United States Eventing Association

SAzEA Fall Horse Trials Create a Championship Experience Like No Other at USEA Area X Championships

The Southern Arizona Eventing Association (SAzEA) Fall Horse Trials in Tucson, Arizona, was the host to the final USEA Area Championship of the 2024 season. The Area X Championship offered four divisions at the Training, Novice, Beginner Novice, and Starter levels. Get to know each of the horse and rider pairs who rose to the challenge in Arizona this year below!

Training Champions: Anthony Dovido & Tragically Hip

In the Area X Training Championship, it was Anthony Dovido (Phoenix, Arizona) who topped the field riding Tavia Wolcott’s 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding Tragically Hip (Lotus T x Variety Image). Dovido has been riding Tragically Hip since 2022, and their win at the SAzEA Fall H.T. marks their first win together. They started the weekend in the lead on their dressage score of 31.4 and added just one rail in show jumping to finish first on a score of 35.4.

Novice Champions: Christine Murphy & Made You Look

When Christine Murphy (Desert Hill, Arizona) was horse shopping two years ago, she told her trainer she would prefer a gelding that was any other color than chestnut.

“However, when you sit on the right horse, you realize the rest of it doesn’t matter,” she remarked on the first time she met Made You Look, or "Ember." “Despite being a chestnut mare, I knew right away that she was the right horse.”

In their two years together, they have had countless top-3 placings, but Murphy felt like she and the 10-year-old Irish Draught Sport Horse Mare (Bridon Beale Street x Local Motion) were stuck being second best.

“Last year we finished second so many times, and it felt like we would never win,” she noted. “This year we've been fortunate enough to win four shows including the Championships. I see it as a sign that we now have a true partnership. I've been thinking about moving up to Training, and winning the championship is the final confirmation that we're ready. I think she's ready for a little more challenge, and she gives me the courage to try.”

A dressage score of 29.2 put them in third place at the start of the competition, but Murphy didn’t know that.

“I had purposely not looked at dressage scores prior to stadium as I didn't want the pressure, so I had no idea what the standings were,” said Murphy. “Ember's very consistent in dressage and cross-country but we're not quite there yet in stadium. During our round, we had tapped a pole pretty hard, and I assumed it had fallen. As we finished I realized that we'd actually jumped clean, and I was ecstatic because that was my goal. It was only later that day I found out that our clear round had put us into first place going into cross-country.”

They concluded their weekend adding no faults to their dressage score to bring home the win.

Beginner Novice Champions: Angela Carmichael & Big Fame

The 5-year-old Thoroughbred mare Big Fame (Mr. Big x Adopted Fame) is living up to her name this season. Big Fame last raced at the Santa Rosa racetrack in August of 2023 where her breeder, Dr. Dorothee Kieckhefer claimed her. In the winter of 2023, Dr. Kieckhefer and Scottsdale, Arizona, eventer Angela Carmichael began collaborating on the necessary preparations for Big Fame to compete at the 2024 Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover (RRP) in Kentucky.

“When I first saw Big Fame, I knew she was something special, and along the re-training process she’s been an eager willing partner to work with,” said Carmichael. “I am excited to see how she continues to develop.”

Big Fame made her USEA debut just two months into her retraining program at the SAzEA Spring H.T. in March of this year and competed at one more event in May. Later in the summer, she was the overall winner of the 2024 RRP.

“I couldn’t be more pleased to have the privilege of working with this lovely OTTB mare,” said Carmichael. “Although still green with only 11 months of retraining, Big Fame is a smart, willing, athletic, and trustworthy partner who is starting to understand how to navigate this fun and challenging sport. It’s hard to believe how quickly she has come along, and I appreciate having the great events in Arizona to school and compete, and for all my trainer friends who have helped me along the way. I look forward to moving her up to Novice and potentially Training level next year.”

At the Area X Championships, the pair took the lead following dressage with a score of 25.0. They had a double-clear performance in show jumping leading up to cross-country on the last day.

“Our warm-up was fun, and the cross-county Beginner Novice course was challenging and exciting,” she said. “Course designer Adri Doyal created a beautiful sequence of gorgeous jump designs that are pleasurable to ride. The championship course had fun terrain with a sunken road and interesting turns. Many thanks to the SAzEA event board of directors: Taharra Morris-Reid, Marian Lalonde, Elizabeth Patten, Jana Flagler, Terri Renwick, Sheila Strickler, Denise Krause-Spangler, Dot Hamilton, and Shawn Ortiz for your efforts in creating this fantastic venue!”

Another double-clear round secured the win for this duo!

Starter Champions: Linda Potter & Congratulate Me

If you had to ask Linda Potter (Cave Creek, Arizona) to describe her 11-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Congratulate Me (Congrats x Fantasy Forest) in one word, she would choose “gregarious.”

“He loves to ‘mug’ spectators on the show grounds, will steal hats, and will voluntarily walk up to anyone just to say hi. We get along great and share the same, albeit slightly lazy, work ethic. We do lots of playtime and limit the time spent on serious flatwork sessions, which keeps us both happy," she said.

This was Congratulate Me’s first season eventing in USEA recognized competitions and his first-ever win. Potter is proud to see their hard work throughout the 2024 season pay off.

“We have worked hard this year to improve our foundation by going back to the basics,” she noted. “It feels great to see our efforts rewarded. Our goal is to qualify for the upcoming American Eventing Championships as they are on the West Coast. It’s a relief to have one qualifying score done!”

Their dressage score of 34.0 had them in third place after dressage and a double-clear show jumping round pushed them up to first going into the last phase of the weekend, cross-country. Potter and her partner had zero issues, however, and sailed across the Starter track with no faults added to secure the win.

While winning was a brilliant memory in itself, Potter’s favorite memory from the Championship was of watching others!

“SAzEA built a new broken bridge jump on cross-country that no one had seen before, featuring an impressive wooden bridge ramp drop to a corner,” she reflected. “A crowd gathered around to watch the championship Training riders, and I think we all held our breath while the first rider went through. Since it was a surprise to all of us because it was built within the last few weeks before the event, we had fun speculating about it. Happy to report that not a single horse had a problem with it!”