Aug 27, 2018

Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team Perseveres at FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ Ireland

By USEF - Press Release

Co Cork, Ireland – With some challenges and a new Olympic format to contend with, The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team persevered this weekend during the FEI Eventing Nations Cup Ireland at the Millstreet International Horse Trials, finishing fifth. Personal bests, injuries, and stellar cross-country efforts made their presence known among the U.S. team, but Buck Davidson, Hallie Coon, and Liz Halliday-Sharp rose to the occasion when the going got tough.

“It was really good to test the new [Olympic] format here at this event,” said U.S. Eventing Technical Advisor and Chef d’Equipe, Erik Duvander. “We had all sorts of different versions of possible questions for future competition and the value of running through that and testing it here has been immensely good. Many people agree that cutting down to three combinations in each team can be okay, however, the rules and thinking around the substitutes do seem to make the sport more complicated and possibly difficult to understand. We had several scenarios over the weekend that proved that. The general feeling is there needs to be more thinking and trial runs if they are going to get this right.”

A successful dressage phase put the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team in a tie with France on a score of 85.70 for an early lead in the Nations Cup. Davidson (Ocala, Fla.) and Carlevo, Carlevo LLC’s 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding, put in a personal best dressage score of 23.50 to sit in second overall as the leading score for the U.S. team. Halliday-Sharp (Ocala, Fla.) and Deniro Z, the The Deniro Syndicate’s 10-year-old KWPN gelding, also put in an admirable performance, finishing the phase in 11th with a score of 28.30. Coon (Ocala, Fla.) and Celien, Hallie and Helen Coon’s 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, would finish on a score of 33.90.

The Millstreet CICO3* served as only the second Olympic trial event in 2018 for the new competition format of three counting scores, which will be used at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. With only three combinations competing for the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team, all three scores for all three phases would count throughout the competition.

With the horse’s best interest in mind, when Davidson withdrew Carlevo prior to the start of cross-country on Saturday due to the unlucky fact the horse hit himself and sustained some bruising, the U.S. team automatically collected 200 penalties from the cross-country phase and 100 penalties from the show jumping phase. This added 300 penalties to the overall U.S. team score.

“The horse had a bit of bruising,” continued Duvander. “After dressage, the team vet evaluated him and it was decided that for this weekend, it was the best scenario not to run [Carlevo], as he is a future prospect for team competition and a very talented horse. It’s a minor injury, but you also want to be careful.”

With one combination down, the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team put their best foot forward. Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z put in a spectacular ride over Mike Etherington-Smith’s course, finishing in fifth on a 29.90. Though not a team combination, Halliday-Sharp would ride her other mount, Fernhill By Night, to the sixth place position just behind Deniro Z. Coon and Celien would slip to 48th with a score of 65.90. With the absence of Davidson and Carlevo, and the added penalties, the U.S. team sat in fourth after cross-country on a score of 319.30.

The show jumping phase would see Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z finishing on a score of 41.90 with 12 faults, and Coon and Celien with a score of 73.90 and eight faults. Though they were out of the hunt early for a medal, The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team finished on an overall score of 439.30, showing their grit and determination throughout the phases.

Full Results

Stay up to date on the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team by following USA Eventing on Facebook and US Equestrian on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Use #USAEventing and #FEINationsCup.

Dec 18, 2024 Association News

USEA Office Closed for Holidays

The USEA office will close at 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, and will reopen again on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The USEA staff will return emails and phone calls when the office re-opens on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 or at their earliest convenience.

Dec 18, 2024 Interscholastic

Start Planning for the 2025 USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships at Stable View

After the success of the first annual USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, members are not going to want to miss the second edition in 2025! Barry and Cyndy Olliff, owners of Stable View, and their team are gearing up for an even bigger and better event in the coming year. If you are a current or prospective member of the Intercollegiate Eventing Program or the Interscholastic Eventing League, be sure to block off the weekend of May 3-4, 2025 to attend these exciting Championships.

Dec 17, 2024 Eventing News

USEA Podcast #376: A Career Worth Celebrating

Hot off the heels of international cross-country course designer Ian Stark's official retirement at the 2024 MARS Maryland 5 Star, USEA Podcast Host Nicole Brown sits down with Stark to talk about the trajectory of his career from designing Novice-level baby Burghleys to actual five-star events. This is an episode you won't want to miss that celebrates one of the greatest of our time!

Dec 17, 2024 Convention

Closing Out A Successful Year for the USEA: Notes from the 2024 USEA Annual Meeting

In addition to educational seminars, open forums, awards ceremonies, and committee meetings, the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention is host to the Annual Meeting of Members each year where members can receive important updates on the Association and play a vital role in its future.

Official Corporate Sponsors of the USEA

Official Joint Therapy Treatment of the USEA

Official Feed of the USEA

Official Saddle of the USEA

Official Equine Insurance of the USEA

Official Forage of the USEA

Official Supplement Feeding System of the USEA

Official Competition & Training Apparel of the USEA

Official Horse Boot of the USEA

Official Shockwave of the USEA

Official Horse Wear of the USEA