United States Eventing Association

Keep Calm And Gallop On Claims First Adult Team Championship of 2019

Seven teams competed in the Preliminary Adult Team Championship at the 2019 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds, and when the dust settled it was Keep Calm And Gallop On who took top honors. The quartet finished on a score of 121.9 – almost eight points ahead of second-placed Let’s Give it a Go! Third place went to Atlantic Storm which finished on a 133.1.

Arden Wildasin and Watch Out, James Wildasin’s 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Concorde anchored the winning team with their finishing score of 28.6, and also won the Preliminary Amateur division.

Team members Ruth Bley and Rodrigue Du Granit, her own 14-year-old Selle Francais gelding (Robin II Z x Delight Gree) are no strangers to the AEC or ATC – the pair won the Preliminary Amateur division at the AEC in 2016 and finished third in the same division in 2018. This year they took home fifth in the Preliminary Amateur on a 40.3.

“I have been doing the Adult Team Challenge for a long time because we used to hold them separately from the AEC on the West Coast,” said Bley. “It is always fun to get a group of people together and watch how the team does because its independent of everything else.”

“The great part of it is that sometimes someone will have a really bad show, but still be on a team and you win something and it makes their show too,” Bley continued.

There weren’t enough Californians making the trek out to Kentucky, so Dawn Robbins, co-chair of the USEA Adult Riders’ Committee helped coordinate getting Bley on a team. Bley gives all the credit to Robbins for picking out a great team for them.

Rounding out Keep Calm and Gallop On is Meaghan Marinovich Burdick and Ferris Bueller, her own 7-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Pretzel x Regina) who finished in 15^th place in the Preliminary Rider division on a 53.0 and Angela Mitchell and Nicodemus, the 18-year-old German Warmblood gelding (No Limit x Ramayka) owned by Jordyn Horwitz who finished in 16^th place on 54.2 in the Preliminary Rider.

Second place team Let's Give it a Go included: Paige Thompson/Wreckless of Zipping; Nicole Baronne/Double Rivers Really Cool; Linden Wiesman/Discreto; and Amy Cobb/FGF Mr. Montificent.

Third place team Atlantic Storm included: Lauren Chumley/Atlanta B; Jodie Potts/Wapiti Byrd; Sue Jellum/Rochambeau; and Katherine Nolan/Prince of Power

Find all the Preliminary ATC scores here.

About the USEA Adult Team Championships

The USEA Adult Team Championships, which debuted in 2014, is the capstone event for the USEA Area Adult Team Challenges, providing adults the chance to compete as a team and represent their Area of the country in a friendly and fun environment. Historically, adult riders had three regional Team Challenges in which to compete with fellow adults in a team environment, with the locations changing each year. In 2013, the USEA Adult Rider Coordinators voted to move to support Adult Team Challenges taking place in all 10 Areas across the country, with the finale being the ATC at the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds. Each Area can send up to eight teams from Beginner Novice through Preliminary level to the ATC. Adult Riders know how to have a good time, and there is no doubt that they bring an increased level of excitement and camaraderie to the AEC! Click here to learn more about the Adult Team Championships.

The USEA would like to thank The Chronicle of the Horse, Smartpak, FITS, Gumbits, and Ovation for sponsoring the USEA Adult Team Championships.