Caitlin Silliman and Remington back in action at Pine Top.
Saturday was a busy day of Prelim, Training and Novice level Dressage and Show-jumping at Pine Top. Cross country will continue Sunday. Conditions could hardly be more perfect and I feel for those struggling in the massive storm up North. Caitlin Silliman made her intentions known with several rides today, but most notably her two Rolex Kentucky hopefuls Remington and Catch A Star, marking her first return to competition since a fall and a knock to the head a couple of days after Plantation last autumn. I caught up with her after her test on Catch A Star (Hoku) to find out what she’s been up to.
Caitlin and Catch A Star in the Show-Jumping
Boyd was customarily busy today, it’s hard to keep track of his rides especially when they look so similar
Boyd on FYI (38.6 dressage & clear show-jumping for 12th place overnight in OP1)
Boyd on New Cadet: 35.9 dressage and one rail show-jumping means they start cross country in 22nd place in OP2
I caught up with Boyd who told me Neville is in cracking form and really enjoyed his run yesterday; he said he’s been experimenting with going back to slightly less bit and likes having him a bit keener, rather than just adding more and more hardware as Neville got stronger. Will Coleman also put me straight – he did jump a nice clear round on Obos O’Reilley but because he’s aiming the horse at Bromont in June he never intended to run him cross country as he feels that would be too long a season to start him already. Twizzel, he explained, was also ever only going to do the dressage on Friday as at his age, 17 years, he knows the game inside out, and doesn’t need runs. Will said he’ll probably only compete him at one full event before Rolex this Spring.
What a nice surprise to see Olivia Loiacono’s Subway beautifully ridden in the Prelim by Erin Murphy, (43.6 dressage and one rail down show-jumping to lie 16th overnight in OP2) and then immediately followed by….
Nina Ligon’s former ride Jazz King, also beautifully ridden by Rebekah Calder. (38.2 dressage and clear show-jumping for 11th overnight in OP1) It seems much longer than just a year ago that we were all thinking about qualifying for and campaigning for the London Summer Olympics. Pine Top makes every effort to be as rider-friendly as possible. The courses are widely praised, the footing is superb and talking to some of the riders today they were all happy with the results. I’d talked to Jimmie and Dominic Schramm after they’d walked the course and only just found the time to put this video up now – apologies to them and to you!
However, it does mean that I can happily report that they both posted solid clear cross country rounds! The proximity of Pine Top to Aiken means most people travel back and forth and work out of their trailers each day. I talked to Lindsey Taylor, who runs Boyd’s barn for him about the best way to approach this.
John Nunn (of Bit of Britain and Nunn Finer Tack of the Day fame) was competing his handsome OTTB Red Horse Harry in the Open Novice and working out of his trailer, but he did admit somewhat sheepishly that if he forgets anything he can nip down to his shop and help himself! He said that best sellers during the winter are always clothes, and gift certificates during the holidays. I was very impressed that he never packs a mounting block but teaches all his horses to stand alongside the trailer wheel mount and just hopped on from that – now there’s a man you could take out foxhunting!
I was also impressed by Will Faudree’s 8 year old Riesling De Bussy, a French TB/Anglo Arab in the Prelim Division. Will explained that Henri and Katie Prudent found him and he bought him after seeing the video. Although he said he was “a bit rambunctious” in the dressage today he has tons of presence and, as both his parents were Grand Prix jumpers, it doesn’t look like that phase will be a problem!
Will Faudree and Riesling De Bussy (31.8 dressage and clear show-jumping for 4th place overnight in OP1)
Will had a flawless track record – zero rails down in four rounds and there were quite a few multiple riders coming back with just a rail between several horses – Boyd, Doug, Phillip…
Phillip Dutton jumped clear on Kilkenny, a lovely Irish horse who was originally destined for the hunting field but looks like he might go a long way eventing. Owned by George Mahoney he came out of the original Goresbridge Sale and I know Phillip thinks a lot of this horse. With a dressage score of 33.2 and nothing to add they lie in 5th place going in to the cross country.
Doug Payne, above on Top Gun, (28.6 dressage and clear show-jumping – they’re in third place overnight in OT3) arranged to have his cross-country times moved up on Sunday so that he could get back to Aiken in time to do the Mini Prix. If you haven’t watched the video of him competing check out his website and then tell me eventers can’t show-jump! Doug remarked on how many really quality young horses there are out and about at the moment and I couldn’t agree more.
Bobby Costello has a lovely young project in Fernhill Teddy Two Two, so called because Julie Richards found him and the former Abigail Lufkin ride Jacob Two Two so added the Two Two on for luck. I spoke to Bobby after he jumped a very nice clear round.
Click below for much more…
Bobby Costello and Fernhill Teddy Two Two: 31.4 dressage and clear in the show-jumping leaves them 12th place overnight in OP3
As Bobby mentioned, he trains Susan Beebee, above on Uptown Higgins (35.9 dressage and one down show-jumping left them in 16th place overnight in OP1). Having spent all day Friday admiring her intermediate horse Wolf I was very happy to catch up with her and find out her plans for him, and also for Uptown Higgins, above.
Although Susan said Bobby keeps telling her to sell Uptown Higgins, and he confirmed that (!) she told me she has a soft spot for him. He was already 16.2 as a four year old, she told me, and he just kept growing, and it is hard to believe that he is pure TB when you look at him, he is quite enormous. However, perhaps Susan and I are soppy but I like him too, and Bobby admitted that him not being enamoured with the horse makes Susan ride him even better to prove him wrong!
Erin Sylvester was busy posting good rounds on a number of nice horses, above on Fernhill Flag, (40.9 dressage and clear show-jumping to lie 17th overnight in OP1) and below I think on Mettraise.
Amy Borun has a lovely young horse in the Open Training Division 1- Casarino. A dressage score of 30.9 was good enough for fourth place, and a rail down in the show-jumping means they’ll start the cross country in 8th place.
Mara Depuy and Chequers Macon: 30 in the dressage and a time fault show-jumping leave them in 11th place overnight in OP3 (the time fault in the show-jumping dropped Mara down three places!)
Ashley MacVaugh and Knockout:35 dressage and a clear show-jumping mean they’ll start the cross country in 17th place in OP3
Alese Lyle and First Lyte: a dressage score of 28.6 was good enough for 2nd place in OT2 but 8 faults in the show-jumping drops them down to 5th place overnight.
Benita Strini and Sammy Jo: 31.8 dressage and a clear show-jumping leave them in 13th place overnight in OP3
Brendan Quinn and Balboa: 34.6 dressage and 8 to add in the show-jumping leave them in 10th place overnight in OT2
Erin Renfroe and Tiny Dancer: a 34.6 dressage and clear show-jumping leave them in 16th place overnight in OP3
Jacob Horah and Bobbin’forgold: 46.4 dressage and a clear show-jumping round means they start cross country in 13th place in OT2
Jane Sleeper and Go Gizmo: 35 dressage and nothing to add in the show-jumping leave them in 17th place overnight in OP3
Kaitlynn Mosing and Powderhound: 33.6 dressage and clear show-jumping leave them in 8th place overnight in OT3
Kate Chadderton and Buckharo (33.2 dressage and one down show-jumping to lie 20th overnight in OP3) Kate rides “Bucky” for an owner and we were debating the dubious merits of his name – I doubted he would ever be awarded great dressage marks, especially as she told me he was consistently mispronounced as Buckaroo. I do remember Gill Watson advising the Junior/Young Rider team vet Bob Baskerville to change his horse’s name from Muley (as in Mule) a long time ago because she told him no judge could give him good scores called that! Bob duly changed Muley’s name to Dudley, and whether it was coincidence, Gill’s training or indeed the name, the scores did improve!
Lillian Heard and Share Option, 28.2 dressage and clear for 2nd place overnight in OP1; Lillian was another rider to post several nice rounds today
Lindsay Beer and Karbon Kopy: their score of 25.9 won the dressage and they added nothing in the show jumping which means they’ll head out to cross country in pole position in OP2. Good luck!
Lizzie Snow and Ringfort Tinkaturk posted a dressage score of 30.5 and also jumped clear in the show-jumping in OP2, so they’ll be right on Linsday’s heels in 2nd place position.
Lucia Strini and Carlingford Merlot
Megan Harris and Sparrow’s Owen, 40.9 dressage and one down show-jumping leave them in 12th place overnight in OP2
Skyeler Voss and Accolade (31.4 dressage and 4 faults to lie in 8th place overnight in OP1)
Well Done to everyone who competed on Saturday, but especially to all the volunteers who helped ensure that Pine Top ran so smoothly for the second day in a row. Thank you also to all the grooms, helpers, parents, supporters, owners, organisers and team players that make eventing not only possible but so much fun. Our thoughts are still with Andrea, Buck and their crew in Ocala, it was a somewhat subdued atmosphere here today and we continue to hope for a speedy recovery. Thanks as always for coming to Eventing Nation, and as always, Go Eventing!
