Classic Eventing Nation

Thursday News & Notes from Taylor Harris Insurance Services (THIS)

By on Jul 2, 2020 12:03 am -

Baby horse moves! Photo by Photography in Stride. (BTW congrats to Photography In Stride’s own Miranda Akins who won the Open Intro division with her own Curious Behavior!)

This great photo was a reader submission from the Hackamore Farm Mini Trial last Sunday in North Jackson, Ohio. Featuring some super cool baby horse moves courtesy of Audrey Felicijan’s 6-year-old OTTB gelding, Star in the Bar, ridden by Kelly Williams … the fact that he’s 17-hands makes this Open Very Green division obstacle appear all the smaller! It was his second mini trials and the pair finished 5th with no jump penalties. Should we say that he shows promise for cross country? View results from this well-run schooling event here.

National Holiday: National Anisette Day

Weekend Preview:

Twin Rivers Summer H.T. : [Website] [Ride Times]

Winona H.T: [Website] [Ride Times]

The Maryland International + H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status]

Chattahoochee Hills H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

Spring Gulch H.T.: [Website] [Ride Times]

Larkin Hill H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

News From Around the Globe:

Competitions may be slowly restarting, but with an uncertain fall future, you can always keep working on your mental game as a rider. Honestly, riding is maybe 50% physical, but at this point I’m not even sure about that much. Daniel Stewart talks about two defense mechanisms, and two better coping mechanisms this month that will undoubtedly help you ride better. [Your Ego Isn’t Your Amigo]

Yeah, I’m missing CHIO Aachen this month too, you’re not alone. The organizers decided to have a little fun, however, and are hosting a Champions of Champions tournament, with horses who finished in the top five from previous Aachen competitions. Using EquiRatings and SAP Predictive Analytics, they’re able to put horses like Toytown against SAP Hale Bob. Ready to watch? [Champion of Champions Tournament]

Regardless of discipline, Laura Graves and Verdades are every horse girls’ dream. But, it was definitely not a road paved with daisies, as Laura recounts in this excerpt from “Riding For The Team” all the times that Diddy was absolutely impossible and wild as a young horse. [The Making of Diddy]

Podcast: Major League Eventing podcast hosts Karen and Rob Chat with Liz Halliday-Sharp, Jennie Brannigan and Caroline Martin on another installment of the Event Riders Roundtable. [Listen]

Video: Carrying on with the theme of no-scope no-hope …

Fern you are some jumper 😇

Posted by Ema Klugman on Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: A Chat with Tim and Jonelle Price

By on Jul 1, 2020 6:00 pm -

Jonelle Price’s words in this interview with FEI TV’s Equestrian World web show are worth writing on my mirror: “It’s amazing what you can achieve with a bit of dogged determination and a lot of hard work.” In this episode, hear from eventing’s royal couple, Tim and Jonelle Price of New Zealand, on their beginnings in the sport and reflections on their careers thus far. The couple relocated from New Zealand in 2005 to base in the UK as “young, struggling Kiwis” high on ambition and low on money. “It was a fairly ambitious move,” Jonelle reflected, but the couple says they’re thankful they made that leap of faith.

But despite the hype and fanfare, both Tim and Jonelle remain firmly rooted on the ground, understanding the value of working together and seeing each other’s career grow. They’re a big inspiration to many of us, and it’s always a treat to get to know them a bit better. Enjoy!

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Hartpury to Host FEI European Eventing Championships for Young Riders & Juniors in 2022

By on Jul 1, 2020 3:30 pm -

Photo courtesy of Hartbury Equine Events.

Hartpury University and Hartpury College have been allocated the 2022 FEI Dressage and Eventing European Championships for Young Riders & Juniors. The Gloucestershire venue had been due to host the 2020 Championships until they were cancelled in May due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The FEI Board reached the decision during a three-day video conference meeting last week, where the allocation of other FEI Championships and key events for 2021 and 2022 was also discussed. The date for the Championships is yet to be confirmed.

British Dressage Chief Executive, Jason Brautigam, commented: “After the huge disappointment that we all felt when Hartpury had to cancel the FEI Junior and Young Rider European Championships that were due to take place in July, we were absolutely thrilled to hear that the college had been successful in their bid to host the event in 2022 instead. This at least provides some consolation after all of the hard work, effort and investment that went into planning this year’s Championships and provides our talented under 21 riders with another valuable target to aim for in two years’ time. We are immensely grateful for the support we have received from all of the team at Hartpury during the COVID crisis and look forward to national and international competition returning to the venue in the near future.”

British Eventing Chief Executive, Jude Matthews, added: “British Eventing is delighted that Hartpury have been awarded the 2022 FEI Dressage and Eventing European Championships for Young Riders & Juniors, particularly following the disappointment from having to cancel this year. The team at Hartpury have worked extremely hard on their plans for this year’s competition, and we look forward to working with them to deliver an outstanding competition opportunity for the youth riders in 2022.”

Hartpury previously hosted the 1997 European Pony Championships and annually organises the NAF Five Star Hartpury Festival of Dressage, NAF Five Star Hartpury Showjumping Spectacular and NAF Five Star International Hartpury Horse Trials.

Phillip Cheetham, Equine Director at Hartpury, said “We are thrilled to have been allocated the 2022 FEI Dressage and Eventing European Championships for Young Riders & Juniors. The decision to cancel the 2020 championships was not taken lightly and we were extremely disappointed not to be able to welcome riders and their support teams to Hartpury this summer.

We’re very grateful to the FEI for allowing us to host the event in two years’ time, and we’re extremely excited about providing the perfect environment in which the best young riders in Europe can perform to the best of their abilities. We must also thank the BEF, British Dressage and British Eventing for their continued support.

Our team is extremely experienced when it comes to staging world-class equestrian events and planning has started in earnest. Rest assured that we’ll be pulling out all the stops to put on a truly outstanding Championships in 2022,” he added.

Find more information on Hartpury here.

Canada Day: Our Favorite Team Canada Moments Through the Years

By on Jul 1, 2020 1:00 pm -

The “Spiffiest Quarter Marks” award goes to Team Canada.

It’s no secret we love our Canadian friends here at EN. In honor of Canada Day today, we thought it appropriate to take a stroll down memory lane to one of our favorite moments in recent Canadian eventing history. One of my personal favorite stories to relive is that of the 2010 World Equestrian Games.

It was a dream weekend for the Canadian team made up of Hawley Bennett-Awad, Kyle Carter, Stephanie Jenkins (nee Rhodes-Bosch), and Selena O’Hanlon. Individual riders Rebecca Howard and Jessica Phoenix also joined the Canadian contingent. It wasn’t supposed to be Canada’s year – in fact, most analysts would write the team off as a virtual non-factor in the face of powerhouse teams such as Great Britain and Germany.

The cross country phase would all but define the weekend for the scrappy team (which I wrote about in more detail in this piece for Heels Down Mag awhile back), and the team would go on to finish in silver medal position.

Relive some of this memorable weekend in the Bluegrass State through the lens of some of our favorite videographers:

I’ll let the following photos show you our Canadian friends through the years here at Eventing Nation. What are some of your favorite Team Canada moments?

Team Canada at Lima. Photo courtesy of Rob Stevenson.

Canada’s Junior team ahead of the jog at Young Riders in 2017. From left, Eva Marquis with Hollywood, Chloe Duffy with Oro Veradero, Chef d’Equipe Penny Rowland, Ella Marquis with Meadowbrook’s Pollyanna, and Tosca Holmes-Smith with Fiat. Photo by Mark Marquis.

Go Canada! Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Team Canada in Normandy. Photo via Hawley Bennett on Instagram.

Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti(CAN). Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

We can’t forget the fans who show their endless love and appreciation for their favorite riders:

Canadian fans cheer on Jessie Phoenix and Pavarotti after their test. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

A spectator with Canadian pride! Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Last but certainly not least, here’s a look at how some riders are celebrating today:

Happy Canada Day to our fellow Canadians back at home!! We miss everyone and we’re so proud to be Canadians during these tough times! Enjoy the day! Have a caesar and poutine for us! Cheers! 🇨🇦❤️

Posted by Karl Slezak Eventing on Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Want to learn more about the Canadian eventing and equestrian history? Dig into the team’s Olympic history here, the history of Canadian equestrian sportshere, and a list of famous Canadian riders to learn about here.

Happy Canada Day!

Go Canada!

Katherine Coleman Matches Diversity Scholarship Fund, Bringing Total to $4,000

By on Jul 1, 2020 9:47 am -

Katherine Coleman and Monte Classico. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

We appreciate riders who are as dedicated to positive change in in the world as they are committed to getting to the other side of a cross country fence. Five-star eventer Katherine Coleman saw Nation Media’s first-annual Diversity Scholarship, which began at $1,000 and was doubled yesterday by Stable View to $2,000, and offered to match it, bringing the total fund to $4,000.

“I just feel like there’s a lot of talk and a lot of momentum and it’s time for everyone to back that up with action,” Katherine says. “And if everyone does a little bit, a little bit goes a long way.”

The Scholarship calls for contributions to the discussion about diversity and inclusion in equestrian sport from minority equestrians — you can view full details here. Financial support is one small step toward dismantling the systemic disadvantages of being non-white, particularly in a sport as expensive as equestrian.

“With everything happening, the awareness is there,” Katherine says. “It’s real, it’s something that is happening and needs to be addressed. We’re so blessed and so fortunate in this industry with what we do and what the horses provide that to make it available to more people is a wonderful thing.”

It is our sincere hope that this Scholarship gives some deserving equestrians a leg-up while encouraging, elevating and giving a platform to minority voices. We thank Katherine for her support!

Go Eventing.

The ‘Ultimate’ Comeback: An Update on Rick Wallace’s Ultimate Victory

By on Jul 1, 2020 9:00 am -

Rick Wallace and Ultimate Victory. Photo via Rick on Facebook.

After a devastating freak accident that resulted in the loss of his left eye back in April, Rick Wallace’s 17 year old Thoroughbred gelding, Ultimate Victory made a comeback to competition this past weekend with Briggs Surratt in the irons. We’ve been following along with “Cody” and his recovery and adjustment to one-eyed life, which Rick says has gone remarkably well.

“I am not sure if Cody even realizes he is missing an eye!” Rick wrote just 17 days after the loss of the eye when a cross tie clip hit Cody. “To the thousands of shares from his injury less than 3 weeks ago and to all the thousands of well wishers, we say thanks.”

Now, Cody is back to competing and tackled the Open Preliminary division at Chatt Hills last weekend, finishing in the top 10 with just some time added on cross country. Rick was thrilled, and is more than relieved to see his soulmate horse happy and thriving again.

“The results of the pull back and retraction that hit my 4 Star horse in the eye- was, what I thought career ending” Rick wrote in his most recent social media post. “We posted the accident as a PSA on those type cross ties in the hope that we may save others from the same outcome. While I was hit with many bad posts, I was encouraged that my experience helped others in the positive posts received!

Cody is an amazing 17 year old Thoroughbred that took each day with grace! I started day one to introduce his life with one eye as normal as I could!
Just less than two months later, Cody and Briggs tackled the OP at Chatt Hills with brilliance! Finishing 10th only due to time on CC.

Briggs is my hero for taking my soulmate around with caution and care in all three phases! His show jump round was nothing less than brilliant. He prepared Cody for each turn off the left to ensure he knew what was next. Watch this show jump round of a horse that two months ago had two eyes! I cried! Go Cody my amazing one eyed super horse! The future is bright with one eye!”

You can watch videos from Cody’s comeback in the post below. We’ll continue to follow Cody’s progress as he gets back into competition mode, not missing a beat even with one less eye. Go Eventing.

So my update of Ultimate Victory aka Cody. On April 29th of this year I posted about the devastating injury to Cody’s…

Posted by Rick Wallace on Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Wednesday News & Notes from Ecovet

By on Jul 1, 2020 12:11 am -

I’ve found myself doing a lot of thinking recently about the idea of access to horses. It’s something that feels like a tangible way to have a positive impact for the next generation, for a kid who may need an outlet, who has an uncanny love for horses that needs to be expressed and nourished. There are various nonprofits and access programs across different sports, and much can be gleaned from diving into some research. One thing I’ve noticed in common is this: virtually every sport needs help at the grassroots, lower levels. The Little League games. The dirt bike tracks. The soccer fields. So many of them lie untouched, relegated to the neighborhood kids who make use of having it nearby. There is so much potential and so much that sports of all kinds do for young generations. There must be more we can do to expand this notion when it comes to horses.

I understand that bringing horses into or closer to a new community presents a world of challenges, but it’s some food for thought. Horses bring us peace (when they’re not breaking out of the crossties or finding inconvenient ways to injure themselves, that is), and it’s a feeling that I truly believe is something more people could benefit from. It’s a concept I will continue to dedicate time to, and I invite any and all conversations around this as the strength of one is nothing compared to the strength and combined creativity of many!

National Holiday: Today is Canada Day!

Weekend Preview:

Twin Rivers Summer H.T. : [Website] [Ride Times]
Winona H.T: [Website] [Ride Times]
The Maryland International + H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status]
Chattahoochee Hills H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]
Spring Gulch H.T.: [Website] [Ride Times]
Larkin Hill H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

Cool Job Alert: Mexican five-star eventer Daniela Moguel is looking to add someone new to her apprenticeship program. Described as an immersion style program, participants learn all aspects of horsemanship and business management in a way that helps them build careers of their own. Sounds like a pretty cool opportunity if you ask me. Learn more here.

I’ve been doing a lot of relearning of our country’s history. After learning about the many untold stories I’d missed out on, I decided to start down one rabbit hole in particular: the Black American cowboy. I’ve done a fair bit of reading, but I found this deep dive from Huffington Post to be particularly insightful in summarizing the history. If you want a primer, this is a good place to start.

In my Instagram scrolling this week, I came across this moving reflection from Colorado Rockies player Ian Desmond on racism in the United States as well as the concept of access in underprivileged communities. If you take out “baseball” and sub in “equestrian”, I feel a lot of the same undertones can be applied to the sport that has shaped our lives, too. No, this isn’t a dig. It’s an opportunity to reflect on how we can make horses and the peace they bring something more people can have the opportunity to enjoy. Ian’s post provided a lot of food for thought for me, and I encourage you to take a read too.

Kyle Carter wants coaches to take their roles in helping keep riders safe seriously. In this opinion editorial for Heels Down Mag, the Canadian Olympian reflects on the idea of moving up and what more coaches and riders should be considering. Moving up is not a decision to be taken lightly, and there are some good points made here.

Time for another conformation critique from the USEA. This time, former FEH/YEH Championship judge Chris Ryan shares his thoughts on a young Irish Sport Horse/Thoroughbred gelding. Take a gander and see how your conformational eye stacks up.

Wednesday Video: New episode of Young Black Equestrians alert! In the newest interview, we meet Ranee James, who balances being a mother, working with the Urban Equestrian Academy in the UK, a career as an artist, and big goals for her own riding…meanwhile, I need a nap after writing this.

Ecovet is an entirely different type of fly spray … and you apply it to your horse in a different way, too. With fly season upon us, we’re sharing some tips for how to best apply Ecovet:

Tuesday Video from Flexible Fit Equestrian USA: Horse Breeds in Water, Explained

By on Jun 30, 2020 5:46 pm -

How different horse breeds walk through water brought to you by @taylordstory and me.

Posted by Jeanette Estelle on Sunday, June 28, 2020

Our horses are an enigma. Sometimes it’s hard to capture their complex behaviors, but Jeanette Estelle’s demonstration of how each breed walks in water is pretty spot on.

Tag yourself, I’m the Arabian.

Flexible Fit Equestrian: Redefining Comfort & Quality at an Affordable Price. Learn more at www.ffequestrian.com.au.

Meanwhile in Europe: Strzegom Summer Tour & Portugal Winter Tour

By on Jun 30, 2020 4:03 pm -

Photo by Mariusz Chmieliński courtesy of Stzregom Horse Trials.

We are living in extraordinary times, and equestrian sport has been forced to get creative to coexist with a pandemic that has already canceled more than 50% of FEI competitions thus far in 2020.

Announcements from two countries, Poland and Portugal, have news for FEI eventing competitions in those countries.

🇵🇱POLAND🇵🇱

After weeks of uncertainty, Strzegom is starting its season of international eventing shows. The first competition will be Strzegom Summer Tour, which will be played out during two competitions on the first and third weeks of July.

Almost 140 horse/rider combinations representing 13 countries will compete in CCI1*, CCI2*, CCI3* and CCI4* divisions this weekend. The CCI4*-S division has 12 entries, including Katrin Khoddam-Hazrati of Austria; Lara de Lidekerke-Meirer of Belgium; Heike Jahncken, Nicolai Aldinger and Kai-Steffen Meier of Germany; Merel Blom, Raf Kooremans and Jordy Wilken of the Netherlands; and Mateusz Kiempa of Poland.

The event will start on Friday with dressage followed by show jumping on Saturday and cross country on Sunday.

Due to sanitary restrictions, the event will take place without audiences and media. However, there will be a live streaming available for eventing fans on the official website of the show and Facebook.

Live video schedule:
Show Jumping – Saturday, July 4, 12 – 6 p.m. local time (6 a.m.-12 p.m. EST)
Cross Country: Sunday, July 5, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. local time (3 – 9 p.m. EST)

You can view the entry list here and the program here.

🇵🇹PORTUGAL🇵🇹

The ACCE (the Portuguese Eventing Association) together with the Portuguese Equestrian Federation and the country’s top eventing venues, including the famous Barroca d’Alva, have announced the 2020 Portugal Winter Tour as a response to canceled events.

Pending FEI approval, the Tour will take place during the last two weeks of November and the first week of December — watch this space for updates:

Week 1 (Nov. 19-21): Lisbon | 1* /2*S / 3*S/4*S + National Program
Week 2 (Nov. 26-28): Barroca d’Alva | 1*/ 2*S / 3*S / + National Championships
Week 3 (Dec. 2-6): Barroca d’Alva |  1*/2*S/2*L / 3*S/3*L /4*S/4*L (MER for 2021 Olympics)

This brand new tour format has been part of the ACCE’s plan for the revitalization of the sport since the current board took over in 2018. With many top international events forces to cancel this year, dozens of top international riders asked if “Portugal” could do something to help.

Top riders from across the world, including from New Zealand, Australia, France and the UK, have committed to bringing horses to the Tour as part of their plans to qualify for international events in 2021, including the Olympics.

The Tour also offers the National Eventing Team much needed opportunities to gain international qualifications needed for next year’s international objectives for both the Young Rider team and Senior Team. It will also provide investment opportunities in the national eventing courses involved and raise awareness for the sport in Portugal.

The Tour states that it will be respecting all COVID-19 restrictions and measures in place at the time and the ACCE, the organization responsible for managing the tour, will be working closely with FEP, the FEI and the Portuguese Government to ensure full compliance and the safety of all those involved.

To find out more, visit the 2020 Portugal Winter Tour website.

Phillip Dutton Takes Two Advanced Wins at Horse Park of New Jersey I H.T.

By on Jun 30, 2020 11:50 am -

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo courtesy of Phillip Dutton.

Phillip Dutton enjoyed a successful day trip to the Horse Park of New Jersey over the weekend, piloting Z and Luke 140 to wins in the two Advanced divisions.

As one would imagine, Phillip has been diligent about his homework during the past few months despite the lack of competition.

“We’ve been working hard during the quarantine and it’s rewarding to see it pay off, not just for us personally but for our entire team,” Phillip says. “With Boyd and Silva Martin’s cross country facility close by we’ve been taking advantage of that at least once a week with various horses.”

Phillip has been getting good feedback from Peter Wylde and Richard Picken in show jumping, and has been working with Silva Martin and Scott Hassler in the dressage.

In addition to his top placings at HPNJ, he finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the Advanced at Stable View last weekend with Sea of Clouds and Fernhill Revelation.

Of his outing at HPNJ, Phillip says, “The event ran very smoothly and I commend all the organizers and volunteers these last few weeks who have adapted to all the new rules and regulations, and also a personal thanks to all the grooms and owners for being so patient and long-suffering as we all navigate our way through the ‘new normal.'”

You can view complete results from the event here.

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo courtesy of Phillip Dutton.

Advanced A

Phillip and his 2018 WEG mount, Tom Tierney, Simon Roosevelt, Suzanne Lacy, Annie Jones and Caroline Moran’s Z, won their Advanced Division.

The pair took the early lead on a dressage score of 26.1. “Silva has actually been riding him a bit for me on the flat to help with the changes and we’re on a good trajectory,” Phillip says. “It certainly was a good test but there were a lot of places where I could do a lot better so that’s exciting.”

They jumped clear in both phases, adding six time penalties cross country to finish on a score of 32.1. “In the show jumping I just worked on

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo courtesy of Phillip Dutton.

trying to get his jumping more relaxed and not just frantic and for him to try and think a little bit more as he’s going around,” he reflects. “He was brilliant cross country, that’s about the best he’s been. It’s not a tough course by any means and I wasn’t pushing him but he just zipped around and he’s turning into a phenomenal cross country horse.”

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo courtesy of Phillip Dutton.

Buck Davison and Carlevo were 2nd on 36.3; Emily Beshear and Olney Uncle Sam were 3rd on 37.4. The two switched places after show jumping when Buck turned in the fastest cross country round of the division, with 5.6 time penalties, and Emily picked up 10.4.

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Singapore. Photo courtesy of Phillip Dutton.

Advanced B

Phillip led the second Advanced division from pillar to post as well: “I rode Luke 140 for Boyd Martin this weekend as he’s injured himself (again!) and he duly won, leading all the way on his dressage score of 32.”

Boyd and Luke 140, a 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Landos x Omega VI, by Limbus) owned by the Luke 140 Syndicate, finished 2nd in the Jersey Fresh CCI3*-S and 3rd in the Great Meadow CCI3*-S in the first year of their partnership together last year. Previously, the horse was campaigned through the 2* level by Swedish eventer Malin Peterson.

Phillip Dutton and Luke 140. Photo courtesy of Phillip Dutton.

“The horse is on the green side and I think they would ideally like to get him to the Olympics next year, or at least have him be in contention, so the more runs he can have between now and then the better,” Phillip says. “And if you count down from now and Kentucky in 2021 there aren’t that many runs left.”

“It’s very exciting for Boyd to have such a quality horse like Luke 140. They’ve done a great job with him, I didn’t have to do much, I rode him this week but that’s all. He’s trained but still green in the ring, in the dressage and the show jumping. For me in the cross country he needs to be a little bit more open in the stride and taking me down there a little bit more so I was just working on that, but I couldn’t be more pleased for Boyd and all his owners, I really think they’ve got the real deal here.”

Phillip Dutton and Luke 140. Photo courtesy of Phillip Dutton.

Buck Davison played bridesmaid in Advanced B as well, finishing 2nd with Erroll Gobey (43.8) — to his credit, he won Open Intermediate A with Cooley Candyman. Daniel Clasing rounded out the top three with MW Gangster’s Game (47.5).

Phillip also finished 12th with Fernhill Singapore, an 11-year-old Dutch gelding (Singapore x Riedellia, by Animo) owned by Tom Tierney, Annie Jones, and Dave and Patricia Vos. The pair finished 5th in the Fair Hill CCI4*-L last fall. They added 24.8 time faults to their dressage score of 37.7.

Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Singapore. Photo courtesy of Phillip Dutton.

“I purposely went out very slowly cross country on him because I wanted to try and get him a little more rideable for when it really counts and when I need to go fast,” he says. “I’ve been working with Erik Duvander with him, and today that was definitely the plan with him to go slow but even so this was his best round to date. Obviously they’re more rideable when you’re not pushing for time but I was still really impressed with him. He show jumped well and overall I was pleased with his dressage test — he can do a lot better but for his first time out in a long time it was pretty good.”

Go Eventing.