Cross Country at Fair Hill 2007
So, a friend suckered me into going to a high-level equestrian eventing competition today, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I resisted at first, because I felt it was going to take away a great day for a photo trip. Yeah, I know, crazy. However, it turned out to do just the opposite. I had a great time and took plenty of pictures.
The three-day event is the main attraction at the week long 19th Annual Festival in the Country, which includes various other competitions such as combined driving and K-9 agility stuff. Today was the second phase of the three-day event, where the horses’ and riders’ endurance is tested across a lengthy cross country course. The dressage tests were done over the previous two days and the final stadium jumping portion will be tomorrow.
USEF CCI*** Fall Championship of Eventing – Cross Country
#4 Ying Yang Yo, ridden by Boyd Martin, at Jump 23, “the Terrapin”
#18 Colombo, ridden by Selena O’Hanlon at the Fish Tanks
#19 King’s Whisper, ridden by Blair King, at the Chesapeake Crossing
#30 Fox in Flight, ridden by Kate Luce
#55 Sagacious King, ridden by Diana Burnett
Funny how things work out. Going into the day, I only agreed to spend a few hours at the event, in hopes I could still fit something ‘fun’ in. Well, by the end I was the one begging to stay. We walked around the course a couple times, stopping at each jump for a few horses. My friend was rather tired and ready to leave early in the afternoon, but I guilted her into staying until the very end. Haha. I was impressed to say the least. I’ve never been a big horse person, but today that changed a little. I want to come back tomorrow.
It was very exciting. The jumps were huge and complicated, giving the whole thing an element of danger. Yet, for the most part, the horses were galloping by and just leaping them like it was nothing. Some pairs had a little trouble here and there, but that just added to the experience. It was just a good day.
As for those pictured, Australian Boyd Martin actually finished second on his 11-year-old bay Thoroughbred gelding Ying Yang Yo with a score of 50.50 and fourth on his Thoroughbred gelding Neville Bardos. I caught Canadian Selena O’Hanlon and Colombo, a 13-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding, at jump 15, the fish tanks. King’s Whisper, an 18-year-old grey Thoroughbred gelding, and Blair King cruised through the course’s first water, jump 14, “Chesapeake Crossing.” Kate Luce and 18-year-old Irish Sport Horse Fox in Flight took an alternate route through jump 12 and Diane Burnett on her mount Sagacious King, an 11-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, breezed by us near the first jump.
Olympians
#1 Upstage, ridden by Karen O’Connor
#48 Mandiba, ridden by Karen O’Connor
#75 The Foreman, ridden by Phillip Dutton
Two Olympians rode a combined seven horses in the competition. American Karen O’Conner, riding four for the day, won a team silver and bronze medals at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Games, respectively. Today, we watched her on her first horse, a 17-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Upstage, at the first jump and near the end of the course. We also caught her at the “Farm Yard,” jump 6, and “Chesapeake Crossing,” on the up-and-coming Mandiba, a 7-year-old Irish Thoroughbred gelding. She finished fifth overall on Hugh Knows.
Phillip Dutton, an Australian native and newly minted US citizen, is a three-time Olympian, competing in Atlanta, Sydney and Athens and has won two team gold medals. He finished this weekend’s competition with two horses in the top three. He won the USEF Championship on 11-year-old Thoroughbred gelding The Foreman and finished third aboard Woodburn, with a scores of 46.40 and 50.90, respectively.
Difficult Jump
#52 Sloopy, ridden by John Williams
#54 Balmoral Avenue, ridden by Sally McKechnie
Jump 18, the “Cherry Tree Corners,” was rough. The pair of corner jumps, set at a difficult angle and located near the end of the course, resulted in a number of disqualifications and a few big falls. One of the last riders through the course, who finished in the top five after yesterday’s dressage phase, went down with her horse. The horse’s shoulder hit the first corner, causing both to flip over it. The horse bounced up almost immediately, took off and had to be chased down. The rider stayed down for while, but eventually stood up on her own. She was taken off by ambulance.
Because of the activity around that rider, the other competitors on the course had to be held up in the middle of their runs for about 20-30 minutes. The result was a series of faults. The first horse to restart the course also fell. She chose to take the ‘less difficult’ alternate route through the corners, most likely to help get their momentum back. Well, the horse didn’t clear the obstacle and both tumbled over the jump. This time the rider quickly stood up, but the horse struggled. It was sad. His leg was obviously hurt and he was taken away on an equine ambulance for treatment. After another break on the course, the next rider also had a fault jump, although did not fall. She cleared the first corner, but the horse refused the second. They retried on alternate “C” jump and continued on to finish. I think everyone sighed in relief once the pair made it through safely.
Today’s Flickr set: eventing photos
Again, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I hope to make it an annual trip!
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