United States Eventing Association

Artist Gives His Heart and Soul at SRF Carolina International CCI4*-S

Raeford, N.C.—March 14—Riders in the CCI4*-S at the Setters’ Run Farm Carolina International CCI4*-S were in for a change this afternoon as Brody Robertson made his show jumping course design debut in the class and built a challenging track that shuffled the top 10.

Of 36 pairs to jump, 12 jumped double-clear, while another five pairs jumped clear but added time faults.

One of those double-clear pairs was New Zealand’s Monica Spencer and Artist, a 14-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Guillotine x Maxamore), who held onto their leading dressage score of 28.6.

Spencer, who’s based in The Plains, Virginia, said she can be a bit too relaxed when competing, so she worked on riding away from the jumps more aggressively.

“He built a challenging track out there,” she said. “I walked a couple of the inside lines because I was really aware of the time after getting 3 time faults at the [$100,000 Sterling Venture Capital Grand-Prix Eventing] Showcase a couple of weeks ago. I was like, ‘Come on, get into competition mode.’ So, we made sure to ride with that in mind, and we were inside the time and clear, so I'm really proud of him—he's awesome.”

Spending most of her career in New Zealand gave Spencer a lot of practice riding on a grass turf show jumping course, and she made sure to stud “Max” up correctly so he felt comfortable on the Carolina Horse Park’s large field. Spectators turned out to line the arena, giving the featured division a good atmosphere for the upper-level horses to practice as they prepare for their spring three-days.

“He’s always tried to jump clear—he wants to be careful,” she said. “But as a full Thoroughbred, he’s not bred to be a show jumper, so it’s very much a learned skill for him. That makes it even more special when he jumps clear rounds at this height, which is really the top of his ability. He’s putting his whole heart and soul into it, and I have a lot of respect for him. He’s getting stronger as he gets older, and you can feel his confidence growing, which is really cool.”

Spencer is aiming Max for the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. He did two practice races before being deemed too slow. He was started as an event horse, and Spencer spotted him when he was 4.

“I feel like we know each other pretty well. I’ve had him since he was a 4, and he’s always been a great competitor—he’s got a fantastic brain and is really trainable,” she said. “He keeps his head in the game and stays with me, which makes him a pleasure to ride. He’s been a great horse to produce, and I feel lucky to be on this journey with him, even on the other side of the world. He’s very much a family pet too—just a really sweet horse and the perfect flag-bearer for our team. We’ve got some young ones coming up, and hopefully, they’ll follow in his footsteps one day.”

Spencer’s had a walk around Derek di Grazia’s debut cross-country course and is excited to have a go.

“There’s plenty to do out there—it looks like a challenging track, and I think the time will be tough to make,” she said. “But it looks like a fun course, and there’s no other horse I’d rather be on. We’ll give it our best shot and turn and burn! I think you have to treat every fence like it could cause problems. That keeps you sharp for the whole course. My approach is to take it one combination at a time—tick that one off, move on to the next. But overall, it’s a well-presented course, and even though some parts are tough, the jumps are designed in a way that makes them easy for the horses to read. So as long as I give him a good ride, I think he’ll go well.”

Jennie Brannigan, West Grove, Pennsylvania, and Tim and Nina Gardner’s FE Lifestyle maintained their second-place position on a score of 30.3 with a double-clear round.

“This is a huge atmosphere for them, and I just tried my best to hang on and guide them to the jumps,” she said of her multiple rides across the FEI divisions. "[FE Lifestyle] was fresh! Honestly, I schooled most of them this morning, except for him, because they’d all been good in dressage and seemed relaxed. But once you walk over here, it’s a whole different ballgame. Every rider was saying, ‘My horse feels fresh today,’ so I think I got a little lucky—I'll take it! But my horses are jumping great, and even when I don’t feel like I have the perfect rideability or my rhythm isn’t quite right, I always want to ride forward.”

She’s aiming “Foxy,” a 15-year-old German Sport Horse gelding (Leo von Faelz x Berina A) for Kentucky or Badminton (England), and this will be his final prep run. “I think the world of Derek di Grazia, and I feel lucky to be riding FE Lifestyle [first in the day]. There are some great questions out there, and the ground is fantastic—shoutout to the footing crew.”

Katherine Coleman has three horses in the CCI4*-S, and she moved into third place on her own 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Baltic VDL x Brooklyn Breeze) with a double-clear round to sit on a score of 32.3.

Coleman is originally from New Orleans, but has been living in England for years. She comes over to Wellington, Florida, in the winter to train, and this year she’s planning to take some of her horses to Kentucky for the five-star and CCI4*-S.

“Wally” is contesting his second CCI4*-S this weekend and will likely do the Stable View CCI4*-S before heading to England for a CCI4*-L later in the spring.

“[Wally] actually a half-brother to my other horse who’s going to Kentucky [Monbeg Senna] for the five-star. I’m so proud of him—this is only his second four-star,” she said. “He’s one of those horses I originally thought would make a great young rider horse because he’s so easygoing and straightforward. I even tried selling him for that purpose.

“He doesn’t give you a huge feeling off the ground when he jumps, but I’ve realized he just keeps stepping up—jumping bigger and bigger and proving how careful he really is. He’s really impressed us. And now I’m starting to think maybe I should hold on to him!"

Di Grazia is excited to take over the cross-country course design from longtime designer Ian Stark, but he said he hasn’t made any huge changes in his first year.

“I think from the beginning, you have to understand the constraints and parameters you’re working within, and in a first year, you don’t want to try to change the world—you want to come in and create something that works within the existing framework,” he said. “For me, the biggest priority was finding a track with good flow. That starts with looking at the jumps available, determining what needs to be created, and then piecing together a course that not only meets the level but also feels appropriate for this time of year.”

He said the beginning of the course, which winds through the racetrack, is quite open and galloping, but then riders head into the pines trees.

“One of the good things about this venue is that it offers a mix of everything—you have flat areas, wooded sections, and terrain changes,” he said. “Riders will get a chance to navigate different types of challenges, which is important. Then, of course, there are the existing features like the water jumps and banks, and the goal is to figure out how to use them in a new way to create a balanced and educational test. Last year, I believe the course loops were run in the reverse direction from what I’ve set this time. So that gave me the opportunity to look at things from a different perspective and adjust accordingly.

He wanted to present different types of exercises to test riders and educate horses but make sure it’s a complete picture, never about just one combination.

“The entire course should work together as a cohesive test, and that’s how I approach it, whether I’m designing here or anywhere else,” he said.

Cross-country gets underway tomorrow for the CCI4*-S at 11 a.m. EST

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