United States Eventing Association

Dubbed a “one rail horse at CICs” yesterday by jockey Clark Montgomery, Loughan Glen cleared his name today delivering a double clear show jump round to snatch the lead of the three-star division at the Cloud 11/Gavilan North Carolina International CIC & Horse Trials.

“He felt super. He was really energetic and full of pop,” Montgomery said of the 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Limerick x Tattymacall Mustard) owned by himself, Jessica Montgomery, Katheryn Kraft, and Holly and William Becker. “He jumped good on the grass. He’s used to the grass because of England, so that was no problem.”

In preparation for the Rolex Kentucky CCI4* next month, the focus has been on fitness for these two. “I don’t jump him that much anymore. He’s getting older. We all know about his little physical things now, so I don’t jump him to death. I do enough to kind of keep him fresh and to make sure he’s jumping fit,” he commented.

Clark Mongtomery and Loughan Glen. USEA/Shelby Allen Photo.

Looking toward tomorrow’s cross-country, Mongtomery plans to read the footing and his horse before deciding on a game plan. “I really can’t ever go that slow on him. He likes the more forward, more aggressive ride. I’ll have to see how it feels. It walks a bit firm. If it sounds kind of slappy as he’s galloping, I’ll probably back him off just a little bit. If it feels quite nice and he feels comfortable, I’ll probably just let him keep going because I do want it for fitness as well, I just don’t want him to get sore from it,” he explained.

Marc Donovan’s course was certainly twisty as it wound around the iconic Stonehenge cross-country complex, but most riders rose to the challenge. Of the 51 competitors in the three-star, 22 were double clear and 13 had just one rail, including the overnight leaders Allison Springer and Arthur who dropped from first to fourth.

Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda.

Jennie Brannigan and Nina Gardner’s Cambalda also enjoyed a faultless round this afternoon, moving into second place. The 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Balda Beau x Cathy’s Lady) sits on 41.5 penalty points going into the cross-country tomorrow.

“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever ridden him where he was in front of my leg. It was a nice feeling to feel like I could actually sit still on him,” Brannigan beamed. “I always find with that horse particularly that jumping on grass is difficult and I thought that there was a lot of atmosphere there, but I would say it was probably one of the nicest rounds I’ve had on him actually.”

Like many other riders, Brannigan thinks Ian Stark has laid out a stiff course for the international divisions. “I think this is an impressive CIC3*. I think Ian’s a great designer and rewards bold riding. I certainly came here to compete. I think the leaderboard will move around a lot and I’ll just go out and try to do the best that I can do, but I certainly think that coffin [at 19abc] and that first water [at 7ab] is really difficult, but I’m sure it will catch people off everywhere. I’m impressed with it thought. It’s tough enough that you’re going to be thinking about it when you’re going to bed tonight,” she said.

Caroline Martin and The Apprentice. USEA/Shelby Allen Photo.

Caroline Martin and Sherrie Martin’s The Apprentice have a new partnership, but one already brimming with potential. They managed a clear round, in what has been known as a more difficult phase for the 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse, to moving them into the third spot on the leaderboard.

“He’s a really talented horse. He jumps really really well. The biggest thing is keeping him relaxed because he tries so hard, he gets a little mental about it. If he taps one he kind of gets nervous, like he made a mistake. It’s kind of like the dressage a little bit, but he didn’t really tap one in warm up, and he didn’t really tap one in the ring,” she said.

Though she has three rides in the division, Martin will get her first go at the three-star course with “Dirk.”

“I’ll just ride how I feel comfortable. The thing with this horse is I’m not trying to change the way he goes or change my style of riding, he’s giving me experience. I’m 22, I need to get as much experience as I can at the upper levels because I want to make a career out of this, so he’s a good partner to have to learn from. He’s beautifully produced, so all I can do is learn from what he knows, and I’ll ride to the best of my ability,” Martin affirmed.

The three-star riders leave the start box tomorrow at 1:10 with the top ten riders running in reverse order of go.

Adequan USEA Gold Cup Division

The Adequan USEA Gold Cup Advanced division also got underway this afternoon at the Cloud 11/Gavilan North Carolina International CIC & Horse Trials.

First in the arena, Kim Severson and The Cross Syndicate’s Cooley Cross Border posted a 27.1, which remained unmatched throughout the remained of the division. This competition is the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Diamond Roller x Whos Diaz) first Advanced back since finishing 7^th at the Dutta Corp. Fair Hill International CCI3* last fall.

Lauren Kieffer sits in second with her Rio partner, Veronica, a 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood owned by Team Rebecca. This pair is just .1 behind the leaders on a score of 27.2, which puts the pressure on for the coming jumping phases.

Lillian Heard and her own 15-year-old Thoroughbred Share Option round out the top three. This pair carry 29.1 penalty points after dressage.

The Adequan USEA Gold Cup Advanced division heads out over Ian Stark’s cross-country course tomorrow following the three-star division at 4 p.m.

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About the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series

The 2017 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Championship features 11 qualifying competitions throughout the United States at the Advanced Horse Trials and CIC3* levels. Qualifying began last fall and continues through August with the final taking place at the USEA American Eventing Championships, August 30 – September 3 at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina. Riders who complete a qualifier earn the chance to vie for $40,000 in prize money and thousands of dollars in prizes in the Adequan Advanced Division and the title of Adequan USEA Gold Cup Champion.

The 2017 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series is made possible through the support of its many loyal sponsors: Adequan, Standlee Forage, Nutrena, Merck Animal Health, Broadstone Equine Insurance Agency and FITS.