Unionville, Pa. – Changes are afoot at the Plantation Field International Horse Trials, which will welcome its fourth annual International CIC and the Area II Advanced and Intermediate Championships this fall with major show grounds improvements, including a new all-weather outdoor arena and water-jump complex.
Crews are hard at work installing the arena atop a hill overlooking endless acres of preserved hunt country, Plantation’s historic stone ruins and one of the nation’s premier cross-country courses. At 380 by 250 feet, the arena will be large enough to stage three-star show jumping or for two standard dressage rings with final warm-up areas for each.
The arena will feature all-weather Tapeta footing, the same synthetic turf used at world-class racetracks and in competition arenas around the world. The footing was a generous donation from local Plantation Field supporters Mary Alice Malone, of Iron Spring Farm, and Joy Slater, of Fat Chance Farm.
Also being installed this summer is a second water complex on the cross-country course. The complex, being built in a spectator-friendly location near the center of the course, will be used for all levels of competition.
As these installations progress, staff also are hard at work preparing and aerating galloping lanes and warm-up areas to ensure horses and riders the best possible footing on all competition surfaces.
The arena and water complex will make their debuts during the Plantation Field CIC and Horse Trials, Sept. 16-18 in Unionville, Pa. The fall competition will offer CIC*, CIC** and CIC*** competitions as well as horse trials at the preliminary through advanced levels, including the Area II Intermediate and Advanced Championships.
Also returning to the big fall event will be the annual trade fair and kids’ corner. The kids’ corner will include fun activities such as face-painting, a petting zoo and a moon bounce to entertain little ones.
The trade fair will feature food vendors, tack shops, artisans and apparel stores such as Dubarry, Outback Trading Co., J. McLaughlin and, attending from the UK, Alexander James Country Clothing.
Local beneficiaries of the event will be The Barn at Spring Brook Farm and The Cheshire Land Preservation Fund.
If you would like to support the event as a sponsor, advertiser, spectator, volunteer or vendor , please visit www.plantationfieldhorsetrials.com for information and applications.
Competitor entries open Aug. 2. We look forward to seeing you there!
The countdown to the 2024 United States Eventing Association (USEA) American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds is getting shorter and the tentative schedule is officially set! For the second year in a row, the AEC returns to the iconic Kentucky Horse Park from August 27 through September 1 and will offer 26 divisions, including brand new Starter divisions and all levels of recognized evening up through the $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final.
What’s a Hunter Pace? The Sherwood Forest Equestrian Center's Hunter Pace is a cross-country-style course around Sherwood Forest over various natural obstacles/terrain. The course ends with a final treat for riders to take in stunning views of Mt. Hood with a loop through the old Far Hill Farms field. The beginning of the course will first start with a warm-up loop around show jumping obstacles in the outdoor ring at Sherwood Forest and then riders will continue directly onto the course. Sign up as a solo rider, pair, or team.
Claire Allen remembers when she was 11 years old, having just made the switch from the hunter/jumper ring to three-day eventing. She told her new eventing trainer that her goal was to one day compete in the United States Equestrian Federation’s Eventing Young Rider Championships.
As he was finishing tacking up his horse in preparation to navigate the cross-country course at the 2024 Twin Rivers Summer Horse Trials, James Alliston expressed concern about navigating the 101 Freeway. That’s because as soon as he crossed the finish line aboard Intermediate level winner Addyson (Ampere x Nickerbocker) at 10:38 a.m. on Saturday—his fifth cross-country round of the morning with three at Preliminary and two at Intermediate—the West Coast-based five-star rider had to drive 185 miles on the 101 Freeway from Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California, to San Francisco International Airport to catch a 4:35 p.m. flight to Frankfurt, Germany.