United States Eventing Association

“This is a quality sort,” Chris Ryan began when looking at this 4-year-old Thoroughbred. “The Thoroughbred is a renowned breed improver/refiner for all the sporthorse stud books, and the pure Thoroughbred has his own register. They are the elite of the species as regards to refinement.”

“This individual is all quality being full Thoroughbred,” Chris Ryan first observed about this 5-year-old off-the-track Thoroughbred gelding. “Some carry more refinement than others and this fellow is quite fine. He is short coupled. And, he is a lovely strong colour!”

There’s a saying that goes, “No hoof, no horse,” and in many ways it’s true. The hoof supports the entirety of the horse’s body and allows him to move athletically, flexing and extending to support movement. The hoof resists compression caused by the horse’s weight, absorbs and stores impact energy, and provides stability.

Born of the Irish Sport Horse stallion Balda Beau and Irish Sport Horse dam Cathy’s Lady, Cambalda was bred by John Irish in Ireland and born in 2002. Jayne Wilson purchased Cambalda and brought him to England, which is where Kelli Temple came across him while on a horse shopping trip.

The very first Fork Horse Trials was supposed to be held in April of 2002, but the event was rained out and didn’t debut until the next year. The Fork went on to run every April since 2003 except for in 2020 when the event was forced to be canceled due to COVID-19. While The Fork was originally held at Jim and Bernadette Cogdell’s farm in Norwood, N.C., this will be the fourth year that it is run at the Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) in Mill Spring, N.C.

Chris Ryan’s first observation about this 4-year-old Thoroughbred mare is that she looks to be a “nice quality sort. She is perhaps a fraction thick in her head-to-neck connection – it could be that her head is quite strong. I’m not so keen on those with pretty heads, even on a filly, which can be very fine and tapered like the Arabian."

The Miami Valley Horse Trials is held at the Twin Towers Horse Park in Yellow Springs, Ohio (Area VIII) in early May, offering Starter through Training levels.

Area VI’s first FEI event of the season will be held this weekend at the Galway Downs International Horse Trials in Temecula, California. In addition to horse trials divisions for Beginner Novice through Intermediate, the event will also offer CCI2*-S, CCI3*-S, and CCI4*-S divisions.

Stable View has been running FEI levels since 2018 at their Oktoberfest event at the end of September. This year is the first year they will also offer FEI levels in the spring – this week, Stable View will run CCI1*-S, CCI2*-S, and CCI3*-S, and CCI4*-S divisions and host the first Adequan/USEF Youth Team Challenge of the year.

“I like to get them on my side – I think trust and understanding are the most important things for training a young horse.” Based out of Tallwood Farm in Southern Pines, North Carolina, Andrew McConnon has been competing in eventing since he was 14 years old.