United States Eventing Association

Hannah Sue Burnett leapt one step closer to cashing in on a chunk of the $7,500 purse being offered this year to the winner of the CIC2* division at the 20th Anniversary of the Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials. Held July 16-19 in Victor, NY, this destination event is also a part of the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series which offers additional cash and prizes to top placers in the two-star division.

But perhaps most importantly, Burnett feels one step closer to her dream horse after today’s beautiful cross-country trip aboard St. Barths, a 9-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by Richard Thompson.

A full-time employee of the O’Connor’s, she started riding the nimble-footed chestnut for Karen last summer after he recovered from a bout with Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM), an infection which affects the central nervous system of horses.

“When I went to the Olympics last year, he was just starting to come back from his recovery,” O’Connor remembered. “I asked Hannah to leg him up. She kept emailing me and telling me how well he was doing so I let her start competing him. When I came back from the Games, he was going so well for her we just let them carry on.”

The pair’s trip around Derek di Grazia’s beautiful cross-country course illustrated Max Corcoran’s apt description of the pair: “They’re definitely soul mates,” she declared. Though no entries in the two-star completed the course under the optimum time, Burnett and Nike finished fastest and they did it with poise and grace.

“I really fired out of the box because I knew that it was going to be hard to make time on this course,” Burnett said, “I could really feel his stride open up. He was really on it and just enjoyed the whole thing.”

Aside from time, the track presented some serious questions. “I was actually worried about jumps 6A and B where you had to jump a big table and then turn to a wide, skinny table,” Burnett explained. “I wasn’t completely sure about the striding there so I rode that pretty quietly and he was really genuine and honest and drew right to it. The water was tough, too. I was on the end of my reins and just kind of bent my elbows and steered and he was perfect. I feel like he could go to Rolex tomorrow.”

Bonnie Mosser, who rode her trusty gray gelding, Merloch, into second place today, noted that the unusual undulating terrain of the venue adds a unique element of difficulty. “The terrain makes the horses’ feet move a little faster than normal,” Mosser said. “It was definitely a two-star course; very inviting with good questions. Derek does a great job placing the jumps.”

Mosser adamantly regards the Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials as one of the best events in the country, though she hasn’t been able to compete there since 2004 as her recent international endeavors have kept her consistently jet setting. This May, she and Merloch trekked to the Badminton Horse Trials, a four-star event in England, but unfortunately ran into some soundness issues there.

“I chose to come up here this weekend to test Merloch after our short run at Badminton. We pulled up there because he had a stifle lock-up,” she explained.

Now seemingly recovered, their first event this summer would have been the Advanced division at the Millbrook Horse Trials. But she needed some reassurance. “You can train at home and if you feel something funny you pull up, but the real test is out on course. It’s great that this is in my backyard where I grew up. I haven’t ridden at Stuart since 2004, but it’s been fun. I almost forgot how great it is here.”

Likewise, Burnett’s first trip to Stuart has been charmed to say the least. “I just love it! It’s gorgeous and they do a really great job running it,” she said. ”All the volunteers are really supportive and amazingly nice. It’s been a great event and I’ll definitely come back.”

While Burnett and Mosser are both confident in their respective mounts abilities in the stadium tomorrow, Burnett has the advantage of two rails in hand over Mosser. “He’s very careful. If I mess up, he goes higher instead of crashing through things, which is helpful!” Burnett admitted with a laugh.

The competition concludes on Sunday with show jumping beginning at 8:00 a.m. The CIC2* division is scheduled to run at 1:00.


Adequan USEA Gold Cup Sponsorship & Prizes

Winners of the designated Gold Cup divisions receive an Adequan USEA Gold Cup Trophy, $500 in prize money, 7-dose box of Adequan, a three-month supply of SUCCEED, an E.A. Mattes Couture Pad, and a pair of Nunn Finer American Style open front boots. Second place finishers take home a Nutrena feed gift certificate and a pair of Nunn Finer American Style open front boots, and third place receives a pair of the Nunn Finer boots as well.

The Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series is made possible through the support of its many sponsors: Title: Adequan; Legacy: Nunn Finer, Nutrena, and World Equestrian Brands; Contributing: Cover-All; and Patron: Back on Track, Broadstone Equine Insurance Agency, Mountain Horse, and Succeed.

Adequan is proud to be the official joint therapy treatment of the USEA.
Interested in sponsoring the Adequan/USEA Gold Cup series or another USEA program? Contact us at the USEA! [email protected] or call 703-779-0440.