United States Eventing Association

It was all about the upper levels today at the 2010 Land Rover/USEA American Eventing Championships. Five divisions including Advanced, Intermediate, and all three Preliminary divisions show jumped today in the beautiful arenas at Chattahoochee Hills.

Advanced

The Advanced show jumping was the first to go in the Grand Prix arena this morning. The WEG Short Listed riders who did not run cross-country yesterday show jumped both before and after the actual competition which created a different atmosphere in the arena. After the dust settled, overnight leader Becky Holder and Courageous Comet knocked only a single rail during the Marc Donovan designed course. However, they had a rail in hand over the two competitors nipping at their heels, Nate Chambers and Will Faudree, and the experienced pair remained gracefully atop the leaderboard.

“I’m so proud of him,” sighed Holder happily after her round. “The show jumping has always been rough for me. I always get rattled in there and get in a hurry...but we’ve both come a long way."

Renowned show jumper trainer Katie Prudent has been helpful in coaching the team riders, and preparing them for the intense weeks before WEG. "Katie has been absolutely instrumental in coming up with a great plan and helping me execute it. Out there he covered for me several times," she added with a laugh. "I could just tell he was trying his guts out, and I’m just very proud. He’s such a wonderful horse, that it’s really really rewarding to put it together in all three phases for him and have him have the recognition he deserves.

What's next on the horizon for this talented pair--perhaps a spot on the WEG squad? “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask the selectors. We’ll see what comes next," said Holder, 41, who recently relocated to Palmetto, Georgia, mere miles away from Chattahoochee Hills.

Will Faudree moved up into second place with Jennifer Mosing’s Pawlow with a double clear round. Faudree began the competition in ninth place with a 44.0 and had one of the fastest cross-country rounds – adding only 6.8 time penalties. Nate Chambers and his own Rolling Stone II dropped down into third place with two rails.

The $25,000 Merial Advanced class also served as part of the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series, where winners from destination events across the nation compete for cash, prizes, and points. For her win, Becky takes home $500, a 7-dose gift certificate for Adequan, a Gold Cup trophy, Mountain Horse jacket, 3-month supply of SUCCEED, and of course the entire trailer-load of prizes (and $13,000) she gets for winning the Advanced division.

Intermediate

Lynn Symansky, 27, of MIddleburg, VA, and her seven-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Donner climbed up the ranks yesterday by having one of only three double clear cross-country rounds around Ritch Temple's course. The pair were able to hold on to their lead today by leaving all the rails in the cups in the show jumping arena.

Leslie Law and Troy Glaus’ Rehy Lux added one second of time to their overnight score but luckily they had it in hand so were able to finish the weekend as the AEC Intermediate Reserve Champions. Buck Davidson and Sharon Will’s Absolute Liberty started out the weekend sitting in thirteenth place, however, the pair slowly climbed the leaderboard and were able to take home the yellow ribbon.

Preliminary

Clear rounds were few and far between in the Preliminary divisions, and not a single Preliminary Amateur competitor managed a double clear round although sixth place finisher, Jodie Stowell and Comet II, got close by having only one time penalty. Lynne Partridge, 53, of Bartonville, Texas, and her seven-year-old Oldenburg gelding El Cid successfully defended their Preliminary Amateur title, despite having two rails and one time penalty tacked onto their overnight score of 26.3.

“I’m just so happy and thrilled to bits. We’ve had a good year and a rough year, but this has really made it all worth it. We’ve been travelling a lot this year, so he’s going to get a big break now and a rest because he’s been such a good boy at this show. He’s been awesome.

Partridge's weekend started out well with a super score of 26.3...though she wasn't sure she could pull off a great test at first. "I had a little more horse than I thought and I was trying to keep a lid on it. He was just a little stronger than I thought he was going to be, but he was good and he put in a good test."

Though the AEC patrons were blessed with occassional breezes, the weather throughout the weekend was predictable for a late Georgia summer--hot, hot, hot. "With him being a warmblood, he feels the heat and humidity, but he rose to the occasion and he was awesome." El Cid jumped boldly around the championship course, adding nothing to his overnight score.

"This morning, I thought he was going to be tired," added Partridge, "but he came out feeling good. We had a couple of rails but I felt like he jumped pretty good overall. I’m hoping to come back at Intermediate next year, but we’ll see.

Beth Weisberger and R. Hocus Pocus were named Preliminary Amateur Reserve Champions while Erin Buttigieg and Big took home third.

The Preliminary Junior/Young Riders were next in the ring and the second and third placed riders, Carrie Meehan and Elinor MacPhail, put the pressure on the overnight leader Felicia Bradley with double clear rounds. When the first part of the triple came crashing down for Bradley, Carrie Meehan, of Leawood, Kansas, and her 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Blue Devil were able to take home the blue.

Elinor MacPhail and Parador Mail started out the weekend in first place, then two time penalties on cross-country dropped them down to third. However, they were able to scramble into the second place position after leaving all the rails neatly in their cups this afternoon. Lexi Scovil and Laugh Out Loud rounded out the top three.

The Preliminary Horse division was one of the largest of the competition, but Doug Payne, 28, of Pottersville, New Jersey, riding Amelia and Larry Ross’ Crown Talisman didn’t let the pressure get to him and added nothing to his dressage score of 24.2 throughout the competition to become champion.

Jonathan Holling and Connie Holling’s Downtown Harrison tried their best to regain their lost lead, but ended up having to settle with Reserve Champion, a mere 0.3 off the lead. Kadi Eykamp and Double Rivers Really Cool dropped one rail but still held onto their third place position.

Chattahoochee Hills owner Carl Bouckaert, who also competed in the Advanced division, was truly pleased and thrilled with the success of the first of three year AEC events that will be held at his farm. “I can’t tell you how incredibly wonderful it feels to see everything come together. A year ago, this was a pasture,” he said, gesturing to the intricately designed permanent stabling and Grand Prix rings. “A year ago we made an agreement with the USEA to do this event, and there were certain things that we had to get done and we felt like everything could get done. And sure enough, I have an incredible team of people—between Ritch Temple and John Sigman and all the people working here. I couldn’t be happier.”

The USEA would like to extend our gratitude to all the wonderful group of people at Chattahoochee Hills, especially Chatt Hills owner Carl Bouckaert and event director Ritch Temple, and their amazing team who worked so hard to make this the biggest and best AEC yet. Also, a very heartfelt thank you to the very generous volunteers who made this event so special--you're appreciated more than you know! We were fortunate to have a wonderful group of officials and event staff who catered to the needs of each and every person on-site, working long hours to ensure that this was truly a championship event that we can all be proud of. And last, but certainly not least, thank you so much to all the competitors who travelled from near and far for coming out to this year's 2010 Land Rover USEA American Eventing Championships--you're all champions just for making it here, and we hope you had a memorable experience. See you next year!

The AEC would not be possible without our wonderful USEA sponsors: Land Rover, Nutrena, Bit Of Britain, Merial, Adequan, Charles Owen, Broadstone, VTO Saddlery, Shai Steiner, Omega Alpha, Centaur Fencing, Antares, Saratoga Horse Works, The Chronicle of The Horse, Spalding Labs, SSG Gloves, Auburn Labs, Succeed, FITS, Point-Two, Back On Track, Fleeceworks, Finish Line, Dubarry, Equithrive, Flair, Mackinnon Ice Horse, SmartPak Equine, Stackouse Saddlery, and Equinature.