Syd Kent and Jan Byyny lead Advanced Division 1 after a winning score of 24.1 in the dressage and clear cross country. Show-jumping starts at an ungodly 7:20am Saturday
Downtown Harrison and Jon Holling, pathfinders for the Advanced divisions means they’ll have the privilege of jumping early Saturday. They performed beautifully in both phases Friday despite the conditions above. All the scores are available here.
Coach David O’Connor was right, front and centre most of the day helping riders, talking to them after their tests and watching the cross country
I admitted to a few people that after barely an hour of standing in the torrential rain and wind at 8 o clock Friday morning I was ready to pack my bags and head home, and was rather hoping that Pine Top might be cancelled, and was surprised when so many of them told me they’d been secretly thinking the same thing! However the show did go on, and the footing held up amazingly well, only surpassed by the good humour, helpfulness and general cheerfulness of all the volunteers – whatever they’re on I want some! The warm-up area for the dressage was pretty dire by lunchtime but the arenas held up well and although they had standing water in them, the riders I talked to said they weren’t slippery. Out on the cross country course there were some deeper spots but the crews made every effort to move the portable jumps a few inches to one side if the landings were getting particularly bad, and considering how much rain fell during the morning, 4 inches according to one report, it’s incredible that the event did run at all.
Becky Holder on Can’t Fire Me did a super test at pretty much exactly the same time as Jan did hers on Syd Kent which made it interesting to try and watch them both and compare them in almost adjacent rings. Can’t Fire Me looked awesome cross country too and currently leads Division 3 going into the show-jumping.
Jessie Phoenix was busy all day and definitely rode a particular type of horse, all on the smaller side but they all went really well and I think this mare, A Little Romance, by the same sire as Selena O’Hanlon’s A First Romance is very nice. I also liked her Patras VR doing his first Advanced, but was equally thrilled to see Erodium (related to Tamarillo) go so well today too – hard to pick one out, and of course it was a huge thrill to see Exponential making mincemeat of the Open Intermediate course!
Conor Husain did a nice test in his first Advanced for sixth place in Division 3 but withdrew before the cross country
Will Faudree has been Mr Consistency at these last two Pine Tops and is on a roll. He moved up from 8th place after dressage on DHI Colour Candy, above, to second after cross country by virtue of a speedy clear and also leads both OI divisions with Riesling de Bussy and Pawlow, and Advanced Division 2 with Andromaque – worth getting out of bed for!
Jon Holling and DHI Zatopek
Exponential and Jessie Phoenix in the dressage
Jen Holling watching Jon in the rain
Mighty Nice and Phillip Dutton did a lovely test to finish third after the first phase in Division 3, and then went fairly steady across country. I think I’ve said it before but I’m a huge fan of this horse and can’t wait to see what he’ll do when Phillip takes his foot off the pedal. Phillip had several rides Friday, and like Jessie Phoenix they definitely seemed to be of a type – big, plain bays with nice movement and jump but it was hard to tell them apart sometimes; props to his team for amazingly quick changeovers in the cross-country warm-up – very efficient.
Holly Payne, above on Santino, is another rider who has been consistently good at Pine Top and Friday was no exception, all three of her horses went well.
Leslie Law and Zenith ISF enjoying the good, british weather!
The Advanced Dressage definitely got the worst of the weather but most of the Intermediate dressage also had to suffer through monsoon-like conditions so that by the time cross-country started we felt blessed with a mere persistent, chilly drizzle that stuck around for the rest of the day – oh the joys!
Becky Holder and Can’t Fire Me – awesome across country
Will Faudree and DHI Colour Candy
DHI Zatopek and Jon Holling
Emily Beshear and Here’s To You.
Jacob Fletcher and The Prof heading to cross country!
Mensa looked fabulous cross country – I’ve loved this horse since Andrea Leatherman sourced him and produced him so beautifully, and then watched him go nicely for Carl Bouckaert and it’s great to see him serving Michael Pollard equally well. Go Mensa!
Meghan O’Donoghue and Pirate are one of several exciting US Young Rider combinations
and another one, Dani Dichting and The Graduate
Jon Holling and Proper Timing
Holly Payne and Santino cross country
Shiraz clears the last fence with Colleen Rutledge. Colleen told me she was really happy with ‘Luke’, both with his dressage test and with his rideability on the cross country course, especially considering it was his first time out of the year.
Jan Byyny and Syd Kent
EN’s Jessica Bortner-Harris’ Win the War
On the whole the Advanced track seemed to ride fairly well – lots of big, wide tables, demanding but fair questions at the water and the coffin which although a somewhat traditional and plain combination caught out a few, the most notable probably being Phillip Dutton on Fernhill Fugitive who spooked suddenly and pretty sharply at the ditch unseating Phillip. Luckily Phillip landed on his feet with nothing more injured than his pride probably, but I did see quite a few horses back off the ditch which I was surprised at for this level.
I’ve been looking forward to seeing Allison Springer’s new ride Copycat Chloe in person and she didn’t disappoint
Colleen Rutledge’s homebred Covert Rights looked fabulous cross country, and not too shabby in the dressage either
Jennie Brannigan brought Cambalda out to his first competition since Boekelo last autumn and he won the dressage and posted a steady clear around the Open Intermediate xc
Jessie Phoenix on Erodium, who has a connection to Tamarillo via Biddesden Stud
Exponential making light work of the OI course
Allison Springer’s Going For Gusto – remind you of anyone? He had a couple of stops but looked to be figuring it out and trying his hardest
Jimmie Schramm and Bellamy
Kate Chadderton and Buckharo
Lesley Grant-Law and What Law
Lizzie Snow and Coal Creek
Poor Will Coleman, first to go in OI Section 2 had learnt the wrong dressage test and was eventually eliminated for errors of course, which led to much anxious going over of the test in the collecting ring by the next riders to go! However the organisers did allow him to go cross country and Will gave Obos O Reilly a steady ride, bringing him home clear.
Michael Pollard’s Reignman was a little fussy with his head in the dressage, and then looked pretty unhappy on the cross country, very sticky for the first half and his run out at 15 almost seemed inevitable.
Caitlin Silliman rode both Catch A Star and Remington perfectly, and Phillip Dutton was deputising on Trading Aces for Boyd while he’s watching Silva show in Wellington
Phillip Dutton on Trading Aces (he actually went beautifully, my bad photography!)
Stephen Bradley and Marble Arch
The Intermediate XC caused a few more problems but I saw lovely rides from more experienced combinations having their first runs of the season. It’s been a long, cold, wet day and it’s already late and as I mentioned show-jumping starts early tomorrow. I can’t say enough how much I admire the volunteers at Pine Top. Massive props to everyone who stuck it out today – to supporters, grooms, riders, organisers, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, kids, to everyone who helped out and kept smiling, to you – a huge thank you. I’m sorry for everyone I haven’t mentioned, I know there are lots of you, I’ll try and do better tomorrow. In the meantime, thank you for visiting Eventing Nation, I hope you’re warm and dry, and go eventing!
