United States Eventing Association

The Summer Coconino HT & Western Underground, Inc. 3-Day Event took place from July 8-11 in Flagstaff, Arizona. We caught up with the USEA Classic Series winners to learn more about their experiences.

Training Three-Day Winners | Shannon Frost & Iron Tiger | 38.1

Shannon Frost, Benson, Arizona, is hoping to compete her first FEI event next year, so she thought the Classic Series would be a great way to gauge her horse Iron Tiger’s fitness.

The pair came out on top of the Training Three-Day division, and Frost was thrilled to have learned a lot more about her 8-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Smiling Tiger x Cecileabration) who she’s had since 2021 when she bought him at the track, sight unseen and unraced.

“He had been ridden prior to me getting him, but he’s the closest thing I have to a horse that I’ve trained from the very beginning,” she said. “We learned as we went, and when he started jumping as a 5-year-old, I noticed that he was quite a nice jumper and seemed to enjoy it, so I started on the path of eventing with him.”

“Bounce” is very laid-back but has a lot of energy too, which Frost admits has gotten the best of them from time to time.

“We lose focus when there’s a lot going on,” she said. “I just have learned to manage him carefully and make sure he’s had an appropriate amount of physical exertion before asking him to seriously relax and be with me for a dressage test. For him, I’m always trying to find that balance between too fresh and too fatigued, because both extremes can result in some rather excitable behavior at times. Bounce is always giving one hundred percent of his effort and tries very hard, and I’ve just had to learn to direct that effort in the right direction with him. He can be very careful at times and is a bit spooky about water, but recently he’s been trusting me more, and his confidence has slowly started to develop.”

With Coconino being in her home state, Frost thought it would be a good test of where she and her partner are at before considering a Modified move-up later this year. “I set it as one of my goals to shoot for at the start of the year, and it seemed lofty then, but I’m proud to say that I accomplished it,” she said.

Frost loved the extra educational seminars during the event where she learned about the vet box and the extra phases on endurance day.

She also found it a challenge to show jump on the last day, but she and Bounce put in a double-clear round.

“It’s rare that Bounce has to figure out show jumping on the final day after considerable physical exertion the day before, but I felt that he still performed his best even with being on the tired side,” she said. “In addition, one of the biggest reasons I like to take horses to the Three-Day is because they tend to grow in confidence on cross-country after their steeplechase. For Bounce, this was especially helpful because he has been having some confidence issues on cross-country with water, and it felt like doing the steeplechase before really got him moving and feeling brave before he had to tackle the cross-country. I hope that this positive experience for him will carry on through to future events as he experiences more water questions.”

Frost advised to gradually develop your horse’s fitness and start conditioning early if you’re considering at Classic Series event. Use long walks and trots and seek out education wherever you can.

“The three-day requires a lot more thinking than a normal horse trial, and more knowledge is better than less. Try to not be afraid of the show officials and ask questions if you’re ever unsure,” she added.

Novice Three-Day Winners | Kimberly Stafford & Charmed Night HU | 34.2

Kimberly Stafford purchased Charmed Night HU, or “Falkor,” as a weanling from Anne Sparks of Horses Unlimited, and he lives in her backyard, so the bond she’s been able to form with the 6-year-old Rheinlander gelding (Carry On MF x Noble Star) is strong.

“I love raising foals and doing all their training from scratch because it builds a much deeper relationship and bond,” she said. “Falkor has been competing in second level dressage and low level eventing. He’s super talented but has been struggling with confidence at the water. We’ve been taking things slow for him and building the foundation for him to become my next upper-level horse.”

Stafford, Decatur, Texas, is a busy airline pilot who also cares for three other horses at home. She’d had Coconino on her bucket list for a while after completing a Preliminary Three-Day Event at the Kentucky Horse Park in 2012, which was a highlight of her eventing career.

“It’s hard to juggle schedules and horses and already being gone for work with traveling too far for horse shows,” she said. “I haven’t had a good long format horse in awhile. Falkor is really suited for it. He has endless energy and rides more like a Thoroughbred than a warmblood. He’s 6 years old this year, and it’s a good age to transition him from young horse to grown up. I bid my vacation at work for July and decided to give the Novice Three-Day a try!”

Stafford found Coconino was even more perfect for Falkor than she expected. She enjoyed the laidback atmosphere for her sensitive gelding and loved the mini clinics to practice jogs, learn about turnout and presentation, roads and tracks, what happens in the vet box, and the steeplechase practice.

“It let me gauge his reactions so I could help him on game day,” she said of the steeplechase practice. “He started out a little spooky on Phase A being in the woods by himself. The steeplechase portion was so good for him! He was having a blast! I let him pick his own pace around the track. He has a huge gallop and thinks quick with his feet, so steeplechase was very natural for him. Phase C roads and tracks was a perfect mental break before heading out on Phase D. He was the best he’s ever been out on the cross-country course!! Fast, listening, and confident. He was almost too bold into both waters so that made my day!”

Coconino is situated in a wooded park, just a few minutes from downtown Flagstaff, which has great food and sights. Stafford enjoyed the town’s vibes and Coconino’s unique venue. “Everyone from the course designer to officials to competitors are super friendly!” she said. “It’s just a giant tailgating, friendly atmosphere that’s common to eventing.”

Her advice for anyone looking to try a long format is to go for it. “If you ever hope to compete at FEI or Young Riders, it’s a great way to learn about presenting your horse to a ground jury and learning to monitor your horse’s fitness before you get to those upper level competitions,” she said. “If you don’t have FEI aspirations, it’s a fun way to feel like you did without the bigger fences! I think it’s just fun to try something different. I’ve only run a couple horses in a long format, but they both came out of it better, bolder, and more confident about their jobs. I love sitting on a horse who loves his job and is having a fun… there’s no better feeling!”

Beginner Novice Three-Day Winners | Cassandra Majeski & Aristeia | 33.7

Cassandra Majeski, Tucson, Arizona, had ridden in the hunter/jumpers from ages 5-18 before breeding her previous mare in 2010 and deciding to give eventing a try.

Last year, she bought Aristeia, or “Ari,” a 5-year-old Zangersheide mare (Amadeo van’t Vossenhof Z x Lotte de Kavarie), through an online auction in Europe. She’d only been under saddle for about six months.

The pair have since done half a dozen competitions, and Coconino was a good learning experience for the mare, said Majeski. “She’s been a really fun horse to develop because every experience is new for her. Watching her grow in confidence and understanding has been incredibly rewarding, and I feel like each show she comes away a little more mature than the last.”

This year Majeski decided she wanted to experience a long-format event and felt like Ari had the personality for it. She was thrilled the experience the event alongside her client, Shannon Frost, who won the Training Three-Day.

“For Ari, it was also a chance to see how she handled something completely new,” she said. “She’s naturally a horse that likes to conserve her energy and can be a little reluctant to really open up and travel forward. I hoped the Classic would encourage her to become more confident moving out in front of me, and I think it did exactly that. After the steeplechase, she seemed to put the pieces together and really started to understand the job, which was one of the most rewarding parts of the weekend. My biggest goal wasn’t to win. It was for Ari to finish the weekend more confident than when she started.”

Majeski’s favorite part of the weekend wasn’t one particular phase, but the behind-the-scenes moments. “I know a lot of people would probably say the steeplechase, and it certainly lived up to the excitement,” she said. “But honestly, some of my favorite moments were the parts of the Classic that happen behind the scenes. I loved getting Ari and myself turned out for the jogs—we coordinated everything in a burgundy and brown theme—and I really enjoyed the extra time spent with her during the Roads and Tracks. The camaraderie in the vet box during the cooling procedures was also something special. Those moments are unique to the long format and really make it feel like a team effort.”

Majeski is looking forward to a Novice move-up soon and a trip the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds in Kentucky in August.

“I can’t thank the organizers enough for continuing to offer these opportunities,” she said. “The Classic format is such a valuable educational experience for both horses and riders. I hope more competitors take advantage of it because I truly believe it helps develop better horsemen, more confident horses, and ultimately strengthens our sport. Watching Ari finish the weekend more confident than when she started was the greatest reward I could have asked for, and bringing home the win was simply the icing on the cake.”

For full results, click here.

About the USEA Classic Series

The USEA Classic Series keeps the spirit of the classic long ­format three­-day events alive for Beginner Novice through the Preliminary levels. Competitors can experience the rush of endurance day, including roads and tracks, steeplechase, the vet box, and cross­-country, as well as participate in formal veterinary inspections and educational activities with experts on the ins and outs of competing in a long ­format three-­day event. Riders who compete in a USEA Classic Three-Day Event during the year will have the chance to win a variety of prizes at the events from USEA sponsors and earn leaderboard points. Click here to learn more about the USEA Classic Series.

The USEA would like to thank bronze sponsors D.G. Stackhouse & Ellis Saddles, Gallagher’s Water, PulseVet, and SmartEquine, contributing sponsors Bates Saddles and Schneiders Saddlery, and prize sponsor 100xEquine for supporting the USEA Classic Series.