Tag Archives: cross country

Championships, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Kentucky Three-Day

Martin and Tsetserleg Hold On to Lead in Land Rover/USEF CCI5* Eventing National Championship

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Martin and Tsetserleg (Photo by Alex Banks for US Equestrian)

Oliver Townend and Cooley Master Class maintain lead at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event

Lexington, Ky. – In the second phase of the “best weekend all year,” Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg held on to their lead in the Land Rover/USEF CCI5* Eventing National Championship presented by MARS EQUESTRIAN on Saturday. Jumping a highly technical course designed by 2020 Tokyo Olympics course designer Derek di Grazia, Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and the 12-year-old Trakehner gelding owned by Christine Turner finished within the 11 minute and 20 second time allowed to stay on their dressage score of 27.9. The double-clear cross-country run moved the combination into second place overall in the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5* presented by MARS EQUESTRIAN (LRK3DE).

“My little guy felt a lot more seasoned this year,” said Martin. “I feel like we are a bit more of a partnership. [Tsetserleg] is a real trier. For a half-bred horse, he has a wonderful gallop, plenty of speed, and he is very, very fit. Throughout the course, he just kept trying, and trying, and trying; he never looked for a way out. … He is a good little horse. He is a gutsy little trier and he had plenty left at the end. I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Watch Martin and Tsetserleg’s cross-country run here.

Fellow American combination Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) and Z, an 11-year-old Zangersheide gelding owned by Thomas Tierney, Simon Roosevelt, Suzanne Lacy, Ann Jones, and Caroline Moran, also finished on their dressage score of 31.7 with a double-clear ride to firmly place them in second in the Land Rover/USEF CCI5* Eventing National Championship and moving them from seventh to fourth overall in the LRK3DE. Doug Payne (Aiken, S.C.) and Vandiver, a 15-year-old Trakehner gelding owned by the rider, Jessica Payne, and Debi Crowley, were just over the time allowed to finish cross-country on 35.9, sitting third in the national championship and moving from 19th to seventh overall.

Holding onto the lead in the LRK3DE, Great Britain’s Oliver Townend and Cooley Master Class finished their cross-country run with 1.2 time penalties, adding to their dressage score to finish the second phase on 25.3. New Zealand’s Tim Price and Xavier Faer improved upon their fifth-place tie after dressage to move to third with a double-clear cross-country ride and a score of 30.9.

With a crowd of 34,889 watching closely, the 6,452 meter course saw just three combinations successfully complete the tougher option at the famed obstacle 20, the Normandy Bank: Martin, Dutton, and Townend. Martin, Dutton, Price, and American Will Coleman were the only four combinations to complete the course within the time allowed. Living up to the five-star expectations, the cross-country course required long gallops and strategic maneuvers by athletic horse and riders, resulting in 31 combinations completing the phase.

“My guy looks like he has come through [cross-country] alright; [Tsetserleg] is a good, tough horse,” said Martin when asked about his preparation for the jumping in the final phase on Sunday. “[Tsetserleg] is a bit tricky in the show jumping, so I will probably ride him for a bit after the trot-up [Sunday morning] and get him a bit more balanced. … I will do my very best, try to ride him well, and it will be what it will be.”

Tsetserleg served as Martin’s FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) Tryon 2018 mount, and this is his second LRK3DE. The combination finished just outside of the top ten at the 2018 LRK3DE.

Visit the LRK3DE website for updated ride times, schedule of events, and scoring.

by US Equestrian Communications Department

Eventing/H.T., Kentucky Three-Day, Revolution Sports

Oliver Townend on Course to Make History at Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event

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(LEXINGTON, KY) – April 27, 2019 – The sun shone down on the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course, set by Derek di Grazia, with Great Britain’s Oliver Townend showing why he is the defending champion, producing a brilliant clear round and just 1.2 time faults, despite losing a shoe half way around the course. Townend remains in the lead on a score of 25.3 heading into the final show jumping phase. Much to the delight of the home crowd, USA’s Boyd Martin made the course look easy aboard Tsetserleg, just one of only four partnerships to finish inside the optimum time of 11.20, to end the day in second place. The Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing live contender, Tim Price (NZL), climbed up to third position with the stunning bay gelding, Xavier Faer, keeping his dressage score of 30.9.

The rumours of the technically challenging course proved to be true, with the first three horse and rider combinations unable to complete the course resulting in elimination. USA’s Will Coleman was the first rider to go below the 11.20 time set, with Olympic bronze medallist Phillip Dutton producing a masterclass round with Z finishing two seconds under the time.

Townend commented on his ride: “Once I realised the shoe had gone, I was conscious of having to balance more and be more conservative than I usually would be.”

“He was certainly a bit keener than he was last year; he felt stronger and was definitely up for it; his ears were pricked all the way. He made his own mind up over a couple of the jumps and at times I felt like he was more in control than I was – he did his job well and is becoming an incredible horse.” — Oliver Townend, Great Britain

The history books could be re-written if Oliver Townend produces a clear round in the show jumping, as he will become the first British equestrian to win back-to-back Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event titles. Just 8.2 penalties separate the top five athletes, which include the World No.1, the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, the FEI World Equestrian Games™ team gold medallist, and the current Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing live contender, so there will be no room for error in what will be a closely fought competition.

Eventing/H.T.

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg Sail to Redemption with CCI 4*-S Win at The Fork

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Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg. ©Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Clark Montgomery and Caribbean Soul Swoop to Advanced Division Win

Tryon, NC – April 7, 2019 – Boyd Martin (USA) and Tsetserleg sailed clear through the Cross-Country course to take top honors and conclude CCI 4*-S competition at The Fork at TIEC presented by Lucky Clays Farm at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC). Martin stopped the timers in 6:47 to finish on a total score of 35.00, improving from a third place rank throughout the week. Felix Vogg (SUI) and Colero earned second place after their clear, 6:54 Cross-Country effort to garner a score of 39.80, while Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp (USA) and Fernhill By Night completed the podium on a score of 40.00. Halliday-Sharp also collected fourth place awards aboard Deniro Z, with a final score of 41.70.

Twenty-six pairs tested the track set by Captain Mark Phillips (IRL), hosted on the White Oak Course at TIEC and mimicking the same course used for the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 (WEG). Martin was happy for some redemption over a particular sailboat obstacle that he admitted was less distracting than in September: “At WEG I got the wrong ride in, plus there was a lot of other stuff around it to distract the horse and that wasn’t there today, so it was a little bit easier to get him over it today,” he explained.

“But still, it was a good feeling getting over it and I got a big, big cheer from the crowd. I could distinctively hear the owner shrieking, Christine Turner, who has been a great supporter and I could hear her cheering on her horse,” said Martin. “It was good to get that behind [me] and come here, and to be honest the horse, Thomas, is a little bit more seasoned now and a little further on. He’s probably learned a little bit more in the last 12 months, so he feels a lot more seasoned now, so he’s a lot easier to ride.

“He’s not so distracted and I’ve learned how to ride him a bit differently and a bit better, too,” Martin continued of the 2007 Trakehner gelding (Windfall x Buddenbrock) owned by Christine Turner. “It was good to have a win because I had a bit of an awkward start to the year – just sort of bouncing around, a bit injured here and there, and missing a few shows, and it was good to win one, but [it’s] also good to always remember that some of the best horses here chose to run a bit slow to prepare for Kentucky, so we still got a little bit of work ahead of us. But he was good and strong in all three phases.”

Martin allowed that he did plan to go a bit quick due to missing some prior events in the year, but didn’t go “flat out.” He continued, “I thought [he needed] a good run and a bit of a fitness run, but not to go so fast that you risk an injury or anything like that. He felt very, very strong around the whole track and was quite fit. He jumped really well and I think we’re in good shape.”

The White Oak Course, which hosted CCI 4*-S, CCI 3*-S, CCI 2*-S, Advanced, Intermediate, and Preliminary Divisions for Cross-Country, is one that Martin knows very well. “I like it down there. It’s a really, really good track,” he elaborated. “It’s not as easy to ride as you think just because it’s an old golf course, so there’s all these little humps and lumps and the ground is not quite flat. So sometimes it’s a bit deceiving, especially on the galloping jumps, you think you see a good line and then it changes just a little bit just because the undulation of the ground.

Martin concluded, “It was good coming here just with a handful of horses and here for a few days just to concentrate and zero in on them. I think it’s a great show and a great preparation for Kentucky and a really good show for the young horses to get them ready. Obviously, I love this place. On top of that, I think Captain Mark Phillips is such a great course designer and he really knows how to build a good track. I think he’s building better tracks now than ever.”

Vogg was also aiming for another crack at the White Oak Course after WEG and analyzed that Colero “did a good job, but just needs more preparation for the jumps [on the way to them]. I tried to ride him a little bit differently than I did at WEG and I think the mistake at the water [at WEG] didn’t happen at the water, but I think it happened in the jumps before and I couldn’t prepare him that well. I saw it a bit different and rode him differently today and it worked out pretty well,” he recapped.

Having cruised through a competitive track at TIEC, Vogg is feeling well-prepared for his trip to Kentucky. “There’s always something to fix and some little stuff to do that I’ll try to get done in the next two weeks. It’s never perfect, but I’m pretty sure he’s more ready for Kentucky this year than last year, or maybe than he was for WEG,” Vogg conceded of the self-owned 2008 Westphalian gelding (Captain Fire x Bormio XX). “I think the course [at TIEC] is pretty difficult because it’s so quick between fences and so many things after each other, so I think Kentucky will be easier for Colero.”

Halliday-Sharp held on to her podium position in the aboard Fernhill By Night, the 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Radolin x Argentinus) owned by Deborah Halliday, and finished just behind with Deniro Z in what she was hoping to use as a Kentucky schooling round. “Blackie [Fernhill By Night] was really, really good. He got a little bit sort of tired towards the end, but it would be quite an intense course for him. He hasn’t probably done a course that intense for a while, but I was really pleased. He got a little bit bogged down near where the squirrels were, but he fought for me there, and then he was just feeling like I was running out of push as I got near the end, so I chose the easier route through the water because I thought that was the right decision,” Halliday-Sharp recalled. “He really tried and he’s not a racing snake, so he did the best he could, so I’m pleased with where we ended up.

“Deniro [Z] had a really great round and I was really, really happy,” Halliday-Sharp described of her trip aboard the2008 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Zapatero VDL x French Buffet XX) owned by the Deniro Syndicate & Ocala Horse Properties. “He was just so fast at Carolina, and a little bit wild, and the plan today was to really put the pieces in place 100% with Kentucky in mind.”

Halliday-Sharp was able to hear Martin’s time announced and knew she wasn’t going to be going “quite that fast,” she said. “I sort of went out with a plan and I think executed the plan exactly how I had planned, and I had a super round.”

Though the plan was to go quick with Fernhill By Night and pay more attention to rideability than speed with Deniro Z, their times were within a second of each other in light of Deniro Z’s fitness, Halliday-Sharp revealed. “He was really ridable, and he made it feel easy. I was really thrilled and he finished fresh and never really got out of fourth gear, so it was great! I think I’ve got Deniro [Z] where I want him if I’m really honest.”

Of the course, Halliday-Sharp commented, “I really enjoyed that. It was a good course; it was a good, strong course, intense and basically what we needed before a 5*, so I thought it was perfect. It was a lot stronger than in previous years and I thought that was necessary, so it was good.”

CCI 3*-S competition saw Doug Payne (USA) and Starr Witness claim first-place honors on the week after their Cross-Country ride for a total score of 33.20, while second went to Will Faudree (USA) and Caeleste for their final score of 38.00, and third was awarded to Katie Lichten (USA) and RF Luminati with a weeklong total of 41.10 points.

In the CCI 2*-S Division, Ryan Wood (AUS) and Ruby placed first with a score of 37.00, followed by Will Faudree (USA) and Mama’s Magic Way in second with 37.70. Ryan Wood (AUS) also took third place with Chusinmyconfession with a score of 39.00.

Clark Montgomery and Caribbean Soul Swoop to Advanced Division Win

Clark Montgomery (USA) and Caribbean Soul flew to a win in the Advanced Division after their fast and clear Cross-Country performance in 6:39 to finish on a score of 38.20, while Boyd Martin (USA) and Long Island T collected second-place honors on a score of 45.70. Third went to Felix Vogg (SUI) and Archie Rocks following their Cross-Country round, returning to their Dressage rank on the week to finish on a score of 48.70.

Montgomery attributed his hectic week to a slightly higher Dressage score to kick off the week, saying, “She [Caribbean Soul] was really good all weekend. To be fair to her, I was packing to go home to Kentucky like crazy just a couple days before we got here, and didn’t get to do my normal preparation for the Dressage, so that was probably my fault. She wasn’t misbehaved at all, she just didn’t have a very clean test, with a couple little mistakes, so we didn’t score as low as we’ve been scoring, but I was still really happy with her.”

Much like his rankings throughout the week, the performance of the 2007 Thoroughbred mare (Cimarron Secret x Ogygian), owned by the Caribbean Soul Syndicate, only got better as competition went on, Montgomery detailed. “For the jumping she was great – she was really, really good. And then in Cross-Country she was absolutely phenomenal. I couldn’t ask for her to be better. I mean, her gallop is just the coolest thing I’ve ever felt, for sure. It’s just so easy,” he emphasized. “And honestly, I wasn’t going to go quick on her today and she just loves it. It’s just the speed she operates out of, so I just let her kind of cruise around and she came in that fast. It was wonderful.

“I thought the course was super,” Montgomery said of the White Oak Course. “I thought it was definitely tough enough and big enough and I thought it was the biggest track she had jumped to date, so I was excited to see how she handled it and I like Mark’s courses a lot. They remind me a lot of the tracks you jump in England, with the bolder, forward distances and bigger fences. The setting down there on the old golf course is just absolutely beautiful around the lake, so I thought it was great!”

Martin was pleased with the Cross-Country ride put in by Long Island T, the 2006 Oldenburg/Thoroughbred gelding (Ludwig Von Bayern x Heraldik XX) owned by The Long Island T Syndicate, but noted that “he’s definitely a little bit too keen and is a strong, feisty wild man” on course. “He still jumped really well, and gave me a good ride. I think he’ll be better suited for Kentucky because it’s a longer and more flowing course, where you can get him to fall asleep a little bit more between fences.

“He’s very strong in the Dressage and Jumping and he’s very game on Cross-Country, but he just gets really strong and a little bit out of control. He’s a hard horse to ride fast,” Martin admitted. “You get baited into wrestling with him and have to steady him up. It could go either way come Kentucky, but you got to be in it to win it.”

Vogg and his own Archie Rocks, a 2008 Thoroughbred gelding (Le Monde x Unbridled Jet), are still getting to know one another but put in a sub-seven-minute Cross-Country ride to regain the podium. Compared to Vogg’s CCI 4*-S mount, Colero, “Archie is really slow,” admitted Vogg, but also “more used to Cross-Country, I think, from racing in his career before.

“There is still a lot of work to do because we don’t know each other that well and it was our second Cross-Country run, but for that he did it pretty well,” Vogg concluded, “and [despite] yesterday’s [downed rails and time faults]. Both my horses did well today.”

Clark Montgomery and Theodoor landed at the top of the Open Intermediate Division with a score of 32.20, with Lynn Symansky and RF Cool Play in second with a score of 36.30, then Annie Goodwin and Fedarman B in third with a score of 42.80.

Dylan Phillips aboard Fernhill Fierce placed first in the Junior Young Riders Open Preliminary with a score of 34.80. Second place was awarded to Jessica Ebzery and Share Option with a score of 37.60.

In the Open Preliminary Division, Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp landed the blue ribbon with 30.10 points aboard Gorsehill Cooley followed by Kathy Cain, who took second place with Legal Limit on a score of 33.30. Allison Springer and Crystal Crescent Moon took third place with 33.60 points.

The Preliminary Rider Division saw Allison Smith and Gude Affair place first with a score of 35.20. Isabelle Bosley and Night Quality took second place with 36.80 points, and third place went to Campbell Jourdian and Marquet Rise with a score of 45.80.

In the Modified Division, Cornelia Dorr and Prinz S.W. took top honors after finishing on their Dressage score of 25.70, while Ashley Adams and Coronio improved their rank to second to end on a score of 28.40. Sinead Halpin and Stakkato Bronx finished on a score of 28.70 to take home third.

Dominic Schramm and Quadrocana scored first place in the Open Training Division with a score of 20.50. Ema Klugman and Kangaroo Court took second place with 26.20 points, and Ashley Adams took third place aboard Charly with 28.10 points.

In the Training Rider Division, first place went to Payne Murray and Baron with a score of 31.90. Second place went to Emily Shilling and Enchanting Class with 33.00 points, and third place went to Anna Billings and Wexford Cruise with a score of 35.80.

Lena Bruno and Brighid Charity RSH claimed first place in the Novice Rider Division with a score of 28.30. Nell Nicastro and Abecca GS took second place with a score of 30.50. Third place went to Jessica Copland and Silly Wabbit with a score of 31.70.

Dominic Schramm landed another victory for the week, this time in the Open Novice Division aboard Casalto with a score of 24.10. Ashley Adams also added another second place win to her list aboard Princely Perfect with a score of 26.00. Morgan Batton and Sommersby took third place with a score of 26.40.

In the Open Beginner Novice Division, Erin Buckner with Picassi and Aaron Hill with Denali were tied for first place following Dressage, along with Macie Sykes with Delilah’s Boy. Buckner and Hill went on to also tie for first place in the Jumping phase. Ultimately, Buckner and Picassi took first place with 26.40 points. Hill and Denali also scored 26.40, but received second by Cross-Country tie-breaking policies. Sykes and Delilah’s Boy finished in third place with a score of 28.00.

Click here to follow along with live results from The Fork at TIEC.

Competitions, Eventing/H.T.

Leaders Changing after Cross-Country at Baborówko Horse Sale Show

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Photo: Andreas Dibowski and Wolfsmond.

Baborówko, 29th of September 2018 — Another exciting day at Baborówko Horse Sale Show 2018 is already behind us, and it left us with a few memorable rides that changed the course of the most important class of the show.

Anna Siemer (GER) has taken the lead in the CIC3* class for the prize of KUHN aboard FRH BUTT’S AVONDALE. The rider performed a great dressage test and has added only 1,6 penalty points for the time to her score after XC. The leader after dressage, Mateusz Kiempa with LASSBAN RADOVIX, has gained 16 additional penalty points after going over the time limit in the cross country trial, which has placed him at the 9th position before showjumping. Currently second after XC is Andreas Dibowski (GER) with WOLFSMOND. The pair was the only one to finish clear and in time, which has moved them up from 10th place to 2nd after dressage. Third after XC is Elmo January (FIN) with SORAYA 243.

Ben Leuwer (GER) has kept his lead in the CIC2* class for the prize of Lotto, riding C’EST LA VIE 135. Josephine Schnaufer (GER) is still second with RONALDO, and Kari Ingrid Gunzenhauser has moved up from 4th to 3rd with LET’S DANCE 73.

CIC1* class, for the prize of Duon, has left us with no surprises, with the leader still being Paweł Spisak (POL) aboard PACO. Second place so far goes to Katrin Norling (SWE) with HULLIEBULLIE, and third to Ben Leuwer (GER) with AVATAR 28.

The national CNC P class has had its end, and the winner proved to be Kamil Rajnert (POL) with HORATA. He had taken the lead after the first day and kept it. Second place went to Daria Kobiernik (POL) with CHODÓW, and third to Aleksa Karlińska with SYMFONIA M.

We have also finished the CNC L Open class. First place went to Aleksandra Wincenciak with IN PERSONA, second to Sanna Siltakorpi (FIN) with FOR MORE SPARKLING, and third to Stephanie Bohe aboard LITTLE BAMBOO.

More information on:
http://bhss.baborowko.pl/eng/

*Featured/Spotlights, Eventing/H.T., World Equestrian Games

Klimke in Control after Cross Country as Irish Eventers Come to Party

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Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD. (FEI/Christophe Taniere)

Germany’s Ingrid Klimke kept her nerve to grab the lead as the Irish and French lit up a dramatic, adrenaline-fuelled day of eventing at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 (WEG).

Klimke, second overnight, made it look easy as she and mount SAP Hale Bob OLD flew round the 5,700m course in 10:00 minutes, bang on the optimal time. Great Britain’s Rosalind Canter kept a relatively familiar look to the leaderboard as she and Allstar B improved from third to second, following a swift, flawless round. But the real drama came behind.

Ireland have never won a team medal at the WEG, but with two riders sitting in the top seven, that could all be about to change. Sarah Ennis (IRL) leads the way with a score of 26.30 points, enough to put her into the bronze medal position with just the show jumping to come.

“I can’t believe we are actually here,” Ennis said, with Ireland sitting second in the team standings. “He (Horseware Stellor Rebound) finds it very easy and he’s very fast. I think there might be a few drinks tonight.”

Two Frenchmen, Lieutenant Colonel Thibaut Vallette and Astier Nicolas, sit fourth and fifth behind Ennis, hauling the French up into third overall. Great Britain currently look favourites for team gold, thanks in no small part to another fine performance from Canter.

“It was quite a rollercoaster out there,” said the 32-year-old. “I knew I had to be fast and that’s out of my comfort zone.”

Fast she was, but Klimke, carrying a penalty score of just 23.30 over from the dressage stage, was untouchable on the fiery SAP Hale Bob OLD.

“He was just so full of himself today,” the European 2017 individual gold medallist said. “He was very fast in the beginning; he really wanted to run.”

Not so for teammate Julia Krajewski, runaway leader after the dressage. The devastated 29-year-old and her mount Chipmunk FRH ran into problems at the difficult fence 14 and faded to 47th overall.

As a result, Germany slipped back to sixth in the team standings, the final qualification place for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Disappointing days for the likes of Blyth Tait, and Boyd Martin saw New Zealand and the USA drop out of that all-important top six.

Due to the bad weather expected in Tryon, competition will conclude on Monday, something leader Klimke is certainly relaxed about.

“I think the horses will like it,” she said. “Another day of vacation.”

Click here for full results.

By Luke Norman

Media contact:

Shannon Gibbons
Media Relations and Communications Manager
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

Competitions, Eventing/H.T.

Strzegom Horse Trials: A Walk with Course Designer Marcin Konarski on CICO3* Nations Cup Route

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It’s a big challenge to design a cross country course after the Championships. Achieving a balance between creating an interesting course for visitors whilst lowering technical requirements can be difficult. I hope all this year’s courses will be entertaining for spectators and at the same time friendly and educative for horses and riders. Designing a cross country course for the Nations Cup competition is particularly interesting. It is a team competition and it has its own rules.

The Nations Cup cross-country course begins with four easy but large scale fences, which are designed to help horses find the correct rhythm and for riders to feel in control.

The fifth fence is the first that spectators will be able to observe up close. It’s an enormous yellow-black oxer near a water fence complex. Then we have a long stretch of canter and a 1-stride combination of fences EUROINS 6AB on the top of the hill.

Over the next stretch, horse and rider will be presented with their first serious test on this cross-country route: it’s a combination of two URSUS tractors positioned parallel at a large angle provoking run-out to the left. We are now getting close to the first big fence complex sponsored by KOWAR. It starts with the largest log on the ditch followed by a four element combination, the direct route consisting of very risky skinny fence, concluding with another big jump through the ditch with the hedge.

Following such an intensive section of the cross-country, there is opportunity to take a breath. On route to the first water fence, there is only one jump through another ditch proceeded by a length of canter where riders will face the PODA LAKE combination which finishes with an innovative corner build with MIM safety cups and arranged in a non-conventional layout.

Now riders go straight to the main water complex, which this year, thanks to our principal partner, is called LOTTO ARENA. First is a massive table and on to the curve line jump into the water through vertical palisade. Next riders turn right and jump out off the water through a combination of skinny fence and corner. Dealing with this question requires high-level skills from the rider and a lot of precision from the horse. All four jumps are situated just a few meters from the visitor’s area, so they will bring a lot of sporting thrill for sure.

A short rest at the main show jumping arena with the task of two big oxers and then we go back to LOTTO ARENA. This part of the course begins with a jump into the water through the big log followed by a very difficult combination of house and corner in the water. It’s not far to the finishing line now. All that’s left to do is to jump the table followed by the final combination on this cross-country route, walls made of Strzegom granite. One last fence and we arrive at the finishing line!

Contact:
www.strzegomhorsetrials.pl
press@strzegomhorsetrials.pl

Competitions, Eventing/H.T.

Time to Show Jumping at Equestrian Festival Baborówko

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Photo: Oliver Townend and Cillnabradden Evo.

Oliver Townend (GBR) presenting an international level of eventing in Baborówko. Polish riders in great shape.

The cross country course has proven to be difficult in the CIC3* competition for the award of the patron Mr. Roman Roszkiewicz during the Equestrian Festival in Baborówko, as only two pairs finished without penalty points and in time: Oliver Townend (GBR) aboard Cillnabradden Evo and Maxime Livio (FRA) with Pica d’Or. The leader of the FEI ranking has taken the lead after dressage and kept it for the following day, finishing the cross country course without mistakes on obstacles and in time: 6:55 minutes. Before showjumping the British eventer has a 4,5 point advantage over Maxime Livio (FRA).

Maxime Livio (FRA) can certainly be happy. After dressage in the CIC3* the French rider was fourth with Opium de Verieres, 20th with Pica d’Or and 34th with Vitorio du Montet. After the challenging cross country course, Livio is second with Pica d’Or (finishing clear and in time) and 18th aboard Vitorio du Montet (with 14,4 penalty points for going over the time limit).

Andreas Dibowski (GER) has jumped from ninth to third position in the CIC3* competition (for the prize of the patron of the competition Mr Roman Roszkiewicz). The athlete has finished the cross country without any mistakes on the obstacles, but with a small penalty of 1,6 points for exceeding the time allowed.

Tim Price (NZL) was eliminated in CIC3* with Pats Jester as he fell off the horse in the second part of the cross country. The rider and the horse are feeling good.

CIC2* – the trophy of Kuhn Maszyny Rolnicze has a new leader: Mateusz Kiempa (POL) and Libertina, who made a really good ride in cross country. On the second place is Senne Vervaecke (BEL) with Jeno. Third place belongs to Andreas Dibowski (GER) on Belfast 35.

The ceremony of CIC1* was held – the trophy of Lotto. Yoshiaki Oiwa (JPN) with Bart L JRA has taken the lead after dressage and kept it for the following day. Second place won Paweł Warszawski (POL) with Frontiera and the third: Mateusz Kiempa (POL) with Ambrozio J.

Maxime Livio (FRA) and Clotaire de Ferivel are leading before show jumping in CICYH1*. Second place belongs to Stephanie Bohe (GER) with Romance P; third place to Paweł Warszawski (POL) and Hummer.

Program, start list and results are available at: www.festiwal.baborowko.pl.

More information at:
www.festiwal.baborowko.pl
https://www.facebook.com/festiwal.baborowko/
https://www.instagram.com/eventing_baborowko/

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Eventing/H.T., Kentucky Three-Day, USEF

Jung Back on Top after Cross-Country

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Lynn Symansky and Donner. Photo by: Taylor Pence/US Equestrian.

Symansky and Donner Ride to the Lead of Land Rover/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship

Lexington, Ky. – The conditions could not have been more perfect for a day of brilliant cross-country action, and the riders and horses did not disappoint. Defending champion Michael Jung of Germany and fisherRocana FST showed the depth of their partnership to take over the top spot after adding only 0.4 penalties to his dressage score to lead with 27.5.

Breathing down his neck is Australia’s Chris Burton and Nobilis 18 (27.9) and Oliver Townend of Great Britain on Cooley Master Class (28.7). Townend also tied for fourth aboard MHS King Joules (31.3) with Lynn Symansky and Donner (31.3). Less than a rail separates all of them as they head into the show jumping finale.

Symansky (Middleburg, Va.) and Donner, the 15-year-old Thoroughbred owned by The Donner Syndicate, LLC, are the highest-placed American combination and currently lead the Land Rover/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship. Overnight leader Marilyn Little (Frederick, Md.) and RF Scandalous, Jacqueline Mars and Phoebe and Michael Manders’s 13-year-old Oldenburg mare, added 8 time penalties to drop to sixth overall (32.8), and second in the national championship.

Donner is competing in his ninth CCI4* and their experience showed as he and Symansky cruised around easily. “I don’t have any complaints,” she said with a smile. “He takes a bit to get into the groove, especially with the crowd… He went around like clockwork. It’s a tribute to knowing the horse so well and having a great partnership with him. He tried his heart out, and I’m pleased with how he came home.”

Overall, 11 pairs came home double-clear around Derek di Grazia’s course. Thirty-six horses finished the course, six with jumping faults. Three were eliminated and four retired on course.

Course designer di Grazia, who will design courses for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, was pleased with how his course rode, even though more made the time than he was expecting. “I’m generally very happy about how the course rode,” he said. “I think the faults were spread out, quite a number clean without jumping faults and I think all the combinations rode well and, at the same time, [the riders] didn’t have to do them all the same way. People did things differently and it still worked out for them. And, we didn’t have any horse falls or rider injuries, and, to me, that’s all a positive.

“I think that the ground ended up being quite fast today,” di Grazia continued. “[In part because] the conditions couldn’t be better. A little rain would have been different, but you never know. We also had a very good field of riders today. It may not have been a huge field, but the ones we had were good.”

For more information about the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, visit kentuckythreedayevent.com.

Edited Press Release from Classic Communications

*Featured/Spotlights, Eventing/H.T., Kentucky Three-Day

Jung Takes Back Lead on Cross-Country Day at Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event

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(LEXINGTON, KY, USA) – April 28, 2018 – Germany’s Michael Jung moves one step closer to re-writing history as he takes back the lead following a spectacular cross-country ride on FischerRocana FST. Australia’s Christopher Burton was one of eleven riders to finish clear under the optimum time of 11.03 mins aboard Nobilis 18, keeping his score of 27.9 and putting the pressure on Michael Jung who has just a 0.4 advantage. Great Britain’s Oliver Townend sits in third and fourth place with his eyes on a ‘Land Rover double’ to follow up his win at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials last September.

Michael Jung spoke of his cross-country round. “I had a really fantastic ride today; FischerRocana was in very good condition and really enjoyed herself. At the Land Rover Head of the Lake I wanted to do four strides, but missed this.”

“FischerRocana was really fighting for me and it makes me so proud she never gives up – she had an opportunity to run out but she didn’t and that’s what our partnership is all about. She jumped well and galloped fast and it was so nice to feel that she had great fun on a tough course like this.” — Michael Jung, Germany

Christopher Burton is looking forward to show jumping. “We are all used to sitting behind Michael Jung! To be honest, we are just so excited to be here; my horse went fantastically today and I am so grateful to my owners for funding this trip. We have a lot of work to do ahead of tomorrow and a long way to go yet, so for now I am just going to enjoy the run we had.”

There will be no room for error in the show jumping test as only 1.2 penalties separate the top three, making the competition fiercer than ever. With 25,000 spectators expected to attend the event, the home crowd will be eager to see Lynn Symansky (USA) claim a victory for the US for the first time in 10 years. Partnered with her thoroughbred gelding, Donner, Symansky currently lies in joint-fourth place just 3.8 penalties from the top of the leaderboard.

Marty Bauman
Chief Press Officer
Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event
508.698.6810
marty@classic-communications.com

*Featured/Spotlights, Eventing/H.T., World Equestrian Games

Dutton Dominates Day Three of FEI CIC 3* at The Fork

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Phillip Dutton and Z. ©ShannonBrinkmanPhotography.

Tryon, NC USA – April 7, 2018 – Phillip Dutton (USA) and Z made easy work of the cross-country phase to overtake the lead heading into show jumping at The Fork, presented by Lucky Clays Farm at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) in the FEI CIC 3* division, serving as the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Eventing Test Event, and the pair sit on a score of 28. Jordán Linstedt (USA) and Revitavet Capato added 3.20 penalties onto their score to improve their rank to second place on a 29.9. Dutton also guided mounts I’m Sew Ready and Fernhill Cubalawn around the Captain Mark Phillips (GBR) designed course to secure third and fourth place rankings with scores of 30 and 31.5, respectively.

Dutton and the 2008 Zangersheide gelding (Asca x Bellabouche) owned by T. Tierney, S. Roosevelt, S. Lacy, A. Jones, and C. Moran, crossed through the timers in 6 minutes and 17 seconds, just a mere second over the optimum time. “The goal was to step things up a bit from what I’ve been doing as far as speed goes,” said Dutton. “I thought the course in general rode well. It’s golf course terrain, so you’re working all of the time with your lines and the different elements of up and down.”

FEI CIC 3* competitors commented on the potential hints on course as to what September is expected to bring on the track. “I think that it showed today with even a straightforward course that the time is hard to make, and that’s going to only be the first seven minutes,” noted Dutton, who is currently ranked fourth on the FEI World Eventing Athlete Rankings. “The horse needs to be fit and rideable. You want to ride through this terrain and not have to always be shortening up, so you want a nice, balanced, rideable horse. It’s going to be a good test.”

Dutton described his first place mount as competitive with uncommon athleticism, and one that he has fun piloting around the cross-country phase. “I’ve always known he was a freak!” exclaimed Dutton. “He just loves to jump. He’s only getting better and better. It’s kind of fun to be a part of his (hopefully) long career.”

“He’s point and shoot, and he’s just as good as my other horses. We’ve had one fall in which he over jumped in the water a few years ago, so we’ve learned from that. He’s not a horse that I want to ride aggressively all of the time, since he trusts me and if I say ‘really go,’ he really goes. I just have to make sure I don’t override him.”

As one of Team USA’s most veteran competitors, Dutton, who earned an Individual Bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, plans to run the gelding one more time at Fair Hill International in a combined training outing before heading to the Land Rover Kentucky Three Day Event at the end of April, where the horse will contest his first FEI CCI 4* event. “He’s on target,” stated Dutton. “I was pleased with the way he settled yesterday because the weakest part is the tension with him, so that was kind of a load off of my mind. We’ll run him next weekend to just get him in the ring one more time, but you never know if you have a four star horse until you run a four star course.”

Dutton’s third place mount, I’m Sew Ready, a 2004 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Lupicor x Jarda) owned by Kristine and John Norton, proved just that as he galloped around the cross-country phase with ease. “He can get strong before the fences, but it was a good run for him,” said Dutton, who is based in West Grove, PA and Aiken, SC. “I’ve still got him to go a bit faster; he’s not naturally that fast. This is his last run before Kentucky, so I’m pleased with him.”

The seasoned WEG contender has several strong prospects as potential selections come September, but Dutton hasn’t decided who he thinks will come out on top during the process. “I think that the horses usually work it out for you,” he said. “I will just try to get the best out of all of them and see where it ends up.”

Ending the day’s phase in the second place position, Jordán Linstedt and her own Revitavet Capato, a 2003 Hanoverian gelding (Contendro I x Annabelle), have been to TIEC several times, and Linstedt commented that their experience onsite has been helpful in their success so far.

“This is my third time going around the track. I was here last year in the spring and then again for the [USEA American Eventing Championships]. It was similar and it was helpful to have already gone out and done some of the questions, although it’s always different,” she said. “He felt fantastic from beginning to end. I didn’t go fast on him at Carolina [International] – I think it was the slowest I’d ever gone on him for multiple reasons. Here, I kind of went out pretty quick and he was great.”

Heading into the final day, Linstedt said she’s planning for a smooth ride to match Capato’s movement and commented that show jumping is the pair’s toughest phase. “I guess stadium is kind of my weakest link with him a little bit, so my plan is to go in and jump a good round. I tend to, since he’s such a big-moving horse, either go a bit too forward or a bit too back, so just a really smooth round [is my goal], and hopefully he jumps really well,” she concluded.

Whitney Mahloch Finishes on Top in Advanced A Division aboard Military Mind, while Lauren Kieffer and Veronica Dominate Advanced B

In the Advanced-A Division, Whitney Mahloch of Ocala, FL and Military Mind improved their placing from sixth place to sit in first with a 33.8 heading into the show jumping phase, ahead of Lynn Symansky of Middleburg, VA, who holds both second and third place after two phases aboard Under Suspection and Donner, sitting on penalties of 34.5 and 34.6, respectively.

The Advanced-B Division saw Lauren Kieffer of Middleburg, VA and Veronica jump into first place with a 36.9, ahead of Boyd Martin of Cochranville, PA and Steady Eddie, who finished the day on 39.1 for second place, and just ahead of Erin Sylvester of Cochranville, PA and Paddy the Caddy, who sit in third with a 39.2.

Please visit www.Tryon2018.com or follow @Tryon2018 on social media for more information.