Six nations are represented in the three top spots in the three international classes at the SsangYong Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials.
In the final of the Event Rider Masters series, Oxfordshire’s Izzy Taylor tops the leaderboard with a stunning score of 35.7 aboard Be Touchable.
“I’m delighted with him,” said Taylor. “He's always shown that he has three beautiful paces, so you're halfway there. His brain’s very good, and since I’ve had him he’s upgraded very quickly, which is great in some ways, and then you pay for it in other ways.
“What’s exciting is that there’s definitely still more to come from him. He loves his job, all three bits of it - he loves showjumping, and he loves his cross country.”
Australia also lies in second position in this class, courtesy of Shane Rose and CP Qualified, who scored 35.8. Alex Hua Tian, representing China, is in third with 36.4 on Don Geniro, ahead of British rider Oliver Townend (38.3 with Cooley Master Class).
U.S. representatives, Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night are in ninth on a 40.3, Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot slotted into 26th on a 48.8 and Katherine Coleman is in 34th on 53.3.
Kazuma Tomoto. Matt Nuttall Photo.
Japanese rider Kazuma Tomoto remains in first place in the CIC3* for 8- and 9-year-old horses at the end of dressage.
Kazuma, who only turned to eventing from show jumping less than two years ago, topped the billing on Thursday and no one managed to topple his score of 40.7 on Brookpark Vikenti during the second day of dressage.
But Britain’s Francis Whittington – a former winner of the CCI3* class here – has slipped into equal second place with Nimrod II. The 9-year-old is a new ride for Francis this year. Both he and Australia’s Christopher Burton (Cooley Lands) scored 42.6.
And young British rider Holly Woodhead took fourth place with Parkfield Quintessential on 43.1.
Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp who did her test yesterday with Deniro Z are now in seventh and Lauren Kieffer is in equal 21st on a 48.8 with D.A. Duras.
The CCI3* dressage concluded on Thursday, and Germany’s Julia Krajewski heads to tomorrow’s cross-country phase in the lead with 33.4 on Chipmunk FRH. She has a 2.3 point lead over Britain’s Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street.
The U.S.’s Kim Severson is in third with 37.8 aboard Cooley Cross Border.
Tomorrow is an action-packed day at SsangYong Blenheim. CCI3* cross-country starts at 9:00 a.m., followed by the Event Rider Masters showjumping at 10:30 a.m. Show jumping for the CIC3* for 8- and 9-year-old horses takes place in the afternoon, as does the final cross-country phase of the Event Rider Masters.
In the busy Attractions Arena, one of the highlights must be Joey, the star of the National Theatre’s War Horse show, who will be in the tradestand area in the afternoon.
Temecula, Calif.—March 30— "World class." That's what Galway Downs Spring International dressage judges Helen Brettell and Robyn Fisher said in unison of the two rides that put Tamie Smith in the one and two spots in the CCI4*-S after dressage.
Myakka City, Fla.—March 30—In the third year of hosting FEI three-day events and recognized horse trials, TerraNova Equestrian Center welcomes an eventing date to their busy spring competition schedule. Riders from all walks of life, Olympians to young eventers, flocked to TerraNova to experience the previous two fall three-day events. The addition of the spring date gives riders an opportunity to run an FEI event and horse trials before heading home after the winter season.
The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is delighted to announce the renewed partnership with SmartPak as the “Official Feeding Supplement of the USEA” for 2023. SmartPak will also continue their support of various USEA programs as a “Gold Sponsor of the USEA American Eventing Championships,” “Contributing Sponsor of the Adult Team Championships at the AEC,” “Bronze Sponsor of the Classic Series” and “Contributing Sponsor of the Young Event Horse Series.” The “SmartPak USEA Stallion of the Year” and “SmartPak USEA Pony of the Year” leaderboards will also allow the company to assist in recognizing the top placing stallion and pony of the Association at the USEA Annual Meeting and Convention in St. Louis, Missouri this December 6-10. SmartPak will provide ample prizes and awards for the programs and championships that they support.
From horse trials in her home state of California where she prepared herself and her horses to take on the best in the nation and around the world to five-star events overseas where she represented the United States on some of eventing’s biggest stages, Tamie Smith had a remarkable season and finished 2022 as the Bates USEA Lady Rider of the Year for the second year in a row.