We’ve had one more pair crack the 40s so far in the CCI2* at Fair Hill, as Colleen Loach and Freespirit scored 49.7 to tie for fourth place with Ryan Wood and Fernhill Classic. Coach Clayton Fredericks and the rest of the Canadian contingent seemed thrilled with the test, and this puts Colleen in a very good position for the weekend, as this horse is very good across the country; they were most recently 12th in the CIC2* at Plantation Field. Hallie Coon and Namaste are sitting just behind them in sixth place on a 50.5. The horse was quite tense circling the arena before the test, but Hallie rode through the tension beautifully, and Namaste relaxed well before the test began. This pair has been competing at the Advanced level for most of the year, and they definitely have the experience they need to get around the CCI2* cross country this weekend.
Caitlin Romeo and Spirit of the Outback had a rocky warmup, when Nilson Moreira da Silva and Muggle came too close in despite her warning. Jake was not happy about that at all, and he had a little meltdown. Caitlin didn’t let that faze her though, and she pushed through the little blip to get some really lovely work out of the horse. This is their first CCI2* since they competed at the NAJYRC back in 2008, so I’ll definitely be cheering them on this weekend. Caitlin is also one of the many riders wearing purple and teal ribbons this weekend in honor of Amy Barrington. Go Amy! We also saw Will Faudree and DHI Colour Candy in this group, and they’re in ninth place on a 52.2. Will contested the CCI3* here last year with this horse, but they parted ways on cross country and the horse put a stud through Will’s arm, leading to a a very impressive injury. Fingers crossed for no stud-related injuries this year!
Susie Beale and Isabella II were on track for a very good score until they got to the walk work, when the mare was very tense and not happy at all to be walking. This mare is a really lovely mover and super expressive with her front end in the canter — definitely a fun pair to watch. They scored 54.4 to sit in 11th place provisionally. We’re now on the lunch break here at Fair Hill. It’s still overcast and surprisingly very humid. We’ve been having an indian summer in this part of the country, and I’m certainly not going to complain. Allie Knowles and Sound Prospect kick off the next group of dressage rides in the CCI2* at 1 p.m. EST. For those of you wondering about the rest of the schedule this weekend, the CCI3* dressage doesn’t start until tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. EST, and the remainder of the CCI2* dressage will also run tomorrow. Go Fair Hill!
Fair Hill Links: [Website] [Dressage Times] [Live Scores]