Sunday Video: The Best Training Level Horse in America

Video from the American Eventing Championships has been trickling in this week from RNS Video, and today we get to take a peek at all three phases of the winning ride in the Professional’s Choice Training Horse Division. The winner was Courtney Cooper aboard Tender Bravissimo, a seven-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by the Dare to Dream Team.

Courtney and “Whiskers” scored an impressive 22.5 in dressage and held onto that score to the finish. It was a much needed clear, as Olympic alternate Lynn Symansky was just .2 points behind her in the division aboard SpectraVET Cohiba. Courtney has built a strong ownership team for the horse, and after winning the AECs, she told US Eventing that the ultimate goal for Whiskers is to get him to the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event.

He competed in jumper classes in Ireland before Courtney imported him in December 2015, and he began his eventing career in February of this year. He took to the new discipline with zeal, collecting several top finishes at Training level including a second place at Flora Lea H.T. in May and a win at Plantation Field in June.

For those of us who may not pine for a shot at Rolex but do push ourselves to succeed in the lower levels, it’s useful and motivating to see what exactly comprises the winning test of a training level horse.

Courtney and the rest of C Square Farm are back at it competing at Plantation Field this weekend, so we wish her and the team the best of luck.

Go Eventing!