Bring on 2010!
by Beth Collier and Katherine O. Rizzo
I am sure that several of you have already planned out your 2010 season. Some will get the pleasure of starting that season early with trips to North Carolina and on down the coast. Others will wait out the winter, praying that the December 2009 blizzard is the only one for the winter and waiting for April to come.
Here are just a few things to keep in mind as the season starts and some great event watching opportunities to add to your calendar.
New Tests to Learn
December 1, 2009 marked the official start date for use of the new dressage tests. The tests for Beginner Novice through Advanced have all been changed, though some tests are similar to the ones used last season. New tests for CCIs and CICs have also been written. Click here (LINK) for a link to these tests.
Not Many New Rules
Unlike the last two years, 2010 does not involve any major rule changes. In fact, there are only four changes currently listed in the USEF Rulebook. Below is a brief summary of the rule changes.
EV106 – Entry Withdrawls (change of wording)
4. The organizer may accept post-entries. If they do accept post-entries, the organizer may charge an additional fee for the entry, which may not exceed the amount of the original entry fee.
EV139 – Cross-country Courses (addition)
2. The number of jumping efforts cannot exceed one per every 100-meters.
EV140 – Cross-county Obstacles (change)
8. The grace period for the use of frangible pins where appropriate is now over. As of 2010, any jump where frangible pins are appropriate (such as the back rail of oxers, drop logs, etc) must be used.
EV173 – Technical Delegate Duties (addition)
2i. The technical delegate must submit all information (course maps, measurement, distances, time requirements and safety recommendations) obtained from the course designer with the final technical delegate report. This will become part of the official record of the event.
The World Comes to the U.S.
This year is known to the equestrian world as a world championship year, and for the first time, the FEI World Equestrian Games will be held here in the U.S. This is the only FEI rated international championships show to include all eight FEI recognized equestrian sports: dressage, show jumping, vaulting, driving, eventing reining, paralympic and endurance. The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (a.k.a WEG) is scheduled for September 25-October 10 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.
This spring, several “test events” for the various disciplines will also be held at the Kentucky Horse Park. Dispite high ticket and hotel prices, it is anticipated that the show will attract a huge number of spectators and we already know of several Marylanders with their tickets ordered!
Stay tuned for updates on possible Maryland contenders! Let us know if you will be heading to Kentucky to watch, we’d love your stories and pictures!
WEG Eventing Selection Trials
The U.S. selection process for the eventing team includes FEI three- and four-star events from April 2009 to June 2010. Riders hoping to earn a spot on the WEG team can compete here in the U.S. or abroad. The U.S. selection committee will post a “Short List” of horse/rider combinations who will be invited to compete in a summer “mandatory outing.” After this outing, four horse/rider combinations will be selected to represent the U.S on the team and two additional combinations will represent the U.S. as individuals.
Young Horses Return to Fair Hill
According to the USEA official calendar, the East Coast Young Event Horse finals will be held during the October 2010 Fair Hill International Festival in the Country. If you missed this event last year, I highly recommend attending this year.
An Innovative 2009
by Beth Collier and Katherine O. Rizzo
In the sport of eventing, 2009 can be seen as a year for advancements in safety of both the horse and rider. Various companies and individuals around the world, in hopes of reducing the number of fatalities of horses and riders, launched several new technologies. The year 2009 also marked the first full season of the new qualification rules for moving up the levels, the use of “dangerous riding” penalties and “watch lists.” And so far, it all seems to be working.
Airbag for Riders
Over the summer in Europe and then early this fall here in the U.S., the Point Two Air Jacket hit the market and several eventers at various levels quickly added the jacket to their cross-country gear list. The new safety product has been developed for riders of all disciplines and uses airbag technology. A similar product was first designed for motorcycle riders.
The jacket has a cable you attach to the saddle and is worn over the required standard safety vest. If the rider becomes dislodged from the horse, the disconnected cable triggers a CO2 gas cartridge inside the jacket, which inflates various chambers, creating an instant protective bubble around the rider’s upper body. Flaps even extends upwards to protect the rider’s neck and downwards to protect the rider’s tailbone.
The jacket is a bit pricey but generated a lot of interest during demonstrations at Fair Hill International’s Festival in the Country this past October.
Collapsible Jumps
Denis Glaccum (Plantation Field Horse Trials), Doug Payne (Advanced level event rider) and Eric Bull (Advanced level event rider and course builder – including FHI) introduced over the summer their collapsible cross-country jump. The prototype, a training-level table, is designed to collapse to half its height upon being struck forcefully by a horse. The design uses frangible pin technology and has a hinged front edge. After collapsing, the fence can be easily reset. The prototype jump was used at the Plantation Field Starter Horse Trials this summer, though no horse hit the jump.
Bull and Derek di Grazia (course designer for FHI) used frangible jump technology on the 2009 FHI CCI*** course as well. This time, creating a jump using bendable foam. This was used for the log on the top of the stonewall at the “A” element of the coffin. The whole jump is designed to bend under some weight of the horse but break completely in half, without injuring or cutting the horse, if the full weight of the horse comes down on it. In this case, entire back up logs had to be made incase of jump did break. Due to the heavy rains that October weekend, the coffin was taken off the course.
Maryland Will Miss Linda Reynolds
from the MCTA website
A freak tragic incident took the life of beloved Linda W. Reynolds while vacationing in Arizona with her husband Walter and relatives on November 11. She was 67 years old. Linda left behind a shocked community.
She has been secretary, office manager and Chief Financial Officer for Walter’s landscape architecture office since 1976. Horses and her life have been intertwined since her adolescence. She taught and rode professionally in Massachusetts while whipping-in for Nashoba Hunt. Linda also lived in the Philippines while serving in the Peace Corps. She moved to Maryland in 1970 when she married Walter.
While living in Maryland, Linda showed her homebred mare Under the Weather to several championship honors on the hunter circuit in the 70s. For 29 years, Linda worked for the John Hopkins Kennedy Krieger Pediatric Genetics Laboratory with being organizer of the MCTA horse trials for 25 years. She was also the USEA Area II chairwoman from 1994 to 1996 and was its treasurer up until her death. She could also be seen volunteering at local events, including the 2009 FHI.
Linda and Walter hunted with Mount Carmel Hounds and Green Spring Valley Hounds and were seen at Elkridge Harford Hunt’s opening meet in 2009.
Linda was the “do everything” partner for Walter during his eventing career. She won the Best Groom and Best Turned Out Horse awards as the 1994 Essex Three-day.
Linda’s ashes were spread across the hunt country that she loved so much.
Vote For Your Favorite Maryland Event
The Equiery wants to know what your favorite event of 2009 was! Please choose from the list below and add a comment on this blog or click here for a quick on-line survey. Don’t forget to tell us why you choose that event.
2009 Maryland USEA Recognized Events
April Fair Hill International Horse Trials (FHI)
April Redland Hunt Pony Club Horse Trials
May MCTA Horse Trials
May FHI Horse Trials
May Waredaca Horse Trials
June Seneca Valley Pony Club Horse Trials
July Maryland Horse Trials I at Loch Moy
July Maryland Horse Trials II at Loch Moy
August Olney Horse Trials
August FHI Horse Trials
August Waredaca Horse Trials
September Seneca Valley Pony Club Horse Trials
September Marlborough Horse Trials
October Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy
October FHI Three-day
October Waredaca Training Level Three-day
October Waredaca Horse Trials
Fabulous Fall Finale
by Katherine O. Rizzo
The Maryland eventing 2009 season came to a close this past October with the final horse trials in the state occurring at Waredaca in Laytonsville on October 24-25. But, Maryland eventers were not quite ready to end their seasons yet and wrapped up 2009 with competitions in Virginia at the Virginia Horse Park (October 31-November 1) and Rubicon Farm (November 7-8).
Oh So Wet at Waredaca
Although the Area II Training Three-Day (T3Day) riders lucked out in terms of weather, the weekend horse trials competitors bore the brunt of Mother Nature. In particular were Saturday’s Beginner Novice competitors, who rode a combined test of dressage and show jumping after heavy rain flooded the cross-country course. Much to the organizers delight, high winds over night allowed for all three phases to be run as normal on Sunday, which included the Area II Novice Championships and Novice Master divisions.
Sheri Thornley and Toga jump boldly into the water at Waredaca where the pair finished fourth at Preliminary.
Saturday morning wrapped up the T3Day with the final horse inspections and show jumping phase while regular Training level competitors were competing in two different formats. Some divisions rode show jumping before cross-country while other divisions rode cross-country first. This did cause a bit of confusion for those who did not pay attention to the schedule and unfortunately resulted in one or two technical eliminations.
Ellicott City rider Elyse Devries won Training Rider A while riding Time For One More. The pair added just 0.4 cross-country time faults to its dressage score to claim the win. In second place was Meghan Avella of Clarksburg aboard Fantastick. She also had a bit of time on cross-country but jumped clean. Elizabeth Callahan of Oxford rode Balmoral to fourth place in the division.
Sharon Ossi of Germantown rode Debby McCoy’s Express Root to third place in Training Riding B. Bethesda rider Barbara Werther and Stafford Place finished fourth while Lindsay Goodrich of Frederick and Iris placed sixth.
Liz Schroeder rode The Life of Riley (pictured) at Novice and High Altitude at Beginner Novice.
Donald Ruths, Jr. of Federalsburg finished on his dressage score of 38.4 to finish in second place aboard Rommel in Open Training A.
A few Beginner Novice riders actually made it around cross-country before the downpour began, however their scores were dropped when the decision was made to score the divisions as combined tests only. About 16 riders decided to call it a day and just withdrew from the competition altogether.
Winning Beginner Novice C was Emily Widra of Washington, D.C. aboard Daniel Boone. The pair navigated the show jump course easily to finish on its dressage score of 31.5. Caitlin Bryan of Jarrettsville placed third in the division riding Woodlands Magic Cavalier, dropping just one rail in show jumping. Grace Fulton of Finskburg rode Zack-A-Rooni to tie for fourth place with Waredaca’s own Amy Berbert riding Kristen Lintvedt’s Pierce. Leigh Oehrig of Woodbine riding Lionheart earned sixth place.
Julia Beamish of Sunshine rode Queen of Phoeba to place second in Beginner Novice B. Liz Schroeder of Washington, D.C., also one of Waredaca’s volunteer coordinators, placed fifth in the division aboard her own High Altitude.
In Beginner Novice A, Colleen Rutledge of Frederick rode Dress Rehersal to fourth place.
Sunday began with an Intermediate/Preliminary division, which was won by Pennsylvania’s Phillip Dutton aboard Wild Tiger. Four Preliminary divisions with South Wind Farm’s Sheri Thornley of Damascus finishing with the highest placing followed this division. She rode her own Toga to finish fourth in Preliminary Rider. Beth Wheeler of Harwood placed sixth in the division riding Uncle Fred.
Julia Wendell of Upperco and Jamie Furtado of Crofton each also placed at Preliminary. Furtado rode Come Out and Play to fifth place in Open Preliminary A and had the best final score of the Maryland Preliminary riders. She was only one of two riders to finish on their dressage score, which for Furtado was an impressive 36.3. Wendell rode Picante to sixth place, jumping clean cross-country but having two rails down in show jumping.
Catherine Hanagan warms up for dressage aboard Jersey. She was the top placing Marylander in the junior division of the Area II Novice Championship.
The Area II Novice Championships were divided into two divisions, one for juniors and one for seniors. Mackenzie Kurtz of Pennsylvania won the junior division aboard Harry Houdini while Christopher Hitchcock of North Carolina won the senior division riding Rahav.
Catherine Hanagan of Dickerson was the best placing Marylander in the junior division. She rode Jersey to fifth place while Finksburg junior Savannah Fulton claimed sixth place riding FMF Lucinda II. Ribbons were giving through eighth place, which was earned by Zoe Jeka of Severna Park with Double Hierarchy.
Beth Mueller of Bethesda placed second in the senior division riding Rave Review. This was the pair’s third second place of the season. Liza Horan, currently based in Damascus, rode Hastening Opal to forth place. Two Waredaca riders snagged sixth and seventh place ribbons. Nancy Seybold of Washington, D.C. ride Django to sixth while Tuuli Juurikkala of Bethesda rode Crossroad to seventh.
There were eight riders who entered the Novice Masters division, open to Novice riders over the age of 40. Lisa Warnock of Hagerstown took home the first and third place ribbons. She won the division riding Constant Sorrow and placed third with Hit And Run. Jean Gore of Baltimore rode Faith to fourth place.
Winning at Novice was Laura Pitts of Dickerson riding Honestly So. She scored a 27.9 in dressage and then jumped clean to win Open Novice A. Just a few points behind her in second place was Krista Harris of Gaithersburg riding Getting Thu. Sally Buchheister of Upper Marlboro placed sixth aboard Whispers.
Placing second in Novice Rider B was Lexi Steinhauer of Washington, D.C. riding Counter Culture. Sara Tilley of Boyds rode Glacier Bay to fourth place in the same division.
Harwood rider Amy Foster placed fourth in Novice Rider A with Sarabi Wasabi. Addie Thornley of Damascus rode Juice Box to fifth place while Alexa Easton of Sandy Spring placed sixth with Tiger Lily.
Emma Jones of Baltimore topped the Training/Novice division riding Tweedy Brown. Piper Shepard, also of Baltimore, finished fourth aboard Redmond and Amy Mullen of Elkton placed fifth with Quiet Move.
For more about the T3Day, check back soon! Did you compete in the T3Day? Send us your candid photos from around the barns, hacking and lectures. E-mail editor@equiery.com.
Victory at Virginia
The Virginia Horse Trials on October 30-November 1 hosted the Adult Team Challenge, College Challenge and Area II Preliminary Championships along with Beginner Novice through Intermediate divisions.
Courtney Sendak of Sparks rode Wil’ya Love Me to win the Young Rider Open Intermediate division. She also was representing Wake Forest University in the College Challenge, which finished third. Sendak rode Paint It Black to seventh place in Junior/Young Rider Preliminary for the team as well. Teammate Nicole Coffey of West Friendship rode Contortionist to fourth place in Training Horse A. Valerie Vizcarrondo of Harwood and Thriller placed sixth.
Paige Garson of Maine traveled back to Area II to win the Area II Preliminary Championships riding Combalache. Garson qualified for the championships with a win at Southern Pines Horse Trials I in North Carolina this past March. She also placed third in the Area I Preliminary Championships this past September.
Julia Beamish and Ally Kilaloo Clover placed fourth at the Virgina Horse Trials and fifth at Rubicon Farm, both at Preliminary.
Julie Abe of Cockeysville was the highest placing Marylander in the championship division. She rode Casper to seventh place after placing third at Surefire Horse Trails over the summer and fourth at the October Maryland Horse Trials. Maddi Fleit of Silver Spring rode Guypowder Valley to eighth place. Fleit also had a banner year leading up to the championships winning at Marlborough Horse Trials in September and placing second at Loudoun Hunt Pony Club Fall Horse Trials in August.
Cindy Wood of Nework rode Unbelievable to third place at Preliminary in the Adult Team Challenge division. Her team, called Kick On, placed second overall and included fellow Marylander Mardi Herman of Darlington riding Zoe.
Julia Beamish of Sunshine and Ally Kilaloo Clover finished fourth in Preliminary Rider.
The Adult Team Challenge riders for the Novice level were split into two divisions. Poolesville’s Pamela Blumberg rode Kodak to sixth place in the A division for the Saddle Bags team, which placed eighth overall. Team Magic Beans had two riders finish in the top two spots of the B division, helping their team secure first place. Heidi Brueckner of Owings Mill rode Inquisitive to first place while Raymond Venoski of Baltimore rode Back Street Girl to second. Yvette Seger of Washington, D.C. earned fourth place in the B division, while her team, Blonde Pirate Booty, finished third overall.
Catherine Hanagan had a fabulous event, placing first and third in Open Novice D. The Dickerson native rode Uno to win the division and finished third with Jersey. Hollywood rider Caitlyn Holden and Impressive Stuff earned fourth in Novice Horse C.
Sally Shirley of Westminster placed fourth in Training Horse B riding The Senator. Hyattsville rider Kara Clissold finished fifth in Senior Training Rider with Mischief Managed.
Racking in the Ribbons at Rubicon
The Rubicon Farm Horse Trials took place on November 7-8 in Lucketts, Virginia and is the last event in Area II for the year. Many Marylanders crossed the Potomac to get in one final weekend of eventing.
Sarah Bratton and Aztec Gold finished the season with a second place at Rubicon Farm.
Preliminary eventers began the weekend on Saturday morning. Lineboro junior Sarah Bratton and Aztec Gold finished out the season just as strong as they started. After placing second at her first three Preliminary events of the season, Bratton continued to earn ribbons all summer long. She then placed second at The Maryland Horse Trials in October and finished the season in second place again, this time in Junior/Young Rider Preliminary at Rubicon. Jordan Litter of Forest Hill placed fourth in the division aboard Dolce & Gabbana.
Sheri Thornley of Damascus added another fourth place ribbon to her horse Toga’s stall with her double clean rounds in the Preliminary Rider division. Sunshine’s Julia Beamish finished fifth with Ally Kilaloo Clover.
Alexa Easton and Tiger Lily topped Junior Novice Rider B at Rubicon Farm.
Maryland juniors topped both Junior Novice divisions on Saturday afternoon. Annie Horrigan of Poolesville won Junior Novice Rider A with Centaur. The pair jumped clean and finished on their dressage score of 27.4. Alexa Easton of Sandy Spring rode Tiger Lily to the number one spot in Junior Novice Rider B. She also jumped clean and ended the day on her dressage score of 26.3.
Carolyn Oehrig of Woodbine rode Lionheart to sixth place in the A division while Casey Muller of Ellicott City and Savannah Fulton of Finksburg earned fourth and sixth, respectively, in the B division. Muller rode Claremont and Fulton rode FMF Lucinda II.
Hannah Ong rode R. Huey at Novice at Rubicon Farm.
Also winning at Novice was Bethesda’s Beth Mueller and Rave Review. The pair earned the blue for Novice Rider B. Kathy Savory of Keedysville finished fourth in the same division riding Brandenburg’s Andromeda. Lisa DeHart of Silver Spring rode Lookndownthebarrel to second place in Novice Rider A. In the same division, Tuuli Juurikkala of Bethesda and Crossroad placed sixth.
Louise Foster of Frederick earned her fifth blue ribbon of the year at Rubicon with her win of Training Rider B. She and Along Came A Spyder have had a stellar season, placing in almost every event she entered. Lisa Warnock ended 2009 with a successful move up to Training on her horse Constant Sorrow. The pair placed third in the same division. Baltimore’s Piper Shepard rode Redmond to fifth place in Training Rider A.
Kristen Parris of Mt. Airy also ended her season with a win. Her blue came in Open Beginner Novice aboard her homebred Lord Ivanhoe. She led the division after dressage with a 26.3 and jumped clean to secure first place. Tricia Tripp of Dickerson placed fourth riding Shenanigans.
Cary Chavis competed two horses at Novice at Rubicon Farm.
Rachael Best, also from Mt. Airy, was the best placing Maryland junior at Beginner Novice. She rode Mark Me First to third place while Dayton junior Sydney Solomon and Sounds of Thunder placed sixth.
Michelle Corbeille of Comus rode Boo Radley to sixth place in the Beginner Novice Rider division.
Loch Moy, Fair Hill and New Jersey
by Katherine O. Rizzo
Rick Jacob and Mrs. Bigelow topped Open Beginner Novice B at the Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm
Last Loch Moy of the Year
The last USEA recognized event for the year at Loch Moy Farm in Adamstown was held on October 10-11. The competition showcased Beginner Novice through Intermediate divisions.
Julia Beamish and Flame of Truth placed second in Open Beginner Novice B
At Beginner Novice, Skyler Decker of Mt. Airy and Rick Jacob of Lothian topped their divisions, giving both riders their second wins of the season. Decker rode Checkered Flag to a 35.5 in dressage and finished with that score to win the Junior Beginner Novice division. Jacob scored a 27 in dressage aboard Mrs. Bigelow, also jumped clean, and won Open Beginner Novice B.
In the Junior division, Grace Fulton of Finksburg placed second after dropping just one rail in show jumping aboard FMF’s Zack-a-Rooni. Frederick junior Angela Ossana rode Argentine Bonanza to fourth place while Leigh Oehrig of Woodbine placed sixth with Lionheart.
Kristen Parris and Lord Ivanhoe jump clean to place sixth in Open Beginner Novice A.
A pair of Mt. Airy riders placed fifth and sixth in Open Beginner Novice A. Carly Muma rode More Cow Belle to fifth and Kristen Parris rode Lord Ivanhoe to sixth, just 0.3 points behind Muma. Julia Beamish of Sunshine rode Flame of Truth to second place in Open Beginner Novice B with a score of 29. Mary Macklin of Frederick finished fifth aboard her father Bob Hammod’s Riley and Lora Kutteroff of Mt. Airy placed sixth with Our Joe.
Mary Macklin and Riley finished fifth in Open Beginner Novice B.
Novice proved to be the most popular level of the weekend, with eight full divisions competing on Sunday. Alexa Easton of Sandy Spring, Heather Berwanger of Brinklow and Lisa Warnock of Hagerstown each earned scored in the low 30s, jumped clean and won blue ribbons.
Easton rode Tiger Lily to win Junior Novice B with a score of 32.6, her best score of the season. In the same division, Casey Muller of Ellicott City scored a 34.2 to place third with Claremont while Eric Poretz of Lothian placed fourth aboard Rappahannock. Camryn Long of West Friendship wrapped up the division finishing sixth aboard Sky’s The Limit.
Lora Kutteroff and Our Joe jump the second fence on the Beginner Novice cross-country course.
Berwanger scored a 31.1 in dressage aboard Rainbow’s Promise to win Open Novice C. This was also her best score of the season. Warnock placed fourth in the division riding Constant Sorrow and then went on to win Open Novice F aboard Hit And Run. Warnock has been consistently in the ribbons all season with both horses, earning nothing less than an eighth place.
Kathy Savory of Keedysville and Janice Gill of Olney also both placed in Open Novice C. Savory rode Brandenburg’s Andromeda to fifth place while Gill rode Fly Me Home to sixth.
Alexa Easton and Tiger Lily won Junior Novice B
Marylanders took home the top five spots in Open Novice F. As stated earlier, Warnock won the division with Hit And Run. Beth Mueller of Bethesda rode Rave Review to second place, Pamela Blumberg of Poolesville earned third aboard Kodak, Alex Seip of Easton placed fourth with Oakengrove Giselle and Amy Foster of Bowie finished fifth with Sarabi Wasabi.
In Junior Novice A, Annie Horrigan of Poolesville placed second aboard Centaur. Jenny Barnhard of Cabin John finished third riding Winsome Maverick and Lela Hanagan of Dickerson rode Zophie to sixth.
Casey Muller rode Claremont to place third in Junior Novice B
Liza Horan of Damascus rode Hastening Opal to a second place in Open Novice E where K.C. Cowles of Sunshine rode Miss Carlisle to sixth. Cowles went on to ride Miss Carlisle to a ribbon at the Spalding Labs Young Event Horse Championships held at Fair Hill International. Look for a FHI recap in our December print edition.
Raymond Venoski of Baltimore placed fifth in Open Novice D with Back Street Girl.
Janice Gill and Fly Me Home compete at Novice
Training was the second most popular level of the weekend with seven divisions taking place on Saturday. Nancy Verzi of White Hall earned the best Training score of the day. She rode Journey Leader to a 30.5 and the win in Open Training C. Kristen Parris and No Halo Here finished second while Stephen Fulton of Finksburg and FMF’s Manila Bay placed fifth.
Lisa Warnock placed fourth riding Constant Sorrow and won Open Novice F aboard Hit And Run.
Mary Ballew, also of Finksburg and a Full Moon Farm rider, won Junior Open Trainig with General MacArthur on a score of 34.2. Clare Green of Damascus placed fourth riding Windbrook Sensotronic and another FMF rider, Savannah Fulton, placed sixth aboard Regal Wood.
Jessica Schaberg of Silver Spring also took home a blue ribbon at Training. She rode Delta Tango to a 30 in dressage and then added just one time fault in show jumping to finish on a score of 31, winning Open Training F. The pair won at Loch Moy over the summer as well. Louise Foster of Frederick placed second in the division riding Along Came A Spyder. Erika Gonzalez of Germantown finished fifth aboard Copper Dancer and Melissa Wong of Columbia placed sixth with Shall We Dance.
Lela Hanagan and Zophie competing at Novice
Sally Shirley of Westminster had a great weekend at Training level earning ribbons on two horses. In Open Training E, she rode The Senator to second place and in Open Training D, she earned a fourth place riding Braveheart Romeo. Marie Treiber of Harwood rode Auntie’s Echo to fifth in Open Training E.
Topping the list at Preliminary was Alexandra Curtiss of Brookeville riding Checkout the Charmer. She won the Junior/Young Rider Open Preliminary division with a score of 38 and was the only rider in the division to finish on her dressage score. Sarah Bratton of Lineboro finished second with Aztec Gold, Lauren Sumner of Germantown came in fourth riding Golden Memories and Kayla Muller of Centreville finished sixth aboard Falko.
Sarah Bratton and Aztec Gold placed second in Jr/YR Preliminary
Colleen Rutledge of Frederick rode Elyse DeVries’ Really Rosie to second place in Open Preliminary A. Michelle Warro of Annapolis placed third in Open Preliminary B while riding Prince William. Julie Abe of Cockeysville rode Casper in the same division to place fourth.
Final Results from Fair Hill
Three days of wet and cold weather put a bit of a damper on the Fair Hill International Festival in the Country on October 14-18. But despite the miserable conditions, several Marylanders fared quite well.
Daniel Classing and Houston finish in the ribbons at FHI in the CCI** division.
In the CCI**, Daniel Clasing of Monkton placed eighth with Houston. He was one of only two riders to jump clean and inside the time cross-country. Katherine Sunderland of Dunkirk jumped clean but a tad slow cross-country and then jumped clean and fast enough in show jumping to place 12th aboard Southern Tango. Samantha Allan of Brandywine rode Scimitar to 17th place while Colleen Rutledge of Frederick and Shiraz finished 19th.
Katie Ruppel of Adamstown was the only Maryland entry in the CCI***. She rode Sir Donovan to a clean cross-country round and show jump round, though both rounds occurred some time faults. In the end she finished in 30th place.
More information about the competition (plus the Young Event Horse Championships), interviews and photos will be published in the December print edition.
New Jersey of Horse Park
The Horse Park of New Jersey Horse Trials took place on October 17 in Stone Tavern, New Jersey. The one-day competition offered Beginner Novice through Intermediate divisions, though entries were small in all divisions. Kate Chadderton of Damascus and Katie Murphy of Laytonsville represented Maryland in the ribbons. Chadderton rode Lois Lane to fourth place in Novice A and Murphy placed fifth in Training A aboard Grantley.
Maryland Eventers Continue to Excel
by Katherine O. Rizzo
Middleburg and Flora Lee
A few Maryland eventers headed south to the Middleburg Horse Trials in Middleburg, Virginia on September 26-27 while others took to the north for the Flora Lee Fall Horse Trials on September 27 in Medford, New Jersey.
At Middleburg, Kerry Blackmer (Adamstown), Daniel Clasing (Monkton), Julia Wendell (Upperco), Alyssa Peterson (Waldorf) and Mogie Bearden-Muller (Centreville) snagged some ribbons at Intermediate with their horses Case Closed, Houston, Cavendish, Lettingo and Select. Blackmer jumped clean but added one show jumping time fault to her dressage score to place fourth in Open Intermediate 1. Clasing and Houston dropped one rail in show jumping to finish fifth in the same division while Wendell placed seventh. In Open Intermediate 2, Petterson and Lettingo dropped two rails to finish fifth and Bearden-Muller placed eighth.
Lisa Warnock of Hagerstown topped the Novice Senior Rider division aboard Constant Sorrow. Her dressage score of 24.7 put her in first place from the beginning of the competition. Heidi Brueckner of Ownings Mills rode Inquisitive to second place, finishing on a dressage score of 28.9. Patricia Peva of Washington, D.C. claimed sixth in the division riding Hero.
Sally Shirley of Westminster rode The Senator to place second in the Novice Horse division, and Catherine Hanagan of Dickerson rode Cool Virginia Breeze placed seventh. Anita Antenucci of Washington, D.C. earned her own second place in Open Novice where she rode Kaleidoscope to a 30.5. Germantown rider Denise Connelly rode Cat in the Hat to finish eighth.
Patrick McGaughan of Clarksburg rode Stafford Place to fourth in the Preliminary Horse division finishing just outside the time on cross-country.
At Flora Lee, Amy Mullen of Elkton rode Quiet Move to place fifth in Novice Horse. Danny Warrington, also of Elkton, rode Regalio to second place in the Preliminary/Training division (Preliminary dressage and show jump, Training cross-country course).
Maryland at Morven
Several changes were made to the cross-country courses and dressage and show jump locations for the Morven Park Fall Horse Trials on October 2-4. This event, held in Leesburg, Virginia, is typically the location for the Area II fall CCI*. However, due to the fact that the United States Eventing Association no longer recognizes the traditional long format three-day in year-end awards or as qualifying scores to move up the levels, the horse trials organizers decided to scrap the three-day and offer a horse trials for Novice through Advanced levels.
Melinda Maslin and Midnight Treasure placed second at Training level at Morven Park’s Fall Horse Trials
The flow of the cross-country course for all levels included jumps in the schooling field. Some of the upper levels ran past the Morven Park Mansion as well. Show jumping was held in the large arena near the main entrance, where three dressage rings are normally placed. This gave competitors a much larger warm-up arena as well as a bigger, more open space to show jump. The change, however, forced the organizers to split up the dressage rings around the park. One ring was held in the small outdoor arena by the road, another in the indoor and the third down by the cross-country course, all three having their share of distractions.
At Intermediate, Laura Borger of Mt. Airy finished fifth in Open Intermediate A with the best final score of a Marylander at this level. She jumped clean aboard Sassy J.R. to finish on her dressage score of 44.5. Amanda Bossong of Frederick placed eighth in the same division aboard In The Nick Of Time. Katherine Sunderland of Dunkirk and Southern Tango earned fifth in Open Intermediate B.
Young rider Tracey Bienemann of Passadena had the best Maryland final score at the Preliminary level. She rode Aces Zoomin’ Dude to third place in Junior/Young Rider Open Preliminary B, finishing on her dressage score of 37.1. Lauren Sumner of Germantown placed fifth in the same division aboard Golden Memories. In Junior/Young Rider Open Preliminary A, Kayla Muller of Centreville rode Falko to fourth place while Maddi Fleit of Silver Spring placed sixth with Guypowder Valley.
Michelle Warro of Annapolis placed second in Preliminary Rider with Prince William. Julia Wendell of Upperco received just a few cross-country time penalties aboard Picante to place sixth in Preliminary Horse.
Eight Maryland eventers brought home ribbons at the Training Level. Louise Foster of Frederick earned the only blue with her win aboard Along Came A Spyder in Amateur Training Rider. Abigail Gibbon of Silver Spring placed second in the division with Prima LGF. Both riders were the only ones in the division to finish on their dressage scores.
In the Junior/Young Rider Training divisions, Melinda Maslin of Highland earned the best placing with her second place in the B division. She rode Midnight Treasure to double clean rounds to finish on her dressage score of 32.6. Erika Gonzalez of Germantown and Copper Dancer placed fourth. Also earning a fourth place was Anna Schmitt of Parkton riding Liam, scoring a 38.4 in the A division.
In Training Rider, Lisa Warnock of Hagerstown rode Constant Sorrow to his first Training level competition. The pair placed fourth, dropping just one rail in show jumping. Katherine Rizzo of Gaithersburg placed seventh on Dana Cannon’s Majestic Falcon, jumping clean but racking up some time faults cross-country.
Liza Horan of Damascus and Hastening Opal earned the pair’s first win the season at Novice with its score of 29 in Novice Horse. This pair has placed second in its three other Novice starts this season. In the same division, Alyssa Ford of Hampstead rode Upper Limit to third place while Michael Hillman of Emmitsburg rode Ensign Crusher to eighth. In Novice Horse A, Kathleen Carr, DVM of Sharpsburg rode Olympic Task to fourth place and Molly Rosin of Baltimore rode BeauJeste to seventh.
Marylanders topped both Novice Rider divisions with Heidi Brueckner of Owings Mill and Raymond Carter of Frederick earning the wins. Brueckner rode Inquisitive to win Novice Rider A on her dressage score of 35.3. Carter scored a 32.6 in dressage aboard Borris Minor to win Novice Rider B. Beth Mueller of Bethesda and Rave Review took the number two spot in the B division. Sara Tilley of Boyds rode Glacier Bay to sixth and Pamela Blumberg of Poolesville rode Kodak to eighth, both also in the B division.
Ribbons from Radnor
The Radnor Hunt Horse Trails were held on October 10 in Malvern, Pennsylvania and offered Novice through Preliminary levels. Molly Rosin of Baltimore rode BeauJeste to win the Novice Horse division with a 32.1. In the same division, Francesca King of Gaithersburg rode Sushi Larkin to fifth place.
Colleen Coughlin, also of Gaithersburg, placed third in Training Horse riding Jesse James. In Training Rider, Kara Clissold of Hyattsville rode Mischief Managed to fourth place.
Floods, Mud and More
Yes, Fair Hill International this year fell victim to some wet and muddy days! The Equiery wants to know if you attended FHI and what you thought. Send us your mud stories and photos.
E-mail editor@equiery.com by November 4.
Maryland Owned Horse Wins 5-Year-Old Championships
On October 16, Patrick and Kathleen Flynn’s horse BreakThrough, a Dutch Warmblood gelding bred by Paul Dillon of Ireland, was named the Spalding Labs 2009 Young Event Horse 5-Year-Old Champion at the Fair Hill International Festival in the Country. The horse was ridden by the Potomac couple’s son Matt Flynn, now training out of New Jersey.
BreakThrough scored an 11.87 in conformation and a 25.90 in dressage on Thursday October 15, the first day of the competition. In the misty rain of Friday morning, BreakThrough impressed the judges with his boldness and willingness around the jumping course as well as his classic jumping technique. His score of 42.45 for jumping brought his total to 80.22 and moved him into the top spot.
For full results of the YEH competition and photos of more Maryland horses and riders, check back soon.
Fair Hill Starts Wednesday!
The Dansko Fair Hill International Festival in the Country starts this Wednesday, October 14 with the first horse inspection of the CCI** and CCI*** horses. The actual competition begins on Thursday, October 15 with half of the CCI** and CCI*** riders performing their dressage while the Spalding Labs Young Event Horse 4-year-old and 5-year-old Championships take place as well. Dressage wraps up on Friday with a special presentation of the top 4- and 5-year-olds during the lunch break. Saturday is cross-country for both the CCI** and CCI*** and then Sunday is the final horse inspection and show jumping.
Come out and cheer on our Maryland entries! Please note, this list is entries as of October 12, changes can be made before the competition begins.
CCI**
Samantha Allan (Brandywine)/Scimitar
Mogie Bearden-Muller (Centreville)/Select
Daniel Clasing (Monkton)/Houston
Alyssa Peterson (Waldorf)/Lettingo
Colleen Rutledge (Frederick)/Dillon
Colleen Rutledge (Frederick)/Shiraz
Julia Wendell (Upperco)/Cavendish
CCI***
Katie Ruppel (Adamstown)/Sir Donovan
YEH 4-year-old
Mogie Bearden-Muller (Centreville)/William Street
YEH 5-year-old
Elizabeth Callahan (Oxford)/Balmoral
Kathryn Cowles (Brookeville)/Miss Carlisle
Daryl Layfield-Insley (Princes Anne)/Edmonton Avenue
Marylanders Rack Up Ribbons at AECs
by Katherine O. Rizzo with photos courtesy of the USEA
The American Eventing Championships, sponsored by Bit of Britain, celebrated its sixth year on September 9-13. This year was the last year the competition was held at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois where Maryland was represented by 27 horses and 24 riders.
Stephen Fulton of Full Moon Farm and Full Moon’s Manila Bay
Stephen Fulton of Full Moon Farm in Finksburg earned the best placing of the Maryland continent, earning seventh place with his own Full Moon’s Manila Bay. He rode in the Training Amateur division where there were 23 entries. Fulton was 13th after dressage with a score of 37.4 but steadily climbed the placings with double clean cross-country and show jumping rounds. This is the third AEC competition that Fulton has ridden Thunder at and his best final placing.
Stephanie Butts of Camp Waredaca in Laytonsville rode two horses in Preliminary Horse. She was ranked 14th on Gretchen Butt’s Arundel and 32nd on Peabody, owned by Adam and Donna Lockard, after dressage. Butts’ extensive eventing experience helped her pilot both horses to double clean cross-country rounds, moving her up to eighth and 17th going into show jumping. There both horses jumped clean again securing her eighth with Arundel and 16th with Peabody.
Stephanie Butts of Camp Waredaca riding Arundel (left) and Peabody (right)
Danny Warrington, Warrington Eventing in Elkton, also competed in Preliminary Horse. He rode Nicholas Hansen’s Will Smith to 29th place. Warrington was in 26th place after dressage, however a stop near the end of the cross-country course dropped them to 29th.
Alexa Henry of Mt. Airy made it into the top 10 in the Beginner Novice Amateur division. She rode Joe Gould’s Serra Valley Mr. Wizard to eighth place, finishing on her dressage score of 33.5.
Alexa Henry and Serra Valley Mr. Wizard
Eight other Maryland riders competed at Beginner Novice. Madeline Plaut of Sykesville rode Captain Christopher Mings for Karen Fulton of Full Moon Farm to 14th place. The pair jumped clean cross-country but dropped two rails in show jumping. Michelle Benczkowski, also of Full Moon Farm, rode Donna Booth’s Hansel to 17th.
The Full Moon Farm team had four riders in the Beginner Novice Junior division. Dailee Fagnant and Shades of Grey placed 19th on their dressage score of 36.5. Grace Fulton rode Karen Fulton’s Ringwood Sky Dancer to clean jump rounds and 32nd place. Kelly Wallace and Port of Call dropped one rail to finish in 39th and Kelsey Parks Smith rode Louie to 46th.
Madeline Plaut and Captain Christopher Mings
Emily Arches of Elkridge was the top Maryland Beginner Novice junior. She rode Private Benjamin to 13th place with a score of 34.5. Hayley Thomas of Rising Sun placed 48th riding Glamour Girl.
Two Maryland juniors competed in the Training Junior Rider division and each finished in the top 20. Mary Ballew of Finksburg is no stranger to the AEC scene having placed well at Novice last year. This year, she rode General MacArthur again, only she placed 12th at Training finishing on her dressage score of 43.2. Forest Hill junior Jordan Litter rode Trailblazer to 16th place in the same division. She scored a 41.1 in dressage, was double clean cross-country but dropped one rail in show jumping.
Mary Ballew and General MacArthur
At Novice, Daphne Soares of Laurel placed the highest with a 13th place finish in Novice Amateur. She rode her own Ronin to 18th place after dressage with a 35.3. After jumping clean cross-country, the pair moved up to 11th. An unfortunate dropped rail in show jumping moved them down to 13th.
Abby Gibbon of Silver Spring finished on her dressage score of 41.6 to place 16th with Prima LGF in Novice Amateur. Tuuli Juurikkala of Bethesda rode Crossroad to 22nd place and Nicole Sebastian of Rockville placed 28th with Rhapsody.
In the Novice Horse division, Andy Amato of Westminster and Warrington each finished on their dressage scores. Amato rode Aiden’s Epic to 15th place while Warrington rode Stephanie Morrongiello’s Classico Z to 17th.
Danny Warrington riding Will Smith (top) and Classico Z (bottom)
Junior riders Lauren Drenning of Reisterstown and Savannah Fulton of Finksburg placed 25th and 26th, respectively in the Novice Junior division. Drenning jumped clean but added just a few cross-country time faults to her dressage score riding Beau’s Rhapsody. Fulton rode FMF’s Lucinda II to a clean cross-country round but dropped a rail in show jumping. Josie Bennett of Fallston and Destiny’s Wish placed 48th after one stop cross-country.
Tuuli Juurikkala riding Crossroad
Savannah Fulton riding FMF Lucinda
Nicole Sebastian riding Rhapsody
Lauren Drenning and Beau’s Rhapsody
Kelsey Parks Smith riding Louie
Abby Gibbon aboard Prima LGF
Andy Amato riding Aiden’s Epic
Dailee Fagnant and Shades of Grey
Kelly Wallace and Port of Call
Josie Bennett aboard Destiny’s Wish
Jordan Litter and Trailblazer
Daphnie Soares riding Ronin
Hayley Thomas aboard Glamour Girl
Emily Arches and Private Benjamin
Grace Fulton riding Ringwood Sky Dancer
