CAEventMom has done a fabulous job covering Twin Rivers for us, and we owe her our sincerest thanks. From preview to the showjumping, she has made us feel like we’re all out there with her in sunny California. Also, many thanks to Sherry Stewart for the lovely photographs throughout the weekend. We welcome reader-submitted event reports! If you would like to share something with Eventing Nation, send it to [email protected].
Advanced winners Barb Crabo and Eveready finished on their dressage score of 25.0. (Photo by Sherry Stewart)
The final day at Twin Rivers was sunny and warm and I am exhausted, but will try to pull my wits together and give a competent report of the day. Despite a pretty tight show jumping ring, the Top 5 Advanced riders proved they belonged there with 1 single rail down – a rail that had no impact on the standings.
Barb Crabo and Eveready looked totally in control as they finished the show on their dressage score. MacKenna Shea with perhaps a bit of nerves, dropped just one rail with Landioso to hold onto 2nd. Third, fourth and fifth places were held, with double clear rounds, by Hawley Bennet-Awad on Gin & Juice, James Atkinson on Gustav and James Alliston on Jumbo’s Jake respectively.
Barb felt confident going into today’s round knowing that Eveready is a phenomenal show jumper, and he did not disappoint. Looking ahead, their next outing will be the CIC*** at Galway Downs the end of March and then on to Rolex.
MacKenna went into today’s round with her focus on applying the things she’d worked on this past week in the training sessions with Capt. Mark Phillips. She will also be headed to Galway for the 3* and if things go well, on to the CCI*** at Bromont.
Talking with Hawley, she mentioned that she’d been working on the show jumping with Lane Clarke out at Thermal this winter and it clearly paid off as both of her rides (Ginny and 5 O’Clock Somewhere) went double clean. All of her upper level horses will be leaving CA in about 10 days headed for Poplar, the Fork and then Jersey Fresh.
Both of the Jameses will be headed to Galway, with James Alliston then taking his two “big boys” off to Rolex.
The Intermediate division had a few mores rails drop and they shook up the standings a bit. Kaitlin Veltkamp’s double clear round with Flashpoint D moved her from 2nd into first place. Kim Liddell pulled 1 rail to drop to 2nd, and a double clear round for John Michael Durr on V.E. Finnegan gave him a 3rd place finish.
Other points of interest from the week-end: Jolie Wentworth rebounded from a disappointing pop off in her advanced round to win the Open Prelim division on The Governess. Ali Smallpage’s potential new boyfriend Joe McKinley shook off some show jumping penalties to run double clear XC on Mr. Brightside in Open Training for a 3rd place finish, while the Junior Training division was won by 11 year old Madison Temkin (what were you doing when you were 11?)
Many thanks to the riders for sharing their week-end with us, to Twin Rivers for hosting a terrific show, to the grounds crew who worked late into the night on the XC tracks, and to EN for for giving us the chance to let you all know what we’re doing. Have a great week & GO EVENTING!
CAEventMom
MacKenna Shea and Landioso took second place in the Advanced division(Photo by Sherry Stewart)
Hawley Bennet-Awad and Gin N Juice finished third in the Advanced(Photo by Sherry Stewart)
Kaitlin Veltkamp and Flashpoint D, winners of the Intermediate division
