The VHC Eventing Presented by Capital Square Wrap Up

Virginia Horse Center Eventing presented by Capital Square wrapped up yesterday after a fun-filled weekend of top competition. The Virginia Horse Center welcomed riders of all levels from Olympic to beginner eventers.

The course updates and world class officials made the inaugural VHC Eventing, presented by Capital Square memorable.

The entire VHC Eventing management team and the Virginia Horse Center appreciate all who competed at this weekend’s event, and look forward to welcoming you back in November!

Sydney Hagaman and her own Charmeur Victorious in the CCI3* S

Sydney Hagaman and Charmeur won the CCI3* S with a final score of 31.3. Photo by Brant Gamma.

Congratulations to Sydney Hagaman and her own Charmeur. The pair won the CCI3* S with a final score of 31.3.

Hagaman lives in Middleburg and is coached by Mike Pendleton. Charmeur is a ten-year-old German Sport Horse and Hagaman has owned him since he was four. “I had always had thoroughbreds and he is the first warmblood I’ve owned,” said Hagaman.

She continued, “He [Charmeur] was really good. He was super relaxed, really rideable and jumped well in show jumping. The cross country course rode really nicely and the way it was set was great. I really liked it. The new jumps were nice and despite the fact that we haven’t had any rain, you could definitely tell where the course had been aerated.

“That was the fastest I’ve ever gone in cross country. The whole course rode well and Charmeur felt really good,” she said.

“I was very happy to be here this weekend and a lot of the riders I spoke to felt the same way,” she said. “It’s a great facility and we’re happy to see the VHC continuing eventing here.”

Click here for full results.

Sydney Hagaman Proudly Shows off her awards provided by World Equestrian Brands

World Equestrian Brands provided a newly redesigned Vespucci figure 8 bridle and Vespucci rubber reins as prizes won by Sydney Hagaman.

World Equestrian Brands has been equipping equine athletes for over twenty years. World Equestrian Brands proudly represents Amerigo Saddles, E.A. Mattes Sheepskin products, Equilibrium Products leg protection and therapy items, Vespucci bridles and strap goods, and Sergio Grasso riding boots. Visit their website for more information.

Halliday-Sharp Takes Top Two Placings in CCI 2*L

Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp and The Newmarket Syndicate’s Newmarket Cooley earned an overall score of 27.3, earning them the win in the 2* L. Halliday-Sharp also took home second place honors with Deborah Palmer’s Maybach for their overall score of 28.1.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and The Newmarket Syndicate’s Newmarket Cooley won the CCI2*L. Photo from the Virginia Horse Center.

Halliday-Sharp commented, “I really enjoy this event and I’ve come every year since 2020. It’s a great event for the young horses. These are both young horses doing their first 2* long. I honestly really love the big hill and it really teaches you a lot about them as horses and how they come out the next day. This was a great experience for them, and I think it will make them bigger and better horses in the future.”

Halliday-Sharp placed second overall in the CCI2*L with Deborah Palmer’s Maybach. Photo from the Virginia Horse Center.

In addition to the top two placings, Halliday-Sharp received a newly redesigned Vespucci figure 8 bridle and Vespucci rubber reins, generously donated by World Equestrian Brands as well as a Brant Gamma Photography gift certificate.

Ariel Grald Wins CCI 2* S with Claire Williams’ In Vogue

Ariel Grald and Claire Williams’ In Vogue won the CCI 2* S with an overall score of 28.8, narrowly beating second place Kim Severson and Anita Antenucci’s Arden JuJu’s score of 29.1.

Ariel Grald Wins CCI 2* S with Claire Williams’ In Vogue. Photo by Brant Gamma Photography.

“The pressure is on when Kim Severson is right behind you,” she laughed.

“Stella [In Vogue] belongs to a good friend, Claire Williams, who has been laid up recovering from a skiing accident. We sourced her from Ireland as a four-year-old. This was her final prep run before Bromont where I will be riding her in the 2* Long. We strategically picked Virginia to work on our gallops up the hills. My intention was not necessarily to make the time on cross country, but to focus on giving my horse a good prep run. But she really loves to gallop and despite my trying to slow her down a bit on the hills, her rideability and efficiency on the cross country course has her going faster than you actually think you are. And it turned out my watch wasn’t working correctly either,” she said.

Grald also earned a fourth placing with Annie Eldridge’s Adagio’s Nobility for their combined score of 33.8.

Grald commented, “Bringing Michel [Vaillancourt] in to design the show jumping course made a huge difference. The courses were well set and while we have some good designers in the US, we need to ride various tracks and it’s important to have the opportunity to ride different styles,“ she said.

“We all recognized the positive changes to the event and the future and the direction its headed in. The feel and vibe is very different and with this reinvigoration, it will be cool to see how the event develops,” she added.

For full results on the CCI2*S click here.

Grald also won the Advanced/Intermediate with Eldridge’s Forrest Gump 124 [Shrimp] and sixth with Edridge’s Caballe.

Grald also won the Advanced/Intermediate with Eldridge’s Forrest Gump 124 [Shrimp] and sixth with Edridge’s Caballe. Photo by Brant Gamma Photography.

Grald said, “I came into the weekend wanting a little redemption because I fell off of him in the skinny ditch in the 4* Short in Tryon a few weeks ago. He [Shrimp] is heading to Bromont in the 4*Long and my aim was to have a good confidence weekend with him. I’ve only had him for about two years and this is a relatively new partnership for us. He can be a bit quirky so it’s important to keep him confident and trusting our partnership. He is very capable in all three phases, and this was a really good run for him and for us to get on the same page before Bromont.”

For full Advanced/Intermediate results, click here

Grald also won the Open Preliminary with Eldridge’s Cullintra End Game [aka Jasper] with an overall score of 38.5.

Grald commented, “This was Jasper’s Prelim debut. Annie and I bought him as a three year old from Ireland and I’ve been quietly producing him at home. He is the young one who gets put on the back burner sometimes when we’re busy with the upper level horses. He enjoys the job and finds it easy; eventing comes naturally to him. We’ve had a nice progressive run of events this spring with him. Jasper moved up to Prelim this weekend and we’re really happy with him. He is six and young and needs a lot of strength and overall development, but Annie and I are excited about him as an upper level prospect. His success this weekend just checks another box on this journey.”

For full results for the Open Preliminary, click here.

Marley Stone Bourke earned a first place finish with Benita Strini’s Superstorm Sandy with their overall score of 45.6. For all Open Intermediate results click here.

Claire Robinson and her own Fernhill Swatch Out won the Open Prelim One Day with an overall score of 33.1. For all Open Prelim One Day results click here.

Madeleine Richards aboard her own Global BGK was the overall winner in the CCI 1* L after earning an overall score of 33.8. The win marked Richards’ first FEI win and her first win on Global BGK.

Madison Richards and Global BGK in the CCI 1* L. Photo by Brant Gamma Photography.

Richards also placed third with her own The Turning Point.

Richards commented, “It was amazing to have been at the Virginia Horse Center this weekend. I haven’t been here for a while and hadn’t been here with these two horses before. I wasn’t sure how they were going to like it, but they were absolutely amazing. I’m not used to the hills here on the cross country course and I was initially a little nervous. But my horses just cruised, and we had no problems.”

Richards got Global BGK about a year ago. According to Richards, “Our relationship has been slowly growing and he’s a super horse and jumped so hard for me today. He’s been so great over the weekend and I’m really proud of him. He was so good and absolutely loved it.”

For complete CCI 1* L results click here.

Mary Cooke Catlett [Molly] drove directly from her graduation from Foxcroft to the Virginia Horse Center to compete her own Cooley Romance in the Prelim Rider Division and went on to win it with an overall score of 40.2.

Mary Cooke Catlett [Molly] drove directly from her graduation from Foxcroft to the Virginia Horse Center to compete her own Cooley Romance in the Prelim Rider Division and went on to win it with an overall score of 40.2. Photo from the Virginia Horse Center.

Molly, who will be attending the University of Virginia in the fall, commented “She’s a 17.3 big bay mare and she’s a total trooper. Even though she is very chunky, she is quick and takes really good care of me. I think she was born to be a ‘kids’ horse’ and while she does take care of me, she will also hold me accountable.”

Molly has been coming to the Virginia Horse Center for the last six years and said she did her first Novice and Modified here.

“It was great to compete here this weekend. The cross country course finally had a different loop, and the course used the terrain differently. I really liked it!” she said. “The ground was definitely better, and you could tell the grass had been aerated. The Horse Center has done a lot of work with the cross country course. We always used to know what to expect for cross country, but this time was different. The questions in the course were not so much about the jumps, but more about the terrain. It was consistent and I wasn’t worried. Overall, it was very refreshing,” she said.

Amber Mabus rode her own Mighty Grace to a blue-ribbon finish in the Novice Rider A Division earning an overall score of 30.6.

Amber Mabus rode her own Mighty Grace to a blue-ribbon finish in the Novice Rider A Division earning an overall score of 30.6. Photo from the Virginia Horse Center.

Mabus, a US veteran, did not start riding until she was older. Her horse Mighty Grace is an OTTB, and this is the first time the pair has competed away from their home in Southern Pines.

Mabus commented, “This is maybe our third or fourth recognized event and it was really cool to be able to come here. The Virginia Horse Center has such a nice atmosphere, and everyone is so nice. Even though we were away, we really felt at home here,” she said.

For complete results click here.

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