Here’s a unique opportunity to go inside William Fox-Pitt’s stable to meet his very first homebred, Under Oath. The coming 7-year-old, known as “Crunchie” to his friends, was a “first child” for the Fox-Pitts — of the four-legged variety, of course. He’s currently competing at Novice (U.S. Preliminary) level, but he’s aiming for the 7-year-old FEI World Breeding Championships at Le Lion this fall.
Give a warm EN hello to up-and-coming star, Crunchie.
Flexible Fit Equestrian: Redefining Comfort & Quality at an Affordable Price. Learn more at www.ffequestrian.com.au.
Will Faudree and Caeleste, the winners of the 2019 Cloud 11 ~ Gavilan North LLC Carolina International CCI3*-S. Photo by Jenni Autry.
There was big news out of The Carolina Horse Park yesterday. The Cloud 11 ~ Gavilan North LLC Carolina International has ponied up prize money to the tune of $100,000 for this year’s event. Though the four-star class will get the lion’s share of the purse, money will be distributed among all divisions, down to Training level. This event is a staple on the Area II calendar, and it opens today, so be sure to get those entries in pronto if you want a piece of the prize.
Time to welcome the new and improved USEA podcast with new hosts and a totally new feel. EquiRating’s Nicole Brown and Diarm Byrne have now taken the helm of the podcast, so be sure to check it out today. [USEA Podcast #250: The One Where We All Meet]
Applications are now available for those interested in volunteering at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. All that’s required is a bit of equestrian experience and a birthday after April 1, 2020. [Apply now to volunteer at the Tokyo 2020 equestrian events]
Add this one to your podcast rotation.The Horse explores all things horse blankets. How often you should wash them, detergent and more. [Cleaning Horse Blankets]
Tuesday Video: Teaching your young horse over their first jumps with John and Beezie Madden:
The Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center (MMSC) is have a very special sale throughout the month of February, making it easier than ever to find your sweetheart. They are slashing adoption fees by 50% this month, which is a steal of a deal for these lovely horses who are benefiting from the expertise available to them from this Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredited organization. We believe one of these eligible OTTBs would love to be your valentine:
Coincidence. Photo via Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center.
Coincidence is a confident young mare, so it’s no surprise that she’s settled in quite well to her new life away from the backstretch. She never seemed to be really into racing anyway and never hit the board in her four career starts, but her attitude seems to say that she’ll excel in whatever she finds her groove in. Coincidence has lovely conformation for a sport horse and blew the MMSC staff away with her form the first time they free-jumped her. Make sure you check out her videos on her MMSC page linked below — you can catch glimpses of a promising young prospect.
Don’t pass over this special warhorse! Named after a family friend who served in the US Navy, Frogman Mel’s career on the track spanned over 69 races, many of which where Claiming races and he did change hands several times, but his connections kept track of him. He was claimed for the final time by his longtime trainer and his namesake’s son who wanted to secure his future. “Froggie” went on to race several more times before his connections decided to retire him sound find him a home through MMSC.
As warhorse who remained successful throughout much of his career, Froggie is the type of horse who loves to have a job. He’s already enjoyed some letdown time, but it happy to be back under saddle and in work. It will take time for Froggie to learn a whole new way of carrying himself as a riding horse and developing the musculature to do so, but he has unlimited potential and a real drive to go to work every day.
At 17-hands, this stately mare is tall, dark, and beautiful. She’d surely be an eye-catcher galloping across country! Urban Heat was actually bred and owned by a former vice-president of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance board of directors, so when “Heather”, as she’s known around the barn, wasn’t particularly impressive in her lone career start her owner immediately looked to find her a new direction to go in. Being a big, well-bred mare it was hoped that she might make a good broodmare and she did raise one foal, but it also seemed not to be her calling. As it happens, Heather is happiest when she’s in work with a job to do and a person of her own. She’s already had some time off before returning to under-saddle work and she’s ready to find her third career.
Doug Payne and Jane Dudinsky’s Quintessence have been making waves in the show jumping ring this season and have really gotten 2020 started off with a bang, collecting a big win in the $100,000 HITS Ocala Grand Prix on Sunday. The pair got their weekend started with a top-10 finish in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix on Friday, a great warm-up for the big class at the end of the weekend.
And with this jump Quincy just won the $100k #GrandPrix at HITS Ocala. #Quintessence is owned by Jane Dudinsky’s #whatafreak #amazing #overwhelmed #jumper #showjumping
So incredibly proud of Doug Payne & Quincy for WINNING the $100k GP at HITS Ocala today! What an incredible animal 🥰❤️ I gave him about a million cookies Jane Dudinsky 🤗
Congratulations to all! Grabbing a win in any arena is no small feat; Doug now finds himself with an accomplished and talented string in both eventing and show jumping, and we look forward to seeing what this new year brings for team Payne.
William Fox-Pitt and Sandro’s Star. Photo by Shelby Allen.
We are just a few weeks away from the second $50,000 Liftmaster Eventing Grand Prix at Bruce’s Field in Aiken, South Carolina. The event, to be held February 28 – 29, promises to be a thrilling showcase of eventing and is set to feature many top-billed riders who have been invited to compete. As this showcase approaches, we have word of two international riders who are still in search of catch rides for the weekend:
You may have heard of a British rider by the name of William Fox-Pitt, who was third placed at the 2019 showcase aboard Sandro’s Star. William is returning to the States to contest the Eventing Grand Prix once more and is looking for a horse to compete with. William is certainly no stranger to catch riding with great success — he also rode Anna Locshiavo’s Prince Renan for the Eventing Showcase at Central Park in 2017.
Christoffer Forsberg and Con Classic 2 (SWE). Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Also seeking a partner for the Grand Prix is Swedish 5-star rider Christoffer Forsberg, who has a long history at the top levels including a top-20 finish at Burghley in 2010 with Grafman. Christoffer is also an accomplished international show jumper, so whoever lends their horse to him should be in for an exciting weekend.
If you’ve got a horse that might be a good fit, check out the following criteria: As a USEF recognized event, horses must meet the Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MER) to compete in a CCI-L of the same height level. Horses need three Advanced MER, plus one Advanced MER with no more than 20 jumping penalties on cross country. One MER must be from within the 12-month period prior to the competition. If you would like to express interest in lending a horse, please contact Kate Boggan at [email protected].
Other international riders invited to appear include Great Britain’s Tom Crisp as well as Canadian and Australia stalwarts such as Colleen Loach, Holly Jacks-Smither, Ryan Wood, Waylon Roberts, Clayton Fredericks, and Jessica Phoenix.
The showcase is USEF recognized held at the Advanced level. Dressage is scheduled for the morning of Friday, February 28. Show jumping will follow on Friday afternoon with a course set at Advanced height and designed by Michel Vaillancourt. Cross country will be held Saturday, February 29. On Saturday you can also enjoy a beer fest which will double in size at this year’s event, as well as live music following cross country.
A $25 General Admission ticket will give you access to the event over both days. Click here to purchase general admission tickets.
VIP tickets cost $400 and include VIP parking, access to the ringside VIP tent, drinks and food, and tickets to Thursday’s welcome party. Click here to purchase VIP tickets.
2019 CCI4*-S winners Liz Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night. Photo by Jenni Autry.
The Carolina Horse Park announced today that their featured spring event, The Cloud 11 ~ Gavilan North LLC Carolina International, held March 19-22, 2020 in Raeford, N.C., will see a whopping $100,000 in prize money — a $35,000 boost matching the event as one of the best paying four-star competitions in the United States.
The six-figure purse will be distributed among both FEI and national divisions. A total of $50,000 will go toward the Setters’ Run Farm CCI4*-S with the winner cashing a check for $16,500. The CCI3*-S will award $25,000, with the winner receiving $8,000. The CCI2*-S winner will take home $5,000 of their division’s $15,000 prize. The remaining $10,000 will be spread among the national divisions from Training through Advanced levels.
“The Carolina International has been a staple on the East Coast’s Spring calendar for the past six years and we are once again looking forward to hosting North America’s best horses and riders in 2020. Thanks to our amazing sponsors, we are pleased to be offering $100,000 in prize money this year,” said Carolina International Co-Chair Robert Costello.
“Carolina has always strived to be one of the premier events in North America and this record amount of prize money demonstrates our clear commitment to the sport. We look forward to seeing everyone in March for a great weekend of competition.”
Carolina has positioned themselves as one of the most competitor friendly events in the country, but it’s equally luxurious for spectators. The place to watch all the action is the Carolina Club, a ringside VIP tent. Tickets are available at this link.
Is Carolina on your spring schedule? Let us know in the comments.
Team Erik Duvader, winners of the first Futures Team Challenge at Carolina International last year. Photos by USEA/Leslie Mintz.
After a successful first year of the USEF Futures Team Challenge program, intended to give young and developing riders a taste of team format competition, US Equestrian has announced the program’s return to Carolina International as well as an expansion to the fall international event at Galway Downs. The CCI4*-S and CCI3*-S will be used at Carolina, and the CCI4*-L and CCI3*-L will be used at Galway.
“Last year was a trial of the program and the feedback was super-positive,” Performance Director Erik Duvander said in the press release. “I found it very valuable because it gave me the opportunity to work with athletes outside the training lists, and it gave those athletes the chance to put themselves forward for this program. We will constantly keep tweaking the program and continue improving it.”
Team Leslie Law for the 2019 Carolina International. Photos by USEA/Leslie Mintz.
The USEF Futures Team Challenge is a part of the U.S. Eventing Pathway Program. Designed to simulate a team competition, the Team Challenge provides opportunity for two teams of four, one coached by Erik Duvander and one coached by U.S. Developing and Emerging Coach Leslie Law, to compete at select events. Athletes can submit applications for consideration by the USEF Performance Advisory Team beginning on Monday, February 3. Applications must be submitted no later than Monday, February 24. Following the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ selection criteria, athletes will be selected based on their results, potential, willingness to learn, and commitment to developing into future team athletes.
“It’s a great opportunity to expose athletes in this country to a team experience,” Leslie Law commented. “In Europe, athletes get a lot of experience with the Nations Cups, and we’re limited in the U.S. by how much team experience we can give to our athletes. This program aims to give our athletes the same opportunity to get exposure to a team competition. I think it’s really valuable to give our athletes this opportunity so that when we go up against the rest of the world in team competitions, they’ve already had experience in a team environment.”
Galway Downs organizer Robert Kellerhouse, a staunch supporter of the continued promotion and support of eventing on the west coast, is excited to bring the Futures Team Challenge to Area VI. “The Futures Team Challenge has so many elements of excitement and team-building,” he said. “We are looking forward to it paying dividends in the future for our U.S. Eventing Team, as well as providing our community with some incredible competition. All of this is only because of the USEF High Performance efforts to bring the Futures to Galway, and we are really looking forward to making it a huge success.”
Team Next Level Eventing and friends celebrate a Chiefs Super Bowl win. Photo via Next Level Eventing on Facebook.
Well, it wouldn’t be a post about winning without letting this Chiefs fan go a little nuts after seeing the Kansas City football team take the Super Bowl win last night for the first time in 50 years. This win was particularly special for the Next Level Eventing team — Heather Morris’ late brother, Dylan, was a huge Chiefs fan. This one was for you, Dylan! If you want to help celebrate in Dylan’s name, please consider making a donation to F*ck Cancer here.
In the meantime, a grand weekend of eventing was had on both coasts, with recognized events running in each major winter eventing hub. Riders ventured out to knock off some more off-season rust at Galway Downs in southern California, Sporting Days in Aiken, and Three Lakes in Ocala.
There was some hot competition for this weekend’s unofficial lowest score award, but in the end it was Lea Adams-Blackmore and Fernhill Frostbite who will take home the nod with a 17.1 in the Open Novice B division at Three Lakes. Hot on Lea’s tail were Alyssa Phillips and Cornelius Bo, who scored a 17.6 in the Open Novice A division. I think I scored a 17 on a dressage test once. Only it wasn’t an eventing dressage test. Well done, ladies!
Let’s get to the rest of this weekend’s big winners. Congratulations to all and Go Eventing!
Advanced CT: Erin Kellerhouse and Woodford Reserve (29.3)
Open Intermediate: Emilee Libby and Jakobi (27.7)
Open Preliminary: Emilee Libby and Toska (28.7)
Preliminary Rider: Meg Pellegrini and Dassett Richochet (24.1)
Junior Training Rider: Gabriella Ringer and Get Wild (28.8)
Open Training: Sara Sellmer and Casualleigh (27.6)
Senior Training Rider: Madison Langerak and Normandy’s Kivalo (30.4)
Junior Novice Rider: Shelby Murray and Sonik Mambo No. 5 (27.6)
Open Novice: Erin Kellerhouse and Smarty Pants GWF (29.8)
Senior Novice Rider: Kassandra Wilsey and #IWokeUpLikeThis (27.6)
Introductory Roder: Ava Torres and WKD Lad (35.8)
Junior Beginner Novice: Lauren Roberts and Cabela (32.5)
Open Beginner Novice: Nick Cwick and Raggio Di Luna (27.8)
Open Introductory: Olivia Miller and Convince Me (33.3)
Senior Beginner Novice Rider: Kate Flaherty and Eli’s Coming (31.8)
Open Preliminary: Boyd Martin and Fernhill Prezley (28.9)
Preliminary Horse: Kevin Keane and HH Ontario (25.9)
Preliminary Rider: Laura Douglas and Sophia Fab (35.5)
Open Training: Tim Bourke and Cavalier Rockstar (28.2)
Preliminary/Training: Skyler Decker and HHS Iris (27.8)
Training Horse: Jessica Ebzery and Absolut Cooley Quality (26.6)
Training Rider: Finley Habenicht and Aleta NSF (30.9)
Novice Rider: Barbara Warren and Holy City (30.7)
Open Novice A: Matt Brown and Sunsprite’s Huatulco (25.8)
Open Novice B: Amanda Beale Clement and BE Maxwell 16 (27.1)
Beginner Novice Rider: Abigail Gallagher and Ziggy Stardust (28.3)
Open Beginner Novice: Michele Kuchta and Fiji (22.0)
Starter: Heather Sinclair and Force Ten (31.4)
Intermediate/Preliminary: Maxine Preston and Shannondale Magnum (48.4)
Open Preliminary A: Caroline Martin and Redfield Carmen Zita (28.7)
Open Preliminary B: Kyle Carter and Gaillards Lancer (33.5)
Preliminary Rider: Michael Tansey and Johnny Hawk (54.9)
Open Training A: Jessica Phoenix and FE Akari (20.3)
Open Training B: Sharon White and Zig Zag 4 (23.3)
Open Training C: Caroline Martin and Redfield Galwaybay HSH (26.7)
Training Rider: Angelika Beutel and Alwin (27.4)
Novice Rider: Aline Briot and Kid Rock (25.7)
Open Novice A: Alyssa Phillips and Cornelius Bo (17.6)
Open Novice B: Lea Adams-Blackmore and Fernhill Frostbite (17.1)
Open Novice C: Katherine DeLaney and Elbaran (29.5)
Beginner Novice Rider: Sophia Carattini and Artax (29.2)
Open Beginner Novice: Katherine DeLaney and Sommersby (23.6)
Zandonà Carbon Air Tendon Boots and Carbon Air Junior Fetlock Boots. Photo by Kate Samuels.
I had the chance recently to test out a pair of Zandonà Carbon Air Tendon Boots alongside their Carbon Air Junior Fetlock Boots, and as the owner of an expressive and noodle-legged Thoroughbred, good boots are very important to me. I have never used Zandona products before, but have heard good things about them from some jumper friends, so I was very interested to test them out myself.
Let’s start at the front, with the Carbon Air Tendon Boots, which I received in black and size medium, with clip closures. They are also available in brown, or white by special order, and sizes small through extra-large, and you can choose if you prefer velcro or clip closures. Lots of customization options!
These Carbon Air Tendon Boots feature an external thermoplastic polyurethane structure with varying thickness, a perforated neoprene lining, and six air vents over the fetlocks for each boot. Each boot also has gel-tech inserted between the TPU structure and the neoprene, which works as a shock absorber as well as increasing the comfort of the padding.
Zandona Carbon Air Tendon Boots with clip closures. Photo by Kate Samuels.
I’m a big fan of neoprene for horses that tend to have sensitive skin and are prone to rubs, and bonus points for ease of cleaning. These boots also have great breathability, with the air vents on each side, ensuring that your tendons stay protected from collision without overheating and causing possible damage.
These boots offer extra strike protection both down the length of the tendons as well as inside of the fetlock, preventing strikes from behind or interference from the forelimbs. Carbon Fibre elements are present under the shell to thermally insulate the joints from the heat generated by external friction, while increasing the mechanical resistance to impacts.
I can say that the ergonomic shape of these boots is excellent, because I know my horse interferes while trotting, and after a long ride they had not been rotated or moved in the least. I really liked the clip closures, I found them to be very secure with a double locking system while still easy to snap on.
My experience is that these boots run slightly small, as I used them on a fairly skinny-legged Thoroughbred, and they were slightly too short on his tendons, and secured on the last closure. When in doubt, size up for these boots.
For the Carbon Air Junior Fetlock Boots, they feature all of the previously described attributes, however they are only available with velcro closures. They were designed with compliance for FEI Young Horse jumper categories, and are specially designed for young horses. However, they work just as well for the older and more experienced horse.
Zandona Carbon Air Junior Fetlock Boots. Photo by Kate Samuels.
There’s also the option of the “Balance” boots, which are equipped with a magnetic device that improves cellular function, as well as proprioception and balance. The magnet is composed of Neodymium, Iron, and Boron with Nickel coating, and has been found to decrease limb fatigue by increasing vascular blood-flow and lymphatic circulation.
The benefits induced by increased vascular blood-flow and by the magnetic polarization are anti-inflammatory and produce analgesic effects, bone and joint articulation strengthening, as well as acceleration of the toxin expulsion process and of muscle lactic-acid absorption. These benefits lead to the improvement of movement and jumping performance of the horse.
I was initially a little bummed that the fetlock boots didn’t have matching clip closures, but the velcro was actually really nice. The double velcro closures were extremely secure and enable a really custom fit for the size of any horse. These ran true to size, and the medium fit him well.
While everything from Zandonà is crafted and created in Italy, we are lucky enough to have a distribution center in the USA, and they offer free shipping on all domestic orders, so you can have the luxury of European products without the shipping fees!
Check out their U.S. website for the full range of products distributed by Seadog Trading Company.
Hannah Sue Burnett and Lukeswell. Photo by Shelby Allen.
Astute score-stalkers may have noticed that that Lynn Symansky was in the irons at Three Lakes Horse Trials this weekend jockeying several horses from Hannah Sue Burnett’s regular string. If you wondered why, Hannah Sue posted on Instagram yesterday to explain: she had to have surgery in November to repair her core muscles which were damaged in a fall in October. The recovery period after this surgery is a bit longer and as riders we know how important those core muscles are!
We hope you heal up as quickly as possible, Hannah Sue! Best wishes for a speedy recovery from EN.
We’re also sending our best wishes for a speedy recovery to Joanne Bridgman, a member of the 1978 World Championship for New Zealand amongst other accolades, including currently running a highly-regarded sale barn. Joanne and her brother were involved in a car crash on a highway in her home country, the cause of which is currently unknown, which devastatingly left a person in another car dead. Joanie has upwards of 23 bones broken and has already had two surgeries, her brother also suffered broken bones, and her dog, who was riding in the car as well, also sadly died. [Well-known horse rider recovering after horror car crash, with several bones broken]
I don’t know about you, but I would be over the moon if I could spend five days with Pippa Funnel. I’m sure the six riders in the The Windrush Young Eventers Programme were as well when they recently got to do just that. Horse & Hound was invited to watch their final day of training with Pippa and got the scoop from each rider on their biggest takeaway over the past five days. [Basics, rider position and attention to detail: vital lessons from Pippa Funnell]
