United States Eventing Association

A Fresh Set of Leaders Emerge After Cross-Country in #AEC2024 Bates USEA Preliminary Championships

Lexington, Ky.—Aug. 28—Four Preliminary divisions completed their cross-country today at the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds. Read on to learn more about our leaders!

Bates USEA Preliminary Jr/YR Rider Championship

The uber-experienced Galloway Sunrise (Duty Officer x Coco Chanel) cruised around the Bates USEA Preliminary cross-country track with Rylie Nelson today, adding nothing to their dressage score and catapulting them to the top of the division ahead of tomorrow’s final phase.

Nelson has trained with the horse’s previous rider, Fylicia Barr, for about six years, and Barr, along with her parents, still own the mare. Nelson took over the ride on “Sunny” about a year and a half ago.

“She's just amazing, she has made all my dreams come true”, Nelson said fondly. “She was ready for a step down from the very top of the sport, and I was looking for a horse to step up onto so I just started taking a couple lessons on her, and then it ended up going really well. Then I slowly started competing her, and now here we are!”

Nelson, who is from Unionville, Pennsylvannia, combines her riding with college where she’s studying for a business management degree with a minor in accounting at West Chester University; she wasn’t able to be here when “Sunny” competed twice at the Kentucky CCI5*L but watched the live stream.

“It was really special to be able to bring her back here this year for this,” she confirmed but adds that it all seems slightly surreal. “I never imagined then that I would ever be riding that horse. And I mean, she's amazing. The cross-country is really her best thing so I'm not surprised that she had a good day today but to be in first overnight is spectacular!”

Before setting out today Nelson had a healthy respect for Jay Hambly’s track, but also a confidence in her horse and their partnership.

“I thought that it was a good course, proper for the level, but also with a couple questions that definitely showed the championship side of it, and were a bit challenging. It looked really fun, even before I went out there and it really just was a ton of fun," she said.

Nelson hasn’t ridden a mare “for a long time” and describes Sunny’s personality as perhaps not quite what her name would suggest.

"She is not incredibly friendly,” she admits. “She likes what she likes and who she likes, and other than that you could just not bother her, she'd rather just do her own thing. She's come around though, and it's really special to be one of her people.”

Nelson didn’t feel much pressure when she first started riding Sunny but as they’ve begun competing and enjoying some success she says that has ramped up a little, and she imagines she’ll feel some nerves before her round tomorrow. Watching proudly and likely, equally if not more nervously, will be Nelson’s parents who are also here with her this weekend.

Sierra Fishell and her own 8-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Galiamo (Giralomo x Tiz A’ Greeley) moved up a couple of places to second thanks to a fast clear round. Just to seconds worth of added time penalties saw Carlin Keefe maintain third place on Rumsey Keefe’s 11-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Point Nemo (Songandaprayer x Wood Not).

Bates USEA Preliminary Rider Championship

The optimum time on Jay Hambly’s Preliminary cross country course proved unattainable for the competitors in the Preliminary Rider division today and consequently we saw time faults shuffle the first day leaderboard considerably.

Alayna Newsome and Covered Bridge Farm, LLC’s 7-year-old Irish Sport Horse Quality Dynamite (Kings Cornet x Lady Obama) were the fastest combination in this division, adding just 4.8 time penalties to their dressage score and have moved up seven spots into first place going into the show jumping phase.

Quality Dynamite was imported by Tim Bourke who sold him to Ashley Adams, and he found his way to Newsome about a year ago.

“I had unfortunately had a tragic accident with my previous horse, and then my good friend Paige Roy dragged me out to try him and he was just fantastic,” she recalled. “He has a very calm and cool demeanor, and he's a very focused horse. He's not a very hot horse, but he puts just enough effort in, and I just felt like we meshed. I thought he would be really competitive, and he's just got a great personality and takes everything in stride and puts up with me making mistakes and I just love him!”

Based in Woodbine, Maryland, Newsome trains with Bourke who is on site this weekend.

“He helped me walk the course yesterday, and then he'll come and set fences for me tomorrow, and we'll walk the show jumping track so he can give me some inside scoop, and basically just tell me to kick on and and go faster,” Newsome said with a chuckle.

Clearly the advice worked today around what Newsome describes as quite a testing track. "I would say there was definitely a lot to do out there. Some of the questions were more technical than I've had in other Prelims. I'd say it probably compared pretty evenly to the two-star courses that I've done with him, especially the coffin. And, you know, the terrain and the heat was also a factor as well. It was just really a proper cross-country course, but it flowed really nicely, and I think it gave the horses a lot of confidence.”

Competing here at her first AEC hadn’t originally been on Newsome’s radar but after placing first in the Preliminary Rider division at the Carolina International (Raeford, North Carolina) in March and with some persuasion from her friend who had also qualified, it was practically a no brainer.

“We said, ‘Well, we've never gone, it would be a really cool experience!’ So it was nice to be able to do that together and I'm definitely glad that I came and it worked out really well with the schedule this year.”

Newsome is here with a bunch of friends and family, and is trying not to think too much about going into the Rolex Stadium tomorrow in first place.

“I think he is a really great jumper. He's careful, and as long as I don't get in his way I think that hopefully we'll put in a good round. I'm just going to try to put him in the best spot and hope for the best," she saud.

Abby Foltz and her own 9-year-old Thoroughbred mare Absolute Zero (Freedom Child x Still Kicking) came home with just 6.8 time penalties to move up into second place overnight. Joanie Morris maintains her third place spot with her own Archibald Morris after crossing the finish line clear with 12 time penalties.

Bates USEA Preliminary Horse Championship

Every eventing lover knows Tsetserleg TSF, and today both "Thomas" and his half sibling Fast Forward, ridden by Chris Talley, made their mark at the AEC with Thomas taking the early lead in the $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final, and "Rascal" stealing the show in the Bates USEA Preliminary Horse Championship after a double-clear round.

The 7-year-old Trakehner gelding (Windfall x First Flight Romance) was bred by Timothy Holekamp and is owned by Patricia Lutten. He was produced by Boyd Martin and Diege Farje, but after Chris Talley had the chance to chat with Holekamp about the horse during the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention in December of 2023, Rascal moved over to Talley's program.

"He was a little bit small, and I think there was a little bit of question on his size," recalled Talley. "I had met [Holekamp] at the USEA convention last year, and through kind of talking horses and whatnot, was given the opportunity to take over the ride and kind of see what I thought after I expressed that I like small horses."

Talley previously had the ride on a 14.3-hand horse, so Rascal's small stature didn't bother him. "It's kind of all been a go from there!" he said.

Talley describes Rascal as a bit of a funny character, most likely due to his late gelding.

"Every day is a good day in Rascal's world. It is kind of Rascal's world, and we just live in it," joked Talley. "He was kept a stallion for quite a while, and they actually have frozen semen on him, so he has a little bit of stallion tendencies. I quite enjoy those tendencies, but he's kind of all full of himself and cocky like a stallion. At the same time he's, he's very respectful, and he's very kind of easy to get on with in the barn."

He and Rascal clicked quite quickly and have had quite a successful season together so far. Talley was especially proud of the horse's performance on cross-country today.

"There is an element of riding them in the heat, which today kind of played a crucial factor because I think he showed that he was plenty fit and handled the heat very well," noted Talley. "He went out of the box, and he was really locked on. The coffin was probably the most impressive coffin he's seen. He's such a game little horse. It was quite a quite a good feeling. And, you know, this was the first time that I've ridden around here since my first five-star in 2019 so it felt pretty special to be back."

Talley said that riding down the chute to the Rolex Stadium tomorrow will bring back some really sentimental memories.

"Definitely walking around here brings back a lot of memories and a lot of great moments from that weekend. To be here with this next group of horses is pretty special, and I hope one day that they'll be able to do the five-star here," shared Talley. "I think it's going to be pretty emotional, because that was an emotional weekend for me going down the chute. But, you know, both my horses today, were absolutely incredible and to kind of see the progression in them has been special."

Talley and Rascal will go into the final phase with a score of 30.6. A score of 32.1 has Leslie Law and his 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Fernhill Lottery (Cleaveland Dual x Faberge) in second, while Sharon White and Anita Antennuci's 6-year-old Warmblood gelding Arden Augustus (Jaguar Mail x Juneau) close out the top three with a score of 33.4.

Bates USEA Preliminary Amateur Championship

Nicolette Adams recorded one of only two clear rounds inside the time in the Bates Preliminary Amateur Championship cross country, and subsequently moved up six places to steal the lead on her own 7-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Total Access (Freedom Child x More Everything).

Total Access started his career on the racetrack before Adams bought him as a 3 year old, ostensibly for her mother who was looking for a trail horse. However, in a lucky twist of fate, he wound up eventing.

“I decided he was kind of cute so I started eventing him, and it's kind of gone from there,” she said with a chuckle. “He was just such a good boy and at the time, I had another horse going who unfortunately got hurt, so I needed a horse to event for the year and I just stole him and now he's a full blown eventer, it’s amazing!”

Total Access is a tall horse, and when he arrived, Adams’ mother, who measures 5’2", joked she was going to need an elevator to get on him, hence his barn name Otis. Adams confirmed that despite a slightly disappointing score in the dressage yesterday, she was very happy to be sitting on a Thoroughbred today.

“He's an absolute cracking cross-country horse, and I knew I could kick for the time, and he'd come back; he's super quick on his feet, and he tries so hard. There are some days you just have to go for it so I decided today was one of those days! Obviously it paid off pretty well for me, but it's fun to have a horse that you know, at the end of the day, is going to try their heart out for you.”

Adams and Otis competed in the USEA Training Amateur Championship here last year, and so she says he has some experience already in the Rolex Stadium, and she is planning for tomorrow accordingly.

“Oh, he gets very excited!” she laughed. “He likes to make an entrance, and he knows that chute, so hopefully I'm going to have a good friend on the end of a lead to get me in there. Once he's in there, he's all business. But he likes to have fun before that!”

Adams, who works for a medical supplies company, has traveled down from Chicago with a large group of friends and fellow students who train with Jennifer Howlett Rousseau and hopes to return later this fall to compete in the CCI2*-L during the Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day Event.

Madeleine Richards and her own 8-year-old Westphalian gelding The Turning Point (Rocky Lee x Osterblume) added 3.8 time penalties to their dressage score and will be the penultimate combination in their division to enter the Rolex Stadium tomorrow in second place. Yesterday's dressage leaders Erin Wages and her 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Cooley One To Many (Jack of Diamonds x Taffin) added 10.8 time penalties cross-country to finish the day in third place

Adams Horse Supply Adult Team Championships

With Adams and Newsome in the lead of their Championship divisions and team member Abby Foltz sitting in second in the Bates USEA Preliminary Rider Championship, team Absolute Quality is sitting pretty in first place going into the final phase of the Adams Horse Supply USEA Preliminary Adult Team Championships. They rest on a score of 117.4.

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About the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC)

The USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds is the pinnacle of the sport at the national levels. Held annually, the best junior, adult amateur, and professional competitors gather to vie for national championship titles at every level from Starter to Advanced. This ultimate test of horse and rider draws hundreds of combinations from around the country to compete for fabulous prizes, a piece of the substantial prize money, and the chance to be named the National Champion at their respective levels. In fact, the 2021 AEC garnered over 1,000 entries and now stands as the largest eventing competition in North American history. The 2024 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds will be held Aug. 27—Sept. 1 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Click here to learn more about the USEA American Eventing Championships.

The USEA would like to thank Presenting Sponsor: Nutrena Feeds; Advanced Final Title Sponsor: Adequan; Platinum Level Sponsor: Bates Saddles, Horse & Country; Gold Level Sponsors: ARMA, Parker Equine Insurance, PulseVet, Schneiders Saddlery, Smartpak, Standlee; Silver Level Sponsors: Auburn Labs, Canter Culture Riding Apparel, Kerrits, The Jockey Club, Rood & Riddle; Bronze Level Sponsor: 70 Degrees, Athletux, The Chronicle of the Horse, D.G. Stackhouse & Ellis, Dubarry of Ireland, Equestrian Team Apparel, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Kraft Horse Walkers, Majyk Equipe, Retired Racehorses Project, Ride EquiSafe, Santa Cruz Animal Health; Contributing Level Sponsors: Cross Country App, Georgetown – Scott County Tourism, Lexmark, L.V. Harkness, #WeRideTogether; and Prize Level Sponsors: BEMER, Big Ass Fans, Boyd Martin Fan Shop, Ecogold, EquiFit, Equilab, FarmVet, FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, Horses 4 Your Consideration, I Love My Horse Eventing Boutique, Jack’s Favorites, Jane Heart Jewelry, Kentucky Equine Research, LeMieux, Mare Goods, Neighborly Tack, Outlaw Nutrition, Palmera Polo, Parkmore Supplements, Practical Horseman / Equine Network, Rachel Dory Equine Fine Art, Remond Minerals, Secretariat Center, Shapley’s, Sidelines Magazine, Strides for Equality Equestrians, and VTO Saddlery.

About the Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships

The Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships, which debuted in 2014, is the capstone event for the USEA Area Adult Team Challenges, providing adults the chance to compete as a team and represent their Area of the country in a friendly and fun environment. Historically, adult riders had three regional Team Challenges in which to compete with fellow adults in a team environment, with the locations changing each year. In 2013, the USEA Adult Rider Coordinators voted to move to support Adult Team Challenges taking place in all 10 Areas across the country, with the finale being the ATC at the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds. Each Area can send up to eight teams from Beginner Novice through Preliminary level to the ATC. Adult Riders know how to have a good time, and there is no doubt that they bring an increased level of excitement and camaraderie to the AEC! Click here to learn more about the Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships.

The USEA would like to thank Title Sponsor, Adams Horse Supply, and ARMA, The Chronicle of the Horse, Equilab, FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Kerrits, Nutrena Feeds, PulseVet, Ride iQ, Santa Cruz Animal Health, Schneiders Saddlery, Sidelines Magazine, and SmartPak for sponsoring the Adult Team Championships.