United States Eventing Association

Beginner Novice Riders Tackle Cross-Country at the #AEC2024

Lexington, Ky.—Aug. 31—Beginner Novice riders took to Jay Hambly's track today at the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds, and the leaderboards in many divisions shuffled. Check out who's on top in each of the six divisions.

USEA Beginner Novice Junior 14 & Under Championship

The USEA Beginner Novice Junior 14 & Under Championship was another Beginner Novice division to have no changes in the standings of the top three combinations. Addy Sheplee of Ashburn, Virginia, and Kinsale (French Twist x Martha's Blast), owned by Michelle Johns, are still in the lead. The pair added no points to their dressage score of 27.3.

“As soon as we left the start box, she just felt so confident and ready to go,” Sheplee said. “The course rode really well. There were a couple tricky parts that I was a little bit worried about, but Kinsale was just so on it and made it all feel really easy.”

A rain delay interrupted the afternoon, and Sheplee’s warm-up plans, but the 20-year-old Selle Français/Thoroughbred cross took it in stride. “The class got delayed, so I was a little bit worried she wouldn't be her usual self,” Sheplee said. “I had walked her down [to the ring], but wasn't warming up, so we just came back here and waited it out. It made me a little bit more nervous, but it gave me a little more time to think about my course and how I was going to ride it.”

All Beginner Novice, Novice, and Starter riders get to gallop through the iconic Head Of The Lake, the water feature that’s most well-known for featuring intense action during the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. Following in the hoof prints of horses like Tsetserleg TSF, JL Dublin, and Vermiculus is an honor for many riders.

“[Riding through the Head Of The Lake] just felt so awesome and made me think about how grateful I am to be here,” Sheplee said. “I'm just really happy and grateful to be able to do this.”

In second place is Mackenzie Wendt, riding her own Castall (Capryo x Unknown) with a score of 28.3. Wendt is closely followed by Kendall Menne and SBF Cool Snowflake (Dromard View x SBF Sunshine) with a score of 28.8.

USEA Beginner Novice Amateur Championship

The top three leaders of the USEA Beginner Novice Amateur Championship remained unchanged at the conclusion of the cross-country phase this afternoon. Holding tight to her lead is Kylie Stangle riding Janina Parmelee’s Redfield Mikke (Maximus x Maritza) with a score of 20.3. Ali Martinez is still in second place with Amanda Tamminga’s Codename Toby (Treasure Cove x Go Bubby Go) on a score of 27.2. Elizabeth Glowacki is hot on Martinez’s heels by just 0.1 points, riding her own DCF Diamond Georgette (Kilpeck Diamond Knight x Angel Claire).

Stangle’s biggest problem on cross-country was that “Mickey” was having a little too much fun. The 11-year-old Deutsches Reitpony/Warmblood cross enjoyed getting to stretch his legs on the course, to the point that Stangle had to take preventative measures to avoid a time penalty. “We were having a little bit too much fun,” Stangle said. “We definitely had to trot before and after the water after 12, but he loved the combinations that were on the course. So, I really got him thinking, and he really enjoyed it.”

Thanks to her 7-point lead, Stangle is feeling good heading into the show jumping early tomorrow afternoon. She can afford to take down one rail and take on some time penalties and still take home a championship ribbon. “I'm feeling optimistic,” Stangle said. “He loves jumping, but you know the job’s not done yet.”

USEA Beginner Novice Horse Championship

At the conclusion of the cross-country phase in the USEA Beginner Novice Horse Championship, Finn (Pairadox Cassanova x Gaellant Quest), owned by Skylar Ragsdale and ridden by Emily Hansen-Palmus, was still in the lead. Local to Englewood, Ohio, Hansen-Palmus said that while her warm-up didn’t quite go to plan, Finn was nearly foot-perfect on course.

“In the warm-up, there was this giant, fluffy, white dog, and he got a little cheeky and had himself a baby moment,” Hansen-Palmus said. “But he pulled it together, and he was fantastic. He was super bold; he had a great time on cross-country.”

Outside of being ridden by Hansen-Palmus, the 7-year-old 16-hand Irish Draught Sport Horse has a very special job. He has the important role of keeping his owner, 8-year-old Skylar Ragsdale safe. Ragsdale, who is a member of the Stillwater Pony Club, has ridden Finn at the Kentucky Horse Park in the past, as part of a Pony Club camp.

“I've never ridden him through the Head Of The Lake, but apparently the owner had for the Pony Club camp,” Hansen-Palmus said. “I swear he jumped right in that water. I swear, he splashed around like a little kid. He’s adorable. He’s like a giant pony.”

According to Hansen-Palmus, Ragsdale gave Finn a pep talk while he got tacked up. “This morning, she was helping me get him ready and gave him a little pep talk. She's like, ‘Finn, you can do this!’ ” Hansen-Palmus said. “She had a lot of fun cheering him on. She was really cute.”

All three of our leaders pulled off double clear cross-country rounds. Just 0.3 points behind Hansen-Palmus is Sunhill Rover (Rosscon Castle King x Meelickisland Snowdrop), who is ridden and owned by Jillian Newman. Home Track Farm’s HTF Charming Cooley (Timone x Corline Z), ridden by Lee Maher, is still in third place with a score of 28.9.

USEA Beginner Novice Junior Championship

Jane Dorsey and her own HSF Milchem MBF (Goodluck VDL x Milchem Dreaming) had a need for speed on the Beginner Novice Junior cross-country course this morning. “Cross-country was really fun,” Dorsey said. “We started off super-fast, and I had to slow him down the second half because we were looking like we were gonna get under the time—way under the time. S,o I did a trot circle after the water.”

Dorsey started riding “Luck” at the beginning of April, but the 9-year-old Thoroughbred was imported from Ireland a year-and-a-half ago. Their partnership has grown quickly, partly thanks to the gelding’s big personality. “He can be cheeky at times, but he's super personable. He loves to cuddle, and he loves people,” Dorsey said. “He's a really good boy. He's very smart, and he's learning very quickly, and he does everything that I ask and tries super, super hard.”

For many riders, their trainers and support team have been instrumental in getting them to the AEC Dorsey is no different. “My trainer, Caitlin Buchanan, has done so much to get me to where I am,” said Dorsey.

Local to Athens, Georgia, Dorsey is looking forward to putting Luck’s speed to good use in the sho jumping tomorrow morning. “My favorite phase is actually show jumping. There is a little bit of pressure, obviously, because I am in first, but I'm mostly excited and trying to not focus on how much pressure there is,” Dorsey said.

Dorsey is followed in the standings by Christina Elliott and her own Zesty Storm (Get Stormy x Granny Green Eyes) with a score of 28.6. In third place with a score of 28.9 is Ravishing (Rousseau x Debutante), owned and ridden by Aubrey Sabatino.

USEA Beginner Novice Master Amateur Championship

It was clearly a good day today for Happy Times and rider Roisin O’Rahilly. The pair pulled off a double clear cross-country round to finish on their dressage score of 26.6. It’s a good thing O’Rahilly developed some grit and persistence growing up fox hunting in her native Ireland. Now local to Southern Pines, North Carolina, O’Rahilly refused to let a persistent case of trigger finger slow her down.

“Cross-country was fun, except I had trigger finger,” O’Rahilly said. “I put Band-Aids on, but I didn’t put enough on to stop it locking up. So, it locked up before every jump, and I had to unlock it. I had a head cam on, and all you see the whole way around is me unlocking my trigger finger with the other hand before every fence.”

This was O’Rahilly’s first time competing at the Kentucky Horse Park, and it was an experience she won’t forget. “It was fabulous. Everybody's done a super job. There’s just so many people here. I've been to Badminton and Burghley and all of those. It just seems this is way bigger [in terms of the] number of horses. Well now, the Dublin Horse Show I think maybe has this beat, because I think they have around 1,500 horses.”

It became clear to everyone that “Paddy” enjoys cross-country just as much as O’Rahilly, if not more, after he became a little excited in the warm-up. “He was bucking. He was just going around, shaking his head and bucking,” 81-year-old O’Rahilly said. “I did have to get after him a little bit because I said, ‘This is not gonna work. You're gonna put me on the ground.’”

Stadium is not the preferred phase for either O’Rahilly or the 12-year-old Irish Draught. “It's my worst phase,” O’Rahilly said. “I am not a big fan of show jumping at all because he tends to back off coming into the jump. So, if it’s a two stride, he’ll pop in an extra stride and make it a short stride. Anyway, I just have to keep riding forward and hope for the best.”

Once again reinforcing the idea that eventing is not a dressage competition, there was a lot of movement on the leaderboard after the cross-country phase. Three riders moved up the leaderboard 10 places, most notably Desi Freeman and her own Ghost (Fierce Wind x Adelicate Miss), who skyrocketed up the standings from 20th to 10th place.

USEA Beginner Novice Rider Championship

The USEA Beginner Novice Rider Championship is filled with a very talented group of riders and horses, as evidenced by the fact that the top 36 standings have less than 1.2 penalty points total. Moving up from second place into first after cross-country is Kelly O’Brien and B.E. Never Say Never (Spirit House x Renkum Blathainn).

“Connor” may be 19-years-old, but he certainly didn’t act like it as he and O’Brien tackled today’s cross-country course. “He was full of fire today and eager to go attack [the course],” O’Brien said. “Connor is an older, seasoned guy, but he has a little bit of spunk in him and always manages to keep me on my toes. I've been riding him for about two years now, and he's just the best boy.”

O’Brien started leasing the Dutch Warmblood/Thoroughbred cross from his owner and her trainer, Susie Beale, about two years ago. Prior to that, O’Brien had taken a 30-year break from horses and riding. Looking back over the last two years, she says she never expected to make it to the AEC.

“It's a surreal moment looking back on that journey,” O’Brien said. “I am just so thrilled and proud of our progress. I’m proud of and happy with all the friendships and camaraderie I've developed, both at our barn and across the eventing community.”

Looking ahead to tomorrow, O’Brien is feeling a bit nervous about riding in the atmospheric Rolex Arena. “I'm a little nervous for tomorrow,” O’Brien said. “The stadium jumping is not always our strong suit, and the Rolex Arena is a little intimidating. I'm just going to try and clear my mind, take a deep breath and keep my eyes up.”

O’Brien has a nearly 2-point lead on second place Laila Chance, riding her own A Gladiators Heart - Maximus (Felkert K. x Nikka-MH) with a score of 28.9. In third place, with a score of 29.4, is Nancy Roche riding her horse, Saphyra (Sir Donnerhall x Nickerbocker).

Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships

The Neigh Slayers added just 4.1 points to their score to keep the lead in the Adams Horse Supply Beginner Novice Adult Team Championship with a total score of 90.0. Leading the way is Ali Martinez riding Amanda Tamminga’s Codename Toby (Treasure Cove x Go Bubby Go) with a score of 27.2. She’s followed by Eden Miller and her own Cupido T with a score of 29.8, and then Beverly Britton aboard her own Chesterfield Dauntless (Fort Prado x La Rocca) with a score of 33.0. Team member William Barclay and his own FE Violet Crumble (Crumble x Z-Concordia) unfortunately had a technical elimination on cross-country.

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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.

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