The 2019 Dutta Corp Fair Hill International has officially begun with the first horse inspection for the CCI4*-L and CCI3*-L. All horses presented passed the inspection with 62 horses in the three-star and 47 in the four-star. Held at the Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area in Elkton, this year marks the 31st anniversary of the event. If you are looking for some Free State horses and riders to root for, check out the list below!
CCI4*-L
Jules Ennis of Queenstown and her four-star mount Cooley O completed their first Advanced together at Millbrook HT in August 2017 where they finished in sixth place. This past year, they started out the season with a ninth place finish at Plantation Field’s April HT in the Open Intermediate division. They completed two CCI3*s before moving up to the four-star level at the Event at Rebecca Farm where they finished in fifth place.
Alexandra Macleod of Chevy Chase and Newmarket Jack, owned by Carla Macleod, competed at last year’s FHI in the CCI2* division (now the CCI3*-L). They jumped around clean on cross-country with a few time faults and then jumped clean in show jumping to place 31st overall. This year, the pair moved up to Advanced at the Essex HTs where they finished in fifth place. Most recently, they finished 17th at the Plantation Field International in the CCI4*-S division.
Colleen Rutledge of Frederick and her homebred Covert Rights are no strangers to FHI having competed in the three- and four-star divisions over the past few years. The pair’s 2019 season just keeps getting better and better with top three finishes in all of their last five events. They finished second in the Maryland International CCI3*-S and Great Meadow International CCI4*-S. The pair won both of their last outings: Plantation Field International CCI4*-S and Morven Park Fall International CCI4*-S.
Sydney Solomon and Early Review competed in the CCI2* at FHI in 2017. That year the pair from Dayton finished in 28th place. Early Review is a cross-country machine, not having any jump penalties on cross-country since early in 2017. After moving up to Advanced at Millbrook HTs this year, the pair has completed two CCI4*-S events: Great Meadow International and Plantation Field International.
CCI3*-L
Danielle Poulsen of Elkton and Capability Brown come into this year’s competition fresh off a third place finish in Open Intermediate at Morven Park Fall International. Earlier this year they won the Open Preliminary division at the Groton House Farm HT. They also completed both the CCI3*-S at Bromont QC and Jersey Fresh International Three-day. This will be Danielle’s first time competing Capability Brown in the FHI.
Monica Fiss of Aberdeen and Malibu Rock started the 2019 season with a bang placing third at Paradise Farm HTs in the Preliminary Rider division. Just a few weeks later, they won the Open Intermediate division at Full Gallop Farm March HT before finishing 10th at the Fair Hill International April HTs CCI3*-S. More recently, they placed 15th at Morven Park Fall International CCI3*-S. This year’s FHI will be the pair’s first time around CCI3*-L course.
In a very short amount of time, Colleen Rutledge and C Me Fly have moved up the levels, winning several times along the way. They started out the 2019 season with a third place finish at Stable View Winter HTs in the Open Preliminary division. Their first win of this season was in the Intermediate/Preliminary division at Full Gallop Farm March II HTs. More recently, they won the Open Intermediate at Seneca Valley Pony Club HTs in September. They also finished fourth this month in the CCI3*-S at Morven Park Fall International.
Juli Hutchings-Sebring of Elkton has finished in the top ten at nearly every event she has done with Welbourne this past season. They started out the year with a third place at Stable View Winter HT in the Preliminary Rider division. After a sixth place finish in the Intermediate Rider division at Rocking Horse Winter II HTs, the placed second in Open Intermediate at Full Gallop Farm February II HTs. The pair moved up to Advacned at the Essex HTs where they finished seventh.
Although technically Alyssa Peterson now lives in Berryville, VA… once a Marylander, always a Marylander! Plus, her three-star entry this year is owned by her mother, Maryland resident Margaret Peterson of Waldorf. Alyssa and R-Perfect Storm won a few times in the YEH-5 Year Old divisions in 2017 before moving the mare up to Training level. By the end of the 2018 season, the pair had completed two one-stars (now two-stars). This year, they started out the season with a win in Open Preliminary at the Morven Park Spring HTs. They won again last month at the Seneca Valley Pony Club HTs in Open Intermediate.
