2005 - United States Eventing Association

EVENTING USA • ISSUE SIX
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2005
Shannon Brinkman.
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F E AT U R E
2005 AEC
2005
American
Eventing
Championships
Excellence in Partnership
The AEC
Experience
T
By Amber Heintzberger and Amy J. Daum
he second annual American Eventing
Championships, held at the Carolina Horse
Park in Raeford, North Carolina, September
14-18, attracted nearly 400 competitors representing 32 states and almost every corner
of the country. They came from as far as
Idaho, Colorado, Texas, Michigan, Maine, and
Minnesota to vie for $50,000 in prize money,
more than $75,000 in prizes, and of course,
bragging rights.
The AEC offered five levels of competition,
novice through advanced. Having all these
levels represented gave the competition an
electric atmosphere, where 14- (or even 40-)
year-old Olympic hopefuls rubbed shoulders with their idols in stabling, in warm-up,
at the parties, and in the trade fair. Those
idols included three-time Olympian Karen
O’Connor, 2004 silver and bronze medallist
Kim Severson (coaching only, due to a recent
injury), 2004 alternate Will Faudree, Bobby
Costello, Stephen Bradley, and Stuart Black.
Shannon Brinkman.
Advanced Championships
Faudree, 24, of Southern Pines, proved
being chosen for the 2004 Olympic team was
no fluke, winning the Open Advanced division with his longtime partner, 16-year-old
Thoroughbred gelding Antigua.
Corinne Ashton and Dobbin had taken the
early lead in the division on a score of 24.8,
followed closely by Faudree and Antigua in
second with 26.3. A run-out on cross-country
at the narrow toothbrush into the second
water dropped Ashton to 17th place, and
Faudree and Antigua’s double clear crosscountry performance (the only of the division)
bumped them into first, with a rail and change
in hand going into show jumping, 7.4 penalties Above: Will Faudree and Antigua captured the win in the Advanced division, finishing on a score
of 30.3. Left: Maria Brazil and Gadget des Brumes celebrate their Open Training win. The pair
ahead of their nearest competition, Nathalie
finished on their dressage score of 33.5.
Bouckaert-Pollard and West Farthing.
EVENTING USA • ISSUE SIX • 2005
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Shannon Brinkman.
Shannon Brinkman.
Cruising around the show jumping course,
Faudree took all the inside lines and wasted
no time getting to the jumps. He said that he
likes to ride in the moment and do the best
he can rather than think about where he is
in the standings. “I didn’t even look at the
scoreboard last night to see if I had a rail in
hand,” he said. “I was just paying attention to
what I had to do.”
The pair dropped one rail, as did Pollard
and West Farthing, for a final score of 30.3
that earned them the tri-color ribbon, as well
as $4,000 in prize money and an impressive list of prizes, including an Amerigo
saddle, Saratoga Horseworks show cover,
Mountain Horse SCS3 High Caliber field
boots, $350 Bit of Britain gift certificate, Maui
Jim sunglasses, and a bucket of Platinum
Performance. Antigua’s groom received a
pair of Blundstone paddock boots.
As the winners of the Advanced division, their names will now appear on the
Jack LeGoff Trophy, where they will have
Above: Jack LeGoff presents the LeGoff trophy to
Open Advanced division winner Will Faudree.
Left: Nathalie Bouckaert-Pollard and West
Farthing bounce into the water on the
Advanced course. The pair finished second
on a score of 37.7.
“I’m glad that this horse has
an opportunity to be in the
limelight. Words can’t describe
how awesome he is.”
Shannon Brinkman.
Below: Will Faudree and his other mount,
Wild Frontier, finished fifth in the Open
Advanced division.
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EVENTING USA • ISSUE SIX
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2005
some impressive company, including David
O’Connor.
Faudree and Antigua were also awarded
the Areté Trophy, for finishing the closest to
the optimum time. This trophy was donated
by Colleen Hofstetter, dedicated in memory of R.G’s Renegade, her Selle Francais/
Thoroughbred gelding who had represented
the U.S. in many international competitions,
including the 2002 World Equestrian Games.
After the event, Faudree said he felt that
his own inexperience has often overshadowed his horse’s success. “I’m glad that this
horse has an opportunity to be in the limelight,” he said. “Words can’t describe how
awesome he is.”
Faudree’s Olympic teammate, John
Williams, also of Southern Pines, served
as the AEC cross-country course designer,
but did not compete (nationally, in championships only, designers cannot compete
over their courses). Last year Captain
Mark Phillips, the USEF eventing team
coach, designed the Intermediate and
Advanced divisions, while Williams handled
Preliminary and below. This year Williams
took on all five courses, with Eric Bull as
chief builder.
“An awful lot of the upper level tracks
are still Mark’s doing,” said Williams, who
Shannon Brinkman.
Above and Below: Jessica Kiener and My Boy
Bobby were in second place after dressage,
but moved up to take the lead after crosscountry adding just 0.4 time penalties. The
pair pulled a rail in show jumping, but kept
their lead to win the Open Intermediate
division on a score of 36.9.
EVENTING USA • ISSUE SIX • 2005
Shannon Brinkman.
Above: Karen O'Connor and Upstage placed
third in the Open Advanced division on a score
of 43.
Intermediate Championships
In the Open Intermediate division, overnight leader Carol Kozlowski withdrew from
the event and headed home the morning of
cross-country. Jessica Kiener of Pottersville,
New Jersey and My Boy Bobby, a nine-yearold Irish Sport Horse gelding, had just 0.4
time penalties on cross-country to slip into
the lead, with a little more than a rail in hand
going into show jumping.
They used that rail, and kept their lead for
a final score of 36.9, just edging out Southern
Pines resident and 2000 Olympian Robert
Costello and Wild Delight (38.7), a ten-year-old
Thoroughbred gelding owned by Kati Foley.
Kiener said she had been working on her
dressage with Betsy Steiner, and that she
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Shannon Brinkman.
won team bronze at last year’s Olympics
under Phillips’ tutelage. “He left me a lot of
good stuff to work with. A lot of it was fresh
and didn’t need changes. At this point the
course is a combination of the best that he left
behind, with my ideas fit in.” Williams went
on to explain that he added several touches
to the course, changing both water complexes
and building a few new combinations.
Williams did a fantastic job across the
board. The courses took their toll, especially
at preliminary and below. Those that weren’t
quite up to the challenge learned a lot, and
ended the day safe and sound, though possibly at the bottom of the standings.
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plans to spend the winter with coach Buck
Davidson, aiming for her 2006 goal—a
two-star.
Her husband Matt, and My Boy Bobby’s
owners, Carl and Cassie Segal, couldn’t make
it to the event, and instead cheered them on
from home by tuning into the live audiocast
from the event on the USEA website. “They
said that when they heard that he went
clear on cross-country, they jumped out of
their chairs,” said Kiener, who works for the
Segals, campaigning their horses and managing their farm.
Kiener and My Boy Bobby were presented
with the Col. Paul M. Wimert Trophy, which
was first awarded in 1999, donated by Col.
Wimert to honor the efforts of horses at the
intermediate level. Col. Wimert passed away
earlier this year after a long history in the
horse world, which began when he served in
the cavalry.
Dana Widstrand, 20, of Naperville, Illinois
was awarded the A. Martin Simensen Trophy,
as the highest placing Young Rider in the
Intermediate division. She and her nineyear-old Thoroughbred gelding, Relentless
Pursuit, moved up from a tie for 17th after
dressage to finish in seventh place on a score
of 50.3. Widstrand also won the Best Turned
Out award, sponsored by Fiebing. Fiebingsponsored competitor, Jennifer Holling, was
also kind enough to present a Grooming for
Competition seminar during the event.
At Advanced and Intermediate, only one
division was offered for each level. At
Preliminary and below, each level was split
into three divisions. The Junior/Young Rider
division was limited to riders 21 years of age
or younger, though the horses could be any
age or experience level. The Horse division
was available to riders at any experience
level, though the horses could not have competed more than a level higher than their
AEC division during the qualifying period
(August 4, 2004 to August 30, 2005). For
example, a horse in the AEC Novice Horse
division could have competed at novice or
training during the qualifying period, but
not preliminary. The Open divisions were
available to horses of any experience level,
though this time it was the riders who could
Shannon Brinkman.
Above: Robert Costello and Wild Delight left
all the rails in their cups to finish second in the
Open Intermediate division on a score of 38.7.
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EVENTING USA • ISSUE SIX
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Below: Dana Widstrand was awarded the
A. Martin Simensen Trophy as the highest placing Young Rider in the same division aboard
Relentless Pursuit. The pair also won the Best
Turned Out award sponsored by Fiebing.
not have competed more than a level higher
than their AEC division during the qualifying
period.
Shannon Brinkman.
Preliminary Championships
Twenty-three-year-old Doug Payne of
Califon, New Jersey rode his big bay Irish
gelding Cornerhouse to the win in the Open
Preliminary division on a score of 31.2,
after overnight leader Allison Kelly-Coates
of Vass, North Carolina, riding her Irish
Cavalier, had one rail down and slipped to
third place (34.5).
“When I got this horse, his dressage was in
the mid-50s consistently,” said Payne, who
trains with his mother Marilyn. “He’s come a
long way. We got a 30 in our dressage here,
but I still came out thinking, ‘I can do better.’”
Payne found the now eight-year-old in
Ireland three years ago. “He looked like a
rescue case,” he said of the big-boned horse,
who is now well over 17 hands. “Dressage
isn’t a big problem though. He just needs
education in general.”
Cornerhouse has already competed several times at intermediate, and Payne hopes
to run him in a two-star next year. The pair’s
names will be engraved on the Lloyd Trophy,
as the Open Preliminary winners. In addition, Payne received $2,000 in prize money,
an Amerigo saddle, and products and gift
certificates from Saratoga Horseworks,
Maui Jim Sunglasses, Bit of Britain, Platinum
Performance, Equilite, and Blundstone.
Nate Chambers, 18, of Middleburg, Virginia,
and his nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding Rolling Stone II came just 0.8 penalties
away from repeating their 2004 AEC Open
Preliminary victory, moving up from seventh
after the first day to finish in second on their
dressage score of 32. Just two months earlier
the pair won team and individual gold in
the CCI* at the 2005 North American Young
Riders’ Championships.
Though it wasn’t quite the same payday
for Chambers as last year, he still took
home $1,000, and products from Saratoga
Horseworks, Tipperary, Mountain Horse, Bit
of Britain, Equilite, Maui Jim Sunglasses, and
Work Horse Gloves.
EVENTING USA • ISSUE SIX • 2005
Shannon Brinkman.
Shannon Brinkman.
Left: Doug Payne and Cornerhouse took top
honors in the Open Preliminary division
winning on a score of 31.2. Above: Nate
Chambers and Rolling Stone II were close
behind finishing second on a score of 32.
Right: Mark Weissbecker and Top Gallant won
the Preliminary Horse division.
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Shannon Brinkman.
Eighteen-year-old Diana Brown of Dallas,
Texas won the Preliminary Junior/Young
Rider division. She and One 2 One, her
11-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, finished
on their dressage score of 35.3, less than a
rail ahead of 20-year-old Lisa Barry of The
Plains, Virginia and L’Cedric, her 12-year-old
Thoroughbred gelding.
A student at the University of South
Carolina studying International Business,
Brown trains with Tiffani Loudon-Meetze
in Blythewood, South Carolina. After the
event she said that she was proud of surviving the AEC without the support of her
parents at the event, though she did confide that she spoke to them on the phone
frequently during the course of the week
for moral support.
Along with her $1,000 in prize money and
long list of prizes from sponsors including
Bit of Britain, Stackhouse Saddles, Saratoga
Horseworks, Platinum Performance, and
Maui Jim Sunglasses, Brown and One 2
One will have their names engraved on
the Rebecca Farm Trophy, sponsored by
Rebecca Farm.
2005
Shannon Brinkman.
Above: Karen O'Connor and Mr. Ripley placed
third in the Preliminary Horse division on a
score of 39.5. Below Left: Michael Pollard and
Voltaire added 0.8 time penalties on crosscountry to finish second in the same division.
Right: Diana Brown and One 2 One took top
honors in the Preliminary Junior/Young Rider
division, finishing on their dressage score
of 35.3. Below Right: Lisa Barry and L'Cedric
added no faults in show jumping to finish
second in the same division.
Shannon Brinkman.
Shannon Brinkman.
Mark Weissbecker, aboard Birch Hill Farm’s
ten-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Top
Gallant (31.5), won the Preliminary Horse
division. They were presented with the
Eastern DeBroke trophy by its donor, Robert
Zabriskie, who donated the trophy in 1965
in memory of his horse DeBroke, an ex-race
horse who had an impressive career, first
as a race horse on the flat and over hurdles,
then in the show jumping ring, and eventually as a successful event horse. Zabriskie
unexpectedly passed away just a few weeks
after the event.
Weissbecker and Top Gallant finished just
a whisker in front of Michael Pollard and
Voltaire (31.8). Both pairs had some room
to maneuver after Karen O’Connor on Mr.
Ripley dropped two rails, trading places with
Pollard to finish in third with a score of 39.5.
“Top Gallant raced until he was eight, and
he has taken some time to come around,”
Weissbecker said after the event. “He’s ten
now and just getting confident. He had a little
difficulty understanding the element of surprise in eventing, especially in cross-country.
The dressage came on amazingly quickly
after getting over the racehorse mentality
though.”
Weissbecker also stood in sixth place
on Swayne in the Advanced division but
withdrew from the competition Sunday
morning when the horse trotted out lame
with a bruised stifle before shipping to the
competition from their home farm in nearby
Southern Pines.
Shannon Brinkman.
“He doesn’t produce any
adrenaline. He just says to
me, ‘Maria, stay in the tack
and I’ll do the job.’”
Above: Maria Brazil and Gadget Des Brumes
jumped a flawless round to win the Open
Training division, finishing on their dressage
score of 33.50.
An Exquisite Journey
By Amber Heintzberger
fence at an event in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
and took the summer off to recover. When she
got back in the saddle, Amy scored a 31.5 in
dressage at Plantation Field, then won the event.
At the next event at the same venue she scored
24.5 in dressage and won again.
“So here we are at the championships!”
she said with a huge grin.
Amy bought her sidesaddle several years ago
as a kind of joke. “My first trainer when I was
little rode sidesaddle in a ratty old one, and told
me if I ever found a nice sidesaddle to buy it. I
Amy Magee and Aspen's Black Diamond placed fourth in the found this one in an old tack shop for $300 and
AEC Open Training division with Magee riding sidesaddle.
phoned her to see if she wanted it. She passed,
but I bought it anyway.”
When Amy got married, she rode sidesaddle
Riding sidesaddle (yes, sidesaddle!) in the
in her wedding.
Open Training division at the AEC, Amy Magee
“My horse took to it really quickly,” she said.
attracted quite a lot of attention. When she
went cross-country, she got more than her share “I rode him with it in the Devon horse show,
where there are lots of ladies riding sidesaddle,
of attention, taking max drops and ditches with
but none of them want to go fast and they all
ease—clad in the traditional cross-country
want the jumps lowered.”
attire from the waist up in blue, pink and white
Presently she said she has been toying with
shirt, vest, and helmet—which looked quite out
the idea of going preliminary, so she has rouof place with her ankle length, black, wool skirt.
tinely been jumping 3’7”. She rides about half
Amy also received some well deserved attenthe time in a regular saddle and half the time
tion by the USEA and Exquisite Equestrian for
in the sidesaddle, so that she can fine tune
the hardships she has overcome in her journey
the dressage by sitting astride and using both
to the AEC.
legs. Due to a USEF presidential modification,
Amy, 31, rides Aspen’s Black Diamond, an
she was allowed to carry her whip in the AEC
11-year-old Hanoverian/Thoroughbred gelding
dressage test (the rule does not allow whips in
that she bred, raised and trained herself. The
championships), because it acts as her right leg.
pair has been eventing for five years. Aspen
“I’ve decided not to move up because of his
has overcome several obstacles along the way.
breathing and because he was diagnosed with
He was diagnosed at age five with a pharyngeal
navicular, though he has never been unsound.
collapse at high speeds, which impedes his
Also, the saddle is really heavy and I’m conrespiration. The vets told her that he would
never event, but with the encouragement of her stantly sitting on him, even galloping crosscountry, so it would just be too much.”
husband, Amy kept her horse going.
Amy trains with four-star rider Bonnie Mosser,
The news of the respiratory problem came
who recently won the Adequan USEA Gold Cup
shortly after the death of Amy’s trainer, Keith
Series advanced division at Poplar Place Horse
Taylor, at the Radnor CCI** several years ago.
Trials riding Jenga. “Bonnie is very supportive,”
The next hurdle came after the pair competshe said.
ed at the East Coast Eventing Championships
Because of her determination in overcomin 2001. A week later she was riding a friend’s
ing the obstacles in her quest for the AEC, Amy
horse and it fell over backwards, breaking her
was presented the Exquisite Equestrian Journey
back and pelvis. With steady determination
award on Thursday night at the ULCERGUARDshe overcame the pain and difficulty to realize
sponsored party. This award was designed to
the dream of competing at the CCI* at Morven
honor, regardless of placing at the competition,
Park in 2003.
the AEC competitor who had displayed courBut her troubles were not over. A month after
age and heart in the face of adversity. Amy
Morven, her barn burned to the ground. The
was awarded an Integrity Linen wool dress
one small reprieve was that her sidesaddle,
sheet, in her stable colors, courtesy of Exquisite
which she had lent to a friend, was not among
Equestrian, a completely custom personal shopthe wreckage. She had not used the saddle in a
ping service that specializes in outfitting barns,
while, but began riding in it again and actually
horses, and riders with custom products that
discovered that it was less painful, with her
reflect the highest possible quality, including
injuries, to ride sidesaddle rather than astride.
Oakcroft tack trunks and barn equipment, Vogel
She proceeded to place seventh in training
custom boots, and commissioned artwork by
level at Fair Hill Horse Trials, then suffered
Tricia Scheele.
another setback when she and Aspen fell at a
Shannon Brinkman.
Training Championships
Team O’Connor dominated Training level
when Karen O’Connor and two of her students won the three divisions. St. Louis,
Missouri resident Maria Brazil, 49, won the
Open Training with her 11-year-old Selle
Francais gelding Gadget des Brumes, finishing on their dressage score of 33.5, moving
up from third to first when the top two didn’t
make it around the cross-country course.
Williams said that he made fewer changes
to the lower level cross-country courses,
considering he was working with his 2004
design. Organizer Lefreda Williams commented, “The course has nice changes, and
John has breathed new life into it. He’s done
a lovely job of putting his stamp on the
course with about 30 percent new fences.”
Prior to the AEC, Brazil competed at the
Adult Team Championships in Kentucky,
where she was on the gold-medal winning
team, and then spent the weeks leading
up to the AEC training in Virginia. Working
locum tenens as an anesthesiologist, Brazil’s
job lets her arrange her own schedule so that
she can take time off for riding.
EVENTING USA • ISSUE SIX • 2005
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Shannon Brinkman.
Gadget des Brumes was imported from Julie
Ulrich in France, from whom Brazil has bought
several horses sight unseen. “He doesn’t produce any adrenaline,” she said. “He just
says to me, ‘Maria, stay in the tack and I’ll do
the job.’”
Nineteen-year-old Nicole Kemerling, a
student at the University of North Carolina
at Greensboro, placed second (33.9) riding
Fiddlestix, her six-year-old Hanoverian/
Thoroughbred mare. Adrienne Classen and
Rafferty’s Rules moved up from fifth place to
finish third (35).
Amy Magee, riding Aspen’s Black Diamond,
finished fourth (36.3) in the Open Training
division riding sidesaddle through the entire
event. Having overcome a series of difficulties in the past several years, Magee was the
recipient of the Exquisite Equestrian Journey
Award, given to the rider who overcame
adversity in their journey to the AEC (see
sidebar on page 14 for details).
Above Top: Nicole Kemerling and Fiddlestix
added no faults on cross-country to finish
second in the Open Training division on a score
of 33.9.
Left: Adrienne Classen and Rafferty's Rules
went double clear to finish on their dressage
score of 35, placing third in the same division.
Shannon Brinkman.
Shannon Brinkman.
Below: Amy Magee and Aspen's Black Diamond
impressed the crowds, going double clear on
cross-country riding sidesaddle. Magee was
awarded the Exquisite Equestrian Journey
Award, given to the rider who overcame
adversity in their journey to the AEC.
Shannon Brinkman.
Right: Maria Brazil was delighted with her
Open Training win on Gadget des Brumes.
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2005
Shannon Brinkman.
Shannon Brinkman.
Shannon Brinkman.
Above: Morgan Shank and Ryley went double
clear on cross-country to place second in the
Training Junior/Young Rider division on their
dressage score of 37.3.
Below: Karen O'Connor and Mandiba won the
Training Horse division on their dressage score
of 27.3.
Shannon Brinkman.
Above: Amy Magee and Aspen's Black Diamond
added no faults in show jumping to finish
in fourth place on their dressage score of 35.
Below: Jessica Borchers and Windover won the
Training Junior/Young Rider division, finishing
on their dressage score of 30.3.
The Training Junior/Young Rider champion, Jessica Borchers of Fort Collins, Colorado,
finished on her dressage score of 30.3 riding
Windover, her eight-year-old Oldenburg/
Thoroughbred gelding. This was an especially impressive performance considering
the pair have been together for only three
months. Twenty-one-year-old Morgan Shank
of Spokane, Washington, riding Ryley, moved
up from fourth place to finish second.
“After we qualified for the AEC and
everything was going well, I decided this
would be a good goal,” said Borchers. To get
ready for the event, she spent the summer
training with David and Karen O’Connor in
Middleburg, Virginia. She said that Windover,
who was bred in North Carolina, is a brave
and willing horse. He had only competed at
one training level event before she bought
him, but they have already competed several
times at the preliminary level.
Brochers got a photo op with Jim Cogdell,
owner of The Fork Stables, which sponsored
the Training Junior/Young Rider trophy. She
also received $1,000 in cash and an impressive list of prizes.
It was Borchers’ trainer, Karen O’Connor,
who won the Training Horse division,
aboard the five-year-old Irish-bred gelding,
Mandiba. The pair put in a wire-to-wire
performance, finishing on their dressage
score of 27.3. Stephen Bradley on The English
EVENTING USA • ISSUE SIX • 2005
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Shannon Brinkman.
Stephen Bradley and The English Patient receive their award and prizes from USEA President,
Kyra Stuart, and USEA Executive Director, Jo Whitehouse (far left).
Jennifer Conte.
Going to the Dogs!
Everyone knows that eventers love dogs.
So much so that when you go to an event,
expect to see almost as many canines on
grounds as equines.
That was the case at the American Eventing
Championships, where mysterious mutts and
hifalutin hounds had their own chance at
glory—competing in the first annual AEC
Dog Show.
The list of ten classes ranged from Most
Mysterious Heritage (for those with baffling backgrounds) and Best Rescue (those
found at shelters and rescues) to Best Vocal
Performance, Terrific Pet Tricks, and Most
Adorable.
The turnout was incredible, and it was no
easy job for judges Kyra Stuart, USEA President,
and Jo Whitehouse, USEA Executive Director,
to pick the best pooch from the pack. In fact,
there were quite a few ties along the way.
Prizes supplied by Merial, makers of
Frontline and ULCERGARD, plus ribbons went
to all the winners, with completion ribbons
going to all who attended.
The second annual AEC Dog Show is already
on the books for next years, so start brushing
up on Fido’s special tricks and traits!
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Photos by Shannon Brinkman.
2005
Patient took second place (29.3), but Nanci
Lindroth and Running Rebel, who were tied
with Bradley, were eliminated when they
went off course in show jumping. Kristin
Schmolze and Glen Emeril moved into third
place (30.5), followed by Mark Weissbecker
on Tatham (31.5).
Mandiba and O’Connor’s names will be
added to the Western DeBroke trophy, which
was presented to them by Robert Zabriskie,
along with $1,000 in prize money and considerable bounty.
Mandiba, owned by Joan Goswell, was
purchased in Ireland from William Michlem,
the same person who found O’Connor her
legendary partner, Biko. Mandiba, by Master
Imp, was bought sight unseen two years ago.
He began his eventing career this year at
beginner novice, with eight starts through
training level before the AEC, winning five
events and never finishing lower than fifth.
Bradley’s horse is also young and has
progressed quickly. “Stephen and I were talking,” O’Connor said, “and we’d like to fasttrack these horses and if everything keeps
going right, bring them up for the Olympics
in Beijing in three years. Of course you have
to set a program and see what happens, but
you have to set goals.”
Novice Championships
Susan Moessner of Ann Arbor, Michigan
made the 700-mile drive worthwhile by
taking home a new Amerigo saddle (as did
the winners of all five Open divisions), a
pocketful of prize money ($2,000) and the
title of Open Novice Champion. Riding her
fourth-generation homebred, Satin Dust, a
six-year-old Thoroughbred/Clydesdale mare,
Moessner took the lead from the start and
held on to it to finish on her dressage score
of 23.
“She’s a very good dressage horse,” said
Moessner. “She’s consistent and obedient
and she has a lot of presence. Her dam, Epic
Satin, was a fabulous horse,” she said. “She
spent two years on the USEA Top Ten Mare’s
list and on the USEA developing list. Dusty
has her dam’s wonderful kind attitude, trainability and athleticism.”
Satin Dust and Moessner’s names will be
added to the Edward Harris Memorial Trophy,
sponsored by Area I, which was presented to
them by USEA President, Kyra Stuart.
Moessner has endured a long series of
setbacks in the past couple of years, including a broken leg, lame horses, and her barn
nearly burning down. Last year she traveled
to North Carolina for the AEC and had to
withdraw before cross-country because her
horse didn’t feel right.
A professional horsewoman, Moessner
said it was a lot of fun to ride a horse she
bred and trained herself at such a notable
competition. She also said that competing at
the championships, where divisions range
from novice to advanced level, was interesting because she could see the progression of
difficulty out on the cross-country course.
Rather than sharing jumping efforts, all
of the courses have their own fences, aside
from two shared jumps on the intermediate/
advanced courses, and even then a different
approach gives them a different ride. “I think
that at all competitions each course should
have its own identity,” Williams explained.
Andria Allen, 46, of Longmont, Colorado,
took second in the Open Novice division with Confabulate, her five-year-old
Oldenburg gelding, finishing on their dressage score of 24. “I grew up in South Dakota,
Shannon Brinkman.
Events the magnitude of the American
Eventing Championships come about only
through the support and commitment of
a long list of people and organizations,
from the board, staff, and volunteers at the
Carolina Horse Park, to the USEA Board of
Governors and AEC Committee members.
One group that sometimes gets left out of
the picture is the sponsors. Without them,
regardless of how hard we worked to make
this event happen, it absolutely would not
be a reality. Sponsors touched just about
every facet of the AEC, from the $50,000 in
prizes and more than $75,000 in prizes, to
the parties, cross-country fences, seminars,
AEC raffle, and even the AEC Dog Show.
We hope the USEA membership will support this wonderful group of companies, and
thank them for their support this year, and
hopefully for years to come.
A salute to our sponsors…
Presenting Sponsors
Amerigo, Bit of Britain, DryNest Bedding,
and Nutrena.
Contributing Sponsors
Adequan, Cover-All Building Systems,
Finish Line, and Saratoga Horseworks, Ltd.
Gold Level Sponsors
English Riding Supply, Equestrian Collections,
Maui Jim Sunglasses, Platinum Performance,
Practical Horseman, Stackhouse Saddles,
and ULCERGARD.
Silver Level Sponsors
Charles Owen, Devon-Aire, Equine Products,
LLC, John Deere, JOZ, Inc., Likit Products,
Mackinnon Ice Horse, Pegasus Design
Group, Performance Health HPQR, Phoenix
Performance Products, Riddle Equipment
Company, Rodney Powell Body Armour,
Sugar River/Blundstone, ThinLine Pads,
and Tredstep Ireland.
Shannon Brinkman.
Below: Susan Moessner and Satin Dust won
the Open Novice division on their dressage
score of 23. Right: Andria Allen and Confabulate
finished just one point behind on their dressage score of 24.
A Word From
Our Sponsors
Bronze Level Sponsors
3M Animal Care Products, Auburn
Laboratories, Equine Quality Alliance,
Gore Trailers, Merial, Spalding Labs,
and Still River Designs.
EVENTING USA • ISSUE SIX • 2005
23
Mary Jordan Joins Team Copaxone
Team Copaxone consists of ten athletes
in different sports, all dealing with multiple
sclerosis. The team includes, among others,
a cyclist, kayaker, marathon runner, and
most recently 39-year-old Mary Jordan,
an event rider from Wells, Maine, who is
determined to make this venture a success.
“Wendy Booker is on the team and she
is a huge inspiration to me,” said Jordan.
“She has run seven Boston marathons and
now is climbing the seven highest peaks in
the world.”
Mary has competed for years, but three
years ago was diagnosed with MS. Since
her father also had the disease, and her
sister Ann was diagnosed 15 years ago,
Mary was quick to recognize her own
symptoms when she felt a tingling sensation in her back and asked the doctors to
give her the MRI, spinal tap and evoked
potential test (which measures the speed
of the optic nerve), to determine whether
she had the disease. The spinal tap left
her bedridden for ten days, unable to sit
or stand upright, but the upside of getting diagnosed so early and able to get on
medication quickly is that the progression
of her symptoms has been slowed greatly.
She rides Paxton Abbey, the first horse
that she bred herself. A seven-year-old
mare, she is out of Nut Brown Ale, the
24
EVENTING USA • ISSUE SIX
•
Shannon Brinkman.
Mary Jordan and Paxton Abbey competed in the
AEC Open Novice division, finishing 38th out of a
field of 53 starters.
crossbred mare that Mary evented successfully, and by a Hanoverian stallion.
After she was diagnosed she stayed at
beginner novice, only riding lightly at first
as she underwent the necessary diagnostic
procedures, and last year she qualified
for the 2005 AEC at novice. Competing in
the Open Novice division, the pair were in
ninth after dressage with a score of 31.8,
had a stop on cross-country and went
double clear in show jumping, finishing
the competition in 38th place.
“Coming to the AEC, I really wanted to
raise awareness about MS and slash the
stereotype,” she said. “Just because you
have the disease doesn’t mean you are
going to end up in a wheelchair. There’s
not a cure yet, but the medications are
really good, and a lot of people don’t take
them. The people on Team Copaxone are
not sitting around waiting to get disabled.
Before I was diagnosed I won the Area I
Novice Championship and was reserve
training champion, and I want to continue
to do that.”
Ann, Mary’s sister, said, “I think that this
is a great opportunity. Most people don’t
get that opportunity to continue what
they’ve always done. Mary has been competing since she was in high school.”
Medication alone does not keep Mary
in the saddle. It takes hard work and
determination. “I exercise a lot so I’m very
strong, and luckily the medication I’m on
has really helped me,” she said. “I’m fine
in the heat—I try to train in it so I’m used
to it—and I haven’t had an attack since I
was diagnosed in ‘02. I’m very lucky. You
manage your symptoms with nutrition
and exercise and stress relief. Eventing is
a stressful sport, but it helps to keep your
mind’s eye on a purpose when you have
a chronic disease. You don’t take anything
for granted. You have to set goals and keep
going. Riding and experiencing the movement of the horse is therapy for me."
For more information on Team
Copaxone, go to www.teamcopaxone.com.
For more information on multiple sclerosis,
visit the National MS Society website at
www.nmss.org.
Above: Allison Springer and Pharoah's Tale
took home the tri-colored ribbon after winning
the Novice Horse division, finishing on their
dressage score of 30.5.
Below: Robert Stevenson and Happy settled for
second. Stevenson also placed third on his other
mount, Icewine, in the same division.
Shannon Brinkman.
Shannon Brinkman.
By Amber Heintzberger
2005
Lucas/Schwering Architects.
Above: Katherine Bell and Snowy won the
Novice Junior/Young Rider division on their
dressage score of 31.5. Center: Aryn Coon and
Cricket went double clear to place third.
Below: Paige Juliette Garson and Hill Crest's
McGyver added no faults to place second in the
same division.
Shannon Brinkman.
and this is my first trip to North Carolina,”
said Allen, who learned to ride on reining and
cutting horses. “My last horse was laid up for
a couple of years, so when I got ‘Milo’ and
qualified for the AEC, I figured I’d better take
my chance.”
In the Novice Horse division, Allison
Springer of Castleton, Virginia won on
Pharoah’s Tale (30.5), a seven-year-old
Thoroughbred gelding owned by Lulu Davis,
and placed fourth on Folk Lore (32.8), a fouryear-old gelding owned by Kaiti Saunders.
Second and third places went to local trainer
Robert Stevenson of Southern Pines, riding
Happy (31) and Icewine (31.8), respectively.
About the cross-country course, Springer
said, “My horse got more and more confident
as he went around. He was looking a bit when
we went out, but we had a good go.”
“Both horses were great,” agreed Stevenson. “The cross-country was so friendly and
inviting and very well thought out.”
Springer and Pharoah’s Tale were presented
with the Sally O’Connor Trophy by Sally’s son,
USEF President, David O’Connor.
The Novice Junior/Young Rider division
was won on a score of 31.5 by fifteen-year-old
Kathryn Bell, of Mobile, Alabama, who managed to leave her hurricane-ravaged state
to put in a stellar ride on her eight-year-old
Connemara cross gelding, Snowy.
Bell, a sophomore at Murphy High School,
had to get special permission to take time off
Shannon Brinkman.
Shannon Brinkman.
for the AEC. Still relatively new to the sport,
having just begun her competitive career last
winter, she and Snowy have already made
their mark. Their names will be engraved on
the Erin’s Shamrock Trophy, which was presented to them at the event by the trophy's
sponsor, D.C. McBroom.
Second place went to Paige Juliette Garson
of Hampden, Maine, and her Welsh pony
cross Hillcrest’s McGyver (34.5), while Aryn
Coon of Dover, New Hampshire, on Cricket
placed third (35), moving up from 17th place
after dressage. The cross-country course
took quite a toll on this group, with only four
of the top ten after dressage remained in the
top ten at the finish.
Bell, who started riding at an Arabian barn
several years ago, said that when she discovered eventing she decided it was the sport
for her. On a trip to New York City for her sister to participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving
Day Parade, the family stopped at C Squared
Farm in Pennsylvania where Courtney
Cooper introduced them to Snowy. Bell now
spends summers in Pennsylvania training
with Cooper.
After five days of spectacular competition,
seminars, and parties, competitors were
already planning for next year, exchanging
email addresses, arranging ride shares, and
sharing strategies on how to move up a level.
Stay tuned to the USEA website for updates
and don’t forget to mark September 20-24 on
your calendars for AEC 2006!
EVENTING USA • ISSUE SIX • 2005
25
For A Good Cause
AEC Silent Auction
Horses were among the many victims
of the hurricanes, and efforts were
underway by various organizations to
provide aid to those affected by the
storms. The U.S. Equestrian Federation
had created the Hurricane Equine Relief
Fund to assist those agencies working
directly with the equine victims and refugees, with the money to support efforts
to deliver food, veterinary services, and
26
EVENTING USA • ISSUE SIX
•
shelter for horses and ponies in the hurricane stricken areas.
The USEA put together a silent auction
on Saturday evening, with the proceeds to
go to the USEF’s relief fund. Auction items
were donated from a variety of sources,
and included several USEA logo ball caps
and T-shirts signed by several of the top
riders at the event; event entries to next
year’s Pinehurst Horse Trials, and the
Florida CCI* and CCI**; Waredaca dollars
to be used at a Waredaca event; schoolings
at the Carolina Horse Park and Sandy
River; and lessons with Bobby Costello.
The silent auction raised just over $1,000.
Donations are still being taken by the USEF.
To donate online, go to www.usef.org and
click on the Hurricane Equine Relief link
on the right side of the page. To donate by
mail, send your check, made payable to the
USEF Hurricane Equine Relief Fund to:
The United States Equestrian Federation
4047 Iron Works Parkway
Lexington, KY 40511
To donate by fax, use (859) 231-6662.
The USEA would like to thank all the
donors and sponsors who offered their
products and services to the raffle and
auction, and to all our members who
participated.
September 14-17 • Carolina Horse Park
Raeford, North Carolina
Open Novice Championships
53 starters
1. Satin Dust/Susan Moessner, 23
2. Confabulate/Andria Allen, 24
3. Westmoreland/Karen Mahaffey, 30
4. Due South/D.C. McBroom, 31.5
5. Galileo/Ann Thal, 31.5
Novice Horse Championships
31 starters
1. Pharoah’s Tale/Allison Springer, 30.5
2. Happy/Robert Stevenson, 31
3. Icewine/Robert Stevenson, 31.8
4. Folk Lore/Allison Springer, 32.8
5. Ballylaffin/Bracken/Kristin Schmolze, 33.3
Novice Junior/Young Rider
Championships
50 starters
1. Snowy/Katherine Bell, 31.5
2. HillCrest’s McGyver/Paige Juliette
Garson, 34.5
3. Cricket/Aryn Coon, 35.8
4. Must Be Dreamin’/Anna Crosby, 36.3
5. Princess Chamus/Rebecca Preston, 36.8
Open Training Championships
66 starters
1. Gadget des Blume/Maria Brazil, 33.5
2. Fiddlestix/Nicole Kemerling, 33.9
3. Rafferty’s Rules/Adrienne Classen, 35
4. Amy Magee/Aaspen’s Black Diamond, 36.3
5. Finn/Annabelle Mayr, 37.4
Training Horse Championships
Shannon Brinkman.
AEC Raffle
About two months before the AEC, the
AEC Raffle, sponsored by English Riding
Supply, debuted. The raffle offered up
two grand prizes—the first a gorgeous
5/A Baker bag from Equestrian Collections full of loot worth more than $2,500,
and the other a Pessoa Legacy Blyth Tait
saddle worth almost $2,000 from English
Riding Supply. Advance tickets were sold
to those who wouldn’t be able to make to
the event.
Then came Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,
and it was decided that half the proceeds
from the raffle would be donated to The
Red Cross to help their hurricane disaster
relief efforts.
At the AEC, by Sunday at noon when
the winning tickets were picked, the
raffle was all but sold out, with just seven
tickets left out of 2,000, which meant that
almost $4,000 was raised, with $2,000
benefiting The Red Cross.
Bob Foulks of Waco, Texas won the
saddle, which he kindly gave to friend
Makendra Palm, of Philomont, Virginia,
who that weekend finished ninth in the
Open Intermediate division aboard
Linda Vasadevan’s All Star Secret.
D.C. McBroom of Floyd, Virginia won
the 5/A Baker bag full prizes, which
included a pair of SCS3 High Caliber
Field Boots from Mountain Horse; Masta
turnout blanket from World Equestrian
Brands, a division of Equibrand; a pair of
Tredsteps paddock boots and half chaps;
a six-month supply of fly predators
from Spalding Labs; handmade copper
mailbox with USEA logo from Still River
Designs; a pair of Maui Jim Sunglasses; a
pair of Blundstone paddock boots; and a
Tipperary vest.
2005 American Eventing
Championships Results
Lessons with Olympian Bobby Costello
were just some of the items donated to the
USEA silent auction.
2005
26 starters
1. Mandiba/Karen O’Connor, 27.3
2. The English Patient/Stephen Bradley, 29.3
3. Glen Emeril/Kristin Schmolze, 30.5
4. Tatham/Mark Weissbecker, 31.5
5. Ricardo/Tiffani Loudon-Meetze, 33
Training Junior/Young Rider
Championships
34 starters
1. Windover/Jessica Borchers, 30.3
2. Ryley/Morgan Shank, 37.3
3. Innisfree/Kirstie Dillon, 40.5
4. Cortez/Sophia Sacksen, 44
5. Painted Thoughts/Kaley Maxfield, 45.2
Open Preliminary Championships
31 starters
1. Cornerhouse/Doug Payne, 31.2
2. Rolling Stone II/Nate Chambers, 32
3. Irish Cavalier/Alison Kelly-Coates, 34.5
4. Decordova/Erin Renfroe, 36.9
5. Daxtra Ordinaire/Beth O’Rourke, 42.7
Preliminary Horse Championships
21 starters
1. Top Gallant/Mark Weissbecker, 31.3
2. Voltaire/Michael Pollard, 31.8
3. Mr. Ripley/Karen O’Connor, 39.5
4. Holla Vettir/Mike Winter, 44.5
5. Ringmoylan/Jane Jennings, 50.1
Preliminary Junior/Young Rider
Cahmpionships
23 starters
1. One 2 One/Diana Brown, 35.3
2. L’Cedric/Lisa Barry, 39.2
3. Snooze Alarm/Lauren Kieffer, 40
4. Show of Heart/Caroline Teich, 41.5
5. Moxie/Annie Aul, 44.3
Intermediate Championships
32 starters
1. My Boy Bobby/Jessica Kiener, 36.9
2. Wild Delight/Robert Costello, 38.7
3. Fleeceworks Pacific Storm/Stuart Black, 39.9
4. Wonderful Will/Mike Winter, 41.6
5. Every Wish/Samantha Allen, 41.6
Advanced Championships
26 starters
1. Antigua/Will Faudree, 30.3
2. West Farthing/Nathalie Bouckaert
Pollard, 37.7
3. Upstage/Karen O’Connor, 43
4. Brandenburg’s Joshua/Stephen Bradley, 44.1
5. Wild Frontier/Will Faudree, 49.1
To view complete results visit
www.carolinahorsepark.com.
Get Ready for the 2006 American Eventing
Championships—Including Beginner Novice!
For those of you already making the
2006 American Eventing Championships
a goal, the USEA is happy to announce
several items, including the debut of a
Beginner Novice division for the 2006
event (see qualifications below). We
look forward to seeing the best and
brightest at every level at the Carolina
Horse Park next September.
When and Where
The 2006 American Eventing Championships will take place September 20-24
at the Carolina Horse Park in Raeford,
North Carolina.
Qualifications and Qualifying Period
The qualifications for novice through
advanced will remain the same as 2005.
The qualifying period for all divisions,
Beginner Novice to Advanced, will be
August 2, 2005 through August 21, 2006.
A new list of qualified horses and riders will be posted on the USEA website
(www.useventing.com) shortly. Click on
the AEC logo on the home page and follow the link.
Beginner Novice
Beginner Novice will be added in 2006,
as a trial. This will be a single division,
limited in the following way: neither
horse nor rider can have competed
higher than novice during the qualifying period, and if they have competed
at novice, it can be no more than three
times during the qualifying period. Regarding qualifying performances, both
horse and rider must have finished first
at least once, in addition to another first
and/or second finish during the qualifying period, not necessarily as a combination. Qualifying results are only valid
with no more than 20 jumping penalties
in the cross-country phase. The horses
must be registered with the USEA and the
riders USEA members (with competition
privileges), at the time of qualifying and
when competing at the AEC. $1,000 in
prize money will be awarded.
Schedule
Riders at various levels have suggested
changes be made to the schedule. With
that in mind, the USEA and Carolina
Horse Park are considering an altered
plan for 2006, which would pair an
upper level with a lower level each day.
For example, beginning the event with
Preliminary and Beginner Novice, with
Intermediate and Training the next day,
followed by Advanced and Novice. This
would allow for a relatively even distribution of entries each day.
Repeat Performances
Plan to see the sleeper hit of the event,
the AEC Dog Show, back in 2006 with an
expanded list of classes. The AEC raffle
will be back with an even more impressive list of prizes. In addition, a full
schedule of seminars and course walks
are already being planned. We hope to
hear from members with ideas on topics.
Check for updates on the 2006 AEC
on the USEA website, www.useventing.
com. Just click on the AEC logo on the
homepage.
EVENTING USA • ISSUE SIX • 2005
27
The USEA and Carolina Horse Park would like to thank everyone
who made the 2005 American Eventing Championships a success!
2005
American
Eventing
Championships
Excellence in Partnership
The Fork Stables • Moore County Pony Club • Bill Smith Ford
Jackie Mars • Southern Pines Equine
~ Seminar Speakers ~
Dr. James Hassinger • Dr. James Hamilton • Jennifer Holling • Richard Jeffery • Holly Matt
Karen O’Connor • Christine Price • Dr. Linda Schultz • Dan Starck • Ritch Temple • Robin Walker
~ Presenting Sponsors ~
~ Contributing Sponsors ~
Saratoga Horseworks
Gold Sponsors
Equestrian Collections
English Riding Supply
Maui Jim Sunglasses
Platinum Performance
Practical Horseman
Stackhouse Saddles
UlcerGard
Silver Sponsors
Charles Owen
Devon Aire
Equine Products, LLC
John Deere
JOZ, Inc.
Likit Products
Mackinnon Ice Horse
Performance Health HPQR
Pegasus Design Group
Phoenix Performance
Riddle Equipment Co.
Rodney Powell
ThinLine Pads
Tredstep Ireland
Bronze Sponsors
3M Animal Care Products
Auburn Labs
Equine Quality Alliance
Gore Trailers
Spalding Labs
Still River Designs
And of course, the hundreds of volunteers without whom the event would not have been possible!