Millstreet Fence 5AB. Photo via CrossCountryApp.
It’s going to be a busy, busy weekend of eventing and we’re going to set you up for watch party success tomorrow with this mashup course preview/ live stream ride time report for our overseas events, Millstreet International Horse Trials in Ireland and Land Rover Blair Castle International Horse Trials in Scotland, which are both running cross country tomorrow.
Earlier today, the Millstreet International Horse Trials Facebook page was live streaming the CCI2*S sections (watch replays here and here!) and we don’t know for sure, but we’re hoping that they’ll be doing the same tomorrow for the CCI4*L and non-Event Rider Masters 4*S. Assuming they are, the cross country action begins bright and early tomorrow at 8:00 A.M. sharp local time in Cork, Ireland — that’s 3:00 A.M. E.S.T. for any stateside early birds — with the CCI3*L at Millstreet International Horse Trials. You can check out the course for that division here, but you’ll really want to start chugging your coffee at 5:00 A.M. E.S.T. (10:00 A.M. local) for the beginning of the CCI4*L.
Millstreet’s cross country courses are designed by Great Britain’s Mike Etherington-Smith and built by Poland’s Sylwius Bronk. TheCCI4*L course this year clocks in at 5700 meters and is set for an optimum time of 10 minutes even and has 27 numbered fences with 39 jumping efforts throughout the course that winds through beautiful Drishane Castle grounds.
If you plan to try and catch the (assumed) live stream, our two American representatives in the CCI4*L both go within the first hour. Will Faudree and Pfun, who are sitting in 20th position after dressage on a score of 38.8 ride at 10:12 local time (5:12 A.M. E.S.T.) and then at 10:48 local time (5:48 E.S.T) Caroline Martin and Islandwood Captain Jack, 16th after dressage on 37.5, will go out on course.
Millstreet’s CCI4*-S course, which includes the ERM leg, shares a number of fences and follows a very similar out-and-back track as the long-format course. The course measures 3465 meters and the optimum time is 6 minutes 5 seconds. There are 22 numbered fences and 33 total jumping efforts for the competitors to navigate.
There is going to be a boatload of action to catch from the CCI4*S, which begins at 1:45 P.M. local time (8:45 A.M. EST) with the first half of the non-ERM section. Our American riders in this division are Ariel Grald riding Leamore Master Plan, who are getting their final prep run in before Burghley next month, and Liz Halliday-Sharp who is riding three horses in this division, plus one more in the ERM section. Here are their ride times:
- 8:47 A.M. E.S.T (1:47 P.M. local): Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Quicksilver, 15th place on 32.3.
- 9:15 A.M. E.S.T (2:15 P.M. local): Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan, 22nd place on 34.6.
- 9:41 A.M. E.S.T (2:41 P.M. local): Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z (who are also Burghley-bound!), 5th place on 29.2.
- 10:29 A.M. E.S.T (3:29 P.M. local): Liz Halliday-Sharp and Carpe Diem IV, 2nd place on 28.0.
Somewhere in the middle of all that Liz Halliday-Sharp will also ride Fernhill By Night in the ERM section. Since the ERM competitors show jump tomorrow morning and run cross country afterwards on the same day in reverse order of standing, we don’t have their cross country times yet. You can keep up to date with everything ERM most easily through their Facebook page.
Millstreet Links: Website, Ride Times, Live Scores, Event Rider Masters, ERM Live Stream, Non-ERM Live Stream
Blair Castle Fence 26. Photo via CrossCountryApp.
More cross country action can be found nearly 500 miles northeast and across the Irish Sea at the beautiful Blair Castle in Perthshire in the Scottish Highlands for the Land Rover Blair Castle International Horse Trials, which is running CCI2*L, CCI3*-L, CCI4*-S and CCI4*-L divisions this weekend.
Designed by Alec Lochore of Great Britain, Blair Castle’s CCI4*L course takes riders on a sweeping tour of the Atholl Estates grounds, which are nestled in the southernmost part of Cairngorms National Park. Just like the Millstreet 4*L, the course is 5700 meters with an optimum time of 10 minutes even. Blair Castle has 26 numbered fences, one fewer than it’s Irish counterpart this weekend, but boasts 41 jumping efforts, compared to Millstreet’s 39.
With just 8 competitors in the in the 4*L, the action will be short and sweet, but no less worth watching. There is a live stream for Blair Castle as well which kicks off at 9:00 A.M. E.S.T., but it requires a Horse & Country TV subscription. Even if you don’t watch live, do be sure to click around the course in the courtesy of Cross Country App for a very Scottish sojourn, starting with a Scottish flag fence and finishing by jumping a line of kilts.
