The 2018 defending champions, Auburn University, sent three teams with 12 riders to the 2019 USEA Intercollegiate Championship at Chattahoochee Hills Horse Trials in Fairburn, Georgia. The University has riders competing in the Beginner Novice, Novice, Training and Preliminary levels this weekend, and they have returned this year to defend their title.
Auburn University Orange team leads after the first day of competition on a cumulative score of a 92.601 with their Novice and Training level competitors. The team consists of Isabel Franklin and Anchorman (Novice), Sallie Johnson and Things to Ponder (Training), Dorothy Dreelin and Subtle Dream Unveiled (Novice) and Aubrey Wagner and Fernhill Sinatra (Training). The Novice level riders completed dressage and show jumping today, while the Training level riders completed dressage and cross-country.
“My horse was incredible,” stated Sallie Johnson of her six-year-old Thoroughbred, Things to Ponder (Due Date x The Things You Do). “On cross-country, he was an absolute beast and it felt really good all the way around,” she said after securing a double clear cross-country round for Auburn University Orange team. “It’s awesome being here with Auburn. As a senior, and someone who’s been to the [USEA] Intercollegiate Championship every year, it’s so cool to see how it’s developed. We went from having one team the first year, to one again the second, two the third, and now having three full teams is pretty cool to see how far we’ve come.”
“For us, having three teams here is really special because we fundraised really hard, and the entire team worked their butts off all spring semester. We’ve had an online silent auction, and it turned out really, really well this year, so thanks to everyone who supported us in that,” added Auburn University Tiger team rider Meredith Kramer.
Sitting in second place heading into tomorrow is the University of Kentucky’s Wildcats team consisting of riders in the Preliminary and Training levels, who all completed dressage and cross-country today. The UK Wildcats team consists of Jackie LeMastus and Exmoor Denver (Preliminary), Katelyn Hagerty and Dutch Harbor (Training), Clair Rowlands and Category 5 (Preliminary) and Cora Severs and Cuervo (Training). The team will tackle Chris Barnard’s show jumping courses tomorrow while sitting on a cumulative score of 93.835.
The University of Georgia Red team sits in third place on a cumulative 94.32.
To account for differences in level difficulty, each rider’s score is multiplied by a coefficient appropriate for their level and the individual scores are added together to determine the team score. Only the best three individual scores will count towards the team score, so teams of four will have one “drop” score. The coefficient system that is applied at the Championship is as follows:
The prestigious Spirit Award is up for grabs again this year, and a series of judged competitions have been occurring thus far. All contests are being judged by the Chattahoochee Hills Organizing Committee on the following criteria:
The team that accumulated the most amount of points over the weekend will take home the coveted Spirit Award. The Chattahoochee Hills Organizing Committee, and they have announced that it has been a very close competition thus far. They said there are a few leading contenders, but tomorrow’s spirited crowds will make the final call on who the winners will be.
For all Intercollegiate scores, go here.
The USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program was established in 2014 to provide a framework within which eventing teams and individual competitors could flourish at universities and colleges across the country. The USEA offers a discount of $25 on annual USEA memberships for current students of universities and colleges registered as Affiliates with the USEA. Many events across the country now offer Intercollegiate Team Challenges where collegiate eventers can compete individually as well as on teams with their fellow students. In Intercollegiate Team Challenges, each rider’s score is multiplied by a coefficient appropriate for their level to account for differences in level difficulty and then the individual scores are added together to determine the team score. Click here to learn more about the Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
The USEA would like to thank FITS, RideSafe, World Equestrian Brands, FLAIR and US Equestrian for sponsoring the Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
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At the second-to-last of 40 efforts, "I thought, 'This is actually happening,'" said Amber Levine of a faultless finish with Cellar Farm's Cinzano today to stay on their 31.5 lead going into show jumping tomorrow morning in the Twin Rivers Spring International CCI4*-L. The Jeffs Hot Tub Waves complex at 19 a/b was the awkward exception to a Hugh Lochore-designed course that otherwise "rode great" for the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Classe VDL x Walta) in his long-delayed debut at the level. An entirely new portion of the course around the racetrack featured a series of bright-white painted obstacles, but nothing distracted Cinzano's "tunnel vision for those flags." Levine expects a similar game attitude tomorrow and has a rail to spare.
Black stallion antics after the CCI4*-L jog inspection yesterday were not a preview of Cinzano's dressage test today. "When you are riding and working him, he's all into what you are doing," says Amber Levine, who owns the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Classe VDL x Walta) through her Cellar Farm. A 31.5 dressage test puts them atop a field of four, three of which, including Cinzano, are first-timers in the division in Paso Robles, California.
Are you following along with the action from home this weekend? Or maybe you're competing at an event and need information fast. Either way, we’ve got you covered! Check out the USEA’s Weekend Quick Links for links to information including the prize list, ride times, live scores, and more for all the events running this weekend.
The Chattahoochee Hills H.T. is hosting one of three CCI4*-S divisions this weekend across the country and with 34 entries they have the largest turnout as riders prepare for their spring CCI4*-L and CCI5*-L goals. The facility in Fairburn, Georgia is running seven events in 2021, but their April event is the only one offering a CCI4*-S.