United States Eventing Association

The tenth annual Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships, presented by VTO Saddlery, officially kicked off with the competition today at the Texas Rose Horse Park in Tyler, Texas. For the past two days, the Park has come alive with the arrival of near 430 horses and their riders, owners, grooms, and fan clubs. Banners and flags fly high, vendors and sponsors proudly display their products in the Trade Fair, and little girls and their ponies mingle with Olympic legends.

Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series and Advanced Championships
For the first time, the AEC also serves as the Final for the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series. Thirteen horses and riders, from California to Florida, rode for dressage judges Marilyn Payne and Frances O’Reilly in the hopes of posting a competitive initial score in their bid for a chunk of the allotted $40,000 in prize money.

Katherine Groesbeck (CA) and her family’s homebred Oz The Tin Man, were the fifth to perform in the Advanced Championship division. Their score of 27.7 was good enough for first place in a very competitive division. Last year was their first season at Advanced, and Groesbeck feels like the horse is at the top of his form.

“I gave him a ten minute warm-up just stretching and going forward and back within the gates,” Groesbeck said. “He went into the arena and got a little electrified, which was perfect, and he was just with me the whole way around.”

She felt like she left some points on the table, but her goal for the test was a solid test and score to start the weekend.

Michael Pollard (GA), the last to ride in the Advanced division with Carl Bouckaert’s Mensa G, looked to threaten Groesbeck’s position, but they ended up in second with a 28.5.

Kristi Nunnink (CA) and R-Star round out the top three in the Advanced with a score of 29.0. It is anyone’s game at this point, with Captain Mark Phillips big cross-country course still to come.

“It’s going to be a challenge. I don’t think anyone is walking away with it,” Groesbeck said of the cross-country. “It’s full of large accuracy questions and it could go either way for any one of us tomorrow. Time is definitely going to play a big factor, and the sunlight too.”

Intermediate Championships
Pollard has set himself up for a successful weekend, with Mensa G in second in the Advanced, and his wife’s stunning grey mare Schoensgreen Hanni leading the Intermediate with a 26.8.

Californian Frankie Thieriot has spent the summer training and competing in Pennsylvania and came to Texas to compete Tory Smith’s Uphoria. After producing an extremely accurate test, she and the mare sit tied for second with a 27.6.

“One of the things we’ve been working really hard on is her strength,” Thieriot said of the Holsteiner mare. “The best thing about her is she goes in and tries every single time. You can be fairly confident that she is going to go in the ring and give you a very solid effort, and it’s my job to get the most out of her.”

Thieriot is excited that the mare is already very good but has a lot of room to improvement. “I feel so lucky every time I get to sit on her.”

Tied with Thieriot is Texan Bonner Carpenter and Basco. Overall, the Intermediate division, with 25 starters, was very competitive in the sandbox, with the top seven scoring in the 20s.

Preliminary Championships
There are three divisions of Preliminary Championships. In the always competitive Junior Young Rider class, Elizabeth New (TX) and Uppercrust D have taken the lead after dressage on a score of 25.7. Within striking distance is Sarah Braun (CA) and Gwendolyn with a 29.8, and just a gnat’s eyelash shy of the top two, with a 30.2, is Kaitlin Hall (CA) and Given Half A Chance.

In the Senior Preliminary Amateur Championships, Kimberly Keeton (GA) and Hope Thomas’s Accolade lead with a 30.0. Hot on their heels is Tracy Gilman (IL) and her own Nautilus 47 with a 30.4, and in third is Jessica McCabe, a Texas local, and Ferdinand with a 31.1.

Thirty-five horse and rider combinations started in the Preliminary Horse division, and it was Leslie Law (FL) and Tout de Suite on top at the end of the first day of competition with a score of 23.7. Clayton Fredericks (FL) is not far behind, having scored a 25.0 with Sorrento. Rochelle Costanza (CO) and Lionhart are third with a 26.1.

Training Championships
Thirty juniors compete for the title of Training Champion, and as of now, Madeline Backus (CO) leads with Laura Backus’s P.S. King of Hearts on a score of 30.0. Danielle Madsen (AZ) and Majestic Force are second with 30.9, and Zoey Gudger (IL) and Jiminy Cricket are third with 31.4.

Senior Training Amateur is a large, competitive division with 37 starters, and after dressage, the top 12 are within one rail of first place. Kelsey Carlisle (AZ) and Mandalay Bay currently lead with 29.6. In second is a former AEC Champion, Sandra Holden and Cano Cristales with a 30.5, and in third is Lauren Hoover (TX) and Permesso on a 30.9.

Tamra Smith (CA) and Sunsprite Syrius lead Training Horse with 23.6. Elisa Wallace (GA), who arrived at the Texas Rose Horse Park after competing in the Mustang Million in Fort Worth last week, in second with Rosemarie Spillane’s Corteo (not a Mustang) with a 26.4. Kyle Carter (FL) is third with Serengeti on a 28.2.

For full AEC results visit livescore.useventing.com.

About the American Eventing Championships
Each September, over 500 horses travel from across the nation to participate in the American Eventing Championships. This prestigious national championships provides the opportunity for riders at every level of the sport – from Beginner Novice to Advanced – to compete for significant prize money and the chance to be named the best in the nation at their respective levels. Now in its tenth year, the Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships will be held for the first time at the Texas Rose Horse Park in Tyler, Texas. The 2013 competition will run from September 26 – 29. For more details on the Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships presented by VTO Saddlery, visit the www.useventing.com/aec.

About the Adequan USEA Gold Cup and PRO Tour Series
The Adequan USEA Gold Cup features 11 qualifying competitions throughout the United States at the Advanced Horse Trials and CIC3* levels with the final at the Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships September 26-29 in Tyler, Texas. Riders who complete a qualifier earn the chance to vie for $40,000 in prize money in the Adequan Advanced Division and the title of Adequan USEA Gold Cup Champion.

The Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series is made possible through the support of its many sponsors: Adequan; Nunn Finer; SmartPak Equine; Nutrena; Broadstone Equine Insurance Agency, Point Two; Dubarry; and FITS.

The PRO Tour Series consists of 13 premier destination events in the United States and Canada in 2013 featuring the best riders and most entertainment. Riders and Horses are awarded points on the PRO Tour Rider Leader Board and PRO Tour Horse Leader Board. Riders can also earn points on the PRO Tour Series at the Intermediate or two-star level for the Multi Radiance Intermediate Challenge. The 2013 Multi Radiance Challenge Leader Board Champion will win a Multi Radiance MR4 ACTIVET Portable Laser System.

The Professional Riders Organization would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of the 2013 PRO Tour Series: Martin Collins USA, The Official Footing of PRO; Multi Radiance Medical, The Official Laser Therapy of PRO & Sponsor of the Multi Radiance Medical Intermediate Challenge ; Tex Sutton, the Official US Equine Air Carrier of PRO; SSG Riding Gloves; Finish Line Horse Products; Midlantic Ltd.; and Mythic Landing Events.