United States Eventing Association

Last February, 21-year-old Jennie Brannigan of San Diego, CA was awarded the Jacqueline B. Mars International Competition and Training Grant. Brannigan decided to use the grant to travel to the Bramham CCI3* in England with her eight-year-old, Dutch Warmblood gelding, Cooper.

2008 was a year of great success as Brannigan and Cooper won the Intermediate level of the Adequan/USEA Gold Cup Series and earned individual and team gold in the two-star competition at the North American Junior and Young Riders Championship.

The pair was recently named to the "B" Squad on the USEF High Performance List. Brannigan currently lives in West Grove, Pennsylvania and works for Olympic Gold Medalist Phillip Dutton.

Brannigan and Cooper arrived in England on June 1 to prepare for their first international competition. Bramham CCI3* is considered to be one of the most difficult three-star competitions in the world. However, the duo was ready for the challenge.

After the dressage phase, Brannigan stood at the top of the placings in the under 25 division with a 42.8. An unfortunate stop and 14.8 time penalties on the cross-country course dropped the team down to 15th place. Although, they had three rails down in show jumping, Brannigan and Cooper managed to bump up one place to finish in a respectable 14th place. Complete results for the Bramham CCI3* can be seen here.

The Bramham CCI3* was Brannigan and Cooper's first attempt at a CCI3* and European competition. The pair gained an irreplaceable experience in a tough competitive atmosphere. This exposure will definitely serve Brannigan well as she hopes to represent the United States in future international competitions.

Also, check out Brannigan's blog on her Bramham experience at The Chronicle of Horse's website.