The CCI* here at the Hagyard Midsouth Three Day Event and Team Challenge also incorporates the USEF National One Star Championships which wrapped up it’s dressage today. We also saw two full divisions of preliminary dressage and show-jumping, as well as all the dressage for the Training and Prelim 3 Days.
Although the blue skies and sunshine were a massive improvement on yesterday, it was a case of too little too late as far as the warm-up was concerned. This is what the horses looked like when they entered, the “before” picture..
Kari Briggs on Lawman in the CCI*
and the after!
Robin Walker, as usual, has been a constant presence in all of the divisions today, but especially in the CCI* on the lovely mare Florenz, on who I dread to think I might have had the opposite effect of EN karma by predicting her to win. They performed a very nice test, but not quite good enough to beat Canada’s Penny Rowland and Northwinds Breeze who currently sit in first place, and another Canadian has him sandwiched in third, Katlyn Hewson on Jack’s Irish Z. To yet another Canadian who I overheard giving Robin good-natured grief about his very elegant Top Hat, I have two words for you: Downton Abbey!
Mackenzie Spaes and Ripple Effect in the warm-up for the CCI*
Erin Durst on Blink He’s Gone in the Preliminary Three Day Event
Colleen McKitrick and Rocmaster in the Preliminary Three Day Event
While I was down in the warm-up area (misnomer!) I caught up briefly with Ian Roberts, who was making a liar out me yesterday by shivering and complaining about the cold!
All joking apart, if anyone could tempt me to ride in the snow it would be Ian, he has such the gift of the gab he almost made it sound enticing, but then I sat and chatted to Sandra, Diana Burnett’s groom, who also has plenty of experience of horses and winter combined, and she knocked some sense into me soon enough! “It’s fun once!” Both Diana and Ian stay up in Canada until the end of January so I have nothing but complete and utter respect. I managed to watch Faolon jump later in the afternoon and the warmer temperatures must have agreed with both of them because they posted a lovely clear to sit in 5th place going into tomorrow’s cross country.
I also managed to talk to Diana Burnett on a course walk with her students and she very kindly chatted for a bit, and even talked us through the CCI* first water jump. Wishing them all great rounds in the morning, and thanks for chatting, and how can you not love a horse with a nick-name like Delicious?!
One of the horses that caught my eye at the trot-up yesterday was Dan Kreitl’s Spartagon in the Training Three Day.
I found out a bit more about this special horse after his test; check this out…
I was also lucky enough to meet Dan’s sister and mother who were there to support him, and who showed me pictures of Spartagon’s baby filly on their phones. I can promise you she is stunning – bay with a perfect heart on her forehead, and very cuddly. Dan’s sister Katherine did email one to me but sadly the quality didn’t come out very well on my computer.
Melissa Miller on Brother Thomas in the Open Preliminary
Robin Walker on Someday Never Comes in the Open Preliminary
Dr Chris Newton on Antebellum Jewel
They changed the show-jumping course later, and I met Jen Carter walking round with a bunch of Area III Young Riders; they all looked like they were having a great time, the competitors in matching t-shirts and with flowers in their hair. I’m not sure how much attention they paid to their coach while they walked the course, and later as I drove out I did a double take because I swear I saw three of them playing on the kids’ playground, but I’m glad they’re having fun. Kentucky holds special memories for Jen because it was while she was at school here that she met Kyle, but she also told me that the last time she came to MidSouth Team Challenge as coach, she had one rider go to hospital with food poisoning before the start, another come down with a serious asthma attack, and a third have her horse’s stifle lock up on cross country, the last two instances requiring the human and horse ambulances. We chatted for a short time this afternoon, and I wish her better luck this weekend!
Organiser Mary Fike was looking remarkably relaxed and cheerful this afternoon, once all the competition had finished for the day, the sun was out and competitors were out walking their various cross country courses. She told me she enjoys Midsouth because people always seem to come with a good attitude, she’s not sure if it’s because of the team competition, or because of it’s place in the calendar, or what. We discussed the courses briefly, they’re definitely a big step up from the ones she designed a couple of weeks ago here for Jump Start, and she told me that’s intentional – Midsouth is traditionally recognised as an end of season, up to level event, not a move-up track by any means. That was probably the feeling I got from the riders too, although all the courses are big, they’re also lovely, bold, galloping courses. The CCI* runs from the field behind the stables all the way to the field by the campground/Land Rover obstacle course and back, and you can easily recognise Derek Di Grazia’s trademark all over it. It’s times like these, walking the course, that I do wish I was riding again. Here are the CCI* fences.
The depth of the water in the first jump, as measured by trusty Dubarrys
Leo classing it up!
Click the link below for more XC photos!
All the riders I spoke to were looking forward to going out and attacking the course tomorrow. The cross country begins at 8am with the CCI* and runs all day with the Prelim Three Day, Training Three Day, Preliminary and Training Divisions. Although it did warm up, this morning was pretty nippy, and there’s another hard frost forecast for tonight (friday) so I’m sure there’ll be lots more quarter sheets on the horses and dogs out with their coats on come saturday morning.
embarrassed much?
Leo refuses to wear a coat; it almost broke my heart to give away the matching Thermatex dog blanket I’d ordered especially for him when I still had my horse, and since then I have no sympathy at all when he shivers in the cold at my feet, “that’ll teach you….!”
It was also another great day for wooly hats, and a great day to be out eventing. As usual I’ve taken far too long getting this up, it’s almost tomorrow already which is both good and bad. Two quick notes: Annie McCaughey’s The Hony was not accepted last night after a re-examination, and more proof that EN karma does exist: after putting the picture of Lauren Lambert up at Jump Start on that nice ex-jumper mare that she had for sale, Lauren won her division on a score of 21 and the horse has since been sold!
One more bit of very exciting news for anyone remotely near Area VIII (that’s here in Kentucky!) Mary King, who has just clinched the HSBC Classics series, and who earlier this year came straight from a third place finish at Badminton to take a historic one-two at Rolex, will be the guest speaker and clinician at the Annual Meeting in Cincinnati in January. See the website for more details. That will certainly make my winter more bearable.
Must go to bed so I can get up early in time to see all the action tomorrow. Thanks for reading, and thank you for the comments. Go Area VIII, and Go Eventing!
