United States Eventing Association

Dressage day dawned cold, wet, and windy. The weather in Tallahassee, Florida was the kind that instills dread into the hearts of organizers. After weeks of intense preparation, the Red Hills International dressage arenas were dressed and ready to receive a large entry of CIC and horse trials competitors eager to earn the qualifications needed to achieve their 2014 goals.

Aside from the typical nerves that come from riding in front of some of the best judges in the world, they had to battle horizontal rain, pools of water, and rivers flowing between the warm up rings as a major weather pattern made its way across northern Florida.

Alexandra Knowles and her lovely mare Last Call have gained a reputation for putting in superb performances in the dressage arena, but their 8:52 a.m. ride time would put them in the worst of the storm. However, Last Call rose to the occasion and put in another accurate and submissive ride to pin a 40.8.

Boyd Martin and the ten-year-old Irish Sport Horse Trading Aces benefited from a drier mid-afternoon ride to score 41.4, with Jan Byyny and Inmidair on 43.2, and Hannah Sue Burnett just 0.6 behind on Harbor Pilot. 2013 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Champions Laine Ashker and Anthony Patch are handily placed in 5th tied with Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice.

The Red Hills organizers, Jane Barron and Marvin Meyer, are to be lauded for holding everything together in spite of what Mother Nature threw at them today. And what can we say about the volunteers? These warriors manned their posts from seven-dark-something until the end of competition this afternoon. They are the heroes of the sport .

The site of the Red Hills International Horse Trials has undergone some changes this year with a new cross-country course designed by Great Britain’s Hugh Lochore. Lochore, who lives in the U.S. with his wife and two young sons, took over the design of Red Hills, the first FEI CIC3* of the year, from Mark Phillips five years ago.

“At that time, the course was in a separate part of the park,” said Lochore. “I had this vision of what could be done if we could use other parts of the property. When not fully focused on designing the course as it was then, I was tinkering on my computer with what could be done if only we could use the other side of the park.”

When he was asked by Jane Barron and Marvin Meyer to give some thought to designing a new course, he was already ahead of them. Tomorrow, he will debut to the crowd the results of his “tinkering.”

Before the riders get to face Lochore’s new course, however, they have to negotiate a technical show jumping course tomorrow afternoon. All indications (and hopes) are that the weather will cooperate!

Everyone’s thoughts are with Boyd Martin, whose wife Silva suffered a serious head injury in a fall from a young horse on Wednesday. Boyd had been with Silva throughout the night, and only when he was sure that she was well enough did he leave her for a few hours to ride his dressage tests. The USEA and the entire eventing community send their best wishes to Silva and pray for her quick recovery.

About the Adequan USEA Gold Cup and PRO Tour Series
The Adequan USEA Gold Cup features 11 qualifying competitions throughout the United States at the Advanced Horse Trials and CIC3* levels with the final at the Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships September 2014 in Tyler, Texas. Riders who complete a qualifier earn the chance to vie for $40,000 in prize money in the Adequan Advanced Division and the title of Adequan USEA Gold Cup Champion.

The Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series is made possible through the support of its many sponsors:Adequan; Nunn Finer; SmartPak Equine; Nutrena; Broadstone Equine Insurance Agency, Point Two;Dubarry; and FITS.

The PRO Tour Series consists of 13 premier destination events in the United States and Canada in 2013/2014 featuring the best riders and most entertainment. Riders and Horses are awarded points on the PRO Tour Rider Leader Board and PRO Tour Horse Leader Board. Riders can also earn points on the PRO Tour Series at the Intermediate or two-star level for the Multi Radiance Intermediate Challenge. The 2014 Multi Radiance Challenge Leader Board Champion will win a Multi Radiance MR4 ACTIVET Portable Laser System.

The Professional Riders Organization would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of the 2014 PRO Tour Series: Martin Collins USA, The Official Footing of PRO; Multi Radiance Medical, The Official Laser Therapy of PRO & Sponsor of the Multi Radiance Medical Intermediate Challenge ; Tex Sutton, the Official US Equine Air Carrier of PRO; SSG Riding Gloves; Finish Line Horse Products; Midlantic Ltd.; and Mythic Landing Events.