Classic Eventing Nation

Monday News & Notes from Fleeceworks

By on Feb 10, 2020 12:01 am -

Ryan Wood and Powell. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

I have to be totally honest and admit that I almost didn’t watch the cross country livestream of the MARS Eventing Showcase yesterday because I didn’t anticipate much shakeup in the standings at all. How much trouble could a three minute long cross country course cause, really? A fair bit, as it turned out, with an extra sprinkle of dramatic flair too. An interesting start to the season, no?

National Holiday: National Clean Out Your Computer Day

Major Events:

Mars Eventing Showcase: Website, Final Scores, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

U.S. Weekend Results:

Ocala Winter I H.T. [Website] [Final Scores]

Pine Top Intermediate H.T.  [Website] [Final Scores]

Monday News & Notes:

Fitness, fitness, fitness. Your horse’s fitness, that is. You’ve heard before how important it is, but it’s important enough to keep hearing about it. Will Faudree walks us through the building blocks of a proper equine fitness regimen in this Practical Horseman feature. [Fitness Fundamentals for Event Horses]

Ever been told you have “electric buns”? Sally Spickard has. It’s actually the first time I’ve heard the term before, but I’ve definitely been told over and over by my trainer to stop pushing with my *ahem* buns and lighted my seat. Sally explores the necessity and importance of focusing on one’s own position and sitting the canter properly in particular. [The Curse Of The Electric Buns]

Here’s how a show jumping seat and a cross country seat differ. Both require a strong lower leg and sense of balance, but you’ll need to master each one independently to ride each phase effectively. [What’s The Difference Between A Showjumping Seat And A Cross Country Seat?]

Monday Featured Video: Charlotte Dujardin galloping through the African countryside on a Fresian cross is GOALS.

Life is….

Posted by Charlotte Dujardin on Saturday, February 8, 2020

A Wire-to-Wire Win for Marilyn Little at the MARS Eventing Showcase

By on Feb 9, 2020 10:06 pm -

Tilly Berendt contributed to this report. 

Buck Davidson (2nd), Marilyn Little (1st) and Phillip Dutton (3rd) were joined by Bridgett McIntosh and Zack Berry of MARS Equestrian; Matt Varney and Chris and Rob Desino of Ocala Horse Properties; and Equestrian Sport Productions CEO Mark Bellissimo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous swept the dressage lead yesterday here at the $50,000 MARS Eventing Showcase and carried it through the cross country finish flags today, winning on a final penalty score of 28.2.

Marilyn and the 14-year-old Oldenburg (Carry Gold x Richardia, by Lario), owned by Ms. Jacqueline Mars and Phoebe and Michael Manders, added a show jumping rail and 4.8 cross country time penalties to their dressage score of 19.4.

Of 27 cross county starters, there were 10 clear rounds inside the time across Captain Mark Phillips’ testing track. The master designer made the most of limited space and offered a dynamic cross-section of questions that came up fast and caught some horses off-guard in this compact format. The skinny wedges on the mound at 9 and 10 proved particularly troublesome. The most flowing performances had the quality of a luxury car commercial filmed on the Pacific Coast Highway — 90 mph but perfectly in control, tires hugging every curve in the road as though it were flanked by cliffs. For a play-by-play of the cross country action, check out Sally’s live updates here.

The top nine from show jumping held their ground through the final phase, with Buck Davidson/Carlevo and Phillip Dutton/Z finishing 2nd (28.6) and 3rd (28.7 — so close!) respectively. Here’s what the top three had to say at the final press conference:

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Marilyn Little, 1st with RF Scandalous 

“In a three-minute cross-country course there isn’t much time to make up time, so I started out much faster than I normally would – which is fine, she’s at the place where she can do that. But her normal prep would be a slower event or two before so we know we have all the control and the partnership that this kind of horse requires. That’s a lesson learned for Kentucky – you need to make sure you have everything in place. This isn’t a long format but it still takes just as much partnership to go out there and execute it.

“I was using this as a starter event leading up to Kentucky, but actually, if you’re going to come in and give a game day performance, it takes every ounce of partnership and experience to pull it off. Today, we were perhaps a little bit underprepared – I wouldn’t have thought it before, but lesson learned. We’ll be reorganising and working that out very soon.

“Today didn’t really go to plan. She warmed up beautifully for the show jumping but somewhere between the first and second fence she must have gotten her tongue over the bit. She was quite uncomfortable going around the course, and it was really a testament to her heart and her bravery that she kept going. A few years ago she would have been incredibly distracted, and she wouldn’t have been able to pull that off. I obviously didn’t know until after the course – she was trying so hard to jump around. She put in a really great effort.

“This afternoon [cross country] did not go to plan. We’ll be regrouping at home and figuring out how to do it better. Some days in sports just don’t work out. She came through the finish line and we thought, we’ll have to go out at a lower level – there’s a lot to be learned. Next time we go out there, it’ll be organised and relaxed.

“I’ve had a relationship with her for a very long time, and so we trade on that quite happily. We’ve obviously got a great support team around us, which helps a lot. We also tend to have a good plan – I know how many events it takes to get her to her best. We spend a lot of time travelling – I spend a lot of time in Ocala, and we’re at other prep events, and not just taking a crack at winning them. We do a lot of schooling runs to prepare.

“We have to stick with the things we do well, and then go back to the drawing board and try to do better.”

Buck Davidson and Carlevo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

 Buck Davidson, 2nd with Carlevo 

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to get ourselves and the horses in gear this early. Carlevo has missed a bit of time and maybe isn’t the quickest thinker, but I learned a lot with him at Blenheim [in 2019], and it’s about going a different route with him this year. He’s certainly good at this stuff – his show jumping is getting better. The owner and I sat down and talked about maybe selling him, but we figured he’d be good for these sorts of things, and he’s a nice horse to have in the barn. He’s really a sweet horse, and he’s good in all three phases. He was very good this weekend.

“It was fast enough without going crazy – it’s a unique event in that it feels more like a cross-country school than it does a real competition. But I think for most of the horses here that have experience, they understood the job. I could hardly get my first horse past that water in the show jumping – but I think it’s a good thing for the young horses to get this atmosphere and deal with all the other things going on.

“Mark [Bellissimo] is certainly a genius at putting these things on – he has a way of making you think, ‘wow, that’s not going to work’, but then it works. Full credit to him and everybody here who puts on a great show.”

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Phillip Dutton, 3rd with Z 

“I think it’s very early in the season, but it’s great to get out with some atmosphere – and to do the five-star dressage test is a great advantage for us. The showjumping is unique. We don’t see many show jumps around the cross country course like that, but the horses have to get used to different scenarios.

“The cross country didn’t walk super big, but you have to keep in mind that it’s early February and they haven’t done much. So I tried to set out on both horses to give them a good fitness run – you can’t keep them coddled all year. You’ve got to get them out, and so I tried to give them a run without stretching them too much at this stage of their year. I’m really pleased with both horses [Phillip also finished 10th on Fernhill Singapore], and I think they had a good experience.”

Many thanks to Tilly Berendt for this photo gallery:

Many thanks to this event’s generous sponsors and especially its title sponsor, MARS Equestrian; to Mark Bellissimo and Palm Beach International Equestrian Center for hosting us at their beautiful venue; to Shelley Page and the crew that made this event possible; to all the spectators, eventers and non-eventers alike!, who came out to support our sport; and last but not least to EN’s best-in-the-land readers for joining us this weekend.

Go Eventing.

And we’re out! Ryan Wood and Powell. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Final Top 10: 

$50k MARS Eventing Showcase: Website, Entries, Results, Show Jumping Live Stream, XC Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Instagram Roundup: Final Snapshots from the MARS Wellington Eventing Showcase

By on Feb 9, 2020 7:33 pm -

Cloud dotted skies with a high of 76 — we’re all green with envy of our friends in Wellington for the MARS Wellington Eventing Showcase. Thankfully, you guys shared snippets of your day on instagram, and we’ve got them all right here:

$50k MARS Eventing Showcase: Website, Entries, Live Scores, Show Jumping Live Stream, XC Live Stream,  EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

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I couldn’t be happier with both Z and Fernhill Singapore this weekend. Z finished on his dressage score to finish in 3rd place, and Singapore just added the one rail in show-jumping and 0.4 time cross country to take 10th place. I think it’s obviously very early in the season but it’s great to get out in some atmosphere and doing the 5* dressage test is an advantage. The show-jumping was unique in that we don’t see many show-jumpings around the cross country course like that but all the horses have to get used to different scenarios. The cross country didn’t walk super big but keeping in mind it’s early February and the horses haven’t done much yet. I tried to set out on both horses to give them a good run, you can’t just coddle them all year round, you’ve got to try and get them out and give them a run without stretching them too much at this stage of the year and I was really pleased with both horses. I didn’t push them too hard or stress them too much and they felt well within themselves and had a good experience. It was a conscious decision to come to this Showcase with these two boys and then to take them to the Aiken Grand Prix, especially Z being a hotter horse. I wanted to get them in some atmosphere and I believe that the cross country will be not dissimilar to this in Tokyo – a shorter course, a lot of jumping efforts and a lot of turning. These will be their first two runs and then I’ll probably just do one more event if everything goes to plan, and then hopefully Z will go to Badminton. We owe our owners Caroline Moran, Tom Tierney, Annie Jones, Dave and Patricia Vos, Simon Roosevelt and Suzanne Martin Lacy an enormous thank-you for their support both this weekend and throughout the year; they only tend to get mentioned when we’re picking up prizes but we are grateful always. On that note we’d also like to thank the sponsors and organizers of the event who have looked after us all so well all weekend, it’s been an absolute pleasure to be back.

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#waiting #crosscountry #winterequestrianfestival2020 #marsequestrian

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#lovehorses #horsesundays #crosscountryhorse #wellington

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MARS Eventing Showcase Show Jumping: Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous Defend Lead

By on Feb 9, 2020 1:36 pm -

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Andy Christiansen’s show jumping track did its job here at the $50,000 MARS Eventing Showcase, leaving us with a well-shuffled deck of cards heading into cross country. Of 34 starters, there were 11 clear show jumping rounds inside the time, 12 four-faulters, two eight-faulters, and eight pairs that dropped three rails or more.  We don’t have much time before cross country starts at 1:30 p.m. but here’s a quick-and-dirty recap of the action. (Check out a play-by-play via our show jumping live updates here.)

Let’s start at the top: Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous held fast to their sizeable dressage lead. The pair had a rail down but plenty of budge room in hand, especially with 2nd placed Boyd Martin with Long Island T and 3rd placed Selena O’Hanlon with Foxwood High felling two poles apiece, dropping them to 12th and 13th respectively. Our top pair will head out to cross country with 4.3 time penalties to burn in their back pocket.

Those who jumped clear were rewarded with upward trajectory on the scoreboard. Buck Davidson and Carlevo advanced from 4th into 2nd, and Phillip Dutton and Z bounced from 5th to 3rd. Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z moved from 6th to 4th, and Waylon Roberts and Lancaster moved from equal 13th to round out the top 5.

Daniela Moguel and Cecelia. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The next four rungs of the scoreboard — Sharon White with Cooley On Show, Liz Halliday-Sharp with Cooley Quicksilver, and Daniela Moguel with Cecelia — are all move-ups from the teens. Hallie Coon and Celien made a big hop from equal 21st to 9th. Ryan Wood with Powell had one down to move from 8th to 10th. 10.1 penalties separate the top 10.

Ryan Wood and Powell. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s a beautiful day here in Wellington, mid-70s and cotton-candy clouds drifting across a cornflower blue sky overhead. There’s a good crowd gathered to watch, both from the VIP tent and the lawn overlooking the jumping courses.

Four horses were withdrawn after show jumping: Erin Sylvester-Kanara‘s mounts Paddy the Caddy and Campground, Lauren Kieffer and Veronica, and Doug Payne and Vandiver.

Your top 10 heading into cross country:

Ready for cross country? Us too. You can follow along via the live stream here, and Sally will be back with another round of live updates. The horses will run in reverse order of go, which should make for an exciting finish. Click here for a fence-by-fence preview of Capt. Mark Phillips’ course. Best of luck to everyone! Go Eventing.

$50k MARS Eventing Showcase: Website, Entries, Live Scores, Show Jumping Live Stream, XC Live Stream,  EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

$50,000 MARS Eventing Showcase Cross Country Live Updates

By on Feb 9, 2020 1:25 pm -

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

It’s a quick turnaround for the horses and riders left to battle it out for the top prize (and a cool few thousand dollars) over Capt. Mark Phillips’ cross country course this afternoon at the $50,000 MARS Eventing Showcase. Wellington isn’t exactly known as an eventing hub, but it’s sure been turned into one today.

Riders will be facing 19 jumping efforts set out in the derby field for a twisting and turning show of cross country riding. The first rider is due out on course at 1:30 pm ET, and we’ll be seeing the pairs coming forward in reverse order of go.

You can see our course preview here and follow along with the cross country live stream here.

$50k MARS Eventing Showcase: Website, Entries, Live Scores, XC Live Stream,  EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

3:16 pm ET: Buck Davidson was originally announced the winner but it looks like Marilyn’s time has been corrected and she will eke out the win by the hair on Kitty’s nose. Their final score of 28.2 is enough to beat out Buck and Carlevo on a 28.6! A thriller finale here in Wellington! Stay tuned for the final report.

3:12 pm ET: Marilyn Little gets away with some hairy moments at the skinny brushes at 9 and 10 as well as at the final corners, forcing a circle between the two. However, the two corners are separately numbered so she gets home with no jump penalties but her time is 3 minutes 23 seconds.

Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous.

3:08 pm ET: Buck scraps his way through and makes it under the time! Now it comes to our leader, Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous. Will they hang on for the big win? Marilyn has a few seconds of time in hand but cannot afford any jumping penalties.

3:06 pm ET: Buck and Carlevo aren’t hanging around either — this one will come down to the wire as the pressure cooker is on!

3:05 pm ET: Buck Davidson and Carlevo are our second to last out of the box on a score of 28.6.

3:03 pm ET: Phillip gives us a masterclass in how to ride forward through the turns and comes home in 3 minutes 7 seconds for another clear inside the time.

3:01 pm ET: Liz Halliday-Sharp will finish both Deniro Z and Cooley Quicksilver in the top 5 today after collecting another double clear with her second ride of the day.

2:58 pm ET: Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z are our next out looking for a clear round. This pair finished 15th at Burghley in 2019 and will be looking to build on that this year.

2:57 pm ET: Waylon Roberts and Lancaster easily make the time to keep the pressure on our leaders.

2:53 pm ET: SO GOOD! Lots of love for Louie as Sharon White stops the clock at just over 3:07 for a clear inside the time to stay on their score of 31.3. They’ll take the provisional lead with five more to see.

2:51 pm ET: Sharon and “Louie” have a beautiful ride through the arrowheads at 9 and 10 and are looking to be good on time so far.

2:50 pm ET: We’re having a bit of an issue getting scores to load, so I apologize for the lack of specifics on scores. I’ll get you back up to date as soon as I can.

2:47 pm ET: Karen O’Connor tells us how Daniela describes Cecelia as more mature these days, hunting flags and understanding how many elements there are in a question. This experience shows as they continue attacking this course in a great rhythm. These two finish inside the time! Our next underway is Sharon White with Cooley On Show.

2:46 pm ET: Mexico’s Daniela Moguel and Cecelia are our next starters.

2:44 pm ET: Hallie Coon and Celien have come out attacking this course! They have a really catty ride through the skinny brushes that have been troublesome at fences 9 and 10.

Hallie Coon and Celien.

2:42 pm ET: A lot to love about Ryan Wood’s quiet manner with Powell. Perhaps a touch too quiet to challenge for the win today, but he’ll be pleased with this pipe opener. This course has really rewarded a flowing ride (as most courses should, if we’re being honest), and it’s a nod to Capt. Phillips’ chops for designing with limited space that still allows for a good rhythm.

Ryan Wood and Powell.

2:38 pm ET: Ryan Wood and Powell are our next to see on a score of 33.5. It’s looking like a safe bet that we’ll crown a new winner for the first time of the Wellington Showcase history. Who will it be?

2:37 pm ET: Boyd lives dangerously at the skinny fences at 9 and 10 but he’s safely through as Boyd can do. He is a bit down on the clock as he comes for home.

2:33 pm ET: Phillip Dutton adds .4 time penalties, just barely clocking in over the optimum. He’ll take a score of 34.1 for the three phases with Fernhill Singapore. Now away are Boyd Martin with Long Island T.

2:32 pm ET: Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Singapore look to be on a mission to make the time through the first handful of fences.

2:31 pm ET: A 35.8 will be Selena’s final score with Foxwood High after they add just one tick over the optimum time for .4 time penalties. What a ride from this experienced pair!

Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High.

2:27 pm ET: Jennie Brannigan and Ibella have a lovely go with a couple green moments, adding just some time for a great educational round for this talented mare. Keep an eye on this one this year! Next out are Canadian fan favorites Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High.

2:24 pm ET: Jacob Fletcher hails a cab over the Nutro Ditch and comes home just outside of the time with the lovely Van Gough.

2:20 pm ET: Buck comes home at 3 minutes 30 seconds plus 20 jumping. Bummer, but some really great things to like about this round. A scopey jumper, that one!

2:19 pm ET: Buck becomes the first to fall victim to the narrow squirrel in the water at fence 12 after a beautiful ride through the skinny brushes at 9 and 10.

Buck Davidson and Erroll Gobey.

2:17 pm ET: Buck is underway with Erroll Gobey! This pair had one bummer of a rail earlier today and bring forward a score of 37.2.

2:16 pm ET: Lisa Marie Fergusson and Honor Me:

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

2:15 pm ET: Ok, looks like we’re about to get set to head out with the next pair. It’ll be Buck Davidson and Erroll Gobey next out.

2:15 pm ET: Looks like they’ve got a cart up to help Clayton. FE Money Made is said to be fine. We’re just on a bit of a delay right now.

2:11 pm ET: Rats! Clayton Fredericks takes a tumble from FE Money Made also at fence 10, the second skinny arrowhead at the top of the hill. That’ll be an abbreviated end to their day, sadly.

2:10 pm ET: Ariel and Leamore Master Plan surprisingly fall victim to the skinnies atop the hill at fence 10. She continued on to finish on the final set of corners and has now pulled up to save her horse for another day.

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan

2:06 pm ET: Ah! Lisa Marie and “Tali” have a drive by at the pair of corners at fence 16. They very nearly make the time even with the resulting circle, coming home in 3 minutes 11 seconds. She’ll be bummed about that runout, but their round was beautiful aside from that small blip. On the next one, girl! Next out are Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan.

Lisa Marie Fergusson and Honor Me.

2:03 pm ET: Canadian pair Lisa Marie Fergusson and her Welsh Cob cross Honor Me will be our next to go. This pair loves cross country.

2:01 pm ET: Man, what a cross country horse LCC Barnaby is. And Lillian’s forward, going eye is something we can all emulate. They’re having a cracking go so far. Lillian’s having to take a bit more time to set up her keen Irish Sport Horse so they come home 10 seconds over the optimum.

1:58 pm ET: Bummer, Sara Kozumplik Murphy exits through the back door after she and Rubens came in a bit under powered to the second skinny atop the hill at fence 10. Rubens climbed through the arrowhead a bit, but they’re both going to fight another day. We’ll see Lillian Heard with LCC Barnaby leaving the start box next.

1:56 pm ET: Charlotte Collier remain on their two phase score of 41.6. Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Rubens D’Ysieux are our new starters.

1:55 pm ET: Charlotte Collier and Clifford M just laid down a beautiful round to cross the line clear inside the time. I’m not sure she took one tug, it was such a smooth round. Well ridden!

Charlotte Collier and Clifford M.

1:52 pm ET: Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Quicksilver become our second to come home inside the optimum time!

1:48 pm ET: Doug Paybe and Quantum Leap are making quick work of this course and are going to prove my bet right! 3 minutes and 5 seconds gets them within the optimum of 3 minute 9 seconds.

1:45 pm ET: It looks like Joe Meyer and Bucaneer have picked up a technical elimination. We’re off with Doug Payne and Quantum Leap.

1:42 pm ET: Cornelia Dorr and Sir Patico MH are home clear, even looking a bit steady in places but they look to have come in at least close to the time. 3 minutes and 28 seconds was their time. Joe Meyer and Bucaneer have had a drive by out on course.

1:40 pm ET: 3.2 time will be added for Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration. Who will be our first clear inside the time of the day? My money’s on Doug Payne with Quantum Leap. Also, it looks like Erin Sylvester has withdrawn both of her horses, as have Lauren Kieffer with Veronica and Doug Payne with Vandiver.

1:38 pm ET: Cornelia Dorr and Sir Patico MH will be our next pair to see. Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration are home clear, waiting on their time.

Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration

1:37 pm ET: Hang on, Holly! She’s unseated as “Morris” gets close to a fence but she keeps her balance and kicks away to turn for home.

1:35 pm ET: 7.2 penalties to add for Anna Loschiavo and Spartacus Q after a great trailblazing round. Away now are Canada’s Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration, sitting on a score of 50.9.

1:33 pm ET: Spartacus Q is very keen and raring to go, really showing us that a forward stride will be rewarded today. It’s a tough job to be a pathfinder but this pair is setting a good example as they settle into a good rhythm.

1:32 pm ET: Our first pair is away! Anna Loschiavo and Spartacus Q had a bit of a disappointing show jumping round but will be out to seek a clear round today.

1:30 pm ET: Here are your top 10 heading into cross country. We’ll be seeing the remaining pairs in reverse order of go for what promises to be a thrilling finale here in Wellington.

$50,000 MARS Eventing Showcase Show Jumping Live Updates: Marilyn Little Keeps Lead

By on Feb 9, 2020 10:32 am -

Daniela Moguel and Cecelia. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s just about go time for day two here at the $50,000 MARS Eventing Showcase! We’re getting ready to kick off show jumping, which will commence at 10:30 am ET. Keep refreshing this page for live updates from the action; if you’d rather watch yourself, you can find the show jumping live stream right here.

The time allowed for today’s show jumping will be 76 seconds for Andy Christiansen’s course today. Let’s get this started!

$50k MARS Eventing Showcase: Website, Entries, Dressage Order of Go, Live Scores, Show Jumping Live Stream, XC Live Stream,  EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

Here is your top 10 following show jumping:

11:52 am ET: Boyd Martin and Long Island T:

Boyd Martin and Long Island T. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

11:48 am ET: Marilyn needed one of her rails after an enthusiastic RF Scandalous made her way around, but they’ll still hold on to a sizable lead heading into cross country, which will begin at 1:30 pm ET.

11:45 am ET: Although she likely won’t need it, Boyd Martin has also given overnight leader Marilyn Little more breathing room with two down after an otherwise lovely, flowing round from Long Island T. They’ll drop down all the way to 11th after the costly rails. Marilyn will now take a 2-rail in hand lead into her round.

11:42 am ET: Foxwood High and Selena O’Hanlon had the second of the two-stride down as well as the first of the final line so they’ll be bumped down quite a bit sadly.

Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

11:41 am ET: Phillip and Z:

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

11:40 am ET: Another clear round, this one from Buck Davidson and Carlevo to remain on a 28.6 going forward.

11:38 am ET: A clear round from pro pair Phillip Dutton and Z to keep the pressure on our top 4!

11:36 am ET: One down, just the top rail of a vertical, for Ryan Wood and Powell. This will drop them down into 7th at the moment on a score of 33.5.

11:34 am ET: It’s a beautiful day here at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center! Is this even real life?

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

11:33 am ET: Another clear round for Liz Halliday-Sharp, this time with Deniro Z! They will keep their dressage score of 29.0 intact.

11:29 am ET: Lauren Kieffer and her veteran partner Veronica have fence 9 and the final fence down in an otherwise lovely round and return to this level for the 18-year-old mare.

Lauren Kieffer and Veronica. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

11:28 am ET: Erin Sylvester and Paddy and Caddy have a smooth and efficient round with just one rail down at the green oxer at fence 9

11:27 am ET: Sharon White and Cooley On Show:

11:24 am ET: A beautiful clear round and a big huge smile from Sharon White and Cooley On Show. One of the loveliest rounds of the day. They’ll take their dressage score of 31.3 into the final phase.

11:24 am ET: Jacob Fletcher and Van Gough:

Jacob Fletcher and Van Gough. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

11:22 am ET: Fernhill Singapore takes a detour in the middle of the final line but Phil being Big Phil gets him back in line to clear the last.

11:20 am ET: Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Quicksilver:

Liz Halliday Sharp and Deniro Z. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

11:19 am ET: 4 rails down for Doug and Quantum Leap. A tough challenge Mr. Christiansen has put forward today!

11:17 am ET: Correction: Doug Payne did not withdraw Quantum Leap and now brings him forward for his turn.

11:17 am ET: Jacob Fletcher throws his head back after knocking just the last fence down for a 46.5 following two phases.

11:16 am ET: Daniela Moguel and Cecelia:

Daniela Moguel and Cecelia. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

11:15 am ET: Jacob Fletcher and Van Gough will be our next to see as we step into the top 15.

11:14 am ET: Daniela Moguel and Cecelia jump a clear round as well! Have a day, ladies!

11:10 am ET: We have had several withdrawals before this phase: Boyd Martin/Tsetserleg, Ryan Wood/Rembrandt, Will Coleman/Off the Record, Katherine Coleman/Monte Classico, and Lynn Symansky/RF Cool Play.

11:09 am ET: Just inside the time with four rails down for Canada’s Kyle Carter and Reddy or Not.

11:08 am ET: Celien jumps a lovely clear for Hallie Coon to stay on their dressage score of 32.9.

11:07 am ET: FYI, this live update thread was supposed to be much more interesting than me typing a bunch of words. Hopefully I can get my technical trouble sorted for cross country. Just consider this the test run.

11:06 am ET: Buck Davidson uses all his expertise to pilot Erroll Gobey around for just one rail down. Made that pesky last line look good!

11:02 am ET: Man, this final line is really causing some issues today. Another victim, Cornelia with Sir Patico MH. Buck Davidson and Erroll Gobey will be up next.

11:00 am ET: A 50.9 two phase score for Holly Jacks-Smither after a four rail round. Next into the top 25 are Cornelia Dorr and Sir Patico MH.

10:59 am ET: One rail down for Joe Meyer with Bucaneer. Canada’s Holly Jacks-Smither and More Inspiration are next to go.

10:58 am ET: Here is your Order of Go:

10:56 am ET: Doug Payne and Vandiver were a bit delayed coming to the ring after “Quinn” threw a shoe and unfortunately had four down to add to their score. It looked like Quinn may have thrown a shoe again coming out of one of the lines.

10:54 am ET: Clayton Fredericks and FE Money Made have a heartbreaker rail down at the last to go forward on a score of 39.1.

10:52 am ET: Ibella jumps absolutely out of her skin for Jennie to take the early lead with the third clear of the day!

10:51 am ET: Take a look at the course the riders are tackling today:

10:47 am ET: Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan have one rolling rail in the final line. Just two clear rounds so far, one from Joe Meyer and the other from Lisa Fergusson. Next up will be Jennie Brannigan with Ibella.

10:42 am ET: Unfortunately seven rails come down for Anna and Spartacus Q. Next we’ll see Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Rubens D’ysieux.

10:40 am ET: One costly rail down, the second of the double, for Charlotte and Clifford M to drop her down a couple of spots. Anna Loschiavo will ride next with Spartacus Q.

10:38 am ET: Lisa Marie and “Tali” will stay on their dressage score with another clear round. Next up are Charlotte Collier and Clifford M on a 37.6.

10:36 am ET: A clear round for Joe and Clip Clop! Next up will be Lisa Marie Fergusson with Honor Me for Canada. They bring forward a score of 40.5 from the dressage.

10:34 am ET: 12 jumping faults but clear on the time for Erin Sylvester and Campground. We’re running in reverse order of go from the dressage phase, and we’ll see Joe Meyer with Clip Clop next.

10:32 am ET: Our first to see today will be Erin Sylvester and Campground. This pair has a lot of experience here in Florida, winning the CCI4*-L at Ocala last year.

 

 

#EventerProblems Vol. 214, Presented by Haygain: I Got 99 Problems…

By on Feb 9, 2020 9:18 am -

…But a ditch ain’t one! Here’s your roundup of all your other #EventerProblems:

 

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Our Haygain hay steamers are recommended by the world’s leading riders, trainers and equine vets and ComfortStall® Sealed Orthopedic Flooring System is used and recommended by leading Veterinary Hospitals, including Cornell University.

Sunday Links from One K Helmets

By on Feb 9, 2020 12:01 am -

Photo by JJ Sillman.

You can tell that eventers have descended on Wellington when signs like this start popping up around the Adequan Global Dressage Festival grounds. Maybe one day all the disciplines can coexist in perfect harmony. A girl can dream!

It’s Day 2 of the MARS Eventing Showcase in Wellington, and the sun is shining. Show jumping begins at 10:30 a.m. ET followed by cross country at 1:30 p.m. Your top three after dressage:
🥇Marilyn Little & RF Scandalous (19.4)
🥈Boyd Martin and Long Island T (26.6)
🥉Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High (27.4)

We’ll be running live updates during cross country so be sure to tune in!

National Holiday: National Pizza Day

Major Events:

Mars Eventing Showcase: Website, Entries, Dressage Order of Go, Live Scores, Show Jumping Live Stream, XC Live Stream,  EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

U.S. Weekend Action:

Ocala Winter I H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Pine Top Intermediate H.T.  [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Sunday Links: 

All things Wellington! Don’t miss the coverage from our friends at US Eventing and The Chronicle. [Dressage Sets the Stage for Comebacks at the $50,000 Mars Eventing Showcase] [Little Leaps Ahead At $50,000 MARS Eventing Showcase]

Earlier this week storms had a heavy impact at Stable View. Leveling temporary barns and 40 established longleaf pine trees, the storm leaves Stable View with quite a lot of clean up, but their team has ensured that they will not cancel upcoming shows, including their first spring CCI in March. [Strong Storms Damage Stable View]

Tips from the Top: 13 lessons from Pippa Funnel [13 tips from Pippa Funnell: take your time, steer with your eyes and repeat, repeat, repeat]

Best of HN: 10 Things Skiers and Riders Have in Common

Sunday Video: Watch the leading dressage test from Wellington via our friend David Frechette.

Wonderful Wellington: Showcase Day One Social Media Roundup

By on Feb 8, 2020 11:12 pm -

Insights from riders after the first phase, previews of the cross country course and horse snuggles from the one and only Max Corcoran. What more could you ask for from your social news feed? We’ve compiled the highlights from day one of the MARS $50,000 Eventing Showcase:

$50k MARS Eventing Showcase: Website, Entries, Dressage Order of Go, Live Scores, Show Jumping Live Stream, XC Live Stream,  EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

View this post on Instagram

Today was a good day at the office for our dressage at the Mars Equestrian $50,000 Wellington Eventing Showcase. Both horses sit handily inside the top 10 going into the jumping phases tomorrow with Z scoring a 28.7 for fifth place, and Fernhill Singapore in 9th place on 29.7. There’s room for improvement as there always is but this is a good way to start the year off with them both. Z went well – I didn’t have him quite prepared enough so we started off a little tentative. It’s always a balance and I sat a little quiet on him in the beginning but he’s a nervous horse and being able to go in there and do a nice test like that was great. Singapore really stepped up today, that was by far the best test he’s done and hopefully that will keep improving. Fernhill Singapore jumps at 11:14 tomorrow morning and Z at 11:34am with cross country starting at 1:30pm. Both phases will be live streamed, the links are available via pbiec.coth.com

A post shared by Phillip Dutton (@duttoneventing) on

Honor Me, More Inspiration, and Foxwood High just a casual evening spent staring at Canada’s finest 😍

Posted by Jj Jayhawk Sillman on Friday, February 7, 2020

The Bougie Splendor of Welly World

By on Feb 8, 2020 1:49 pm -

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Being in Wellington is like being inside a crayon box. A very fancy, expensive crayon box, mind you, with not just primary colors but also all the exotic ones in between: “Cerulean,” “Salmon,” “Dandelion,” “Granny Smith Apple Green.” Some of the crayons are the glitter kind — this zip code must have the world’s highest concentration of swarovski crystal per capita. It’s something to aspire to, I suppose.

This weekend’s $50,000 MARS Eventing Showcase is my maiden Wellington voyage, and I spent the first chunk of it just wandering about with googly eyes, drooling like a teething baby over six-figure horses, wishing I’d invested in bitcoin. Also, I was lost.

The map of WEF that I walked straight past at the entrance. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) is actually two horse shows down the street from one another — the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), which is the hunter/jumper folks, and the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF), which is the dressage folks but also there’s a Derby field and a polo field and this week they’re hosting the Eventing Showcase but mostly I think it’s just dressage. Don’t quote me on that.

The international arena at WEF. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

The derby field at AGDF all dolled up for Showcase cross country and show jumping. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Anyway, I was staggering around WEF picking up my jaw on occasion to ask people where the dressage ring was. It’s somewhere, everyone seemed to agree. We heard something about an eventing thing going on.

So many horse statues, so few h/j people who care about eventing dressage. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

This one is made of seashells. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

The painted ponies go up and down. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Sufficient, but would be more on-brand if it was champagne. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

It took me a solid 45 minutes to deduce that I was at the entirely wrong horse show, but by that point I didn’t even care. Nevermind that I was might miss a test or two. I was in the zone.

I wandered around this palm tree-ed equestrian paradise some more, loitering about at the hunter rings, cooing at the ponies …

WEF ponies are robot-esque when it comes to lead changes, like there’s a certain button-braid the riders push to activate the swap. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

… casually turning over price tags in vendor booths. Sharp intake of air. “Can I help you?,” the salesperson would inquire. “Nah, just looking,” I’d mutter while backing toward the exit.

It’s OK. Crystal-encrusted paisley snakeskin boots probably would clash with my breeches, anyway. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

I am here for this patent leather/sparkle detail. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

A spa tent complete with blowout stations and massage chairs. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

I did eventually make it to AGDF and found my eventer brethren huddled together in the indoor arena, where Showcase dressage was just underway. I think I’ve never been so happy to see them. I had begun feeling a bit disoriented, like my pupils were dilated or something. Staring straight into the sun of too many bright, shiny things can have that effect. I found comfort in these familiar faces; with every botched lead change, I found myself sighing in relief. I’d gone to the other side and it was good to be home.

Stay tuned for all the latest from Welly World!

$50k MARS Eventing Showcase: Website, Entries, Dressage Order of Go, Live Scores, Show Jumping Live Stream, XC Live Stream,  EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram