Classic Eventing Nation

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

By on Oct 31, 2019 12:03 am -

Just some glorious fall on a hack yesterday. Photo by Kate Samuels.

Fall is my favorite time of year, mostly because I am so sick of the hot summer, but also because the changing leaves are truly incredible and I never lose my admiration year after year. Also, Virginia Horse Trials, my favorite event, is this weekend! And then it’s the end of the season for me, which means a little break for horses (and riders) which is always nice.

National Holiday: HALLOWEEN

Major Weekend Events:

Galway Downs 3DE & H.T. [Website]  [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Virginia 3DE & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

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

Full Gallop H.T. [Website]  [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

News From Around the Globe:

US Equestrian is making it easier than ever to get all your High Performance news and updates, all in one place. The Eventing pages on the USEF website are in the process of an overhaul, and there will be A LOT of new updates, resources and content popping up there between now and the end of the year. Many of the updates are already live, including a new News and Updates section, which will be essentially used as a bulletin board for High Performance announcements. Check it out now for announcements, open applications, press releases, important links, athlete memos and newsletters. [US Equestrian Eventing News & Updates]

Speaking of going above and beyond to keep the lines of communication wide open, the next US Equestrian Open Athlete Forum will be held during the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event in Temecula, California, on Friday, Nov. 1 at 4:30 p.m. PST in the Patron’s Tent. The final Open Athlete Forum of the 2019 season will take place during the Ocala Jockey Club International Three-Day Event, Nov. 13-17 in Reddick, Florida. Exact day/time to be confirmed. The High Performance sessions at the 2019 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention will take place on Friday, Dec. 13 in Boston, Massachusetts. [Schedule and session times]

Impressed by the inaugural US Event Horse Futurity this year? Get ready to enter for 2020! With prize money and promotions for US Breeders all year, it’s a great way to feature purpose-bred event horses and the people who put their lives into breeding them. Find out more in the link. [US Event Horse Futurity]

Winning a five-star before your 30th birthday is no mean feat — just ask Tom McEwan. After his impressive wire-to-wire victory at Pau, you might be interested in learning more about this young man. He’s from a proper horsey family, with mom a show jumper and dad an equine vet, and has been winning medals since his days in the Pony European Championships. [11 Things You Might Not Know About Tom McEwan]

Fall also means fox hunting season, and the Brits are absolutely bonkers. I tell everyone that fox hunting in the States and fox hunting over in England are two different sports, and this article on hedge hopping basically proves my point. I’m pretty sure Americans would poop their pants if they saw this on a Wednesday hunt. [Hedge Hopping: How To Get To The Other Side]

Featured Video:

The Trail to Tokyo: What’s the Deal with Composite Teams?

By on Oct 30, 2019 7:31 pm -

Tiziana Realini and Toubleau de la Ruiere help the Swiss team to the final qualification spot at Boekelo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

With the Nations Cup finale at Military Boekelo behind us, it’s easy to think of the Tokyo team line-up as being set in stone now – after all, the final, much-discussed ticket was awarded at the Dutch event to Switzerland, the highest-placed non-qualified team on the final series standings. For all those who haven’t made it happen this year, that’s just tough luck and an early start to the next Olympic cycle, right? Well, maybe not so much. In this primer, we’re going to look at composite teams – the backdoor route to qualifying as a nation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

First of all, though, let’s refresh our memories of the teams that are going, and how they managed to secure their spots:

  • Japan – automatically qualifies as the host nation
  • Great Britain – WEG 2018
  • Ireland – WEG 2018
  • France – WEG 2018
  • Germany – WEG 2018
  • Australia – WEG 2018
  • New Zealand – WEG 2018
  • Poland – Special Qualifier for Group C (Central, Eastern Europe and Central Asia) at Baborówko
  • China – Special Qualifier for Groups F and G (Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia, and Oceania) at Saumur
  • Thailand – Special Qualifier for Groups F and G (Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia, and Oceania) at Saumur
  • United States – the Pan-American Games 2019
  • Brazil – the Pan-American Games 2019
  • Sweden – the FEI European Championships 2019
  • Italy – the FEI European Championships 2019
  • Switzerland – the FEI Nations Cup 2019

With their qualifications in the bag, each of these teams now has an important job. They need to provide an NOC Certificate of Capability to the FEI by the 31st of December, or they’ll forfeit their place.

Sweden qualified for Tokyo at the European Championships, though a victory in the Nations Cup series showed the value of hedging one’s bets. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

So what, exactly, is a Certificate of Capability? Basically, it’s a list of at least three qualified combinations, which proves that the country has sufficient strength, depth, and quality to actually field a team by the time the Olympics rolls around. These combinations don’t have to be the ones that end up going to the Games, they can just be any three combinations – as long as they’re qualified.

Here’s where it can start to get a bit confusing. The window of opportunity for gaining the qualifications for the Certificate of Capability is different to the window of opportunity for gaining individual qualifications for the actual Games – for the Certificate, those results can be taken from last year’s World Equestrian Games up until December 31st of this year. It’s important to note that no results earned earlier than January 1st of 2019 will be eligible for actually qualifying a horse and rider combination for the Olympics theselves – these results can only be used to secure the team quota.

Most of the teams with tickets don’t have to worry about this – the major eventing nations, of course, have multiple combinations qualified, and many high-profile riders are qualified several times over. (We see you, Chris Burton and Kazuma Tomoto, with your six and four qualified horses, respectively!) But some of the developing nations will be feeling the pressure, and there are two in particular that we’ll be taking a closer look at here.

Alex Hua Tian and Don Geniro at Saumur. Ouest Image.

Something that’s worth acknowledging is that Olympic team tickets were handed out at quite a wide spectrum of levels. The WEG, for example, is a CCI5*-L for qualification purposes, while the European Championships and Baborówko are held at CCI4*-L. The Nations Cup series is largely held at CCI4*-S, although the finale at Boekelo is a CCI4*-L, but the Pan-American Games and the Group F and G qualifier at Saumur? They were held at CCI3*-L.

What does this mean, in real-world terms? First of all, it means that we can introduce new flags to the sport, which is a major priority of both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the FEI. Conversely, though, it also means that qualified teams aren’t necessarily capable teams, as far as the ruling is concerned. There are four nations that qualified through CCI3*-L competition – the United States will have no problem fulfilling the quota by December 31st, and Brazil will just scrape through too, despite being conspicuous only by their absence at many of the major competitions this year. But China and Thailand? Well, they’ve got some work to do.

Before we dive into these two teams – the only two not to have the minimum of qualified combinations – let’s go over the Minimum Eligibility Requirements, or MERs, for Tokyo qualification.

  • Qualification must be achieved as a combination
  • The eligibility period for results to count for the Certificate of Capability is WEG 2018 – December 31st, 2019
  • The eligibility period for results to count for a combination to actually be qualified to go to Tokyo is January 1st, 2019 – June 1st 2020
  • Combinations must achieve an MER at both a CCI4*-S and a CCI4*-L, or they can achieve a standalone MER at CCI5*-L
  • An MER, or qualifying result, must include a dressage score of 55% or better (penalty score 45 or below), a clear cross-country round with 30 or fewer time penalties (if at four-star) or 40 or fewer time penalties if at five-star, and a showjumping round with 16 or fewer jumping penalties
  • The combination can knock one frangible, earning 11 penalties, and still use the result as an MER. A second 11 penalties, a 15, or a 20 will render the result invalid for qualifying purposes

The State of the Nation: China

China has 2/3 riders qualified ahead of the December 31st deadline. These are:

  • Alex Hua Tian. China’s first Olympic eventer – Tokyo will be his third Games – was the lynchpin of the team that qualified at Saumur, where he finished second with Don Geniro. He and The Don picked up their CCI4*-S qualifying result at Ballindenisk in April, following it up with a CCI4*-L qualifying result at Camphire in July. For the purposes of the CoC, Alex’s WEG mount Ballytiglea Vivendi is also qualified, while Ballbreaker SD and PSH Convivial have each picked up their CCI4*-S qualifying results, but both need their CCI4*-L ones.
  • Liang Ruiji. Also part of the Saumur team, Liang isn’t just qualified for Tokyo in eventing – he’s also qualified for showjumping. Alongside these two endeavours, he finds the time to compete in international endurance. Liang, who’s based with Marc Rigouts, hadn’t competed higher than CCI3*-S before this year, but with top horse Crackerjack, he got his CCI4*-S (Millstreet) and CCI4*-L (Sopot) qualifying results on his first attempt at either level.

There are three riders we need to be keeping a close eye on as we head into the last couple of European events of the season. Each of them needs a CCI4*-L qualifying result before the year wraps. Here are the names you need to know…

  • Sun Huadong. Based with Dutch superstar Tim Lips, Sun has been hard at work to try to get his qualifications banked. Although Sun was part of the Saumur team with Lady Chin V’T Moerven Z, and although he got his CCI4*-S qualifying result with her at Strzegom in April, they were eliminated in their CCI4*-L attempt at the same venue in June, and then again when they resurfaced for Ballindenisk in September. Now, Sun is turning his attention to new ride Brent, who was campaigned by Tim until June. The duo fast-tracked their way to four-star with some top-ten placings along the way, and picked up their CCI4*-S qualifying result at Montelibretti this month. Now, they need to get their CCI4*-L – and there’s only one chance left for them to do so before the end of the year. (More on this below!)
  • Ciren Bianba. Ciren wasn’t part of the Saumur team – he was busy spending this year learning the ropes of eventing. Before 2019, the international showjumper had only evented a handful of times internationally – one in 2009, twice in 2014, and twice in 2018, to be exact. This season, he’s gone from CCI2*-S to CCI4*-S. On his first CCI4*-S attempt, which was at Waregem with the former Mathieu Lemoine ride Tropic d’Heauville, he picked up a qualifying result – but they were eliminated from their sole CCI4*-L attempt at Montelibretti this month when he took a tumble.
  • Yingfeng Bao. Yingfeng was also part of the Saumur team, although he failed to complete the competition. You might have spotted him out and about purely by dint of his horse – he rides the former Andrew Nicholson mount Teseo. Also based with Tim Lips, Yingfeng has had a few false starts this season, but after a few attempts, he picked up his CCI4*-S qualifying result at Montelibretti this month. We foresee another Team Lips trip to Italy before the year is out.

The State of the Nation: Thailand

Like China, Thailand has 2/3 combinations in the bag ahead of the deadline. These are…

  • Korntawat Samran. Korntawat was a member of the Saumur team with Luminous, but it’s Uster de Chanay who he’s qualified with. They got their CCI4*-S at Strzegom this month, and then their CCI4*-L at Montelibretti – a bold move, but a valid one, as there was just over ten days between the competitions, as per FEI rules. Korntawat, in keeping with a theme, was only really an old one-star rider before this season – but basing himself with Maxime Livio has allowed the 21-year-old a quick trajectory up the levels.
  • Weerapat Pitakanonda. ‘Bomb’, as he’s known to his pals, competed up to CCI3*-S a couple of times before this year, but has also put in the work to get the job done – he splits his time between his home in Thailand, Maxime Livio‘s base in France, and Sam Griffiths‘ UK yard. He managed his qualifying results with Chateau de Versailles M2S on his first attempts at each level – they picked up their CCI4*-S at Strzegom in August and their CCI4*-L at Sopot in September.

There’s really only one other rider who can qualify before the end of the year – Supanut Wanakool, who was on the Saumur team, lost the ride on Tzar of Dreams to Korntawat, and then to Arinadtha, after an unlucky run of performances. So all hopes rest on…

  • Arinadtha Chavatanont. Also based with Maxime Livio, Arinadtha was the highest-placed member of the Thai team at Saumur, finishing 12th with Boleybawn Prince. The horse is hugely experienced, having been campaigned by Dirk Schrade and Maxime, who still intermittently competes him. Although the rider, who also competes in international showjumping and dressage, was only competing at CCI2*-L before this year, she picked up her CCI4*-S qualifying result on her first run at Strzegom in August. The following month, the pair were on track to nail down their CCI4*-L qualifying result at Sopot, but Boleybawn Prince was withdrawn at the final horse inspection. At Strzegom this month, they fell across the country in the CCI4*-L. They’ll need to head to Italy next month – and everything will ride on this one result.

What are the remaining options?

Our Chinese and Thai competitors are all based in Europe, so at this point, their options are pretty limited – there are two four-star competitions before the year ends, and only one will be of any use. Le Pouget in France (November 13-17) will host a CCI4*-S, while Pratoni in Italy (November 14-17) will host both a CCI4*-S and a CCI4*-L, which we can expect to see our unqualified riders entered in.

What happens if they don’t pull it off?

China’s chances are looking strong enough – if all three of their unqualified riders head to Pratoni, the odds are that one of them will pick up an MER, and de facto head honcho Tim Lips is confident about their chances. But Arinadtha Chavatanont will need a bit of luck, a cool head for pressure, and the ride of her life to make her final run count for Thailand – plus, Boleybawn Prince will need to be feeling well enough to run after his fall earlier this month. There’s a huge margin for error – and it’s important to understand the next steps if the deadline isn’t met.

If December 31st rolls around and Thailand, for example, still only have two riders qualified, they won’t be able to submit their Certificate of Capability, which means their team ticket will be rescinded and they’ll be given an individual place instead. The team ticket will then be reallocated to what’s called a composite team.

A composite team is decided, simply, by Olympic rankings. Each of the unqualified nations is given an aggregate score, which is decided by adding together the rank of the three best-placed athletes from that nation. The country with the lowest score – that is, the highest-ranked athletes – gets the spot, assuming that country has at least three combinations with the sufficient qualifying results.

For example, country A, B, and C are unqualified for the Olympics, but a composite spot has opened up. Country A’s best-placed riders are 5th, 7th, and 10th on the Olympic rankings, giving them an aggregate score of 22. Country B’s are 3rd, 11th, and 13th, giving them an aggregate score of 27. Country C’s are 2nd, 9th, and 12th, giving them an aggregate score of 23. Country A takes the team spot.

There’s plenty of time for rankings to change before the end of the year, and, indeed, before February, which is when composite teams will be awarded if necessary, but we’ve crunched the numbers to see who would get the spot if it was decided on current standings. Will it be the Dutch, who tried so hard to claim their spot at their home nation final? How about the Belgians, who so nearly managed it despite a huge disadvantage? Maybe the Canadians, whose podium finish at the Pan-Ams was so bittersweet?

Nope. The Russians take this, on an aggregate score of 218, made up by Aleksandr Markov (19th in the global Olympic rankings), Valery Martyshev (26th), and Andrey Mitin (173rd). The Dutch would beat them, in theory – their top three rankings put them on a final score of 148 – but the top two rankings are held by Tim Lips, and the ruling specifies different athletes. This forces them to count Tim and Bayro, fourth in the world, but skip Eclips, 60th. Counting Merel Blom and Ceda (84th) and Ilonka Kluytmans and Image of Roses (192nd) puts them on a current ranking of 280. Sadly for the Dutch, this isn’t even enough to allow them to sneak in if a second composite team slot becomes available – although for poor Tim, who is so heavily involved with the Chinese riders, it would probably seem a strange sort of victory to take their place, anyway. The second spot, on current rankings, would go to Belarus, who climbed from an aggregate score of 774 to one of 225 after a clean sweep of the recent CCI4*-L at Minsk. Alexander Zelenko (70th) won it, Aliaksandr Faminou (77th) finished second, and Maryna Ivanova (78th) finished third in the class, which had 15 starters.

But this is all only a rough guide – after all, so much changed for Belarus in one competition. Our advice? Keep a very, very close eye on Pratoni – we certainly will be.

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: ‘Riding For The Team’ is Out Now!

By on Oct 30, 2019 4:00 pm -

Reaching the highest levels of the sport and representing the USA at a pinnacle competition like the Olympics is not an uncommon goal of many young riders. It is, of course, an honor that few end up achieving. So what’s it like to don that pinque coat and ride for your country.

Riding For The Team, a new book from Trafalger Square Books and the United States Equestrian Team Foundation, edited by Nancy Jaffer, explores just that. The book shares the experiences of athletes from all eight FEI sports, and includes stories from household-name eventers Phillip Dutton, Boyd Martin, David and Karen O’Connor, Kim Severson, Gina Miles, Derek di Grazia, Kerry Millikin, and Amy Tryon. And of course, the horses who gave them the wings to reach their dreams take centerstage as well.

Get excited for a good read by watching the book trailer above and order your copy of Riding For The Team here.

Poor hooves causing lameness?

Ask your vet about FootWise™.

FootWise:

  • Aids in the elimination of dry, flaky hair coats and brittle manes and tails.
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  • Supports the regrowth of healthy hoof after injury or surgery.

For more information, visit KPPvet.com.

Riders Announced for 2019 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge at The Royal + Other Highlights

By on Oct 30, 2019 12:00 pm -

Lauren Kieffer and Glendening Avis, winner of the 2018 iteration of the event. Photo by Ben Radvanyi.

Now in its 12th year, the $20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge is the marquee evening event for the opening weekend of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF) in Toronto, Ontario. As in previous years, the Indoor Eventing Challenge will take place on the first two nights of the fair, with a preliminary competition on Friday night November 1st, followed by the finals on Saturday November 2nd.

Previously, the invitation only event has been capped at 10 riders, but 11 will compete for a piece of the prize money this year. Competitors include the entire Canadian 2019 Pan American Games team, a member of the World Equestrian Games silver medal-winning Irish team, and a host of other top Canadian event riders. This year’s participating riders are:

  • Lindsay Beer
  • Diana Burnett
  • Dana Cooke
  • Selena O’Hanlon
  • Holly Jacks-Smither
  • Kendal Lehari
  • Colleen Loach
  • Brandon McMechan
  • Jessica Phoenix
  • Karl Slezak
  • Sam Watson

In addition to the Indoor Eventing Challenge, there is plenty of additional excitement for equine enthusiasts over the course of the The Royal, which runs through November 10th.

For anyone attending The Royal from out of country in particular, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Musical Ride is a can’t-miss performance as the group only makes a select number of appearances outside of Canada throughout the year. The RCMP Musical Ride is one of the most impressive drill teams you’ll see, featuring 32 riders and their horses performing traditional cavalry exercises set to music. All of the riders are active duty police officers and have at least two years experience doing active police work before volunteering for duty with the Musical Ride. And what’s even more impressing — most participants have no previous equine experience prior to joining the Musical Ride.

Back for a second year — but this time with a twist — is the Royal Dressage Derby, which will take place on Tuesday, November 5th. The Derby will see four riders go head to head riding borrowed horses in a ‘knock-out’ format. This year, Team Canada event riders will be pitted against Team Canada dressage riders.

In round one Lindsay Kellock and Naima Moreira Laliberte, members of the 2019 gold medal-winning Pan American Games dressage team, will face off against one another and each ride a Grand Prix test on the same horse. In round two, Jessica Phoenix and Dana Cooke will compete against each other riding a Third Level on another horse. The winning dressage rider and winning event rider for each preliminary round will compete against each other in the final round on new, borrowed horses and, similar to IHSA-style, they will only have minutes to get to know their mounts before performing their final tests.

Tickets are still available for both nights of the Indoor Eventing competition as well as all other days of the Royal Horse Show and can be purchased at this link. More information about The Royal is available on the show’s website. All horse show tickets include general admission to the The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Clinic Report: Phillip Dutton Hones in on Trust & Adjustability at Rutledge Farm Session

By on Oct 30, 2019 9:00 am -

Clare Mansmann and Buff Dude. Photo by Allyson Lagiovane.

On Saturday, Oct. 26, two-time Olympic eventing gold-medalist Phillip Dutton returned to Rutledge Farm in Middleburg, Virginia to host his second clinic as a part of the Rutledge Farm Sessions clinic series. Set on the picturesque grass field and inviting riders and horses of all skill levels, Dutton’s clinic focused on building upon the basics, emphasizing the importance of thinking forward, adjustability, and the trust between horse and rider.

Dutton said, “My goal was to make the education for the horses pretty clear and keep the training basic and simple. We wanted to keep the horses thinking forward and getting a good understanding of leg-to-hand connection, and obviously we added the cross country exercises into it as well. Training like this is good because you can break it down to be simple and then make it harder as they understand it.”

Dutton ended each group’s session over a simple gymnastic line, with riders jumping a two-stride to an eight-stride line, focusing specifically on their technique. He said, “We are finishing with nice, straightforward riding, and this is an exercise that maybe gets away a little from cross country training.You still always have to go back to the basics — leg to hand and making sure they are responding in the right way.”

Phillip Dutton with Aleco Bravo-Greenberg. Photo by Allyson Lagiovane.

Each group kicked off with flatwork, warming the horses up through leg yielding and counter bending exercises at both the trot and canter. Dutton said, “We want to create a really athletic horse that can come to any jump at any distance you want. You don’t want your horse behind the bit, you want him to take the bit forward. All of this understanding and training will help you when we jump.”

Over fences, Dutton worked with riders through various bending lines, two-strides, and eventing obstacles such as logs, pipes and corners. He honed in on the importance of adjustability on course, asking riders to either lengthen or shorten their horses’ strides through the lines.

He said, “To fit in a certain number of strides on course, we don’t need to be mathematicians. It’s all about being able to adjust your horse. As you get further up the levels, the communication and adjustability becomes more and more important so that you do not have a battle on the approach to the jump. It’s all about you and the horse working together.”

Allison Springer had two rides in the clinic. Photo by Allyson Lagiovane.

Allison Springer of The Plains, Virginia, brought two greener mounts with her to the clinic. Being familiar with Dutton’s teaching style, Springer looked forward to gaining a fresh perspective and walking away with a few new training tools for her mounts.

Springer said, “Phillip [Dutton] always sets up tougher lines than you might set up at home and he always pushes you to the limit of rideability, which is so important for these horses. I expected that and that is exactly what I got out of today. It was great to have his input. This is the first [Rutledge Farm Session] that I have been able to participate in and people just love it. It’s a very special thing to have a really great opportunity.”

Jan Bynny riding Helloway. Photo by Allyson Lagiovane.

Coming from Washington & Lee University, amateur rider Caroline Cox was uniquely mounted aboard her miracle horse Beau, a 10-year-old Appendix gelding that was left underweight in a field until she purchased him for just $1,500 in January. Since then, Cox has been working hard to rehabilitate the gelding, with Beau surprising Cox each step along the way.

Cox said, “We were just hoping to come out here and get some insights from someone who has really written the book on how you event. I don’t think [Beau] has ever seen a corner before in his whole life, or even a skinny. He was really game and Phillip was really encouraging about getting the horses to go forward and go to the jumps. We had a really good time!”

Caroline Cox riding Beau. Photo by Allyson Lagiovane.

On the clinic, Dutton commented, “I thought it was a good day and we had a big cross-section of riders and experience and horses. They all came with the right attitude and wanted to learn and wanted to do the best that they could for their horse.”

He continued, “We’re all trying to get better and learn, just the same as I’m out there getting help from other people as well, I think you need someone to critique you. It’s rewarding for me to help other people and call on my experience over the years, and hopefully that makes the journey a little bit easier for someone else.”

Click here to read about the five pieces of training wisdom that Dutton imparted on clinic participants throughout the day.

The 2019 Rutledge Farm Sessions will conclude the weekend of Nov. 9-10 with renowned equitation trainer Stacia Madden. The unique clinic series’ recent expansion offers even more clinics for riders of all levels and in all disciplines at the world-class Rutled

Photo by Allyson Lagiovane.

ge Farm facility. For more information or to register to attend the final clinic of the year, visit www.rutledgefarm.com/clinics.

Wednesday News & Notes

By on Oct 30, 2019 12:01 am -

Paint me like one of your French girls. Photo by Sara Dobozynski.

When you take naps as seriously as my horse does, you’re bound to get a great shot eventually. This ridiculous horse announces loudly that he is going down for his morning nap and is going to stay there all morning, thank you very much. And then again in the afternoon. There’s nothing like a deep, clean straw bed apparently.

National Holiday: National Candy Corn Day

Major Weekend Events:

Galway Downs 3DE & H.T. [Website]  [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Virginia 3DE & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

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

Full Gallop H.T. [Website]  [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Your Wednesday News & Notes

The FEI has released the proposed rule changes that will be discussed at the 2019 FEI Forum. While the focus may be on the wording changes to the flag penalty rule, there’s another big change in the works; after 2019, double bridles may not be permitted except at the 4/5* levels. [2020 FEI Eventing Rules Proposals]

Erik Duvander is doing his utmost to communicate the progress on the High Performance front. After the success of running a small training camp for Millstreet, Erik replicated it for Boekelo. Testing out the format for Tokyo was valuable as it will impact the types of pairs sent to Japan. [A Note from Erik Duvander]

Nostalgia is in full swing for Fair Hill and this throwback piece has all the pieces. The familiar name of Karen O’Connor topped the leaderboard at the first running of Fair Hill in 1989, but her mount was the lesser-known Nos Ecus. The first Fair Hill was nearly 80 degrees on cross country day and young rider Nini Stevenson topped the dressage leaderboard. [From the Beginning]

Wednesday Video: Everyone enjoys a good butt scratch.

Do you like scratching horse bums? If the answer is yes then come join our team. We have an immediate position available for skilled bum scratchers. #workingstudentlife #noitchleftunscratched Email or text for more info Eastwestequest@aol.com (707)480-4501

Posted by Matt Cecily Brown on Wednesday, October 23, 2019

ERA of NA Issues Statement on ‘FEI Article 549.2 – Run Out – Missing a Flag’ & Proposed Changes

By on Oct 29, 2019 4:05 pm -

Photo by Leslie Wylie.

FEI 2019 Eventing Rule Article 549.2 – Run Out – Missing a Flag has proven confusing and controversial since it was implemented at the beginning of this year (click here for EN’s best attempt at a clear-as-mud explanation of the rule). A Change.org petition compelling the FEI to remove the flag rule has garnered well over 5,000 signatures, and multiple elite level eventers have spoken out publicly in favor of revision.

The Eventing Riders Association of North America (ERA of NA) recently released the following statement:

“For much of the 2019 season FEI 2019 Eventing Rule Article 549.2 – Run Out – Missing a Flag has been a consistent source of discussion and confusion. This past weekend at the Dutta Corp Fair Hill International this 15 Penalty Rule came into play and had a profound effect on the competition results, as well as prize money and FEI Ranking point allocations. This past weekend was not the first instance in North America that this rule has been applied with deeply warranted concerns for riders, owners and the entire eventing constituency. North American competitions have seen this rule have more influence on results than competitions held on any other continent.

“The ERA of NA would like to reiterate their support of the proposed changes to Article 549.2 that will be discussed and voted on at the FEI General Assembly November 16-19, 2019 and would go into effect January 1, 2020. The proposed updated wording would be as follows:

“Article No. 549.2 Run out – Missing a flag:

a) Clear: A Horse is considered to have cleared the fence when the head, neck and both shoulders of the Horse (to the point of the front of the saddle) pass between the extremities of the element or obstacle as originally flagged and the hindquarters of the horse jump the dimensions of the fence.

b) Missing a flag: A horse is considered to have missed a flag (15 penalties) if part of the Horses head, neck or shoulder (to the point of the front of the saddle) jump outside the extremities of the element or obstacle as originally flagged. The hindquarters must jump the dimensions of the fence.

c) Run-Out: A Horse is considered to have run out (20 penalties) if, having been presented at an element or obstacle on the course, it avoids it in such a way that the head, neck and both shoulders (to the point of the front of the saddle) fail to pass between the extremities of the element or obstacle as originally flagged or the hindquarters have not jumped dimensions of the fence. Continuing on course will incur elimination.

“The ERA of NA supports the proposed changes for Article No. 549.2 but the implementation and transparency of the rule going forward needs to be amended.

“While the ERA of NA believes this update is an improvement on the current rule, we also believe the following points should be considered and implemented.

  •  Assessment and adjudication of Article 549.2 should be handled uniformly at every FEI competition regardless of level or location.
  •  Should there be a question as to whether a horse-and-rider combination has cleared a fence, the issue should be reviewed immediately by the Technical Delegate and/or a member of the Ground Jury as opposed to waiting until the end of the competition day.
  • The Official Video that is reviewed by the Ground Jury should be made public in a timely fashion to aid in transparency and serve as an educational resource for riders, officials and the eventing constituency.
  • Video or photographs other than the Official Video should be allowed to be submitted and reviewed when an appeal is made.
  • At fences where Official Video will be used for review, a clear marker of where the camera will be placed should be present at the time the course officially becomes open. In addition, there should be clear guidelines for officials as to the positioning of cameras to ensure the fair and consistent application of the rule.
  • When setting the flags on a narrow fence or corner, Course Designers could further consider the positioning of flags in a way that increases the likelihood horses are not penalized when a good faith effort has been made to jump the fence correctly.”

The 2019 FEI General Assembly 2019 will be held in Moscow, Russia, Nov. 16 to 19. All proposed rule changes and proposed modifications can be accessed here. We’ll be sure to keep you updated.

[ERA of NA Statement Regarding FEI Article 549.2 – Run Out – Missing a Flag and Proposed Changes]

Around the World with Erik Duvander and Team USA

By on Oct 29, 2019 2:50 pm -

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Quicksilver. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

It feels like we haven’t had a moment to catch our breaths yet this year, with eventing action virtually non-stop week after week, month after month, stateside and beyond. I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but it certainly feels like we’ve had a record amount of U.S. representation abroad as Erik Duvander, USEF Eventing Performance Director, continues his determined effort to help our team gain traction on the international stage.

Throughout it all, we’ve greatly appreciated Erik’s communication, transparency and willingness to bring fans and supporters along on the team’s journey. He generously took the time to share a team update in the US Equestrian Eventing newsletter that landed in members’ inboxes this afternoon.

“Dear U.S. Eventing Community,

“Having achieved our Olympic qualification in Lima, winning the team gold and individual gold and silver, our greatest success at the Pan American Games was in how the team – from grooms, support team and riders – worked together to reach our goals. I was very proud of this team, as there is a very different and greater pressure in having to step up and win compared to just doing your best. The Pan American Games were Joanie Morris’ final tour with the team as Managing Director of Eventing. I think this was the best send-off we could give her after six years of servicing and supporting the team. She will be truly missed by all.

A golden result for Team USA at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

“The following week, we flew to Tokyo for the Olympic Test Event. Having been to the Equestrian Park before, which was built for 1964 Tokyo Olympics and lies in the middle of the city, it was amazing to see how the venue has been rebuilt to an absolute world-class permanent setup for dressage and show jumping. There are plenty of training arenas and air-conditioned stables, an indoor school, a vet clinic, a small area for cross country training and a gallop track. We did not get to see the Olympic Village, but we saw the newly laid cross country by the waterfront that Derek di Grazia has been planning and working on as course designer. Derek has done a super job laying out a 10-minute course on a fairly small area of land. It will for sure be hot and humid, and a lot of coordination will be required as we will be working out of three hubs. There will be travel in heavy traffic involved between the Equestrian Park, Olympic Village and the cross country course. It will be one of the most amazing Olympics, the food is fantastic, and the Japanese are incredibly organised and friendly. I truly hope we will have many supporters coming out next year to Tokyo.

Australia’s Andrew Hoy and Bloom Des Hauts Crets. Photo by FEI/Yusuke Nakanishi.

“After Tokyo, I flew to Ireland to have a four-day camp with our four riders going to compete at Millstreet. Holding training camps is something we do before championships, and I wanted to trial it for riders going to events abroad. It will not be possible to hold training camps every time we have riders overseas, but the feedback from the riders at Millstreet was very good, so we did the same in the lead-up for Boekelo and got the same feedback. This also gives me another opportunity to work with riders outside the Training List and arrive to the event with everyone on the same page. All our riders performed well at Millstreet, which is one of my favourite European venues.

“Burghley Horse Trials was next in line for us, with a record number of 11 U.S. combinations competing there. Walking the cross country course, it felt bigger and more technical this year and proved to be so. Every five-star course in the world has its own unique challenges to ride, but Burghley is definitely the toughest. It was great to see four U.S. riders finish in the top 15, and I hope our riders will continue to go there and try to close the gap to the top three. I know we can do it if we take the learnings from this year and work on it. Ariel Grald and her lovely young horse, Leamore Master Plan, who was awarded a Jacqueline B. Mars International Competition Grant, won the prize for best first-timer at Burghley with her 10th placing. We are fortunate to have these grants, and it is good to see when they pay dividends.

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan navigate the Trout Hatchery en route to 10th place at Burghley. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

“A few weeks ago, we traveled to Boekelo with a team to compete at the Nations Cup Final, which also served as a trial for the new Olympic format. Our plan was to go there and be competitive but also to learn more from competing in the new format. Boekelo has become one of the most competitive competitions in the world with a lot of very high-quality combinations, and this year had a new course designer in Adrian Ditcham, who did a fantastic job. Boekelo’s motto is to be the best event but also the most fun event in the world, so it was fantastic to have more than 50 U.S. owners and supporters there backing our team and also having fun. I hope we can continue to grow this interest in the future, as I believe it is a big part of what we should be doing as an organisation.

Team USA out in force at Boekelo. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

“We came off with a good start in the dressage, but after having one combination down in the cross country, our team chances were out, as there is no drop score under the new Olympic format. There is an ongoing conversation and debate around this new format with three riders on a team. However, this is how it will be at the 2020 Olympics, and it is up to us to have a game plan accordingly. This was also our new Managing Director of Eventing Jenni Autry’s first team competition in her role, and she did her duties with flying colours.

Erik Duvander walks the Boekelo show jumping course with team member Jennie Brannigan. Photo by Sherry Stewart.

“This year we have continuously worked on improving the connection between High Performance and our athletes in the eventing community. We have had several Open Forums at events this year, and will have our last ones at Galway Downs in California this weekend and at the Ocala Jockey Club in Florida next month. It is an opportunity for riders to ask questions about High Performance, and for us to give relevant information to our community. We have also been more involved in regular meetings with the Eligible Athletes Working Group, which Lynn Symansky does a great job with as Chair. We have a clear picture of how to run the High Performance Program, but we get very valuable feedback and information from this group that will help us consistently improve our program.

“It is with a bit of sadness to have seen the last Fair Hill International CCI4*-L at the old venue. Derek di Grazia built once again one of the best CCI4*-L cross country courses I have seen on the best land you can possibly find for our sport. However, everyone I have spoken to who has been to the new Fair Hill facilities on the other side of the road have been very impressed. I am myself very excited about having another CCI5*-L in the U.S. in 2020 and can’t wait to have the opportunity to see what Fair Hill’s team has accomplished.

“Sincerely,

Erik Duvander”

Go Team USA. Go Eventing!

Tuesday Video from Flexible Fit Equestrian: Fly Around France’s Five-Star

By on Oct 29, 2019 11:46 am -

Etoiles de Pau 2019 – Benjamin Massié – Cambox Isi3

🐴Les 5 étoiles de Pau – Caméra EmbarquéeRetour sur le superbe cross de Benjamin Massié !Revivez son parcours comme si vous y étiez ! Filmé avec la Cambox Isi3Merci à Benjamin pour sa sympathie et sa confiance 🤩

Posted by Cambox Horse on Sunday, October 27, 2019

Grab a baguette and a bottle of Lillet because it’s time to settle in for a first-hand view of the incredible cross country track at Les 5 étoiles de Pau. Enjoy the ride with  Benjamin Massié and Ungaro de Kreisker!

5 Etoiles de Pau: Website, Live Scores, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

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

Thibault Fournier Showing Signs of Progress After Fall [UPDATED 10/29]

By on Oct 29, 2019 11:00 am -

Thibault Fornier and Siniani de Lathus. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Update on 10/29:

An update from today on Thibault’s Facebook page shows even more progress being made, as Thibault was able to stand for a few moments. On 10/25, the page also posted that Thibault was also able to eat a bit.


Update on 10/24:

Thibault has passed two milestones in his recovery, according to the most recent update posted on his social media pages. We’re pleased to report that Thibault is no longer under respiratory assistance and is also no longer under sedation — both excellent updates. We will continue to monitor for updates on his condition and will provide them as they become available.


24-year-old French eventer Thibault Fournier has opened his eyes and continues to make slow progress after a fall on cross country at Pompadour Horse Trials in France earlier this month. Thibault was competing Chactas Chalonges, a 7-year-old Selle Francais gelding, when he fell and was subsequently airlifted from the venue to CMU Limoges.



Thibault has been in a coma since the fall, but progress updates posted on his Facebook page show some positive steps made. We will continue to provide updates on Thibault’s condition as they become available.

A young rising star for the French team, Thibault swooped in to win his first attempt at the CCI5* level, taking home the top honors at Les Etoiles de Pau aboard Siniani De Lathus in 2018.