Tag Archives: Eventing/H.T.

Giving Back

After the tragic fire on May 31 at True Prospect Farm in West Grove, PA many in the Eventing community have joined together to support Boyd and Silva Martin, Lillian Heard, Caitlin Silliman, Ryan Wood and others affected by the tragedy.

A fire at the farm, owned by Phillip and Evie Dutton, destroyed the barn utilized by Martin and took the lives of six horses while injuring five others. Three people living in an apartment near the barn lost all their possessions. The Eventing community has rallied with support and Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI), organizers of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Bridgestone, has already pledged a $1,500 donation.

In addition EEI will donate 5% of all sales of merchandise sold through the Kentucky Three-Day Event Shop at http://www.rk3de.org/shop/ until August 15, 2011. The Kentucky Three-Day Shop includes various Rolex Kentucky merchandise, from hats to jackets and everything in between.

© 2011 Equestrian Events, Inc.

HSBC FEI Classics Leader King Heads for Luhmühlen

Mary King – leader of the HSBC Rankings - is all set for HSBC FEI Classics in Luhmühlen with Apache Sauce © Kit Houghton/FEI

Lausanne (SUI), 15 June 2011 – The unstoppable Mary King (GBR), who moved to the number one spot in the HSBC Rankings at the beginning of this month, indicated at the start of the year that the HSBC FEI Classics were going to be a major goal for 2011.

The 50-year-old’s plan is certainly going splendidly so far, and she now heads to the third of the five legs, Luhmühlen presented by E.ON Avacon (GER), with a strong 10-point lead in the HSBC FEI Classics series over Mark Todd (NZL), who does not have a ride at Germany’s premier event which starts tomorrow (16-19 June).

King, who has had a storming season so far with a third place at Badminton and a record one-two at Kentucky, rides the veteran Apache Sauce. He is a white-faced chestnut with great character and a definite “sense of humour”, but several of King’s CCI4* placings in the past few seasons, including seventh at Burghley last year, have been thanks to the 15-year-old gelding by Endoli.

King’s compatriots Piggy French and William Fox-Pitt both have a strong interest in earning more HSBC FEI Classics points. Fox-Pitt, the series champion in 2008 and 2010, rides the Argentine Thoroughbred Macchiato, his winning mount here in 2008, and French, runner-up at Badminton, brings the rising star Flying Machine to his first CCI4*.

Continue reading HSBC FEI Classics Leader King Heads for Luhmühlen

USEF Names Eventing Riders for CIC2* Greenwich Park Eventing Invitational (London Test Event)

The Greenwich Park venue.

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will be represented at the CIC2* Greenwich Park Eventing Invitational (London Test Event) from July 4-6, 2011 by three American eventing riders. This competition will serve as a test event for the 2012 London Olympic Games and is an important part of the preparation for this competition. Dressage, Eventing, Jumping and Para-Equestrian Dressage will all be held at the historic Greenwich Park next summer; the Olympic Games begin on July 27, 2012 and run through August 12. The Paralympic Games run from August 29 – September 9.

Will Faudree (Hoffman, NC) will ride Jennifer Mosing’s DHI Colour Candy
DHI Colour Candy is a 7-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding

Logan Rawlings (Piedmont, CA – based in the UK) will ride her own Jaybee Star Celebrity
Jaybee Star Celebrity is a 9-year-old Australian Warmblood mare

Julian Stiller (Berkshire, UK) will ride her own Gunstone Wallstreet
Gunstone Wallstreet is an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding

The USEF may also send up to six High Performance athletes ‘on foot’ to observe the competition and learn about the venue. These athletes will be named shortly.

Please visit: http://www.london2012.com/ for more information regarding the 2012 Olympic Games. For more information about the USEF Eventing program, please contact Sara Ike at sara.ike@usef.org.

© Copyright 2011 United States Equestrian Federation

Eventing Radio Episode 145 by Bit of Britain – Olympic Test Event, Euro News & True Prospect Farm Update

Olympic Course Designer, Sue Benson, tells us how preparations for the test event are progressing, Horse & Hound’s Pippa Roome reviews Euro events, and Jennie Brannigan from True Prospect Farm joins Chris as co-host. It’s all right here.

Eventing Radio Episode 145 by Bit of Britain – Show Notes and Links:

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The Fire at True Prospect Farm

Photo courtesy of Boyd Martin.

West Grove, PA – At 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31, a fire destroyed the barn Boyd Martin was renting from Phillip Dutton Eventing at True Prospect Farm. Lillian Heard, Caitlin Silliman and Ryan Wood – the first on the scene as they were sleeping in the apartment above the barn – began evacuating the 11 horses who were in the barn at the time of the fire. Six horses were lost in the fire and five horses were rescued and received or are receiving treatment at The University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. USEF extends thoughts and sympathies to Martin and his team during these tragic events. If you would like to make a donation to help Martin and his team, please click here.

2011, United States Equestrian Federation, Inc.

This Week in International Disciplines – June 1, 2011

Dressage

Dressage preparations for the Pan American Games continued as Prix St Georges and Intermediaire I competition took place at CDIs across the country. Jan Ebeling swept the small tour at CDI Flintridge with Rosenzauber 8, scoring 70.263% in the Prix St Georges, 70.702% in the Intermediaire I and 70.292% in the Freestyle.

For complete results please visit www.cornerstonedressage.com/results/2011_7.pdf.

At the CDI Lexington, Lisa Wilcox and Pikko del Cerro HU dominated the Small Tour. They scored 71.008% in the Prix St. Georges and 76.624% in the Intermediaire I. Claire Darnell won the Intermediaire I Freestyle with a score 73.458%.

For more information, please visit: http://www.kentuckydressageassociation.org/.

In the small tour at CDI Allentown in New Jersey, Canadian Ashley Holzer took the top spot in the Prix St. Georges, but Cesar Parra, the 2010 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Intermediaire I Dressage Champion, was second on Grandioso with a score of 70.395%. Holzer continued her winning ways in the Intermediaire I, where Endel Ots took second with Toscano on a score of 69.430%. Parra then went on to win the Freestyle with a score of 72.417% Holzer also won the Grand Prix on her veteran Pop Art, local rider Lauren Sammis was second with Sagacious HF with a score of 67.851%. They repeated the one-two placings in the Grand Prix Freestyle.  Melissa Taylor was third behind Sammis in the Grand Prix but led the victory celebration in the Grand Prix Special with Schumacker Solyst on a score of 65.792%.

Continue reading This Week in International Disciplines – June 1, 2011

Eventing Radio Episode 144 by Bit of Britain – U.S. Pony Club and Boyd Update

Eric Dierks explains his new role with the U.S. Pony Club and the opportunity for young people in the sport. Max Corcoran returns to co-host and tell us about her crusade to promote horsemanship. Plus, an update on the tragic fire at Boyd Martin’s barn and how you can help. Take a listen.

Eventing Radio Episode 144 by Bit of Britain – Show Notes and Links:

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Optical Illusion Makes Magic in USEA Preliminary Three-Day at the Virginia Horse Trials

Hope Nicyper-Meryman and Optical Illusion lead the victory gallop as winners of the Preliminary Three-Day. Leslie Mintz/USEA Photo

What could likely be the very last Classic Preliminary Level Event at the Virginia Horse Trials concluded today in Lexington, Virginia. Seven riders entered the SmartPak Equine/USEA Preliminary Three-Day Event, five started the competition, four completed all the phases of Endurance Day, but only one took home the blue ribbon.

Seventeen-year-old Hope Nicyper-Meryman traveled with her own ten-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Optical Illusion, from Pine Plains, New York to tackle the Preliminary Three-Day. Despite being the youngest competitor by nearly ten years, Hope proved she had what it took to win by adding no jumping penalties to her dressage score of 39.8.

“I competed in the Training Three-Day competition at GMHA about four years ago and absolutely loved it,” said Hope. “So when I was thinking about a goal for this year I looked at the calendar and decided that the Preliminary Three-Day would work well with my school schedule. I have been preparing since January, and it was all worth it as there is nothing like the feeling of doing steeplechase on a fast Thoroughbred.”

Continue reading Optical Illusion Makes Magic in USEA Preliminary Three-Day at the Virginia Horse Trials

Tragic Fire at Boyd Martin’s Barn at True Prospect Farm

Phantom Pursuit, owned and ridden by Abbie Golden, was one of the horses who was lost in the fire last night. Phantom is pictured above competing with Boyd at Rebecca Farm. Emily Daily/USEA Photo.

At 12:30am this morning, a barn fire of unknown cause tragically destroyed Boyd Martin’s barn at True Prospect Farm.  Eleven horses were in the barn at the time.  Lillian Heard, Caitlin Silliman, and Ryan Wood were able to evacuate five horses. Four horses are currently in treatment at The University of Pennsylvania – New Bolton Center; they are: Neville Bardos, Otis Barbotiere, Catch a Star, and Ambassador’s Rose. Lillian, Caitlin, and Ryan were treated and released from Jennersville Hospital.  Tragically, six horses perished in the fire.

We all wish to extend our deepest condolences to all those connected to Call Me Ollie, Charla, Ariel, Phantom Pursuit, Cagney Herself, and Summer Breeze.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Boyd and his team at this time.  All other horses have been relocated to area barns.  Further information on how you can help Boyd will be released shortly.

Tax Deductible Relief Fund | Boyd and Silva Martin’s Blog

Purchase Denny Emerson’s Book, How Good Riders Get Good, and 50% of the royalties between now and Christmas will be donated to Boyd and Silva.

United States Eventing Association | 525 Old Waterford Rd, NW | Leesburg | VA | 20176

In Memoriam: Bill Roycroft (AUS)

Lausanne (SUI), 31 May 2011 – Australian equestrian legend James George “Bill” Roycroft OBE passed away on Sunday 29 May at the age of 96.

Bill Roycroft was one of Australia’s greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games.

His Olympic début was in Rome in 1960 where he helped secure Australia’s first-ever equestrian medal – team gold in Eventing.

He went on to compete in three Summer Olympics with his sons. In Tokyo (1964) he competed with his eldest son Barry, in Mexico City (1968) he was joined by Wayne where they won bronze together and in Munich (1972) he competed with youngest son Clarke. In Montreal (1976) he secured bronze with Barry and Wayne, becoming Australia’s oldest Olympic medallist and competitor at 61 years and 31 days.

Bill Roycroft became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1969 for his service to sport, and was awarded an Order of Merit by the Australian Olympic Committee in 1978 for his outstanding achievement in sport.

Continue reading In Memoriam: Bill Roycroft (AUS)