United States Eventing Association

A Lot to Love About P.S. I Love You After Cross-Country in the #AEC2024 USEA Open Intermediate Championship

Lexington, Ky.—Aug. 28—Today’s USEA Open Intermediate Championship at the 2024 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds was the picture-perfect representation of the phrase, “This is not a dressage show.” After placing ninth in dressage yesterday, Lexington-local Allie Knowles moved up to first after only adding 0.8 time penalties to her score aboard Katherine O’Brien’s Irish Sport Horse gelding P.S. I Love You (FSS Correlli Bravo x Woodmount Queen).

Knowles has had “Jerry” in the barn since he was 4. She describes the now 8-year-old gelding as a very emotional horse and has taken her time producing up to the Intermediate level.

“He is a super talented horse, but he's a little bit temperamental, so he can boil over pretty easily,” noted Knowles. “I’ve really taken my time with him to try to help him relax, so the dressage in and of itself was a massive accomplishment. He is very fancy, he has all the moves, he’s super trainable—he could do the things, but in a pressure situation, it's not always easy for me to be able to ride him right.”

The pair’s last outing together was at the Ocala International (Ocala, Florida) in April where they won in Jerry’s CCI3*-L debut. With his sensitive nature and such a long break between competitions, Knowles wasn’t quite sure what to expect as she made her way into the start box this afternoon.

“In the warm up, he was quite wild,” Knowles reflected. “He was rearing, and was very tense and very excited, and I just luckily planned it so I had a very short warm up. I know now, like, when I go out, either I feel like I have him or I feel like he's a bit spun out, and when we went to the start box, I knew I had him. And I was like, ‘Oh man, Jerry, we're gonna do this today. Let's go,’ and he just keeps getting better and better. I didn't expect to be winning tonight, but I'm not going to turn it down, and I'm really proud of him.”

Of the 53 pairs who galloped out of the start box today in the USEA Open Intermediate Championship, not a single pair made time. Knowles and her assistant rider, Collin Gaffney, were the two fastest riders of the day. Gaffney made one of the largest leaps up the leaderboard following his quick and efficient run around Jay Hambly’s cross-country track, jumping from 33rd after dressage to fourth.

“For him and I to go out and have a fault-free day and to be that fast was really special to me,” said Knowles.

She is aiming to continue producing Jerry up the levels and has the full backing of the O’Brien family in that endeavor.

“He has been a consistent horse at each level. He was quite hot when I first got him. But whatever you ask of him, he always steps up. Just standing at the trailer, you wouldn't expect him to be quite as unbelievable as he is. He is very much my type of horse. He's got quick feet, not very strong, pretty small, and I feel very at home on him. I don't I don't mind him being over-emotional or a little bit sensitive. I can understand that; I'm a bit that way myself. I feel like we're a very good pair. Jim and Katie O’Brien own him, and he is one of Jim's favorite horses. So, I don't think Jerry will be going anywhere.”

Moving up from third to second after adding 5.6 time penalties to their dressage following the second phase were Alexandra Baugh (Lexington, Kentucky) and Altorac Farm LLC’s Hubert Des 3 Arbres, an 11-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding (Troubadour d’Aurel x Ulm de Bouly). Sitting in third going into show jumping are Katie Lichten (Hamilton, Massachusetts) and her 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding HTS Jensen R (by Tolan R).

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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.