AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA - Liz Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night, 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Radolin x Argentina XII, by Argentinus) owned by Deborah Halliday, took the lead after dressage Friday morning with a 28.7 and never looked back. After cruising around Michel Vaillancourt's show jumping course Friday evening, all that stood between the dynamite pair and the top spot on the podium was Capt. Mark Phillips's artfully designed, showcase cross-country course.
The 2200 m track featured 22 jumping efforts and an optimum time of 4:11. Liz and "Blackie" made easy work of the course in a very snappy 3:58. In addition to claiming her share of the $50,000 prize purse, Liz represented the Friends of the Animal Shelter (FOTAS) in the event's Ride for Charity and earned the organization a check for $2,500.
Hometown hero Doug Payne and his mount Vandiver, 15-year-old Trakehner (Windfall x Visions of Grandeur, by Mystic Replica xx) owned in partnership between Doug and Jessica Payne and Debi Crawley, took second place this weekend finishing on their dressage score of 30.8 and moving up from third in the show jumping phase. Back from a minor stifle issue that kept the gelding out of competition most of the past year, "Quinn" and Doug looked better than ever this weekend and earned their Ride for Charity organization, Home 4 Good Dogs a $1,500 check.
Eventing legend William Fox-Pitt made the trip from across the pond to compete in Aiken's first ever eventing showcase. Multiple time Olympic medalist for Great Britain, Fox-Pitt borrowed U.S. rider Chris Talley's top horse, Sandro’s Star, 11-year-old Oldenburg stallion (Sagnol x Poetic Patter xx, by Nostalgia’s Star xx) owned by Hannah Salazar. The gorgeous black stallion and Fox-Pitt were a crowd favorite and clinched the third place finish with a speedy 3:55 cross-country round to finish on their dressage score of 31.3. Mental Health America was the lucky third place charity and came away with a $1,000 check.
For full official results visit Event Entries or find the link on our website aikenhorsepark.org.
The Aiken Horse Park Foundation would like to extend its deepest thanks to everyone who came together to make this weekend possible. We firmly believe the riders, sponsors, officials, volunteers and spectators that were a part of this event are the best the industry has to offer and we are truly touched by all the effort put into making Bruce Duchossois's vision for the park and the Aiken community a reality.
The MISSION of the Aiken Horse Park Foundation is to promote Aiken’s equestrian way of life and to encourage the community’s civic, educational, and charitable endeavors.
With the start of the New Year just days away, now is the time to consider how your actions can have a positive impact on the sport of eventing in 2025. Each and every member of the eventing community has an important role to play in ensuring the sport continues to grow and thrive. From fostering educational opportunities to supporting grassroots initiatives and participating at all levels of the sport, there are so many ways to get involved.
Ride iQ’s popular “Ask An Expert” series features professional advice and tips from all areas of the horse industry. One of the most-downloaded episodes is an expert session with Peter Gray, an accomplished dressage judge and Olympic eventer. He has recently judged at events like the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he served on the ground jury at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni, Italy. His background as a competitor in the Olympic Games riding for Bermuda and as a coach and selector for the Canadian eventing team adds depth to his understanding of the sport.
With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.
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.