Will Coleman and Off the Record. Photo by Liz Crawley Photography.
Team USA used their cross country day here at the last Mandatory Outing at Stable View to test their fitness and overall adjustability. Riders didn’t worry too much about making time, though U.S. chef d’equipe Bobby Costello instructed them to ride competitively, ensuring the horses a confident round before heading off to Europe in a few weeks.
Boyd Martin and the Annie Goodwin Syndicate’s Fedarman B (Eurocommerce Washington – Paulien B, by Fedor) picked up 15.2 time penalties and no jump faults. Boyd explained that there are some small improvements that need to be made over the next few weeks, and they’ll probably do another cross country school to work on adjustability, turning, and accuracy.
“We’re in good shape – I feel like they’re confident and they’re jumping well. They feel healthy and everything is going according to plan,” he says.
Will Coleman and the Off the Record Syndicate’s Off The Record (Arkansas VDL – Drumagoland Bay, by Ard Ohio) had 2.4 time penalties, making their round the fastest time among the team. Since we aren’t exactly sure what the course will look like in Paris with designer Pierre le Goupil, Will used Capt. Mark Phillips’ course this weekend to make sure Off The Record was listening and confident.
One thing we do know for sure about the course in Versailles is that the horses will gallop over the Grand Canal by means of pontoon bridges. Will puts it plainly: “As long as the horses stay on top of the bridge, it should be fine.”
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake. Photo by Liz Crawley Photography.
Caroline Pamukcu and Mollie Hoff and Sherrie Martin’s HSH Blake (Tolan R – Doughiska Lass, by Kannan) took 18 time penalties, but she says that ultimately, he feels ready for the Games. Again, the team was mainly using this weekend as practice for what’s to come, not worrying about being at the top of the leaderboard. “I’m really fortunate. I feel like the USEF has brought Blake and I up the levels together; they kind of raised us, so we feel really prepared and ready.”
Unfortunately, Liz Halliday and the Nutcracker Syndicate/Ocala Horse Properties’ Cooley Nutcracker (Tolant R – Ballyshan Cleopatra, by Cobra) parted ways after the water question at 5B; no injuries were reported for either her or the horse. While of course never the ideal outcome, Liz will be confident in the results she’s had with Cooley Nutcracker as she prepares to head to Paris as the team’s Traveling Reserve. “At the end of the day, the way the Olympics works is you have to be ready to go, at any moment, in any phase,” Liz told the USEA yesterday. “So I’ll make sure that I’m 100% ready to step in should the team need me…so I’ll have the horse fit to run and all the things.”
Liz Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker. Photo by Liz Crawley Photography.
There’s a balancing act between training your horse enough to perform well at the Games and burning them out before such an important event. All team members said the same thing: knowing how to find the happy medium comes with experience.
Caroline relies on consistency to make sure that Blake reaches his peak at the right time. “I’m just following my same program, my same system that I’ve established,” she says. Sticking with what has worked in the past is going to be the best plan for the horses and riders going forward. Will says that the happy medium is taking it day by day. “I have a plan, but I’m very flexible within that plan.”
Boyd Martin and Fedarman B. Photo by Megan Runge for Liz Crawley Photography.
Boyd, no stranger to the Olympics, says that “I’ve made every mistake you could ever imagine. The biggest thing is learning from the errors and thinking back to what you did right, what you did wrong, and trying to refine it each time.”
Overall, Stable View provided a wonderful last outing for the team. “It’s a great group, we have a lot of experience, and some good horses. This weekend served its purpose,” Will says.
The riders and horses are well-supported; it certainly takes a village. Whether it’s the Team USA staff, the grooms, the owners, the ones keeping the fort down at home, etc., each horse and rider pair have many people in their corner.
“We have nothing but world class people and we’re lucky that we’re supported by so many wonderful human beings,” Will says.
Chef d’Equipe Bobby Costello says that he is proud of the team’s ability to work together, especially during this weekend. “The last few team trips have been great because everyone has shown that they can really work as a unit. That’s incredibly important if you want to be successful,” he comments.
James Alliston and Karma. Photo by Liz Crawley Photography.
One of the seven alternates, James Alliston, made the trip all the way from California for this outing. Sydney Elliot was kind enough to host him before they shipped both Karma (Escudo II – Travita, by Lavita) and QC Diamantaire (Diarado – Lantana, by Sandro Hit) to Stable View.
James remarked that he appreciates the fact that Karma, who is owned by Alliston Equestrian and Ric Plummer, was able to come and get some experience on different terrain. “It was really nice for her to see a different venue on the grass, which is always good for the California horses. They’re not used to that, so it was really awesome!”
James and Karma will also make an appearance at CHIO Aachen in a few weeks. From now until then, his groom, Sophie Hulme, will ride her a few times while James is back in California. After meeting up with them in Germany, they’ll train with the rest of the Defender US Eventing Team before going down the centerline on July 5.
James only picked up 0.8 time penalties today, and he hopes to keep that swiftness going into Aachen, since that course will require a bit of a faster run. “Karma is very fast and nippy, but she settles into it as she goes. This course at Stable View will have helped with making time at Aachen,” he says.
Will Coleman and Diabolo. Photo by Austin Ross for Liz Crawley Photography.
James and Karma finished with a win in the Advanced division on a 36.1. Will and Off The Record followed on a 37.4, and in third was Will with his direct reserve, the Diabolo Group’s Diabolo (Diarado – Roulett M, by Aljano 2) on a 38.3.
Now, the countdown begins! We’re all wishing Team USA the best of luck gearing up for Paris in these next few weeks. Bon voyage et bonne chance!
Stable View Summer H.T. (Aiken, SC) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
View more of EN’s coverage of the Paris Olympics here. We are pleased to bring you our Olympic coverage with support from Kentucky Performance Products.
