Did I mention their morning started like this? Congrats to Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless! Photo by Jenni Autry.
Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless snuck by Allison Springer and Arthur to take the win in Pine Top Advanced Test A on a final score of 38.4. Kim and Sparky rode their dressage test this morning in the worst of the rain, and they pushed through some moments of tension for a score of 35, which put them in 11th place. They then jumped one of six clear show jumping rounds in the division, picking up one time penalty to move up to fourth place. A fast, clear trip across the country brought them home with just 2.4 time penalties — the second fastest trip in the division — to clinch the win. Kim had already left the grounds when scores were official, but I’ll catch up with her tomorrow to bring you an interview about her day with Sparky.
Allison Springer and Arthur. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Allison Springer and Arthur almost led wire to wire in this division, finishing just .3 penalties behind Kim and Sparky for second place on a score of 38.7. Arthur looked fantastic all day, staying relaxed in a rainy, tense atmosphere to lead after dressage on 26.3. They jumped clear in show jumping with two time penalties. It’s worth noting here that only Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice and Colleen Loach and Freespirit jumped double clear in show jumping in this division, but they were one of the pairs to withdraw before cross country. Erin Sylvester and No Boundaries stayed in third place all day. After scoring 30.6 in dressage, they pulled one rail in show jumping and jumped clear across the country with 10.4 time penalties.
Will Faudree DHI Colour Candy. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Will Faudree and DHI Colour Candy won Test B Section A on 41.4. Tied for seventh after dressage on a score of 39.4, they jumped double clear in show jumping — one of just two pairs to do so — and also jumped clear on cross country, picking up just two time penalties. This horse has been in the shadow of his stablemates Andromaque and Pawlow in recent years, as he competed in Advanced when Will imported him from Ireland but actually ended up dropping down a level because he felt like “Andy” needed more time to mature and develop as an event horse. As Will discusses in our interview, the extra time has really paid off, and the horse really rose to the occasion today.
Michael Pollard and Ballingowan Pizazz finished second in this division on a score of 46.0. Sitting second after both dressage and stadium jumping behind Boyd Martin and Shamwari 4 — who withdrew before cross country — Michael and Mango had an easy trip across the country to jump clear with 10.4 time penalties. Michael told me after his ride that he didn’t intend to go any faster than that, so he was pleased to finish in second place. Erin Renfroe and De Cordova round out the top three on a score of 50.3, moving all the way up from 15th after dressage.
Doug Payne and Crown Talisman. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Doug Payne and Crown Talisman won Test B Section 2 on a score of 37.3, leading wire-to-wire all day. They started off the morning with a score of 28.5 in the dressage, and there’s only room to improve here, as Tali showed some tension in the test and had a bobble in the medium canter. To put it simply, this horse is an athletic freak of nature, and Doug said it’s challenging to channel his powerful movement in the right direction right now, as Tali is still learning and developing the strength he needs. Watch out for this pair this spring, as Tali is looking in wonderful form to make his Rolex debut in April.
Michael Pollard and Mensa G finished in second in this division on a score of 39.4; they jumped one of three double clear rounds in this division, with the others being Doug and Tali and Sally Cousins and Westerly. Allison Springer and Copycat Chloe rounded out the top three on a score of 46. They jumped clear in show jumping but picked up four time penalties; they also were clear across the country, oddly adding 8.8 time penalties — the exact same number of time penalties as Doug and Tali and Michael and Mensa.
Michael Pollard and Mensa G. Photo by Jenni Autry.
New show jumping coach Silvio Mazzoni seems to have been hired at just the right time, as a few too many rails fell for my comfort today. I’m not as worried about the time penalties in the show jumping, and I’m actually surprised the time allowed wasn’t adjusted. Caitlin Silliman and Catch A Star had a very forward ride that didn’t waste much time in the corners, and even she picked up two time penalties. We saw plenty of good cross-country trips today, and time penalties in this phase are expected at this point in the season as riders prep their horses for the bigger events coming up.
Congrats to Maya Black and Doesn’t Play Fair on completing their first Advanced! Photo by Jenni Autry.
The organizers and volunteers had a lot on their plate today, with three Advanced divisions running alongside CIC2* dressage and two divisions of Intermediate dressage. There was much celebrating back in the office after the final horse came home on cross country. Thank you to the volunteers who braved the heavy rains this morning and stuck around all day to bring the last horse home. I still have more videos I’ll be uploading, and I’ll also be uploading a full photo gallery from all the Advanced divisions to Facebook, so check back later tonight. Stay tuned for much more from Pine Top tomorrow!
