Classic Eventing Nation

A visit to Virginia Horse Center is a worthwhile experience, even if you aren’t a “horse person”. Operating with the aptly-chosen tagline “Eventing with a View”, the venue offers picturesque vistas and rolling hills in addition to top-flight equestrian competition. A gorgeous Saturday that began with some traditional hillside fog unveiled the views for a full day of cross country, show jumping, and dressage competition.

Beshear Comes from Behind to Win CCI3*-S

Emily Beshear and Rio de Janeiro. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Emily Beshear, whose Deep Purple Eventing is located not far from the Virginia Horse Center, steadily climbed up the leaderboard in the CCI3*-S division, piloting Rio de Janeiro (River Dancer – Vanilla Ice), who is owned with her son, Nicholas Beshear, to the eventual victory on a finishing score of 37.6.

After starting the weekend in fifth place, Beshear and the 15-year-old Holsteiner/Thoroughbred gelding moved into second following show jumping on Friday. Initial leaders Ariel Grald and Adagio’s Nobility were assessed 20 jumping penalties on cross country this morning, opening the door for a new leader. While no pairs completed Jay Hambly’s cross country course within the optimum time of 6 minutes, 25 seconds, Beshear’s 8.4 time penalties kept her ahead of second-placed Hannah Sue Hollberg and Carsonstown.

“The horse is very efficient,” Beshear said as she described her cross country round. “He doesn’t have a big stride, but he’s got all the heart in the world and he’s very genuine, so I wanted to just let him go out, pick his pace and gallop around and be as efficient as I could around the turns. He’s pretty easy to turn and balance, and he did exactly what he was supposed to.”

“I liked all the improvements they’ve made out there, they’ve done a beautiful job working on opening it up,” Beshear said of the always-evolving cross country, designed here at VHC Eventing by Jay Hambly on the Oak Hill side and by Jon Wells on the VHC side. “The course rode really well! Originally, I was thinking of going to Bromont. The horse is older and I needed to get my three-star qualification. I did decide afterwards not to push him for Bromont and to wait for later in the year, but this was a no-brainer to come here and get a nice, good run in. And I think they’ve done a great job with improving that side, so I enjoyed it!”

“I’ve known the horse for a really long time,” Beshear said of the partnership she’s enjoyed with Rio de Janeiro. “He was actually bred and brought along by a young rider from Michigan that I helped. When she went off to college, I got to take over the ride and we purchased him. And then shortly thereafter I ended up injuring my knee, so I was out for a year and Nicholas took over the reins. He got the horse a bit of three-star mileage and did really well with him but then graciously gave me the ride back. So he’s become the honorary owner so we can keep the partnership going.”

Beshear says she plans to aim for some Advanced competition and perhaps a CCI4*-S to round out the year, using this for re-qualification as well as fine-tuning for a step back up to the next level.

A Tie for First in the CCI2*-L

Tate Northrop and Harrison. Photo by Sally Spickard.

We’ve got a tie for the lead going into the final phase of competition in the CCI2*-L division, which now sees initial leaders Tate Northrop and Harrison tied with Ashton Benefiel and Libris Charlotte on matching scores of 32.7 after cross country today. Dressage winner Northrop added four seconds of time and 1.6 time penalties to her dressage score, while Benefiel secured a clear round inside the optimum time of 7 minutes, 5 seconds.

“My cross country was very good today,” Northrop said. “We had a little bit of time, but he was amazing. The course rode so well, it was so beautiful out there. It’s very hilly, which he’s not used to. We’ve been running in Aiken and North Carolina, so it was a little bit of a change for him and the hills kind of got to him, but he was so good through everything.”

“I’ve never done this before: so I loved the back water,” Northrop continued. “We jumped in and then we did two angled houses out in a two-stride, and that was really fun. He did that so well. It was a really nice design. They’ve made so many improvements since I’ve been here last. The cross country was amazing. They got more of the trees down, you can see everything from up on the hill – it’s beautiful.”

Going into show jumping on a tie is, of course, a bit nerve-inducing, but Northrop is taking the pressure in stride and trusting in the partnership she has built with “Harry”.

“I’m of course a little nervous [about show jumping,” she smiled. “He’s a good partner to have in the show jumping. We’ve had some good runs at the Preliminary and two-star level. Intermediate, we’re still new so we’ve had some down at that level, but I’m hoping he can get out there and muster some energy from today! So we’ll see.”

Ashton Benefiel and Libris Charlotte. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Moving from initial fourth place into the tie for the lead, Ashton Benefiel says she knows there is more in the tank for better dressage marks in the future. She initially scored a 32.7 from dressage judges Sara Miller Leary and Robert Stevenson.

“Charlie was great for her dressage,” she elaborated. “We had a few tense moments, I think just the atmosphere was a little new for her and we’ve never been here before so we had a couple moments in the test that weren’t our best, but overall she was really great. I was really, really happy with her dressage.”

Heading into cross country, Benefiel knew she would need to do her homework ahead of time, as she bases full-time in Florida, which does not feature the amount of terrain found here at VHC Eventing at her home events.

“This is our first two-star Long and we’re from Florida so we’re really not used to the terrain,” Benefiel said. “So I was a little bit nervous going into today just wondering how she was going to handle it. But I was so happy with her. She handled all the questions really well and loved galloping up the hills and still had a lot of gas left in the tank, so I’m excited for tomorrow. I was really impressed with her fitness and what she had left.”

Benefiel and “Charlie” started their partnership with the mare was a four-year-old, sourced from England by Mike and Emma Winter. Initially on import, the mare had a false positive for a disease that would end up not allowing her into the country, so she was sent back to England. At that point, Benefiel thought she wouldn’t see the mare again, but on her birthday her parents surprised her with a very special package: Libris Charlotte, returned to the U.S. without incident and ready to begin a partnership with her new rider. Benefiel had competed through the Intermediate level with her previous horse, but it’s been several years since and she’s thrilled to be back moving up the levels with a very special horse.

White Goes Wire-to-Wire in CCI2*-S

Sharon White and Arden Augustus. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Sharon White secured a wire-to-wire victory in the CCI2*-S with Anita Antenucci’s Arden Augustus, adding no penalties to her initial dressage score of 29.0 to finish over 10 points in the lead at the end of today’s cross country.

“I’m so pleased with him,” White said after her round. “He tried really hard and it’s very hilly here, and I think that’s a really good education for them. He’s a very game cross country horse, but he’s been a little spooky at the coffins, so there’s a beautiful coffin here that is challenging enough, so I really rode him there. And he was like ‘what are you – what is wrong with you up there? I’m fine! No worries!’ So good job, buddy. [The course had] good water jumps, a good coffin, good corner questions and great terrain, so a really good education for him in his career. I’m really thrilled and really thrilled for Anita, she’s a really good friend, so it’s really fun for us. It goes wrong a lot, but when it goes right it’s really nice!”

White plans to keep “Gus” at this level for the rest of this year, looking to the future and focusing on strength development and education. “He’s a very big horse, so I need to be slightly careful and a little patient. There’s no rush. He certainly doesn’t need to be going Intermediate this year, so there’s absolutely no hurry. It’s a good year of education and strength development.”

White and Arden Augustus also took home a special award for young horses sponsored by Hyperion Stud, awarded to the highest-placed 6- or 7-year-old horse in the FEI Short divisions.

Kelley Keeps the Lead in CCI1*-L

Lindsay Kelley and Fashionable Man. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Lindsay Kelley and the off-track Thoroughbred Fashionable Man maintained their lead after two phases, finishing today’s cross country clear inside the optimum time of 5 minutes, 22 seconds to finish today on a score of 27.8.

Kelley has been keeping the 11-year-old gelding tuned up for owner Paige Ramsey, who’s currently preparing for Young Rider Championships with her CCI2* horse, MTF Cooley Classic (with whom she finished second in the CCI2*-S today). It’s a treat for Kelley, who generally spends her time producing horses up the levels. “Thumper” has experience through the CCI2* level himself, and Kelley knew this CCI1*-L track would be a great tune-up and an opportunity for herself to have a bit of fun.

“Cross country was totally awesome,” Kelley said. “In all honesty, the horse didn’t put a foot wrong. He does have experience and I’m really just keeping him tuned up for Paige and it is a pleasure to ride him. You get to go out there and sort of ‘equitate’ around because he knows what he’s doing for sure. Hopefully we can tie it all together with a bow and have him jump around clear tomorrow. Really, I’m usually out there riding horses that I’m making up so it’s quite a pleasure to sit on one that knows what he’s doing!”

First National Division Winners Crowned

Brooke Burchianti and Cooley Space Grey. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Several National division winners were crowned today following cross country.

Following the planned withdrawal of both of Will Coleman’s leading ride, Diabolo, the victor’s spot in the Advanced/Intermediate was open. Moving up to secure the win are Brooke Burchianti with Karen Burchianti’s Cooley Space Grey, who were the sole pair to catch the optimum time of 6 minutes, 22 seconds. This pair finished on a score of 41.8, moving up from sixth after show jumping.

Sydney Hagaman and Charmeur were another pair to hold the lead from start to finish, winning the blue ribbon in the Open Intermediate division on a score of 25.8, adding just two time penalties on cross country today to their initial dressage score.

Kerra Johnson and Fly High Quality moved steadily up the rankings in the Open Preliminary after beginning the weekend in sixth position, finishing first on a final score of 32.8, also with two time penalties added on cross country.

Catherine Kelly and Cooley Meridian were the eventual winners of the Preliminary Rider division, starting the weekend in 12th after dressage and climbing their way up to secure the victory on a score of 37.3, adding just 3.6 time penalties to their dressage score.

The Starter through Modified divisions will wrap up competition on Sunday, with some divisions running cross country and others show jumping tomorrow.

Current Division Leaders:

Open Modified: Sharon White and Quizas (23.5)
Modified Rider: Berkley Gardner and In Vogue (27.8)
Junior Training Rider: Marin Swyers and Fernhill Mac an Bata (32.3)
Open Training A: Hayley Norfleet and Wall Street (29.2)
Open Training B: Austin Skeens and HSH Bangarang (34.6)
Senior Training Rider A: Rachael Livermore and Accuraat Z (27.2)
Senior Training Rider B: Penny Goddard and Fernhill On the Rocks (21.9)
Training Horse: Will Coleman and Honest Man (26.9)
Junior Novice Rider: Emerson Padgett and MSH Giant JacKa (24.2)
Novice Horse: Kendal Fansler and Delilah’s Boy (26.7)
Open Novice: Mia Farley and Pina Colada 28 (27.8)
Senior Novice Rider: Phyllis Hardgrove and Cooley Castle (27.5)
Beginner Novice Horse: Madeline Binder and Carrafarm Be Mine (31.5)
Junior Beginner Novice Rider: Maura O’Connor and Will You Be Mine (24.7)
Open Beginner Novice: Clare Brady and Rhythm and Blues (29.1)
Senior Beginner Novice Rider A: Kristyl Callison and After Eight (25.6)
Senior Beginner Novice Rider B: Gina Keller and Snack Attack (22.7)
Starter: Alice Johnson and Cooley Romance (20.3)

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Virginia Horse Center Eventing (Lexington, VA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

A thrilling day of competition has come to a close as VHC Eventing presented by Capital Square officially got underway on Friday, with many divisions competing in dressage and show jumping. A total of 442 competitors have come to Virginia Horse Center for “Eventing with a View”, and despite some rain showers to start the day, Friday ended with warm sunshine.

The FEI divisions kicked off Friday with the Short divisions contesting dressage and show jumping and the Long formats doing their dressage tests ahead of cross country on Saturday.

Grald Takes Charge of CCI3*-S

Ariel Grald and Adagio’s Nobility. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Leading the way in the highest FEI division, the CCI3*-S, are North Carolina-based Ariel Grald riding Annie Eldrige’s Adagio’s Nobility (Adagio de Talma – Noble Lady I, by Heraldik). The pair earned a 27.2 from judges Jane Hamlin and Amanda Miller and subsequently added no penalties to that mark over Michel Vaillancourt’s testing show jumping track this afternoon.

Like several other rides, Grald is using this event as a preparation for “Quax’s” first CCI3*-L at MARS Bromont CCI in June, citing the terrain and atmosphere of Virginia Horse Center as two key factors in her decision to enter.

“I wanted to give him a good fitness run before we do the three-long at Bromont, so I thought that it would be a good test to make sure he’s fit enough. I felt like, too, there’s a bit of atmosphere here, and it’s a good way to prep for bigger things,” Grald said.

“He was good, he’s not been out for a little awhile, I kind of gave him a little break after he last ran at Fair Hill,” Grald commented on her dressage test with the 8-year-old Holsteiner gelding. “So I felt like the test wasn’t as brilliant as it can be, but he’s still a very good boy – he’s so consistent and he just has a lovely way of going. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t show him off as well as I feel like I can, but he didn’t do a thing wrong.”

Grald was the first of what would eventually be four double clear rounds in the CCI3*-S. “He’s a very, very good show jumper,” she said of her ride. “He just tries super hard, he reads the poles, he reads the jumps, he just really wants to jump clear so he’ll turn himself inside out to do that. So I’m very lucky to be sitting on a horse like him. I feel like the show jumping always rides really hard here – the course is excellent, they set a really good track, but it’s proving to ride quite hard.”

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s cross country, which for the FEI divisions is designed by Jay Hambly, Grald says she’d like to be competitive, but the bigger priority will be fitness and ensuring her horse is well prepared for the next step.

“I’ve heard really good things [about the cross country],” she said. “I know they’ve done a lot of improvement, and just the last couple of years here have been really exciting to see the changes in the cross country and just see the effort and enthusiasm from the organizers and everybody that’s behind this event.”

Northrop and White Lead CCI2* Divisions

Tate Northrop and Harrison. Photo by Brant Gamma Photography.

Taking charge of the CCI2*-L division following dressage Friday morning are Kentucky-based Tate Northrop, 19, and Megan Northrop’s 9-year-old Oldenburg-Thoroughbred gelding, Harrison (Pasolongo – Sybrite). This is the first CCI2*-L for Harrison, who partners with Northrup while she balances university and riding. Harrison was originally produced by Tate’s mother, Megan, who handed the reins over when the gelding started going Training level.

“I took him over about two years ago, and he had only done Training and so I took him to his first Prelim,” Northrop, who’s also competed at Junior and Young Rider Championships in the past. “I’ve been figuring it out and getting used to riding and going to school balancing it all. But recently, he just progresses every ride. He just has such a great work ethic. He does whatever I’ve put in front of him – he’s just that kind of mentality. We’ve just gradually worked our way up; he had such a good background at Training and a really good foundation at that level.”

Northrop is eyeing a CCI3*-L – she’s done an Intermediate and a CCI3*-S to this point with Harrison – down the road, so this weekend is a preparation for the future. At home, she works regularly with CCI5* eventer Allie Knowles and CCI3* rider Kate Sand, as well as dressage coach Ellen Murphy.

“He makes me work for it, that’s for sure!” Northrop said of her dressage test, which earned a score of 31.1 from judges Sara Miller Leary and Robert Stevenson. “I’ve been working on elevating it all because he wants you to kind of ride soft and not really do too much in the trot and canter. But I’m learning that he has more in there, and especially with dressage lessons with Ellen, she’s just been making that progress so much more.”

Sharon White and Arden Augustus. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Looking to the CCI2*-S, West Virginia-based Sharon White is the two-phase leader, riding Anita Antenucci’s Arden Augustus (Jaguar Mail – Juneau, by Cevin Z) to a dressage mark of 29.0 from judges Sara Miller Leary and Robert Stevenson. The pair subsequently added no penalties to this score in the show jumping, which proved to be very influential for the rest of the board with a total of three double clears.

Bred in the U.S. by Antenucci, Arden Augustus in 2023 won the U.S. Young Event Horse Futurity as a five-year-old and now contests his second FEI event here at VHC Eventing.

“I’m so pleased with him,” White said. “He’s a six-year-old, so he’s young and he’s a very large horse. He tries so hard and I’m super happy with him. He’s always very with me, he gives me all he’s got and one day he’s going to be strong and that’s going to be unreal.”

“It’s just education and strength development,” White said of working with a promising young horse. “He needs to learn self-carriage for all parts of his body, he needs to learn a little more engagement like all young horses do. He’s pretty well educated at this point, and he’s very receptive to training, so he picks things up very quickly.”

Of Michel Vaillancourt’s challenging show jumping track, White said she loved it and that looking at the questions asked simply makes a difference. “I love the course. I think it’s actually very simple, except the distances are a little short for an event horse, so you have to land and get [the adjustment] done soon, because on an event horse if you land and wait to do anything, they open up, that’s what they’re supposed to do. So that’s why it’s a little bit interesting in there, so I just tried to make sure that on landing that Gus knew to wait it out and there was time for him to see things and jump around. He really jumped up and around and used his back, so I’m super happy.”

White gave a shout-out to the organizing committee for their efforts. “I love things well done and they’re really trying to do things just so and just right,” she explained, noting the aerators on cross country, for one. “I think the hills here are awesome. I think the terrain here is such a good test for them. There’s good hills. He spent the winter in Florida, so I need him to see hills, so I’m thrilled to get him out and see the hills. Horses have to learn how to balance on hills. It’s not only wonderful for their fitness and strength, but for their education of how to carry themselves down a hill and up a hill efficiently. So it’s so great that we have this here. I have big plans for Gus in his lifetime, and this would be such a great part of that right now.”

Kelley Leads the Way in CCI1*-L

Lindsay Kelley and Fashionable Man. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Riding for young rider Paige Ramsey, Virginia-based Lindsay Kelley took the dressage lead in the CCI1*-L with the 11-year-old off-track Thoroughbred Fashionable Man (Charitable Man – So Francie). This pair earned a 27.8 from dressage judges Amanda Miller and Eileen Prichard-Bryan for the overnight lead.

“This was the first time riding the new one-star test, and the test has a lot more canter work than the other tests do. This horse really does excel in his canter work, he’s super rideable. He shows up at the shows just like he shows up at home; he really does let you ride him and show him off in the dressage, which is rare for a Thoroughbred,” Kelley said of her ride this afternoon. “He’s very nice to ride in the dressage and just in general, so he really did show his best self today.”

Fashionable Man was originally produced through the CCI2* level by CCI5* rider Meghan O’Donoghue before being sold to Ramsey. “Right now, Paige is focusing on her two-star horse and getting ready for [Young Riders] in July, and she’s using [Fashionable Man] as a practice horse at home. So I’m keeping him tuned up and I’m the lucky one!”

“He is a machine out [on cross country], he shows all of his good Thoroughbred attributes out there, that’s for sure,” Kelley said of tomorrow’s test. “I’m looking forward to doing it with him.”

“This event has such a homey feel,” Kelley said of the decision to run the horse at VHC Eventing. “We’ve been coming here since we were kids, and it’s just a nice venue and it’s really well-run. We love the courses, we love the rings, and it’s pretty close to us, only two-and-a-half hours away.”

National Divisions Get Underway

Will Coleman and Diabolo. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Looking to the National divisions, Preliminary up through Advanced CT and Advanced/Intermediate got underway on Friday, completing their dressage and show jumping ahead of cross country on Saturday.

National Leaders:

Advanced CT: Michelle Koppin and Calcourt Valley (41.6)
Advanced/Intermediate: Will Coleman and Diabolo (28.4)
Open Intermediate: Sydney Hagaman and Charmeur (23.8)
Open Preliminary: Ashley Adams and Global Halycon (27.1)
Preliminary Rider: Sylvia Byars and CSF Dassett Decoy (26.3)

On Saturday, the Starter through Modified divisions will begin their competitions. Cross country will take place Saturday on both the VHC Eventing side as well as the Oak Hill side, and spectators are invited to join us for an exciting day of action with no admission cost.

For those in attendance, all are invited to attend a bonfire with the Young Riders, who will be bringing karaoke and s’mores to make at 7 p.m. near the VHC Eventing start boxes and the flagpoles on top of the hill, with other food also provided.

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