New Area 2 Champ Qualifications, Plus Pics from Surefire
Area 2 Changes Championship Qualification Dates
Due to some confusion to the qualifying period for Area 2 Championships, the USEA Area 2 committee has changed the policy a bit. The new policy states that “the qualifying period for Area II Championships is from the closing date of the previously run Championship of a given level to the closing date of the current year’s Championship at that same level.”
To read the full story provided by the USEA and see the 2010 qualifying dates, please click here.
Carly Easton and Cooperstown Caliber jump out of the water on the Novice cross-country course at Surefire, on their way to placing third in Junior Novice B.
Success at Surefire
by Katherine O. Rizzo
Tremaine Cooper switched things up this year when designing the cross-country courses for the Surefire Horse Trials in Purcellville, Virginia for the June 26-27 weekend of eventing. The course ran in the opposite direction then in years past, making good use of the rolling hills.
Winning on Saturday was Alexa Henry of Mt. Airy aboard Serra Valley Michael. The pair rocked the cross-country course, easily finishing within time with a clean round. Henry won Open Novice E with a dressage score of 34.
Also placing at Novice that day was Casey Muller of Finksburg riding Claremont. Muller scored a 37 in dressage and jumped clean both in show jumping and cross-country to tie with fellow Marylander Carly Easton (Sandy Spring) for second place. The tie was broken by time cross-country with Muller taking second and Easton earning third riding Cooperstown Caliber. Easton also finished on her dressage score.
Three divisions of Intermediate ran Saturday morning before the heat set in. Maddi Fleit of Silver Spring was the only Maryland entry at that level. She rode Guypowder Valley to fifth place in the Intermediate Young Rider division. Fleit had a few rails in show jumping but rode clean cross-country.
Janiine Babcock jumps clean aboard Idle Secret and places fourth in Open Novice C at Surefire.
Beginner Novice competitors wrapped up Saturday’s competition. Grace Fulton of Finksburg earned second in Junior Beginner Novice riding FMF’s Zack-A-Rooni. The pair finished on its dressage score of 37.6.
The Preliminary divisions went first on Sunday with Sarah Bratton of Linesboro earning the blue in Junior/Young Rider Preliminary A. Her dressage score of 37.4 placed her sixth going into the jumping phases. Riding Aztec Gold, Bratton easily navigated the show jumping course and then jumped clean again cross-country, adding just a few time faults to her score.
In the same division, Mary Ballew of Finksburg rode General MacArthur in her first Preliminary event. The pair was fast and clean cross-country after dropping one rail in show jumping. She placed third overall.
Also earning third place at Preliminary was Erika Gonzalez of Germantown. She rode Copper Dancer to an impressive 33 in dressage to earn the yellow in Junior/Young Rider Preliminary B.
Leah Groner and Smarter Then The Average Bear placed 11th in Open Novice C after dropping one rail in show jumping.
In the Open Preliminary divisions, Julia Wendell of Upperco earned second riding Picante. The pair finished on its dressage score of 34.8 in Open Preliminary B.
At Training level, no Maryland eventers placed in the top three, but three riders earned fifths. Chevy Chase junior Chloe Brownlee dropped a rail in show jumping to place fifth in Junior Training A riding Springline. Amy Mullen of Elkton had a few rails with Quiet Move to place fifth in Junior Training B. Pamela Blumberg of Poolesville also had a rail and earned fifth in Open Training D riding Kodak.
Oliver King and Bettina Star finish on their dressage score to place 9th in Open Novice E.
Eventing Heats Up
by Katherine O. Rizzo
Sara Tilley and Glacier Bay jump clean at Seneca to finish in seventh place at Novice.
Herman Wins Big at Plantation
Mardi Herman of Darlington topped the list at Preliminary on June 5 in Unionville, Pennsylvania at the Plantation Fields Horse Trials to win the Preliminary Rider division aboard her homebred Zoe. After the dressage phase, Herman and Zoe were in second place with a 33.2. Zoe jumped well in both jumping phases and Herman guided her around the courses inside the time to finish on that score and in first place.
At Novice, Earleville rider Julie Skaife rode H.K.’s Sassy Pants to second place in Novice Rider. Her score of 34.8 was the best score by a Marylander at the Novice level.
Jordan Litter of Forest Hill piloted Trailblazer to fourth place in the small Junior Training division. She also rode Creon Z to fifth place in Junior Novice.
Kristen Parris and No Halo Here jump the second tent on Rubicon’s Preliminary cross-country course. The pair placed third overall.
Rock’n at Rubicon
The Rubicon Farm Horse Trials took place on June 5-6 in Lucketts, Virginia on a hot and steamy weekend. Afternoon thunderstorms on Sunday delayed the Beginner Novice jumping phases but gave a welcome relief to the heat. Winning at Beginner Novice was Mt. Airy junior Skyler Decker. Normally you’ll see this talented young rider winning aboard her own pony Checkered Flag, this time she rode Robin Petrasek’s Nickles and Dimes for the win.
Also placing in the top three at Beginner Novice was Melissa Smith, trainer at Reddemeade Farm in Silver Spring, riding her own Smarty. The pair moved up the ranks after jumping clean in both show jumping and cross-country to finish third in Beginner Novice Rider.
At Novice, Maryland juniors earned blues in both Junior Novice Rider divisions. Ellen Moxley of West Friendship jumped clean aboard Cricket to win the A division while Emily Arches of Elkridge rode On Eagles Wings to win the B division.
Alexa Henry and April Johns each finished in the top three at Novice as well. Henry, from Mt. Airy, rode Serra Valley Michael to third place in Novice Rider A. April Johns, also of Mt. Airy, placed second in Novice Rider B with Mariah’s Top Dollar.
Marylanders won half of the Training divisions on Sunday morning. After a short rain delay, Mary Ballew of Finksburg got the chance to show her stuff on the cross-country course, jumping clean aboard General MacArthur. The pair won the Junior Training division. In the same division, barnmate Savannah Fulton (Full Moon Farm) rode Regal Wood to third place. Look for these two to move up to Preliminary later this summer!
Stephen Fulton and FMF’s Ides of March placed fourth at Preliminary at Rubicon.
Mardy Morani of Lothian took home top honors in the Open Training B division. He rode Pretty Vegas to a 25.7 for the win. Frederick’s Louise Foster won Training Rider A aboard Along Came A Spyder. She dropped one rail in show jumping and narrowly won by 0.1 points.
Kristen Parris of Mt. Airy was the highest placing Marylander at Preliminary. She and No Halo Here placed third in Preliminary Rider. Stephen Fulton of Finksburg was just 0.5 points behind in fourth place riding FMF’s Ides of March. And only 0.4 points behind him was Tracey Bienemann of Pasadena with Aces Zoomin’ Dude.
US Riders Dominate Canada’s Bromont Three-Day
On June 10-13, several of the country’s top riders traveled to Canada to compete in the Bromont Three-Day Event at the CCI*, ** and *** levels. US riders won at every level! Viginia’s William Coleman rode Nevada Bay to win the CCI***, Kelli Temple, also of Virignia, rode Axel Rose to win the CCI** and Pennsylvania’s Boyd Martin took home the win in the CCI* with Minotaure du Passoir. Among the ranks of each division were seven Marylanders.
In the CCI***, Colleen Rutledge of Turnabout Farm in Mt. Airy rode Shiraz to 12th place. Rutledge and Shiraz had a tense dressage test to tie them with fellow Marylanders Katie Ruppel (Yellow Rose Eventing, Adamstown) with Sir Donovan in 24th place. Both Maryland riders jumped clean cross-country but were a tad slow. Interesting enough, both riders came in off the cross-country course only one second apart in time. Thus, after cross-country, Rutledge edged in front of Ruppel by 0.4 points. The riders moved up to 16th and 17th place going into the final jog and show jumping. In the end, Rutledge finished 12th and Ruppel settled for 13th place.
Molly Rosin of Havarah Equestrian retired after dressage aboard Havarah’s Charly.
Two Marylanders placed within the ribbons in the CCI**. Kerry Blackmer of Miles Ahead Farm in Adamstown rode Case Closed to eighth place while Valerie Vizcarrondo of Blue Clover Eventing in Harwood placed ninth aboard Clifton Jade. But riders moved up the standing significantly after jumping clean and inside the time on cross-country. Blackmer jumped clean in show jumping while Vizcarrondo dropped two rails. Read a first hand account of the event from Vizcarrondo in our October print edition.
Rutledge rode Dillon to fourth place after dressage but was eliminated cross-country.
Ruppel rode her second horse of the competition, Houdini, to 13th place in the CCI*. The pair jumped clean cross-country but just outside the time. A few problems in show jumping moved them down to 13th from 10th.
Alexandra Curtiss of Mane Chance Eventing in Brookeville was sitting in fifth place going into show jumping with Checkout the Charmer. Unfortunately, 20 show jumping faults moved her down to 18th place. Riding for Australia but calling Woodbine home, Kate Chadderton of Victory Sporthorses rode Collection Pass to 25th place in the CCI*.
Meredith Kearney was one of the many Pony Clubbers who competed at Seneca. She placed fourth aboard Bob at Novice.
Success at Seneca
The Spring Horse Trials sponsored by Seneca Valley Pony Club took place on June 12-13 at Bittersweet Field in Poolesville in conjunction with the Capital Region Eventing Rally for Pony Club. The event ran Training through Intermediate levels on Saturday and Beginner Novice and Novice levels on Sunday. Extreme heat played a significant role in how riders navigated the cross-country course as several saved their horses’ energy and slowly made it around the courses.
At Intermediate, Jamie Furtado of Crofton jumped clean aboard Come Out and Play to finish fourth in Open Intermediate. She was the top placing Marylander at this level.
Top Preliminary honors went to Erika Gonzalez of Germantown. She rode Copper Dancer to win Junior/Young Rider Preliminary with only four show jump penalties added to her dressage score.
Finnegan dropped one rail in show jumping with Lela Hanagan on board. The pair finished 11th at Training level.
Lee Bradshaw and Nabucco scored 29.6 in dressage and jumped clean. A few cross-country time faults moved the pair down to sixth in Novice Rider.
Although no Marylanders won at Training level, Josie Bennett Miss (Fallston) and Lisa Warnock (Hagerstown) came close. Bennett Miss placed second in Junior Training riding M-S Reddy Fox. Warnock rode Hit and Run to second place in Training Senior Rider. Warnock also placed fourth in Training Rider aboard Constant Sorrow. Elisa Willems of Gaithersburg rode We Jammin’ to third place in Training Rider while Nancy Verzi of White Hall earned third in Training Senior Rider with Journey Leader.
Marylanders won almost all of the Novice divisions on Sunday. Denise Connelly of Germantown put in the best performance winning Open Novice with a 27.4 riding Cat in the Hat. Cary Chavis of Washington, D.C. also scored well in dressage, winning Novice Rider with a 28.3 riding The Tin Man. Scoring a 30, Samantha Allan of Brandywine rode Everest to win Novice Horse B. Junior Novice Rider was won by Ellen Moxley of West Friendship. This was her second win of the season riding Cricket.
Michael Hillman of Emmitsburg rode Ensign Crusher to third place in Novice Horse A. Dana Norquist of Germantown also earned third, this time in Novice Rider with Foothills Waterman. Leslie Favre of Crofton took home second in Novice Senior Rider aboard Remington.
Barnmates Hannah Rosenberg and Alexa Easton placed second and third, respectively in Junior Novice Rider. Rosenberg jumped clean with I Dig A Pony and Easton dropped on rail in show jumping with Tiger Lily. Both jumped clean cross-country.
Janice Brinkley-Cole and Lionheart are two for two at Beginner Novice this season in terms of wins. The pair won at Waredaca in May and then again at Seneca. This time Cole scored a 30.5 to win Beginner Novice Horse. Linda Cosgrove of Chevy Chase finished third in Beginner Novice Senior Rider with Mark Set Go.
Jill Windsor of Lithicum seems to attract second place ribbons. At Waredaca, she placed second with W.S. Reckless and then again at Seneca, this time in Open Beginner Novice.
Laura Pitts piloted Honestly So to finish in third place at Novice on her dressage score of 31.7 at Seneca.
Kelsey Siegel moved her horse Just In Time up to Novice at Seneca to finish in 11th place.
Catherine Hanagan rode Zophie to sixth place at Novice at Seneca.
Winning at Waredaca
by Katherine O. Rizzo
Leah Sartotius’s Flame of Truth, ridden by Julia Beamish, was the top placing Maryland-bred in the 5-Year-Old Young Event Horse division.
On Memorial Day weekend, Waredaca in Laytonsville hosted a Future Young Event Horse, Young Event Horse and USEA Recognized Horse Trials (Beginner Novice through Intermediate). The weekend was full of eventing action, and for once in a long while, no rain!
Future and Young Event Horses
Entries were a bit low for the FYEH and YEH competition on Friday, May 28. The day began with eight 5-year-olds in the YEH competition. Placing first and second was Ryan Wood of West Grove, Pennsylvania, riding two horses for owner Sarah Hughes. He won aboard Zeizos and placed second riding Alcatraz.
The highest placing Maryland horse was Flame of Truth, ridden by Julia Beamish of Sunshine and owned by Leah Sartorius of Silver Spring. Clifford, as he is called at home, placed third. He is a Thoroughbred by the Maryland stallion Salute The Truth. Beamish stated, “[Salute The Truth’s] offspring tend to be very talented, good horses but late bloomers and Clifford is still very much an adolescent. Because he’s still changing so much, we’re not rushing things with him.”
Clifford and Beamish have been impressing dressage judges all around Area II, scoring in the low 20s on many occasions. “He’s happy, calm, uncomplicated, open-minded… he is relaxed and elastic, has good natural balance and a powerful hind end, responds nicely to the aides and is completely obliging. I have to give him almost all the credit for our good dressage scores. If I just sit up straight and keep my hands quiet, he puts in a beautiful test for me. It’s that easy.”
The 4-year-olds were next on the competition schedule. Matt Flynn of Gladstone, New Jersey won the class aboard a Holsteiner gelding named Caspar. Flynn co-owns the horse with Susan and Matt Schmidt. Marylander Julia Wendell of An Otherwise Perfect Farm in Upperco rode her own Piper Cub to third place.
The only 3-year-old in the FYEH competition was Emmi Holmes’ American Warmblood filly Little Miss Moonshine. Jill Windsor’s Skylark WS, an Oldenburg filly bred by Windsor at Windsor Stables in Linthicum, won the 2-year-old class.
Waredaca Horse Trials
Waredaca is one of the few events in Area II to offer the “in-between” levels that help horses and riders make the jump from one level to the next. For these divisions, riders are tested at the higher level for dressage and show jumping and at the lower level for cross-country. Points are awarded towards the lower level.
At the May event, Waredaca offered a Preliminary/Intermediate, Training/Preliminary and Novice/Training division, as well as the regular divisions at Beginner Novice through Intermediate. These in-between levels are great for the horses and riders, however can cause scheduling nightmares. Thus, the only complaint heard from competitors throughout the weekend was the delays in the jumping phases. Waredaca’s staff and volunteers did a great job keeping the day moving as quickly as possible.
Barbara Cohen-King jumps clean aboard Zeke to place fourth in Beginner Novice A.
Grace Fulton shows good form aboard FMF Griffin to finish second in Beginner Novice B.
Skyler Decker looks for her next jump while riding Checkered Flag to sixth place in Beginner Novice B.
Four Beginner Novice divisions ended competition day on Saturday. Jill Windsor rode her own W.S. Reckless to second place in Beginner Novice A. She added only one dropped show jump rail to her dressage score of 32.5. In Beginner Novice B, Grace Fulton of Full Moon Farm in Finksburg earned second aboard FMF Griffin. The pair finished the day on its dressage score of 29. Sarah-Elizabeth Hyde, also of Finksburg, took home second in the division riding The Great Gatsby.
Edgewater rider Janice Binkley Cole, rode Lionheart to win Beginner Novice C with a score of 34. The pair led the division from start to finish and ended on its dressage score. Jennie Stone of Damascus rode Emerald Isle to third place in the same division. Alexandra MacLeod of Chevy Chase was the highest placing Marylander in Beginner Novice D. She rode Noble to fourth place.
In Novice Horse A, Alyssa Peterson of Waldorf rode Slew of Diamonds to third place. Leslie Favre of Crofton earned second in Novice Rider A aboard Remington. Heather Berwanger of Brinklow and April Johns of Mt. Airy placed second and third, respectively in Novice Rider B. Berwanger rode Rainbow’s Promise to second and Johns placed third with Mariah’s Top Dollar.
Valerie Kubit of Annapolis topped the Novice Rider C division with Might Mouse. The pair jumped clean to finish on its dressage score of 33.5. Catonsville junior Kelsey Parks Smith rode Louie to second place in the division.
Samantha Allan of Allan Sporthorses in Brandywine rode Everest to sixth place in Open Novice. She was the highest placing Maryland Open rider at the Novice level.
Molly Rosin and Sprite jumped clean to finish on their dressage score and in fourth place in Open Training.
Tracey Bienemann placed 10th in Open Training riding Zara (pictured) and then won Jr/YR Preliminary aboard Aces Zoomin’ Dude.
Kelsea Blazek and Jon’s April Lark complete their first recognized Training level horse trials in eighth place.
After competing Parisian at Training level in 2009, Piper Shepard of Baltimore started the 2010 season with winning the Novice/Training division. The pair finished on its dressage score of 35. Ashleigh McKown, also of Baltimore, rode In Full Swing to third place in the division.
In the regular Training divisions, Marylanders topped three out of four divisions. Megan Avella of Clarksburg won Training Rider A aboard Fantastick. Hagerstown rider Lisa Warnock took home the blue for Training Rider B with Constant Sorrow and Sally Buchheister of Upper Marlboro won blue in Training Rider C with Whispers.
Suzannah Cornue of Poolesville placed second with Korbin and Lara Miller of Boyds placed third in Training Rider B. In Open Training, Molly Rosin placed fourth riding Sprite.
Alexandra Curtiss of Mane Chance Eventing in Brookeville placed third in the Training/Preliminary division riding Sunshine Stalker.
Savannah Fulton tried her hand at Preliminary in the Training/Preliminary division where she rode Regal Wood to seventh.
Mary Ballew is all smiles as she finishes a clean round in the Preliminary/Training division to place sixth.
Maryland juniors took home the top four spots in the Junior/Young Rider Preliminary division. Tracey Bienemann of Pasadena topped the list with Aces Zoomin’ Dude. After placing second in dressage, Bienemann put in the only double clean rounds both in show jumping and cross-country to earn the win. In second place was Sarah Bratton of Linesboro. She rode Aztec Gold to clean jumping rounds but racked up some time faults cross-country. Silver Spring junior Maddie Fleit rode Guypowder Valley to fourth place, dropping a rail in show jumping. Rounding out the top four was Gabrielle Shaw of Port Republic. She and My Majestic Knight dropped a show jump rail and earned some time faults cross-country.
Oliver King of Frederick rode Active Andy to third place in Preliminary Rider.
Sheri Thornley of Southwind Farm in Damascus put in two impressive clean jump rounds to place third in the Preliminary/Intermediate division aboard Toga.
At Intermediate, Alexandra MacLeod was the only Marylander to finish in the ribbons. She rode Arrow to clean jump rounds to place fifth overall.
Alexandra MacLeod and Arrow jump the bench on the Intermediate cross-country course. The pair jumped clean but just outside the time to place fifth.
Adult Team Challenge Moves Out of State
Unfortunately Waredaca Farm will not be able to host the Chronicle of the Horse Eastern Adult Team Challenge this year. The Eastern ATCs will still take place! They will be held in Area 1 (New York) at the Millbrook Horse Trials August 5 – 8. Click HERE for Omnibus listing.
Victory in Virginia
by Katherine O. Rizzo
On May 22-23 in Lexington, Virginia, several Maryland eventers competed in the Virginia Horse Trials at the Beginner Novice through Intermediate levels.
At Intermediate, Valerie Vizcarrondo of Blue Clover Eventing and Molly Rosin of Havarah Equestrian both came home with ribbons. Vizcarrondo, who hails from Harwood, point in one of only four double clean cross-country rounds. She rode Clifton Jade to place fourth in Intermediate Rider.
Rosin, from Baltimore, rode Havarah’s Charly to third place in Open Intermediate. The pair scored a 31.2 in dressage and jumped clean both in show jumping and in cross-country, but did add a few time faults to its cross-country score.
Kristen Parris of Kristen Parris Eventing at A Deck Above Farm in Mt. Airy, rode her homebred No Halo Here to second place in Preliminary Rider. The pair dropped one rail in show jumping and went a tad slow on cross-country.
Junior rider Julia Ennis of Queenstown finished on her dressage score of 29.5 to win Junior Open Training A aboard Walstread. This Dutch Warmblood is a new mount for Ennis and this was their first event together.
Kara Clissold of Towson rode Mischief Managed to clean rounds and second place in Training Rider C.
At Novice, junior Julie Kessler of Warwick scored a 35 in dressage to place second in Junior Open Novice C. Dana Norquist of Germantown rode Foothills Waterman to a 31 and third place in Novice Horse E.
Olney rider Julie Augustine and Texas Riddle placed second in Open Beginner Novice. The pair finished on its dressage score of 31.4.
Cindy Wood Wins Preliminary Three-Day
by Emily Daily/USEA
Cindy Wood’s wire-to-wire win at the Virginia Preliminary Three-Day Event on May 21-23 in Lexington, VA, the first classic-format Preliminary three-day of 2010, marked the culmination of a long-awaited goal for this adult amateur from Newark. “I just wanted to finish on my dressage score at a long-format three-day,” said Cindy, 49. Her dream came true as she and her homebred Connemara/Thoroughbred gelding Unbelievable (Gold Rock x Hideaway’s Erin Go Bragh) pulled off a big win at the Preliminary Three-Day Event, part of the Virginia Horse Trials.
Cindy and ‘Lee’ led the field of six horses after their final salute in dressage on Friday morning, posting an impressive 33.3 to top the charts. “He was actually really good…I screwed up the first counter-counter, and got like a three and a four, but we still ended up about five points in front of everybody.”
The pair was competing in their second Preliminary Three-Day Event, having galloped around boldly at last year’s P3D, and this year proved no exception to their pristine record. “He was just fabulous on cross-country. On steeplechase this year he was like, ‘I got this, Mom, I know what’s going on!”
Cindy was exceptionally pleased with how well Lee performed on Phase D, the cross-country course. “It was nice because the designers really did open it up and have more galloping room, and we had a couple combinations on the classic course, and he just handled them fabulously. You’d get him on the line, and he’d say, ‘I got it, I got it!’
Cindy hails from Newark, a relatively flat area compared to the rolling hills at the Virginia Horse Center, yet had no problem conditioning Lee for the endurance day. “I just do the same thing everybody else does—a lot of gallops and a lot of trotting. Last year, I took him up to Fair Hill twice and did some gallops up the hills, but this year I only got up there one day. I think he just had a better base this year. Once they get that fit, it’s easier to get them fit again. He’s just been easy—he’s a lot of fun.” Lee was also awarded the Best Conditioned Horse of the P3D, and earned a RecoveryWrap-Equine System from Vital Wear and a trophy from Hands On Pottery for their accomplishment.
Bred and trained by Cindy, Lee had a bit of a rough start in life as his dam Gold Rock colicked when he was very young, and Cindy and her husband had to bucket feed him in his early days. Gold Rock, a Thoroughbred, used to event with Cindy and now serves as Cindy’s main foxhunter. “Actually, Lee hunted this year a lot because she was lame, so he ended up having to do double-duty. He was fabulous…he’s just like, ‘okay, another job! This is cool!’ Like a fine wine, Lee seems to get better and better with age. “He turned eight today,” said Cindy proudly, on Saturday. “As a four-year-old he did Novice, as a five-year-old he did Training and did the Training Three-Day, and as a six-year-old and did Prelim–so this is his third season at Prelim.”
Though Lee has proven himself both mentally and physically capable of competing at the upper-levels, we probably won’t see Cindy partnering with him for that feat. “I personally don’t want to go Intermediate. I look at the fences and think, yeah, I could probably do that….but do I want to? I’d really like to see how far he can go, so I might get somebody to ride him. He’s young, he’s sound, let’s see how far he can go.”
Cindy added that she and upper-level rider Carol Kozlowski have joked about Carol getting the ride on Lee. Carol serves on the USEA Board of Governors, and is well-known for her success at the Advanced level riding Lee’s sire, the purebred Connemara stallion Hideaway’s Erin Go Bragh. Cindy added, “Lee’s practically a twin for Take Time,” the talented halfbred gelding, owned by Lynn Blades, whom Carol competed through the CCI2* level, including a 2nd place finish at Jersey Fresh CCI2* in 2008.
“We have a rail, but hopefully we won’t need it,” said Cindy, after Saturday’s cross-country round. Turns out, they didn’t even need it–the second placed competitor dropped a rail, giving Cindy and Lee an eight-point cushion.
To read more about Virginia’s Three-Day Event, click here.
Check back later to read how Marylanders placed at the Virginia Horse Trials.
Eventing in Maryland is in Full Swing
by Katherine O. Rizzo
Wood and Foster Win at Loudoun
While most of the eventing community was watching the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event on their computers, others were competing at the Loudoun Hunt Pony Club Spring Horse Trials held at Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia on April 24-25. The event held Beginner Novice through Intermediate levels.
Winning at Preliminary was Cindy Wood of Newark. She rode Unbelievable to a 33.2 in dressage to win the Open Preliminary division. Placing third in the same division was fellow Marylander, Jamie Furtado of Crofton aboard Come Out and Play.
Jamie Furtado and Come Out and Play (pictured here at MCTA)
In only her second Preliminary run, Erika Gonzalez of Germantown placed second in Preliminary Rider. She rode Copper Dancer to a 33.2 in dressage, which put her in a tie for first place. An unfortunate rub in show jumping dropped a rail, moving her down to second.
Also placing well at Preliminary was Alexandra Curtiss of Brookeville. She rode Checkout the Charmer to fourth place in Preliminary Horse.
Louise Foster of Frederick won the Training Amateur division riding Along Came A Spyder. This was the pair’s first event of the season. Foster scored a 32.3 in dressage and jumped clean both on cross-country and in show jumping. In the same division, Lisa Warnock of Hagerstown rode Constant Sorrow to fourth place and Kristen Parris of Mt. Airy finished fifth aboard No Halo Here.
Junior rider Tracey Bienemann of Pasadena rode Aces Zoomin’ Dude to second in Junior/Young Rider Training A. She also finished seventh in the same division riding her new mount, Zara. Both horses finished on their dressage scores.
The only Maryland entry in Intermediate was Alexandra MacLeod of Chevy Chase. She and Arrow left all the rails in their cups and only received a few time faults cross-country to finish sixth.
Sisters Charlotte and Rebecca Goodman placed second and third, respectively, in Junior/Young Rider Novice A with only one point separating them. Charlotte finished on a dressage score of 31 about Happy Hunch and Rebecca earned a 32 on Cor Leonis.
Scoring a 30 in dressage, Heidi Brueckner of Owings Mill rode Inquisitive to second place in Novice Rider.
The highest placing Marylander at the Beginner Novice level was Trey DeRaimo of New Market. He rode WhoWhatWhere to sixth place in Junior/Young Rider Beginner Novice.
Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz (pictured here at MCTA)
Many Wins at MCTA
The weekend of May 1-2 was full of great eventing at Shawan Downs in Cockeysville where the MCTA Horse Trials took place. Divisions were packed at the Novice through Preliminary levels and even Intermediate and Advanced had 36 entries combined indicating that the recession seems to be easing up and competitors are coming out in force.
At Advanced, Colleen Rutledge of Turnabout Farm in Mt. Airy placed fifth and sixth out of fourteen entries. With Dillon, Rutledge scored a 35.9 in dressage, jumped clean in show jumping but had a “silly stop” cross-country to finish sixth overall. Aboard Shiraz, Rutledge scored a 43.4 in dressage, racked up quiet a few jump faults in show jumping and jumped clean cross-country to place fifth.
Rutledge and Shiraz went on to compete at the Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event on May 5-9 in Allentown, New Jersey. The pair was entered in the CIC*** division and placed eighth overall.
Courtney Sendak of Sparks rocked the Intermediate division jumping clean cross-country and only dropping one rail in show jumping. She and Wil’Ya Love Me finished third overall.
Courtney Sendak and Wil’Ya Love Me
Abigail Gibbon and Prima LGF
The highest placing Maryland Preliminary rider was Jamie Furtado of Crofton. She and Come Out and Play finished on their dressage score of 37.4 to earn second place in Open Preliminary B. In the Junior/Young Rider Preliminary division, it was Sarah Bratton of Linesboro who was the highest placing Marylander. She rode Aztec Gold to fourth place.
At Training level, Abigail Gibbon of Silver Spring won Training Rider A aboard Prima LGF. Her score of 32.3 in dressage had the pair in second place going into the jumping phases behind fellow Marylander Sally Bruchheister riding Whispers. Both riders had some difficulties in show jumping but Gibbon came out on top to win the division and Bruchheister dropped to ninth. Katy Gates of Monrovia rounded out the top three in the division riding Gizmo to clean jumping rounds.
In Training Rider B, Kara Clissold of Towson placed second riding Mischief Managed while Chelsea Eldridge of Frederick finished third with Elf. Both riders had one dropped rail in show jumping.
Mary Ballew of Finksburg scored a 33.6 in dressage aboard General MacArthur to place second in the Junior Training division. In Training Horse, Brittany Meyer of Ellicott City and Parker Station placed third. In Open Training A, Beth Wheeler of Harwood rode Uncle Fred to second place and Daniel Warrington of Elkton placed third with Classico Z.
Beth Wheeler and Uncle Fred
Brittany Meyer and Parker Station
Maryland young riders topped both Junior Novice divisions at MCTA. Casey Muller of Ellicott City rode Claremont to win Junior Novice A with an impressive dressage score of 27. She led the division from start to finish and jumped clean. Josie Bennett Miss of Fallston and M-S Reddy Fox won Junior Novice B on a dressage score of 38.
In the A division, Emily Arches of Elkridge placed third aboard On Eagles Wings. Julie Kessler of Warwick finished second in the B division riding Ballycanew. Jordan Litter of Forest Hill placed third riding Creon Z.
Baltimore rider Ashleigh McKown won the Open Novice division with a 31. She rode In Full Swing for the win. Denise Connelly of Germantown rode Cat in the Hat to place third in the same division.
Tuuli Juurikkala of Bethesda finished third in Novice Rider with Crossroad.
Emily Arches and On Eagles Wings (pictured here at MCTA)
Dominating Difficult Run
The Difficult Run Spring Horse Trials took place on May 1-2 in Herndon, Virginia at Frying Pan Park. The facilities at Frying Pan Park are in the process of getting a facelift, with renovated stabling and other improvements. The competition offered Beginner Novice through Preliminary levels.
Winning that weekend were Kristen Parris of Mt. Airy and Julia Beamish of Sunshine. Parris rode No Halo Here in the pair’s first Preliminary event to win Open Preliminary. Beamish rode Leah Sartorius’s Flame of Truth to win Open Novice.
Parris and Briley scored a 38.2 in dressage to go into the jumping phases in fourth place out of a field of 10. They then jumped clean to win the division by 20 points and were the only pair to finish on its dressage score. Parris liked the cross-country and show jump courses and felt that they were designed to help the horses feel more confident as the courses progressed. She was obviously, pleased with Briley’s performance stating, “We ended our first Preliminary event on our dressage score and won our division so to say it was an incredible feeling would be an understatement! I am so proud of him and what we have accomplished together!”
Kristen Parris and No Halo Here
In only his second event at Novice, Flame of Truth scored a 26.5 in dressage to place second before the jumping phases. Beamish then guided him to clean jumping rounds for both show jump and cross-country, though they did receive a few cross-country time faults. They won Open Novice with a final score of 30.1.
In Novice Rider, Alyssa Ford of Hampstead jumped clean but with a few time faults in show jumping to finish second with Upper Limit. Only one point behind Ford was Mini Gammell of Beallsville and Princess Buttercup who placed third.
At Beginner Novice, Walkersville junior Zoe Hatgi rode Irish Queen to place third in Junior Beginner Novice. Parkville rider Michelle Benczkowski and Hansel placed third in Beginner Novice Senior Rider.
Pamela Blumberg of Poolesville was the highest placing Marylander at Training level. She rode Kodak to third place in Open Training 2.
Juniors Jump Well at Plantation
At Plantation Field’s second horse trials of the season, May 8-9 in Unionville, Pennsylvania, Maryland’s junior riders out shown the pros in almost every level from Beginner Novice through Intermediate.
In Junior Beginner Novice, Grace Fulton of Full Moon Farm in Finksburg placed in the top six aboard both her mounts. Riding FMF Griffin, Fulton scored a 29.5 in dressage and dropped one show jump rail to place third. Riding FMF’s Zack-A-Rooni, she jumped clean to finish on a dressage score of 36.5 and place sixth.
Kelsey Parks Smith and Louie (pictured here at MCTA)
Fulton’s barn mates Emily Arches of Elkridge and Kelsey Parks Smith of Catonsville placed in the top three of Junior Novice. Arches rode On Eagles Wings to clean rounds for second place while Smith and Louie had a few cross-country time faults and placed third.
In Junior Training, Alexandra MacLeod of Chevy Chase rode West Side Story to ninth. The pair jumped clean but racked up several time faults in both jumping phases. MacLeod was the only Marylander to compete at Intermediate. She had one stop cross-country with Arrow to finish 12th.
At Preliminary, Maddie Fleit of Silver Spring and Clare Green of Damascus each had one stop cross-country but still placed in the ribbons. Fleit finished sixth aboard Guypowder Valley in Junior/Young Rider Preliminary and Green placed seventh riding Windbrook Sensotronic. The two young riders were also the only Marylanders to finish the competition at the Preliminary level.
Just one week after scoring a 26.5 to win at Difficult Run, Julia Beamish of Sunshine and Flame of Truth scored a 20.9 to win Open Novice B at Plantation. This time, they made time on cross-country to finish on their dressage score. Cary Chavis of Washington, D.C. rode The Tin Man to third place in the same division.
Molly Rosin of Baltimore rode BeauJeste to third place in Open Training A. Nancy Verzi of White Hall placed third in Training Rider with Journey Leader.
Fair Hill
On May 15-16, Fair Hill International Horse Trials held Novice through Intermediate competition levels in Elkton. Emily Arches and Erika Gonzalez topped both of their divisions.
Arches and On Eagles Wings led Junior Novice B from start to finish with a dressage score of 25.7. Gonzalez improved her dressage with Copper Dancer to score a 30.9 in Junior/Young Rider Preliminary. Even with a dropped rain in show jumping, Gonzalez held onto her lead to win the division.
At Intermediate, the highest placing Marylander was Kerry Blackmer of Adamstown. She rode Case Closed to 12th place.
Kate Chadderton of Damascus earned two yellows at Novice riding Cowboy and Queen of Phoeba. With Cowboy, owned by Amy Taggart, Chadderton scored a 27 in dressage and dropped a rail in show jumping to place third in Open Novice B. Jane Gilbert’s Queen of Phoeba also had some trouble in show jumping to finish third in Open Novice E. Earning third as well, was Casey Muller of Ellicott City who rode Claremont in Junior Novice A.
Savannah Fulton of Finksburg jumped clean aboard Regal Wood to place second in Junior Training A. Mardi Morani of Lothian rode Susan Mende’s Pretty Vegas to second place in Open Training E. Alexandra Curtiss of Brookeville and Sunshine Stalker finished third in the same division.
Eventing Returns to Maryland
by Katherine O. Rizzo
Brittany Meyer rode Forbidden Colors (pictured) to fifth place in Open Training at Redland Hunt Pony Club Horse Trials, the division she also won aboard Parker Station.
First Event of the Season at Fair Hill
April 16 marked the first day of eventing in Maryland for the 2010 season. Fair Hill International Horse Trials in Elkton began with the dressage for the CIC* and CIC** divisions as well as Training through Advanced levels.
Lauren Sumner of Germantown had a great showing in her first CIC* event. Her score of 62 in dressage placed her and Golden Memories in seventh place at the end of the first day. The Morgan mare jumped around the cross-country course on Saturday with ease and only dropped one rail on Sunday’s show jump course. In the end, the pair finished in fourth place out of 12 CIC* entries. Claire Kelley of Illinois won the division aboard Clifton Peekachu.
In the CIC**, the standings jumped around a bit each day with four Marylanders completing the event. Julia Wendell of An Otherwise Perfect Farm in Upperco ended the competition as the top placing Marylander. She rode Picante to 12th place in the division won by Pennsylvanian Jennifer Brannigan and Cambalda. Valerie Vizcarrondo of Blue Clover Eventing (Harwood) placed 14th aboard Clifton Jade, Kelley Williams of A Bit Better Farm (Sunshine) finished 16th with Brazen Bomber and Alyssa Peterson of Waldorf rode Lettingo to 18th.
Colleen Rutledge (Turnabout Farm, Mt. Airy) and Molly Rosin (Havarah Eventing, Baltimore) each snagged ribbons at the Advanced level. Rutledge and Shiraz jumped clean to finish in third. Rosin and Havarah’s Charly also jumped clean to place sixth. Rutledge’s second horse, Dillon placed just outside the ribbons in eighth and Mogie Bearden-Muller of Centreville finished ninth with Select.
Rosin took home a fifth place ribbon while riding BeauJeste in Open Training B. The pair finished on its dressage score of 45.5 to be the top placing Marylander at this level.
Nancy Seybold and Django jumped clean to place third at the Redland Hunt Pony Club Horse Trials.
Redland Pony Club Puts on Top Class Event
While the upper level horses were running around Fair Hill, the “greener” ones were getting started at the Redland Hunt Pony Club Horse Trials on April 17-18 at Brooke Grove Farm in Olney. The horse trials offered Beginner Novice through Training levels. Farm owner, Dr. Charles Mess spent most of the spring clearing paths and pastures to fix up the cross-country course. Some new fences were also added this year.
The one new fence that many competitors were overheard complaining about before cross-country even began was the trakhaner on the Novice and Training courses. The jump was placed in the fence line at the top of a hill coming after the water and the new footing in front of the jump and the hill leading up to it concerned many. The jump rode wonderfully however and very little stops were reported at either level.
Marylanders earned top honors in both Training divisions. In Open Training, Brittany Meyer of Ellicott City rode her own Parker Station for the win as well as earning fifth aboard Jessica Jones’ Forbidden Colors. With Parker, Meyer scored a 27.2 to lead the division from start to finish. The young horse dropped one rail in show jumping.
In the same division, Nancy Seybold of Washington, D.C. rode Django to third place on a score of 34.5. Sarah Bratton of Lineboro placed fourth riding Aztec Gold and Stephen Fulton of Full Moon Farm in Finksburg rounded out the ribbons in sixth riding FMF’s Ides of March.
Sarah Bratton and Aztec Gold took home fourth place in Open Training at Redland Hunt Pony Club Horse Trials.
John Secan of Brookeville tied after dressage with Morgan Kelly of Massachusetts. Both riders scored 30.9 and both riders finished on that dressage score. Secan, who rode Opus for the win, was closer to optimum time on cross-country. Daphne Soares of Laurel finished in fourth place riding Ronin and Savannah Fulton placed sixth aboard FMF Lucinda.
The Maryland winning streak continued at the Novice level with Free Staters taking home two out of the three blue ribbons. Josie Bennett Miss of Fallston earned one of them in the Junior Novice Rider division. She rode M-S Reddy Fox to a 24.5 in dressage for the win. Kelsey Parks Smith of Catonsville and Louie earned second place in the division. Third went to Alexa Easton of Sandy Spring riding Tiger Lily and AnnLouise Bleecker of Potomac earned fourth with He’s Well Versed. Michelle Corbeille of Comus rounded out the top six riding Boo Radley.
Boyds resident Carol Danforth earned the blue in the very large Open Novice division aboard Renaissance. She scored a 29.1 in dressage and jumped clean to secure the win. Krista Harris of Gaithersburg was just a point behind her in second riding Getting Thu. Germantown rider Denise Connelly placed sixth aboard Cat in the Hat.
In Senior Novice Rider, Marylanders earned second through fifth place. Bethesda’s Beth Mueller and Rave Review placed second, Sally Buchheister (Upper Marlborough) rode Whispers to third and Tom Gutierrez (Poolesville) rode Bud Wilmanns to fourth. Rose Agard (Boyds) placed fifth aboard Warrie Hill.
Beginner Novice was the most popular level at Redland with five divisions taking place on Saturday afternoon. Rick Jacob of Lothian earned the best dressage score at that level, which was a 25. His final score got bumped up to a 29 when Mrs. Bigelow dropped a rail in show jumping. Despite this bobble, the pair won Senior Beginner Novice Rider.
In the same division, Michelle Benczkowski of Parkville and Hansel jumped clean to place second on its dressage score of 30.5. Annapolis rider Lydia Wainwright also jumped clean to place third riding Goodkeeper. Fourth went to Andrea Jones of Damascus riding Ambassador From Paris. Alexa Briscoe earned sixth riding An’Dante even with a stop cross-country.
Junior rider Skyler Decker (Mt. Airy) started out the season with a win, scoring a 30 in Junior Beginner Novice Rider B. Sarah-Elizabeth Hyde and Grace Fulton, both of Finksburg, placed second and third respectively; Hyde riding The Great Gatsby and Fulton riding FMF’s Zack-A-Rooni. Caroline Nayden of Annapolis rode Irish Star to fourth place while Frederick’s Mackensie Smith earned sixth aboard Douglas.
In Junior Beginner Novice Rider A, Emily Arches of Elkridge earned second riding On Eagles Wings. Woodbine junior Leigh Oehrig placed fourth aboard Lionheart and McKenna Oxenden placed sixth with Dorito Cooler Ranch.
In Open Beginner Novice A, Nellie Hanagan of Dickerson placed second aboard Finnegan. Kristen Parris of Mt. Airy rode Lord Ivanhoe to fourth place. Katie Ruppel of Yellow Rose Eventing (Adamstown) finished fifth aboard Poker Face and Kai Bradley of Walkersville earned sixth riding Promise Ima Zipper.
Sharon Ossi of Gaithersburg earned third aboard Shining One in Open Beginner Novice B. Gina Riedmuller of Germantown placed fifth riding Black Tie Optional and Kelsey Siegel of Chevy Chase placed sixth with Just In Time.
After a slight bobble off the down bank on Redland Hunt Pony Club Horse Trails’ Training level course, Carly Easton and Cooperstown Caliber jumped nicely over the “Roller Coaster” to finish the event in 11th place.
Florida Three-Days
The Florida International CCI** and CCI* took place the same weekend of Fair Hill and Redland on April 15-18 in Ocala, Florida. There, Stephanie Butts (Camp Waredaca in Laytonsville) and Kerry Blackmer (Miles Ahead Farm in Adamstown) placed well.
In the CCI*, Butts rode Gretchen Butt’s horse Arundel to fifth place. The pair scored a 52.2 in dressage and jumped around clean and within the allotted time for both cross-country and show jumping. In the CCI**, she rode her own Peabody to 12th place, dropping a rail in show jumping. Butts also earned a sixth place in Training Horse B riding Gretchen’s Malone Bay.
Blackmer placed 11th in the CCI** aboard her own Case Closed. She also dropped one rail in show jumping but jumped clean cross-country.
Mary Macklin and Mahogany Beauteo jumped clean to place 9th in Open Training at Redland Hunt Pony Club Horse Trials. The pair went on to place well at Loudoun Hunt Pony Club’s Spring Horse Trails.
Stephen Fulton and FMF’s Ides of March started out its season with a sixth place in Open Training at Redland Hunt Pony Club Horse Trials.
Spring Horse Trials and 3-Day Events
Katie Ruppel and Sir Donovan compete at the Advanced level.
Morven Park
Spring eventing kicked up in this area with the Morven Park Spring Horse Trials on March 27-28 in Leesburg, Virginia. Although Beginner Novice through Advanced/Intermediate divisions was offered, the wet winter weather kept many of the upper level riders down in southern locations. Many of those here in Maryland decided to skip this early spring event since many horses were not quite ready to compete. This led to unusually low entries in the remaining levels (Beginner Novice through Intermediate).
Tricia Tripp of Dickerson won at Beginner Novice aboard Shenanigans. The pair scored a 23.5 in dressage to take the lead early on. Even with one dropped rail, Tripp and Shenanigans held their lead to win Open Beginner Novice A. In Open Beginner Novice B, Angela Bailey of Boonsboro rode Julius to third place, finishing on her dressage score of 35.5.
At Novice, Tuuli Jurikkala took home the highest placing for a Marylander. The Bethesda resident placed second in Novice Rider with Crossroad. Kate Chadderton of Damascus rode Lois Lane to third place in Novice Horse.
Kristen Parris of Mt. Airy rode her homebred No Halo Here to second place in Training Rider.
At Preliminary, Lauren Sumner of Germantown and Julia Beamish of Sunshine each earned third place. Sumner rode Golden Memories to clean rounds in Junior/Young Rider Preliminary while Beamish dropped one rail in Open Preliminary B aboard Ally Kilaloo Clover.
Five Marylanders competed in the Open Intermediate division. Julia Wendell of Upperco had the best final score of the group and finished in fifth place with Picante. Right behind Wendell in sixth place was Kelley Williams of Sunshine and Brazen Bomber. Samantha Allan and Amanda Bossong each finished in the top ten. Alexandra MacLeod had an unfortunate fall on cross-country but was ok and competed Arrow at an event soon after Morven Park.
Courtney Sendak and Wil’Ya Love Me
The Fork
One of the first three-day events of the year took place at The Fork in Norwood, North Carolina on April 1-4. The event offered regular horse trials at the Preliminary, Intermediate and Advanced levels as well as the CIC***.
Colleen Rutledge of Frederick and Katie Ruppel of Adamstown rode in the Advanced division. Rutledge scored a 40.3 in dressage aboard Dillon while Ruppel scored a 46.3 with Sir Donovan. After some time faults on cross-country and a rail each in show jumping, Rutledge finished in 24th place and Ruppel in 27th.
Rutledge also rode in the CIC*** with her horse Shiraz. The pair jumped clean cross-country and just outside the time but had a few difficulties in show jumping finishing the three-day in 31st place.
Courtney Sendak of Sparks had the best score of the six Marylanders competing at Intermediate. She and Wil’Ya Love Me finished in fourth place in Intermediate D.
At Preliminary, Larissa Barilar of Chesapeake City rode Tonka Toyz to fourth place. Barilar scored a 29.1 in dressage and jumped clean, though a tad slow in show jumping, to finish with a score of 30.1.
Alexandra Curtiss and Sunshine Stalker
Plantation Field
The Plantation Field Horse Trials held two full days of competition on April 10-11 in Unionville, Pennsylvania. There, Jordan Litter of Forest Hill received the best dressage score of the competition, a 25.2 in Junior Open Novice. She rode Creon Z to win the division.
Also winning at Plantation was Alexandra MacLeod and Arrow. The pair scored a 34.6 in dressage and jumped clean to win Junior/Young Rider Preliminary. Jordan Litter and Dolce & Gabbana were just a few points behind MacLeod and placed third in the same division. Mardi Herman of Harwood also earned a third place at Plantation. She rode Zoe in Open Preliminary A.
At Training level, Alexandra Curtiss of Brookegrove rode Sunshine Stalker to double clean rounds and third place in Training Horse. Kristen Parris continued her stellar 2010 season with No Halo Here. The pair finished second in Training Rider.
Julia Wendell and Picante completed their second Intermediate of the year, finishing sixth in Open Intermediate.
Winter Eventing Wins – Part 2
Alexandra MacLeod and Arrow won at Full Gallop in the Intermediate A division.
Full Gallop
Eventing continued in Aiken, South Carolina on March 12-14 with the Full Gallop March Horse Trials. There, some Marylanders got in one more event before heading home, while some others were just getting started with their 2010 seasons.
Alexandra MacLeod of Chevy Chase made her Intermediate debut a memorable one, winning the Intermediate A division aboard Arrow. MacLeod scored a 36.4 in dressage, placing her and Arrow in sixth place. They jumped clean in show jumping and cross-country, though added some time cross-country, moving up to first place.
Courtney Sendak of Sparks placed fourth in the same division riding Wil’Ya Love Me. Sendak also rode Paint It Black to 12th place in Preliminary C. In Preliminary A, Larissa Barilar of Chestertown rode Tonka Toyz to seventh place.
Colleen Rutledge of Turnabout Farm in Mt. Airy placed seventh and eighth in Intermediate B. She rode her two horses Dillon and Shiraz in their first events of the season. Both horses jumped clean and had time cross-country. Dillon earned seventh, while Shiraz took home eighth.
At Novice, Alexa Seip of Easton jumped clean aboard her own Oakengrove Giselle to fourth place in Novice D. Brittany Meyer of Ellicott City tied for first place in Novice G with an impressive dressage score of 25. Unfortunately, one dropped rail in show jumping cost her the win, but she and Parker Station only moved down to second place before heading back up to Maryland. In the same division, Kate Chadderton of Victory Sporthorses placed third aboard Lois Lane.
Meyer rode Foridden Colors to sixth place in Training E. Rutledge placed 14th with Wizard of Win in the same division. Sara Siegel of Dickerson rode Subtle Contrast to double clean rounds and a fifth place in Training B. In the same division, Michelle Warro of Annapolis finished eighth aboard Prince William. In Training D, Shelagh Davidson of Baltimore rode Atlantic Roar to ninth place, finishing on her dressage score.
Brittany Meyer and Forbidden Colors placed sixth at Training level at Full Gallop.
Southern Pines I
Back-to-back weekends of eventing at the Carolina Horse Park in Raeford, North Carolina kicked off March 13-14 with the Southern Pines Horse Trials I. The divisions for this event were very large, with many in the 30s or higher.
Jill Maurer of Boonsboro placed ninth in Beginner Novice Rider, out of 33 entries. She and Harvey added one dropped rail to her dressage score to finish with a 42.6. Five Marylanders competed in Open Beginner Novice, though none actually placed. Kristen Parris of Mt. Airy rode Lord Ivanhoe to finish on a dressage score of 37.1, placing 16th. Dickcy Gibson of Myersville rode Mahogany Rush to 24th place, Nellie Hanagan of Dickerson placed 26th aboard Cotton Jenny, Kai Bradley of Walkersville finished 27th with Promise Ima Zipper and Julie Augustine of Olney finished 31st with Texas Riddle.
Damascus rider Clare Green won Training Rider aboard Windbrook Sensotronic. The pair was in third place after dressage but jumped clean to claim the win. In the same division, Parris rode No Halo Here to fourth place and Hannah Ong of Beltsville rode Redmond to 19th place and Surf Guitar to 21st.
Germantown junior Lauren Sumner jumped clean to place fifth in Open Training A with Golden Memories. Kelley Williams of A Bit Better Farm in Sunshine rode Rumbling Storm to 19th place in Open Training B. Williams also rode Brazen Bomber at Southern Pines, finishing 15th in Open Preliminary. In Preliminary Rider, Catherine Hanagan of Dickerson finished 12th riding Phoenix Song.
Erika Gonzalez of Germantown rode Copper Dancer in the Preliminary/Training division. The pair dropped a rail in show jumping to finish fourth.
Stephanie Butts and Peabody continued to place well at Intermediate.
Rocking Horse
The Rocking Horse Spring Horse Trials took place March 12-14, a week before the official start date of spring in Altoona, Florida. There, Stephanie and Gretchen Butts (Waredaca in Laytonsville) and Kerry Blackmer (Miles Ahead Farm in Adamstown) wrapped up their winter in the sun with one final competition before heading back up to Maryland.
At Intermediate, Blackmer rode Case Closed to third place in the Intermediate Rider division. Riding Night Ruckous, Blackmer finished 17th in Training Horse A.
Stephanie Butts rode Landon Calrissian to 15th place in Novice Horse A. With Sgt. Pepper, she finished 18th in Open Preliminary A. Riding Crossroad, Butts placed 17th in Training Horse B.
Gretchen Butts rode her two horses at Preliminary and Training. In Open Preliminary A, Butts place 17th with Arundel. Riding Malone Bay in Training Horse A, she placed 13th.
Kerry Blackmer and Case Closed finished third at Rocking Horse in the Intermediate division.
Daniel Clasing and Houston moved up to Advanced at Southern Pines II.
Southern Pines II
Southern Pines Horse Trials II took place March 19-21, officially becoming the first spring event in Area II. There, Daniel Clasing (Yardley Hill Farm in White Hall) moved his horse Houston up to the Advanced level. The pair earned a 40.6 in dressage, dropped two rails in show jumping and jumped clean with a little time on cross-country. Overall, Clasing finished in 13th place in Advanced A.
Also competing at Advanced was Colleen Rutledge and her horse Shiraz. They scored a 42.5 in dressage, also dropped two rails and jumped clean with some time cross-country to finish in 12th place in Advanced B. Rutledge rode Dillon at the Intermediate level, placing eighth in Open Intermediate B. With Wizard of Win, Rutledge finished 20th in Open Training C.
Valerie Vizcarrondo of Blue Clover Eventing in Harwood, put in a great performance with Clifton Jade to finish fifth in Open Intermediate A. Molly Curtiss of Brookeville successfully moved up to Intermediate, placing 15th in Intermediate Rider with Savannah. Courtney Sendak and Wil’Ya Love Me placed 13th in the same division.
At Preliminary, Cindy Wood and Unbelievable were the highest placing Marylanders for the level. The pair finished in ninth place in Open Preliminary B. Sendak and Paint It Black placed 22nd in the same division.
Molly Curtis and Savannah have successfully moved up to Intermediate.
Kate Chadderton and McCuan Mario pictured at Pine Top.
Molly Rosin and Eurovision
Kate Chadderton and Molly Rosin (Havarah Eventing) each rode two horses at Preliminary. Chadderton finished 16th with McCuan Mario in Open Preliminary A, jumping clean but a bit slow on cross-country. With Collection Pass, Chadderton placed 15th in Open Preliminary C.
Rosin finished in 16th and 17th place in Open Preliminary C. Riding Eurovision, Rosin placed 16th after dropping several rails in show jumping. Her second Preliminary horse at Southern Pines was Havarah’s Charly, a horse she placed fourth with at Fair Hill International CCI** in 2008. At Southern Pines, the horse’s first event back from a minor injury, Rosin finished 17th.
Julia Wendell (An Otherwise Perfect Farm, Upperco) rode Picante to 11th place in Open Preliminary A, jumping clean but outside the time in both jumping phases. Just behind her in 12th place was Sheri Thornley (Southwind Farm, Damascus) and Toga who also jumped clean.
Sara Siegel and Subtle Contrast jumped double clean to finish ninth in the Preliminary/Training division.
Rosin was busy at Southern Pines, riding three Training level horses in addition to the two Preliminary ones. With BeauJeste, Rosin jumped double clean and inside the time to place eighth on a dressage score of 37.7 in Open Training C. Sprite dropped a rail in Open Training A to finish 23rd and Sabrina had a stop on cross-country to place 22nd in Open Training B.
Sara Siegel and Subtle Contrast finished the winter season with a ninth place in Preliminary/Training at Southern Pines II.
