Next weekend the Boekelo CCIO*** will host the final leg in the 2012 FEI Nations Cup Eventing Series, and although I’m fairly sure (math is my Achilles’ heel) that Germany can’t be beaten at this point, the US is sending a strong team of talented, mostly younger horses to gain experience, and some of its best riders to benefit from representing their country. Phillip Dutton will undoubtedly be the most experienced rider on the squad, and he kindly spared Eventing Nation some time to talk about the upcoming trip.
Like the rest of Team USA heading to contest the Nations Cup at Boekelo, Phillip used the Plantation Field Horse Trials as a last run to prepare Atlas before the trip, placing 5th in the Advanced Division. He explained that with this horse he’s really thinking about the big picture, “I was pleased with him, his flatwork is getting better and stronger. He’s a great jumper but he does get quite strong on cross country so generally at Horse Trials I’m just trying to train him to go a bit softer and quieter and that’s why I usually get time faults on him. He show-jumped well even though I broke my stirrup leather [video] which was a little hairy for me to hang on to him! Overall though I was pleased, and the footing was good at Plantation; he went well.”
The improvement in the dressage might be partly due to US Olympic Dressage rider and trainer Michael Barisone who has recently started helping Phillip on the flat, “We’re trying to get him to come once a week, and establish some consistency; he’s obviously very enthusiastic and has a lot to offer. He understands that we’re not doing straight dressage and that these horses have to do a couple of other jobs as well, so he’s been a big help.”
Surprisingly, this will be Phillip’s first trip to Boekelo, and also the first time he’ll ride on the Nations Cup team for the USA, and he told me that although he thinks the cross country might not be ideal for Atlas, he is looking forward to the competition for a multitude of reasons, “I haven’t been before and I’m really excited about it, I’ve heard nothing but good things which is one of the reasons why I applied to go. I believe it’s a pretty unique event in the way they run it and there’s a lot of crowd participation, it should be fun. Also, since David O’Connor will be involved for the first time I wanted to try and be a part of that as well, and it’s exciting for Tom Tierney, Atlas’s owner, to have a horse at this level and be trying to make a bid to get on the American team.”
Although Phillip was understandably reluctant to commit to any plans before he’d even arrived in Holland, he did allow that Boekelo is part of a long term career path for Atlas that will hopefully lead him to Rolex next spring, “We’ll wait and see, but he’s a big, big jumping horse, the scopiest horse that you could ever hope to have, so the four star part of it shouldn’t be too much of an issue, it’s more about just getting that rideability. This course might not be exactly geared to him, I believe it’s got a lot of turns and twists but I think on the whole it will be a good experience – going overseas, trying to do a dressage test and show-jumping in a little bit more of an atmosphere; I think it’s a good stepping stone for him if that all goes well to then move on and do a four star next year which probably would be Kentucky.”
Team USA leaves for Holland on Friday, “I don’t think the journey will be a problem – the horse flights nowadays are arguably a bit easier on the horses than putting them in a trailer and going down the highway, plus he’ll be well looked after as Emma (Ford) is going with him so he’ll be well taken care of.” Dr. Kevin Keane will stay at home for this trip as he’ll be preparing himself and his horse Fernhill Flutter for Fair Hill, but Team True Prospect Farm will be supplemented and superbly represented by Jennie Brannigan on Cambalda, her groom Jackie, Phillip’s wife Evie, and Jennie’s owner Nina Gardner. Making up the remainder of Team USA will be Clark Montgomery on Loughan Glen and Jon Holling on Downtown Harrison – Go USA, rock the Netherlands! Many thanks to Phillip for his time, and we wish the entire US team a safe and extremely successful Boekelo – Go Eventing!
Phillip with Fernhill Eagle and Mighty Nice (Happy)at Rolex earlier this year
PS: Phillip mentioned that he’d taken Atlas, Mighty Nice and Fernhill Eagle up the gallops in a group the other day, and it had crossed his mind that all three are horses sourced for him by Carol Gee under the Fernhill Sport Horses banner – you can listen to my interview with Carol on this week’s episode of the Eventing Radio Show, as well as John Kyle’s chat with sport horse expert Carole Mortimer, and Kitty King weighs in with a rider’s perspective as we focus on sourcing your next event horse – Go Eventing Radio Show!
