Classic Eventing Nation

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

By on Jul 25, 2019 12:03 am -

Ready for NAYC! Photo by Earl McFall

If your farrier comes and does all the horses in the barn, and you agree that the new horse doesn’t need to be done for another two weeks, the general rule is that of COURSE the next day you bring the horses in and find that the exact same horse is missing a shoe. So, while I love seeing my farrier twice within twenty four hours, and he definitely doesn’t have better things to do, I find yourself texting him at 6:30 am. Thus, I also find myself going to town to pick up a pizza and a six pack of beer to thank my endlessly patient farrier for coming at the end of his day to tack a shoe on this dumb animal. Pizza and beer really does make the world go ’round.

National Holiday: National Wine and Cheese Day

Major Weekend Events:

The Event at Rebecca Farm CCI, 3DE, & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Horse Park of New Jersey II CCI & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Hunt Club Farms H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

News From around the Globe:

The stage of the European Championships has changed quite a bit, with the withdrawal of three big British names. The very promising Little Fire partnered with William Fox-Pitt has been withdrawn due to an unfortunately timed bone bruise, and Harry Meade’s Away Cruising has missed too much fitness to make it to the event as well. Nicola Wilson withdrew her ride Bulana due to her own multiple neck fractures from a fall a few weeks ago on a young horse. [Three Top Riders Withdraw from European Championships]

When you are doing your first Advanced horse trials, your main goal is to jump all the jumps in the right order on cross country. What you would never expect is for your horse to lock on to the wrong fence, and in the process jump a seated photographer. That’s exactly what happened to Madison Penfound riding QEH Ocean Voyage, when the horse leapt into the water a little too enthusiastic and then decided a photographer was a good ground line. This is a photo you don’t want to miss. [When a Photographer Becomes a Jump]

Can Paul Tapner win a record third consecutive Hickstead Eventer’s Challenge today? Paul won the challenging class the past two years with the impressive grey Bonza King of Rouges, and the pair are returning this year for another crack, having practiced hard at home for the weeks leading up. Also entered is Gemma Tattersall and Chico Bella P, who won the Bolesworth Eventing Challenge this spring, and were runner-up last year at Hickstead. [Hickstead Eventer’s Challenge]

Best of Interviews with Pan Am Riders: Free Rein with Tamie Smith

 

Rebecca Farm/NAYC Wednesday Social Media Roundup: Hello, Montana!

By on Jul 24, 2019 8:41 pm -

Happy jog day to everyone at The Event at Rebecca Farm — you made it! Even from photos, we can see why it’s called Big Sky Country. From Novice to Four-Star to NAYC, we’re wishing you all the best weekend ever and we’re looking forward to living vicariously through you! Check back daily for your Rebecca Farm social media fix.

The Event at Rebecca Farm: Website, Schedule, The Event at Rebecca Farm Ride Times & Live Scores, NAYC Ride Times & Live Scores, The Event at Rebecca Farm Live Stream, NAYC Live Stream, EN’s Coverage

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Go Olivia & Vanya!!!! 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 Go Team Canada!!

A post shared by Jessica Phoenix (@jessicaphoenixequestrianteam) on

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Legs: Pale Sky: Blue Spirits: High

A post shared by Gracie Elliott (@kgracieelliott) on

Anyone at Rebecca farm: my mom had this banner made in memory of Ashley Stout. We plan on hanging it tomorrow and…

Posted by Ashley Hays on Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Posted by Jules Elliott on Wednesday, July 24, 2019

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NAYC 2019

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Just a few more from today 🥰

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Project Runway: All Accepted in Rebecca Farm/NAYC First Horse Inspection

By on Jul 24, 2019 7:20 pm -

Cara Lavigna and Carrick Diamond Duke. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Ready, set, go eventing at Rebecca Farm! We’re officially off to the races at The Event at Rebecca Farm, which is hosting both FEI divisions as well as the Adequan North American Youth Championships.

All 61 NAYC horses were accepted today, though two were held. Both Rain Dancer, who is Sofie Harangozo’s ride in the CCIJ2*-L, and Tom Riddle, Tosca Holmes-Smith’s CCIY3*-S mount, received the Ground Jury’s nod of approval on their second presentation. Now we’ve got 8 CCIJ2*-L teams (all ten USEA Areas and two Canadian teams) as well as 13 pairs forming scramble teams in the CCIY3*-S.

Four horses were held, and subsequently accepted, in the other International divisions. Those held included Rebecca Hoos’ Little Cruz in the CCI4*-L, Bec Braitling’s Laguna Seca in the CCI2*-L, Mia Sheldon’s Strawberry in the CCI2*-L, and Madeleine Scott’s Crosby’s Gold in the CCI4*-S.

We’ve got a lot of competition coverage to come, but first let’s see how the NAYC teams were outfitted.

Area III and and the British Columbia/Ontario teams were all about the stripes:

Area VIII took color coordination to the next level with a grey only squad:

Area II had a sophisticated look, finished with a #Ride4Ashley ribbon in honor of their teammate, Ashely Stout, who passed away in a riding accident this summer:

Julianne Elliot and Buckharo. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Classic navy was the color of choice for Area VI and IV:

And just a few more looks we love:

And an honorable mention for  Clare Howard’s Euro Star who turned the jog strip into a gallop lane. Nice quarter marks, tho!

The Ground Jury can’t give you bad marks in the dressage if you trample them, I suppose. Photo by Shelby Allen.

The Event at Rebecca Farm: Website, Schedule, The Event at Rebecca Farm Ride Times & Live Scores, NAYC Ride Times & Live Scores, The Event at Rebecca Farm Live Stream, NAYC Live Stream, EN’s Coverage

 

 

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: The History of Rebecca Farm

By on Jul 24, 2019 2:00 pm -

There are only so many long four-star events in the country, so some might think, “how in the world did one end in up in rural, northern Montana!?” Turns out, this year marks 30 years of sanctioned eventing in the Flathead Valley. Sarah Broussard narrates the event’s colorful history from early beginnings at Herron Park Horse Trials, to full blown International affiliation at Rebecca Farm.

If you are one of the lucky ones entering the arena at A at Rebecca Farm, then you are a part of a 30 year dream realized in one of the most beautiful places possible.

Need to support strong, sound bones in layups or young horses?

Ask your vet about BoneWiseTM.

BoneWise:

  • Maintains optimal levels of bone density when horses are confined to their stalls.
  • Delivers a readily digestible, natural source of calcium and trace minerals necessary for optimal bone development.
  • Supports enhanced bone mineral content and bone turnover that encourages the swift repair of microdamage.
  • Supplies yeast cultures that support improved mineral and vitamin digestibility.
  • Sustains vitamin D at levels necessary for healthy bone development.

For more information, visit KPPvet.com.

Six Americans Listed Among Early Burghley Entries

By on Jul 24, 2019 2:00 pm -

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan at the 2019 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

While entries don’t close until Aug. 2, the U.S. contingent has wasted no time in entering the 2019 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials taking place Sept. 5-8 in Stamford, England. We got a sneak preview of early entries received and were excited to see that no fewer than six Americans intend to take aim at Britain’s biggest, baddest event.

Sixteen entries have been posted thus far and we expect several dozen more before closing date. Last year 98 combinations were entered at the closing date, and entries were capped at 85 pairs.

Among the early entries:

Hannah Sue Burnett is entered with Harbour Pilot, a 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Ms. Jacqueline Mars. This experienced five-star partnership, who have twice finished in the top 15 at Kentucky and cracked the top 10 at Luhmühlen, last tackled Burghley in 2014. They were 7th after cross country but sadly withdrew before the final phase.

Will Coleman is entered with his 2018 WEG mount Tight Lines, a 12-year-old French bred gelding owned by the Conair Syndicate. This pair has thrice completed Kentucky, finishing 12th and 13th the past two years.

Buck Davidson is entered with Jak My Style, a 14-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by Robert and Kathleen Cuca. This horse made his five-star debut at Kentucky this year but was withdrawn before cross country.

Ariel Grald is entered with Leamore Master Plan, a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Anne Eldridge. They finished 12th in their five-star debut at Kentucky this year. They are entered in the CCI4*-S at Ireland’s Millstreet International (Aug. 21-25), which also has a few preliminary entries posted — Will Faudree with Pfun and Caroline Martin with Islandwood Captain Jack are entered in the CCI4*-L.

Lauren Kieffer is entered with her 2018 WEG mount Vermiculus, a 12-year-old Anglo-Arabian gelding owned by Ms. Jacqueline Mars. This pair has completed Kentucky the past two years, finishing 5th and 9th respectively.

Chris Talley is entered with Unmarked Bills, a 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by the Unmarked Bills Syndicate. They finished 27th in their five-star debut at Kentucky this year.

With the FEI Eventing European Championships taking place the week before, Aug. 28-Sept. 1, in Luhmühlen, we’ll be looking forward to an exciting couple weeks of eventing. We’ll continue to keep an eye on entries between now and the closing date.

Entries as of July 24:

Who will you be cheering for at Burghley this year, EN? Let us know in the comments below. Go Eventing.

Burghley Links: Website, Entries, Timetable, Tickets

Michael Jung to Make German Showjumping Team Debut

By on Jul 24, 2019 1:00 pm -

Michael Jung and fischerRocana FST. FEI/Jon Stroud Photo.

Fresh off the back of (almost) total world domination at last week’s CHIO Aachen, the maestro of eventing has eschewed the idea of a rest day entirely, instead choosing to load up five of his showjumpers ready for a trip to the Royal International Horse Show at England’s historic Hickstead show ground. Even more excitingly, he’ll be making his showjumping team debut as a member of Germany’s Nation Cup team.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Ze Terminator tackle the coloured poles — he’s been competing at the CSI5* level for almost eight years, and took his first 5* win in a 1.40m speed class last season at Bordeaux with fischerDaily Impressed (Cartani X Impression). He maintains an enviable string of showjumpers at his base in Bad Soden am Taunus, spearheaded by eleven-year-old fischerChelsea (Check In X Argentia E) and Dante RZ (Diarado x Alabama), both of whom will compete at Hickstead.

Nor is it the first time we’ve seen him earn a showjumping squad call-up: he was selected for the German team for Abu Dhabi’s Nations Cup at the beginning of last year, but didn’t compete. His selection this week is a last-minute call-up to the squad after the withdrawal of Holger Wulschner.

“Michael Jung is an absolute legend in the horse world, and we are honoured that he is making his Nations Cup five-star debut here at the All England Jumping Course,” says Hickstead Director Lizzie Bunn. “There are very few riders in the world who are capable of competing at the highest level in eventing, showjumping and dressage, and we’re sure Michael’s legions of fans will be keen to see him in action as he jumps for the very first time.”

If you’re not at Hickstead, you can keep an eye on the competition — which includes a star-studded Eventer’s Challenge class tomorrow — online. The competition will be live-streamed on Hickstead.tv and ClipMyHorse.tv, while Friday and Sunday’s feature classes, the Longines FEI Nations Cup and the Longines BHS King George V Gold Cup, respectively, will be broadcast on FEI TV. We’ll be on-site to follow his progress and bring you all the news from the Eventer’s Challenge, too, in which Paul Tapner, Alex Bragg, Joseph Murphy and more go head to head in the iconic main arena.

17 Nations to Contest FEI Eventing European Championships

By on Jul 24, 2019 12:00 pm -

Photo by Thomas Ix, courtesy of Luhmühlen.

Yesterday 17 national federations declared their entries for the Longines FEI Eventing European Championships, to be held Aug. 28-Sept. 1 in Luhmühlen. They are as follows:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Great Britain
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland

The national federations have already named riders and horses but were able to name twice or even three times as many starters as will actually be able to compete at Luhmühlen. The federations will send the definite entries, with finalized horse-rider combinations, on Monday, August 12.

As the host nation Germany will be able to nominate 12 riders; all other federations will nominate six.

In its 60 years of hosting three-day events, Luhmühlen has hosted five European Championships (1975, 1979, 1987, 1999 and 2011), as well as World Equestrian Games in 1982.

The officials have been selected for the Championships. The judges will be Martin Plewa (president), Anne-Mette Binder (DEN) und Peter Shaw (AUS), and the FEI Technical Delegate will be Gert Naber (NED). The cross country course designer is Mike Etherington-Smith (GBR), and the show jumping course designer is Marco Behrens (GER).

A total of 100,000 Euro will be awarded, with 70,000 to the individual winner and 30,000 to the first through third placed teams.

Only 35 days now, actually!

Visit the Luhmühlen website here. Go Eventing.

World-Class Entry List Announced for Ready Steady Tokyo Olympic Test Event

By on Jul 24, 2019 9:30 am -

Reigning Olympic champion Michael Jung will take part in next month’s Ready Steady Tokyo equestrian test event alongside 17 athletes from four nations: Japan, Germany, Australia and Great Britain. Photo by FEI / Arnd Bronkhurst.

We’re nearly a year out from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, which means it’s time for organizers to start pressing all those buttons to make sure they work. Entries have been released for the Ready Steady Tokyo equestrian test event, taking place Aug. 12-14 at the Equestrian Park at Baji Koen and the new Sea Forest cross country venues. Run as a CCI3*, the test event will trial logistics, results, timing and data handling, footing, transport between the two venues, along with other key factors that are crucial for the smooth running of next year’s Games.

The field is impressive and includes 17 athletes from Japan, Germany, Australia and Great Britain. Among them: reigning Olympic champion and multi-medalled German athlete Michael Jung, triple Olympic team gold medallist Andrew Hoy of Australia, five-time Olympian and medallist William Fox-Pitt, and all four of Japan’s Asian Games 2018 gold medal team among an 11-strong Japanese squad.

“We have a truly star-studded cast for our Ready Steady Tokyo test event next month, when some of the world’s most decorated eventing athletes and their equine partners will have the opportunity to trial our two fabulous venues and, at the same time, provide a taster of the level of equestrian action that will be on offer at the Games next year,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said. “I can’t remember a time when we had such a high caliber of athletes and horses for the Olympic test event, so it’s going to be really special.”

Photo courtesy of the FEI.

The host nation has recently proven itself a real force on the international scene, with Japan taking team and individual gold at the Asian Games in Jakarta and the team finishing fourth and just out of the medals at the 2018 WEG 2018 in Tryon last September. This season, the team won the Olympic Groups F and G qualifier at Saumur in June, and Japanese athletes have claimed no fewer than three CCI4* victories: Kazuma Tomoto took wins at Chatsworth and Ballindenisk this spring, and Yoshiaki Oiwa took the top honor at Strzegom at the end of last month. Yoshiaki’s mount, whom he piloted to double gold at the Asian Games, is Bart M, a 13-year-old Dutch-bred gelding ridden by Frenchman Matthieu Lemoine to team gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Japan clearly has its sights set on a medal in Tokyo, and we’ll be following their preparations closely.

The full list of starters for the Ready Steady Tokyo equestrian test event is available here and will also be available on the dedicated equestrian page of the Ready Steady Tokyo website here shortly.

Cross country course designer Derek Di Grazia has built a special track for the test event. It will give athletes, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and National Federations (NFs) a chance to assess the undulations of the terrain without giving too much away about Derek’s vision for the Olympic course. The Sea Forest cross country venue, which will host equestrian cross country, rowing and canoe sprint, will be turned into a park after the Games’ conclude. Baji Koen, site of the Olympic equestrian events at the 1964 Tokyo Games, has undergone extensive refurbishment, funded independently by the Japan Racing Association.

The test event also provides the opportunity for NOCs and NFs to take part in the official Observers Programme, which includes a session on climate mitigation protocols aimed at minimizing the effects of heat and humidity. The FEI is also conducting a study on participants at the test event (human and equine) with the goal of further boosting current research on optimizing performance in a challenging climate. Full details of the Observers Programme are available here.

The eventing format, which has been run at events in Poland, Ireland, New Zealand and Italy, will be used at the last leg of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup in Boekelo in October, when the final team slot on the Tokyo 2020 startlist will be allocated.

[Ready Steady Tokyo equestrian test event boasts world-class startlist]

 

 

Wednesday News & Notes from Attwood Equestrian Surfaces

By on Jul 24, 2019 12:01 am -

Pre-Rebecca vibes. Photo via Madeline Backus’ FB page.

Rebecca Farm has been on my bucket list probably since 2009, when my then-trainer and another boarder trekked up there after the now-defunct Maui Jim and came back with tales of lake swims and mountain hacks and blue skies as far as you can see. Having moved even further away since that time and now balancing a full-time job means that item on my bucket list is not terribly likely to be fulfilled, so I just have to live vicariously through the social media posts of my friends.

National Holiday: World Emoji Day

Major Weekend Events:

The Event at Rebecca Farm CCI, 3DE, & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Horse Park of New Jersey II CCI & H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Hunt Club Farms H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Your Wednesday News & Notes

For anyone who thinks you have to make a team by the time you’re 25 or your career will be over, take a hard look at Tamie Smith. Now 44, Tamie started out as a corporate career type, hoping to be CEO of some Fortune 500 company. Her non-horsey husband eventually urged her to go pro and she’s now realizing her dream of representing the U.S. for the first time. [Free Rein with Tamie Smith]

A missed deadline will result in the Royal Windsor losing its CSI5* status for 2020. The paperwork for the level was submitted late, and as a result the other two CSI5* fixtures held on the same date rejected the Royal Windsor’s request for an exception. Royal Windsor expects to regain the status for 2021, and the British Equestrian Federation has put guidelines in place to prevent the mistake from happening again. [Royal Windsor Loses Five Star Status]

Don’t try this at home! Madison Penfound had quite a scare when her horse QEH Ocean Voyage locked onto a fence at his first Advanced that was actually on the Intermediate course and jumped it…despite a photographer sitting in front of it. Luckily all parties involved were totally unharmed and the photographer Tracey Wilkinson even managed a head-on shot [Behind the Photo]

Attwood Wisdom of the Week: 

Great News!Attwood Equestrian Surfaces AnnouncedOfficial Footing Supplier at Fair Hill InternationalAttwood…

Posted by Attwood Equestrian Surfaces on Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Want to know more about the most advanced footing solutions on the market today? Please call Attwood Equestrian Surfaces at 888-461-7788.

Tuesday Video from SmartPak: Bobby Is The Best

By on Jul 23, 2019 4:00 pm -

Happy Hale Bob Day or Happy Hale Bob Week? Let the celebration of SAP Hale Bob OLD and Ingrid Klimke’s win at Aachen continue! Last Saturday they became the first pair to win at the storied venue three times, and they did it with complete class, especially on the cross country, and Aachen has given us a first-hand account in the form of a helmet cam.

The commentary may be in German, but all the stats are in English, so follow their pace, heart rate and speed accuracy around Aachen’s indomitable cross country course.

Updated 7/24: English commentary, y’all:

SAP Cup with Ingrid Klimke

This year again, SAP and Ingrid Klimke invite you for a unique cross-country experience enjoying the winning round of the #SAPCup with SAP Hale Bob OLD. Through the sensors on the riders, SAP Equestrian Analytics provides you with details around the rides – both live during the SAP Cup and in this video. So fasten your seat belts and enjoy the flight. But be careful – it’s addictive 😊. #chioaachen #thebestrun

Posted by SAP Sports on Monday, July 22, 2019

CHIO Aachen: Website, Entries & Start Times, Live Scoring, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram