Boyd Martin and Shamwari 4. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Boyd Martin and Shamwari 4 are leading the WEG prep trials at Great Meadow on a score of 42.0 after a beautiful, nearly mistake-free dressage test. Had Shammie not been a bit opinionated in the changes, the test would have been dangerously close to cracking the 30s, which is very exciting when you consider Boyd still has one month before Normandy to solidify their partnership.
After the test, Boyd said they’re still working on smoothing out the little details, but the partnership is progressing well. It’s been a quick turnaround for Shammie since he just ran a month ago at Luhmühlen, and Boyd said he’ll run him a touch slower tomorrow with that in mind. The focus will be on giving the horse a confident run before Normandy, he said in our interview, which you can watch below.
Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot are in second place on 45.0, and Hannah said she was thrilled with how William handled the atmosphere. After Team USA’s combined test in training camp on Wednesday, Hannah said she was able to review her test with judge Sandy Phillips to go over a few places where she could pick up additional marks.
She worked on that today, though Hannah said she pushed for a bit too much in some spots, like in the medium walk when William jigged a bit. She’s been doing the Twilight Jumpers in this arena to tune up William’s jumping this summer, and she said he’s feeling much stronger behind and jumping beautifully as a result.
Kim Severson gives Fernhill Fearless a reassuring pat after their test. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Lynn Symansky and Donner put in the best four-star performance of their career to date for a score of 46.5 for third place. With Normandy just a month away, this is a perfect time to be peaking, and Lynn said she was thrilled with how mature he proved to be in handling the atmosphere.
Donner isn’t fond of an arena where spectators line the rails, so jumping under the lights tonight will definitely be a challenge for him, but the Flying Deer will be in his element tomorrow. After cantering around the Bromont CIC3* last month, Lynn said she’s been saving Donner for this moment and intends tomorrow to give him the good prep gallop he needs before shipping to France.
Marilyn Little and RF Demeter. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice, his reserve horse on the U.S. WEG squad, are in fourth place on 47.0 after putting in a consistent performance. Much like their test in Luhmühlen, there were a few bobbles here and there, but Happy continues to mature with each outing. Marilyn Little and RF Demeter round out the top five on 47.5 with another consistent test, as you’ll see in the video gallery.
Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville are close behind in equal sixth place on 48.0. Tate had a few sassy French moments, but Sinead said she was very happy with him and will look to polish those little bobbles before Normandy. The quality of his work in the little white box continues to improve, especially in the consistency of the contact, she said.
All smiles after Tate’s lovely test. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM are also sitting on 48.0 after dressage. Again, there were a few little bobbles here and there that they’ll be looking to smooth out before Normandy, but this was another very nice test. Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless are in eighth on 51.0, which was perhaps a bit harshly marked. They put in a very fluid performance, and their work on this test should only continue to improve with one more month left to polish the details.
After producing eight for eight perfect changes with Trading Aces at their past two outings together, Phillip’s hot streak came to end today, with Oscar’s trademark attitude bubbling to the surface. The sticky changes impacted the score for 52.0. Jessica Phoenix and Pavarotti are the best-placed Canadian pair on 54.5 in 10th place. The changes weren’t quite confirmed today for this horse, who is Jessie’s reserve for Normandy.
Meghan O’Donoghue and Pirate. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Meghan O’Donoghue and Pirate are in 11th place on 55.0, and I thought this was one of the nicer tests we’ve seen from this pair. Meghan is such a lovely, classical rider, and though Pirate can’t compete with the big, powerful movers we saw today, they paint a very nice picture and put in an accurate performance. Selena O’Hanlon and Foxwood High are in 12th on 58.0, and Woody seemed a bit tense today, definitely more so than what we saw from them in Kentucky.
Jessica Phoenix and A Little Romance are in 13th on 64.5. At just 9 years old, Blue Eyes is still learning at this level and building the strength she needs to achieve the quality of work that can pull good marks. I can’t stress enough how hard she tried today, and if these tests were scored on sheer heart, this little mare would be in first place hands down.
Phillip Dutton and Trading Aces. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Buck Davidson and Park Trader are in 14th place on 66.5, and Kobe was looking fighting fit. He put in a very relaxed test in Kentucky, but he just didn’t want to play in the little white box today. Lauren Kieffer and Veronica unfortunately scratched from the competition due to a “mishap in warmup yesterday.” I am trying to confirm more details on Veronica’s condition and will update this post when I know more.
I have videos of virtually every test to bring you and will be posting those in this gallery as they upload. There’s a break in the action now as we wait for show jumping to start under the lights at 7 p.m. EST. There will also be a bareback puissance later tonight, so it’s going to be a very fun day at Great Meadow. Stay tuned for much more. Go Eventing.
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