The new Defender Columbia Coffin Complex at Stable View. Photo courtesy of CrossCountryApp.
We’re pleased to welcome Great Britain’s Helen West as the new course designer at Stable View, taking over for Capt. Mark Phillips as his retirement nears. While Capt. Mark consulted and advised on the design of the track he’s handled since the venue’s opening, the bulk of the design strategy and execution fell to Helen, who has also designed at events such as Bicton and has also served as the CEO of British Eventing.
The result is a CCI4*-S course that looks quite different from its most recent counterparts, running in the opposite direction as the last few years and incorporating some previously unused areas of Stable View’s acreage. There are also new or relocated complexes scattered about, giving the track a fresh feel that also should serve as a proper set-up for the upcoming CCI5* and CCI4*-L events most of the pairs competing this weekend are preparing for.
“Helen West built a real course similar to what we’re going to experience at Kentucky with lots of coffins and a big brush and big jumps into the water and she’s done a top job,” Boyd Martin, current leader of the 4*-S with Yankee Creek Ranch LLC’s Commando 3, said. “But she’s made a pretty good test. So my goal [today] would be to give the horses a good run. Make sure they jump all the fences well, and they’re nice and confident coming into Kentucky.”
Click the image to view the interactive map on CrossCountryApp.
You can see on the map above that the course takes a new direction, going away from the start box toward the main part of the property early on and finishing on the same end of the property as the start. Riders will have a handful of single fences and some related combinations to contend with before they hit the meaty portion of the course, which comes after a steep climb up the back hill of the property.
Cheeky little bugger. Photo courtesy of CrossCountryApp.
Here, we find a handful of reimagined questions, including a cheeky Brush Surprise at fence 10 that, at least in photos, looks like it could sneak in a 20 or two, which follows the new CVETS Water Complex at 9ABC.
Fence 9ABC also features the iconic Stable View angled hedges, relocated to the upper back corner of the property for 2024, as seen below.
After navigating those challenges, riders will tackle the newly-constructed Defender Columbia Coffin Complex as they head back toward the starting end of the course. This coffin promises to test horses prepping for 5* and every horse’s ability to hold a line:
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- The new Defender Columbia Coffin Complex at Stable View. Photo courtesy of CrossCountryApp.
The work won’t stop there; riders will still need to navigate a final water complex before a final uphill pull to the final few fences. The course carries an optimum time of 6 minutes, 23 seconds with a total of 22 numbered questions and 35 jumping efforts.
There is no live stream this weekend, but you can follow along with live scores here. Cross country begins for the 4*-S division at 1:15 p.m. EST. You can view the rest of the schedule for Stable View here. I’ll be along later with a final recap from the day, so stay tuned and Go Eventing!
Stable View Spring 2/3/4* and H.T. (Aiken, SC) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
