Talk about an event firing on all cylinders … it’s Wednesday and we’re already two days deep into AEC action! One Intermediate and four Prelim divisions hit the Kentucky Horse Park’s storied cross country course today; meanwhile, five Training divisions took to the sandbox.
Many thanks to Jessica Duffy from the USEA, who from what I can tell is leashed to a desk in the media center transcribing rider interviews all day. You’re a hero, girl. On that note, thanks to all of the USEA staff for their hard work in producing such an incredible showcase of the true heart and soul of American eventing.
Let’s catch up with our Wednesday leaders!
Intermediate: Tamie Smith & En Vogue
On their cross country round: “I couldnāt have asked her to be better. I expected her to be a bit backed off because she hasnāt run, but she knows her job and you have to trust that if you prepare them properly and get them ready that they donāt have to run a ton. I wasnāt certain how she was going to feel and she felt amazing, I was super happy.
“I knew that, if I was going to make the time, I needed to be on my first minute. Both of those horses are horses you can go out of the box quick on ā some horses you canāt, you have to settle into it ā but I knew I could come out of the box strong. The first combination walks in a seven and I got it in seven on Danito and with Evie I knew I could get six so I got six in there and I was on my first minute and stayed on it the whole time. Theyāre both really fast horses and have a ton of blood in them. You basically had to land and sprint to the next combination and try not to have to bring them back too soon. Theyāre both so rideable ā the both go in snaffles ā itās easy when you can go really fast because then they just come right back when you bring your shoulders up and theyāre right there and paying attention.
“Evie was a little more green than Danito ā he was kind of sleeping out there a bit, it was just super easy for him ā but he just ran a few weeks ago so I think that probably helped and the course is quite stiff for a horse that hasnāt run since Twin in April. She wasnāt as bold through the coffin and then the last water she overjumped the brush and I added a stride in there, but she was super. She was just looking for the flags and wants to do it and is just a fun horse to ride.”
Looking ahead to show jumping: “Weāre working on that, itās a work in progress. She needs quite a technical ride and I just hope I ride her the best I can and that she tries to jump the jumps as clean as possible. I do have rails on her in the past but she is capable of jumping clean, as long as she stays rideable. Iāve been working with Erik Duvander ā heās helped me a ton with her, working on her shape, and sheās getting better and starting to do that and I felt that out on the cross-country. I hope it transfers over to tomorrow!”
Top 5 after cross country (view full leaderboardĀ here):
Preliminary Rider: Julia Spatt & 5o1 Macintosh
On their cross country round: “He was wonderful, he was really on. I was definitely feeling a little bit nervous in the warmup hearing about some of the trouble on course and I knew that the time was going to be really hard to make, but he was really on. He was listening the whole way around and he was actually really good to me in two of the combinations where I wasnāt exactly right and he gave me a really great feeling all the way around. I had to really keep kicking to make the time though, we just kept going and he was right there with me, Iām really pleased.”
On their partnership: “Iāve had him since he was a 5-year-old ā I bought him from Jacob Fletcher who I was working for at the time. Jacob did his first two Novices but Iāve done everything since then, so his first Training, his first Preliminary, his first FEI, and he actually ran his first Intermediate this summer. Heās a really exciting horse and Iāve had him for four years so weāve had a really long partnership and we know each other really well. Itās cool to still be together and he seems like he gets better every year.”
On winning the Prelim Amateur division at last year’s AEC: “I can no longer declare as an amateur because I work for a college as a coach but we managed to win last year, which was a little surprising and unexpected and really exciting. And we were planning to come and try to be competitive this year so itās exciting that itās worked out so far.”
Looking ahead to show jumping: “Heās really very good in show jumping. I tend to get a little nervous and can ride a little backwards sometimes but if I give him a good ride heās great. Heās careful, heās listening, sometimes he just gets a little bold and will get a little strong but if I can keep him rideable heās a wonderful jumper.”
Top 5 after cross country (view full leaderboardĀ here):
Junior/Young Rider Preliminary: Leila Saxe and Quasar
On their journey to the AEC: “Kyle Carter and Jen Carter are my trainers. [The drive] was good, but it was very long. We left at 4 a.m. It was 12 hours.”
On their cross country round: “Quasar was super. He jumped around like a star. He was five seconds under time and he was just perfect. Heās very solid and he jumps pretty much everything.”
On their partnership: “Iāve had him for almost two years in October. I got him from Buck Davidson, he had run an old three-star but he needs to be a lower level horse so I did an Intermediate on him and it went really well so we just moved down to Prelim for the AEC and then after weāre going to do the three-star at Stable View.”
Looking ahead to show jumping: “Heās very perfect, he listens to everything. Heās a little bit nervous sometimes but heās perfect. Heās not a very careful jumper, Iām just praying that tomorrow goes well because he does not jump clean but Iām just going to pray and hopefully he picks up his feet.”
Top 5 after cross country (view full leaderboardĀ here):
Preliminary Amateur: Arden Wildasin & Watch Out
On her cross country rounds: āMy horses were very happy with cross-country. They loved today and I loved today, it was fantastic. Walter, who is sitting in first right now, Iāve had him for almost ten years, so heās one of my fun Preliminary kids. He wonāt go above that, but we just have so much fun together doing that. With Sunny, this is his second year at this level. He was out there answering all of the questions that were being asked. They didnāt do anything wrong. I mightāve done something, but they were there to save me.ā
Of the track: āThe course was fantastic. Itās awesome galloping across Kentucky ground. Iāve come here before, but coming [to the AEC], this event has a bit of a different feel. Itās a great track, asked tough questions — my favorite being the bank bounce with the log on top. That was fun!ā
Top 5 after cross country (view full leaderboardĀ here):
Modified: Katie Malensek & Landjaeger
On their test strategy: “Heās generally a pretty cool-minded horse so I tried to just not expel too much energy in the warmup and he ended up going in and he was a solid citizen who just put in a good test. Iām really proud of him.”
On their partnership: “I keep my horses at home so my horses are my babies, we spend a lot of time together. Heās a sweet horse, he doesnāt have a mean bone in his body and heās just a little pushy but easy to get along with. He loves his food and his treats. He’s just a really sweet horse and heās been an easy horse to bring along.”
On the Modified level: “Both of my horses are young and theyād had a good winter season around the Training level and I just wasnāt thinking they were quite ready as 5-year-olds to go up to Preliminary so I started looking for some alternatives. Thankfully, Area III has a ton of Modifieds and Iād never done them before so I just thought letās just give it a whirl. Itās the perfect in-between level for them. A little more challenging than Training and not so hard on them as youngsters as Preliminary. Coming here, I thought I want do a little harder dressage test and a little harder show jumping ā I was hoping the cross-country would be Modified but thatās alright, weāll have some fun around the Training level.”
Looking ahead to cross country: “[The course] looks fantastic. Weāre from Florida where everythingās flat ā this horse has hardly ever left the flat sand so heāll have some fun on the hills Iām sure. Itāll be a little different for him, thatās for sure. I love him, heās a good boy.”
Top 5 after dressage (view full leaderboardĀ here):
Training Rider: Elizabeth Sauter and GianaĀ
On their dressage test: āIt went really well today, I was super happy with her. Weāve had kind of an up and down season, but she just went in there today feeling very relaxed and was with me the entire way.ā
On their partnership: āIāve been lucky enough to ride her for her whole career, I backed her when she was three. Iām very lucky, my coach owns her and allows me to rider her, and she is an incredible horse. Sheās so fun, very honest, and loves her job. Sheās a pleasure to work with every day.ā
Looking ahead to cross country:Ā āThe course looks great. It looks really fun, and thereās certainly a lot to do. The terrain is great and itās all beautifully presented. I think itās certainly within her capabilities if I do my job and allow her to do hers.ā
Top 5 after dressage (view full leaderboard here):
Training Amateur: Eleanor Leonard & Alvescot Moneymaker
On her horse: “Her name is Maisie, sheās a 9-year-old Anglo European Sport Horse. We imported her from England from Susie Pragnell three years ago and weāve just been kind of getting to know each other. Sheās really great. I took Maisie Preliminary around a year ago and sheās really forgiving horse but she can be challenging, too.Ā So I think right now right now itās us finding our own confidence and weāre just kind of getting to a really good spot where everythingās clicking.”
On their test: “It was really good. It felt like one of our stronger tests so I was really excited that we were able to go in and be bolder and more confident than we have before. She was really good though, she was more expressive than sheās been in the past.”
On the AEC: “Iāve wanted to come to the AEC for a few years but itās never really been the right timing. I just had a gap year in Virginia working for Chris Talley and Hannah Salazar so I was coming this way anyway and I thought it would be a good pit stop on the way home to California. Iāve always wanted to come to AEC because it looks like a really special experience, and having it in Kentucky at the Horse Park was really exciting so I wanted to be here.”
On moving east: “I think that moving the East Coast was really beneficial in gaining some independence. Chris was really helpful with the cross country and just being able to show so much more and go schooling, because itās kind of hard on the west coast sometimes and it’s been really helpful.”
Top 5 after dressage (view full leaderboard here):
Ā Training Horse: Madeline Backus & Reflektion’s Rio
On their test: “It went really well. He is a pure dressage horse so weāve done up through third level. Heās really good at dressage but he prefers the jumping ā we event to keep him happy and he loves it. I was really pleased with his test today. He stayed focused, which doesnāt always happen, and he was just really rideable. He put in a really nice test I couldnāt be more happy.”
On their best phase: “Heās lovely cross country, itās his favorite. He used to do dressage with other people and he wasnāt happy and then he got to do cross country and that was it, he loves that so much. Show jumping is probably his weakest phase ā sometimes the rails come down and we just accept that. As long as heās happy weāre all happy.”
On their partnership: “Heās owned by a woman named Lynn Roberts, sheās a client of my momās at Pendragon Stud Equestrian Center. Iāve been competing him for about four years now ā itās been a while. Iāve been riding him on and off because Iāve traveled overseas and competed my upper level horse for a while so my momās done a lot of the training on him as well. The last two years weāve been doing really well and moving up the levels and taking our time and keeping him happy.”
Looking ahead to cross country: “Itās a great championship course Iām really excited to get out there. Thereās a lot of good questions but at the same time itās super fair. Itās just a really good course.”
Top 5 after dressage (view full leaderboardĀ here):
Junior Training: Kiersten Miller & Mama Mia
On their test: “She was amazing. I knew that if I kept my head on straight and went in did what I know how to do it would be fine. I definitely felt more nervous than usual so I was kind of worried about that because she can tend to feed off that because sheās quite electric in these environments. It all ended up going well though.”
On their partnership: “We just recently started our partnership back in June ā I got her back in April. I got a few rides in here and there but she was in a different state than me so I wasnāt able to rider her very much for the first two months. Then in June she came home to Michigan with me and we kind of hit the ground running and we got a few events in and are building a partnership as we go and getting better and better at each event.”
On heading south: “We decided to keep her down there for a little bit longer because sheās not really used to Michigan and Michigan gets warmer a lot later so we were afraid she wouldnāt do well in that environment so we kept her down [in Ocala] with one of my trainers for two months and I was able to fly down on the weekends so I wouldnāt miss school. I got about eight rides in with her during that time. It was two rides here, three rides there, but it wasnāt very consistent. It was difficult to start learning about each other but I did my best to spend some time on the ground with her and just get to know her in that way.”
On their favorite phase: “Sheās actually quite new to cross-country ā she just started eventing this winter but she loves it. I remember for my first event with her back in June I was nervous, I had no clue how she was really going to react because obviously we havenāt done much together. She just ate it up ā every fence I was just smiling. She loves cross-country ā thatās definitely her favorite part. Itās fun out there with her.
Looking ahead to cross country: “[The course] is absolutely amazing. I think itās cool how in the beginning he kind of lets you feel your horse out before he gives you anything too technical and then he slowly amps it up, especially at the head of the lake ā I really like the questions there. Iām pretty excited.”
Top 5 after dressage (view full leaderboardĀ here):
Much more to come. Go Eventing!
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