Fence 11ab: You had to be brave and keep coming to eat up the distance - was a coming 3 strides
Earlier today we shared several videos from thehorsepesterer of the Advanced competition at the Rocking Horse Winter II Horse Trials. Lara Borson-Knight posted a course walk on her Facebook page and is kindly allowing us to share the gallery with you here. Some of the photos include additional commentary from Lara, who rode the course with her Thoroughbred gelding Shooby Doo, ultimately finishing 22nd in Advanced Test B.
The course, designed by Morgan Rowsell, produced mostly clear rounds, though time was tough to catch. Out of 40 Advanced pairs, seven retired or were eliminated on course. Joe Meyer and Caroline Martin received mandatory retirements but we reported yesterday that they and their horses are uninjured. Bailey Moran popped off of Loughnatousa Caislean at 15b, which her dad (@eventingdad) tweeted was a good learning experience.
What do you think, EN? There are several big galloping fences with enough technical questions mixed in. What stands out as the trickiest (or most fun!) area on course? The gallery starts at fence 3.
Rocking Horse II H.T. [Website] [Ride Times] [Scores]
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- Fence 3
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- Fence 4
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- Fence 5: Another big one – land and bend left to the up bank question
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- Fence 6ab: Up bank, 1 stride to hanging log with drop landing, 4 strides to skinny out
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- Fence 6bc
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- Fence 7: Big table right before 1st water question. Had a slight drop landing behind it
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- Fence 8ab: Narrowish roll top and bend right to skinny table out
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- Fence 9: Tiger trap. Big ditch underneath it you didn’t realize till just up on it.
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- Fence 10: Long gallop to ten, which set you up for 11, which you can see just beyond.
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- Fence 11ab: You had to be brave and keep coming to eat up the distance – was a coming 3 strides
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- Fence 12ab: Sunken Road. [Shoo and Lara] glanced off the brush out then went to the option fence. The ground made it harder as it was like being on a narrow goat path and went pretty steep down then back up to that skinny.
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- Fence 13
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- Fence 14
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- Fence 15ab
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- Fence 15b from view of 15a
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- Fence 16: Steeplechase brush. Got to breathe here!
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- Fence 17: This sucker was right off a turn thru a fence line. Was H.U.G.E!!
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- Fence 18abc: Bench to the double corners question gallop the bench, 4 strides bending right to corner, 2 strides, corner.
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- Fence 18bc: Corner 2 strides to corner!
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- Fence 19: Another breathe fence!
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- Fence 20
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- Fence 21abc: Coffin: log, 1 stride, wide ditch, 2 strides to keyhole. Rode well and quite easy. The line and question was clearly laid out for horses to see.
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- Final fence, #22
