United States Eventing Association

Red Hills International Horse Trials: New Cross Country Course and Extended Schedule Promise to Make This Year Exceptional

Tallahassee, FL – Organizers are anxious to get the 2014 Red Hill International Horse Trials underway. Final touches on the new cross country course are almost complete and an extra day has been added, making this year a 4-day event. With a full slate of competitors, the 17th Red Hills International Horse Trials will be a spectacular event, thanks to the hard work of hundreds of dedicated volunteers.

The deadline for entries was last week and once again the numbers have exceeded expectations—creating a waiting list for competitors. Jane Barron, co-organizer of the event said, “The riders are the foundation of Red Hills. This year’s strong list of competitors will ensure another memorable event for the thousands of spectators that come out to watch.” Among the teams headed to Red Hills next week are past winners Kyle Carter, Jonathan Holling and Mara DePuy. Last year’s CIC 3* winning team Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice will return and try to make it two-in-a-row.

Awaiting them in Tallahassee is an untested, 3,600 meter cross country course, now totally contained in Klapp-Phipps Park. “For years, I have dreamed of bringing this course to Red Hills. There is the thrill of starting with a clean canvas coupled with the terror of siting this top level competition from scratch in this new setting. Years of thought and hard work have come down to this one weekend. I’m excited to see it all unfold.” explains course-designer Hugh Lochore.

In addition to a new course, the event will run for four days instead of three for the first time in its history. Due to an FEI rule change, competition will start on Thursday and conclude on Sunday. International divisions ride dressage tests on Thursday, show jump on Friday, and run cross country on Saturday. The national divisions will follow the traditional Red Hills schedule with dressage on Friday, cross country on Saturday and finish on Sunday with show jumping.

Co-organizer Marvin Mayer is confident this weekend of firsts will be special, “A lot of time and energy has been spent preparing for this year of change. Spectators and riders alike will not be disappointed.”

For details on this year’s schedule and maps of the new cross country course, visit RHHT.org.