goal for the Frangible Technology Fund!…

Posted by United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) on Thursday, December 3, 2020

The collective efforts of many have made this goal inch ever closer. This technology will serve to make our sport safer, and every single dollar helps the Fund reach its ultimate goal. To learn more about the Frangible Technology Fund and to make a tax-deductible donation, click here.

Sunday Links

By on Dec 6, 2020 12:01 am -

Photo courtesy of Jordán Linstedt Granquist.

First ride alert! Three month old Payton Granquist had her very first ride with upper level eventer and mom Jordán Linstedt Granquist this week. She looks right at home on the back of a horse. Now the only question is, will she follow in her mom’s shoes as an eventer?

National Holiday: National Microwave Oven Day

U.S. Weekend Action:

Rocking Horse December H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status]

Sporting Days Farm H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

Major International Events:

Portugal Winter Tour Week 3: [Website] [Entries]

Sunday Links: 

Black Lives Matter: Diversity in Equestrian Sport

Horse of a Lifetime: Valegro

My 3 Toughest Horses, and How I Addressed Each One

Helmet Research and Advancements in Design Aim to Improve Rider Safety and Education

Looking Past Netflix: The Real-Life Riding Career Of The Princess Royal

Sunday Video: The latest from The Jon and Rick show:

 

 

 

EN’s Top 10 Videos of 2020, #10: Carter, Age 4, Is Crushing It!

By on Dec 5, 2020 1:00 pm -

We’re looking back on the wild year that has been 2020 this month and are counting down the top-viewed videos shared on EN this year. Let’s kick things off with #10, all about rising star Carter Grandia-Dodson.

Photo courtesy of Anni Grandia-Dodson.

Last Saturday we met Laila Alexander, age 4, who had just completed her first mini-trial — yay Laila! This week we’d like to introduce you to another 4-year-old rising superstar, Carter Grandia-Dodson.

Mom Anni shares, “His pony is Polka Dot and he loves to do what the big kids do. He loves to go cross country schooling and jump his pony. He did his first derby a few weeks ago and won his 5-and-under division. Carter has an uncle that events in area VII, I also event and run an event, grandma and his aunt do dressage. We’re producing the next generation here in area VII!”

Photo courtesy of Anni Grandia-Dodson.

Photo courtesy of Anni Grandia-Dodson.

Photo courtesy of Anni Grandia-Dodson.

We love to see it! Go get ’em, Carter!!!

Full Schedule for 2020 USEF Virtual Meeting Released

By on Dec 5, 2020 10:00 am -

Vicki Lowell (far right) led a panel discussion with (far left to right) Andrea Evans, Taryn Young, Rich Cronin, and Bob Hughes. Photo courtesy of
US Equestrian.

US Equestrian is pleased to share the complete schedule for the USEF Annual Meeting, which will be held virtually January 13-17, 2021. All sessions including the 2020 Pegasus and Horse of the Year Awards Celebration are free for all members.

Members are invited to attend special presentations given by the Member Services Council, National Breeds & Disciplines Council, and International Disciplines Council throughout the week to learn more about results from 2020 and plans for 2021. Additionally, there will be a special Calendar Management Meeting and Q&A open to members on Wednesday, January 13, at 6:00 p.m. The General Session will be held during the afternoon of Saturday, January 16, via Zoom and the USEF Pegasus and Horse of the Year Awards Celebration will take place that evening on USEF Network. The 2021 meeting will conclude with the Board Meeting on Sunday, January 17, via Zoom. Details and times are below, so please mark your calendars! Registration information for each session will be available online and shared via e-mail in the coming weeks.

Wednesday, January 13: Ideas into Action

• 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Member Services Council Presentation
• 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. | Calendar Management Meeting and Q&A

Thursday, January 14: Grassroots to Grand Champion

• 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. | National Breeds & Disciplines Council Presentation

Friday, January 15: Growing the FEI Disciplines at Home & Abroad

• 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. | International Disciplines Council Presentation

Saturday, January 16: Listen, Learn & Lead Together

• 4:30 p.m. | General Session Presentation given by President Murray Kessler & President Elect Tom O’Mara
• 7:30 p.m. | 2020 USEF Pegasus and Horse of the Year Awards Celebration

Sunday, January 17: Board of Directors Meeting

• 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. | New Board Member Orientation (Closed)
• 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Session One (Open)
• 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Session Two (Open)

View more information about the 2021 USEF Annual Meeting at usef.org/annual-meeting.