Not to be upstaged by the weather at either Fairhill or Le Lion D’Angers, it was decidedly chilly at the Kentucky Horse Park Friday for the Hagyard Midsouth Team Challenge and Three Day, and definitely windy, and then just to really test our resolve, it started raining! The dressage rings, all in the dressage complex by the Museum of the Horse and various Association buildings, all ran to time if not early, and with all the good artificial footing both there, and in the show-jumping up in the arenas by the FEI stabling the weather didn’t cause any problems in that regard whatsoever. It might have explained some rather fresh horses and it’s definitely my excuse for bunking off early from the dressage to go and walk the course. I did see a few nice tests in the CCI* before I left. You can access all the scores for every division here.
Jennifer Bazan and Allegretta
Siobhain O’Connor and Chiron
Each year Organiser Mary Fike and her amazing crew pull off a miracle to make the Midsouth Team Challenge and Three Day happen, with the support of Hagyard as title sponsor and help from many others. With Beginner Novice through Prelim Divisions running fun team competitions, as well as the CCI*, and the Prelim and Training Three Day it’s a labour of love, but also one of the most popular events on the calendar in this area, and loyally supported. Waylon Roberts is riding two and ably deputising for his dad, Ian, who’s riding in the CCI** at Fairhill this year, coaching a few of his students here in the CCI*, and I asked Waylon what Midsouth means to him. “I did my first one star here at Midsouth when I was 13 years old, it was in my 14th year, so I’ve been coming here for ten years, although I had to miss a couple because I was in England. The great thing about it is where could you find a better place to ride in North America than the Kentucky Horse Park? It’s such a beautiful facility, and the organisers and the volunteers are always brilliant . It’s twelve hours down the road for us but we don’t mind coming that far to a nice event like this.”
Waylon just got this lovely specimen, a Canadian TB, four weeks ago and is riding him in the Training Horse Trials Division for the HGS Team. He’s seven years old and 17.2, and rather nice, I’ll be keeping my eye on him!
To warm up after standing watching some dressage I went and walked the CCI* cross country, designed this year by Rolex designer Derek Di Grazia, and Melissa Miller and Anna Kjellstrom very kindly let me tag along. Anna is riding two in the Training Three Day and one in the CCI*, and even though she is still getting her groove back after breaking her shoulder this spring it was important to her to ride at Midsouth, “they put so much effort into making it educational, and I think it’s very important with the long format, for those of us who don’t want to go to the Olympics – what are our goals? I think to go from Training to Prelim is huge, and then from Prelim to Intermediate is not quite as bad but this gives you a goal to do in between. The steeplechase helped me relax with my upper level horse and let him gallop forward to his fences and that was a big turning point when I was comfortable getting a rhythm, maintaining it and trusting it.” Anna participated in the Steeplechase training today, a practice run over a timed distance and a couple of fences with advice from Diana Rich or Dorothy Crowell depending on which session you were in, “That was great. I believe in my group, everyone I saw went in very tentative and came out comfortable, so now tomorrow it’s not so much closing your eyes and kicking at the first fence!” Melissa is here with a four year old doing his first event in the Novice Division; having just leased out her Advanced horse to a Young Rider,and sold her preliminary horse, Melissa has a horse going in the CCI** at Chattahoochee Hills next weekend, but Anna was happy to pick her brains this afternoon, and I was very grateful to eavesdrop as she gave some great advice.
“I competed up through three star level and I’ve done two one stars here in the past back when they were long format and this is by far the toughest one star I’ve walked out here. There’s a lot of questions, there’s a lot of skinnies for them which they normally don’t have, and there’s a lot to do, you’re constantly doing something. I actually would like to see some more gallop fences for these first time one star riders. A more experienced rider will be able to make those changes happen but for some of these younger riders at their first one star, it’s a lot, and there are some big fences out there too.” I spoke to a couple of experienced riders later on who agreed with Melissa, but were also looking forward to riding the course.
Lauren Lambert, who currently leads Open Prelim B on the lovely Honour Mission, jumping for the aptly named “Future Olympians” team. Lauren agrees wholeheartedly with Waylon, Anna and Melissa about the value of Midsouth, “This is a fun show, it really is, and it’s a good competition – you have people coming down from Canada, it’s a bigger atmosphere than what we usually see.” Lauren is hoping for a good run here this weekend to set her and Honour Mission up for the CCI* at the Virginia Horse Park as they need one more prelim run under their belts for qualification otherwise, she told me, she would have done the CCI* here. Lauren knew team mate Andrea Glazer before the show as they both come from the same area, but since being assigned to the ‘Future Olympians’, (“we have a lot to live up to, girls!”) she met her two other teammates via facebook, and they plan to walk the course together, and supported each other during the dressage. The team are sporting the stars and stripes on their saddle pads and plan to wear red, white and blue on cross country – Go Future Olympians!
Andrea Glazer and Detail Specialist, a fellow Future Olympian
Megan Cleary and Feeling Sinister – a Future Olympian from Ohio
Jennifer Lewandowski is leading Open Prelim A on her superstar Park Avenue III; they jumped a lovely clear round, one of not very many.
Margie Darling and Fine With Me
Brigid Williams and Bourbon Tee
Caitlin Henderson and Creative Dreamer
Carrie Mulks and Intoxicated
Cathy Wieschoff and Ready for April
I was very happy to see Dan Kreitl back with his Curly Sport Horse/Holsteiner Spartagon. Last year Dan won the Five Star Tack Award for Best Sportsmanship whilst competing in the Training Three Day, and I’m delighted to see them back again this year, competing in the Open Prelim Division.
Emily DiMaria and Counterpoint
ERIN (not ERIK) Dierks and Mimic, my bad!
Gina Moore and Appalachian Trail
James Meister and Going Tribal
Jennifer O’Neill and That’ll Do. Jennifer rides for Chris Newton’s Antebellum Farm Team, and if I’m not mistaken Antebellum Farm are represented this weekend at every level.
Julia Spatts and Ginnetts Makricko
Katie Hensley rode a very nice round but for an unlucky rail on Boot Scoot N’Boogie
Kelsie Bricker and Grace Under Pressure
Laura Crowl and Zee
Maggie Hoffman and Celtic Storm
Megan Woods
Melanie Rousseau and Menai Creek
Nicola Kowalski Burgio and Master Oliver
Rebecca Gall and Can Ya Dig It
It’s going to be cold again tomorrow; cross county starts at 8:15am and runs all day until about 6:20pm if there are no delays. If you’re planning on going to the Kentucky Horse Park: 1) Dress warmly 2) Please thank every volunteer you see 3) Keep an eye out for the Budweiser Clydesdales – there are ten of them here for a week en route to Miami and they are truly a sight to behold. 4) if you follow steps 1-3 then you will be able to master the final challenge – have fun! Thank you to the entire Hagyard Midsouth Team Challenge and Three Day Crew and to the Kentucky Horse Park, and looking forward to bundling up tomorrow to Go Eventing!
