United States Eventing Association

Will Coleman and Tight Lines Triumphant in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup CIC3* at Richland Park

Will Coleman piloted the Conair Syndicate’s Tight Lines (Turgeon x Meridole) to double clear finish over Marc Donovan’s show jumping course to win the Adequan USEA Gold Cup CIC3* division at Richland Park Horse Trials. Only the 9-year-old Thoroughbred’s second go at this level, “Phish” proved himself a serious competitor, grabbing second place after the dressage phase and holding it after a super soaked cross-country day.

Finishing the weekend with a double clear show jump pleased Coleman enough, but taking home the blue was just the cherry on top. “He tries his guts out; he always does,” Coleman remarked. “He almost tries too hard sometimes, but he’s a great Thoroughbred like that.” He certainly took advantage of his Thoroughbred blood all weekend, and Coleman admitted he still felt fresh this morning. “Honestly I was holding him back a little bit,” he laughed.

His ride today wasn’t without a good scare though, as he and Phish slipped on the grass footing and nearly fell between fences four and five. Fortunately, the keen Thoroughbred was quick to catch himself, and very professional as he continued to jump nimbly through the rest of the course.

Will Coleman and Tight Lines. USEA/Shelby Allen Photo.

And yes, Phish is named after the band famous for its loyal groupies. “I was really into Phish when I was younger. Most of my horses have music related names, and he’s such a groovy dude, so we named him Phish,” Coleman smiled about his partner. “He’s truly my best friend. I really love the horse. I think very highly of him.”

With their abilities and endurance tested, the pair will cruise along this fall with their sights set on the CCI3* at Fair Hill International in October. “It’s great to win a CIC3*, but at the end of the day you try to build up and bring your best out at the three-day event, so we’re still trying to keep as much as we can in the tank for Fair Hill and try to give that as a competitive a go as we can,” he said. “It’s been that kind of weekend here at Richland. You had to kind of grit your teeth and deal with some elements weather-wise, footing-wise and stuff like that. That’s part of what being an event rider is all about.”

Whitney Mahloch and Military Mind, the leaders of the CIC3* division after cross-country, started with a positive round, but picked up two rails before having a stop to drop them down the leaderboard. It was a disappointing end to a very promising weekend, but this event was only the pair’s first three-star, with surely many more to come.

Caroline Martin and Spring Easy. USEA/Shelby Allen Photo.

Caroline Martin finished in second place aboard her mother, Sherri Martin’s Spring Easy (Garrison Royal x Castlegrogan Clare). She and the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse had a respectable 48.5 in the dressage phase giving them third place. They then went on to have a very successful trip around Ian Stark’s cross-country and finished only three seconds over optimum time. The double clear show jumping bumped the pair up for a red ribbon finish.

Colleen Rutledge and Escot 6. USEA/Shelby Allen Photo.

Colleen Rutledge wrapped up the top three for this Adequan USEA Gold Cup CIC3* division with her own Escot 6 (Escudo I x Leca). This pair had one of the most impressive climbs up the leaderboard this weekend. They began in 12th after scoring a 55 in the pouring rain. The handsome Hanoverian then made easy work of the cross-country course yesterday only adding 2.8 time penalties, and came into the show jumping bright-eyed and ready for another clear jump round.

Adequan USEA Gold Cup CIC3* Top Ten:

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About the Adequan USEA Gold Cup

The Adequan USEA Gold Cup features 11 qualifying competitions throughout the United States at the Advanced Horse Trials and CIC3* levels. The final will take place at the Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships, September 1-4 in Tryon, North Carolina. Riders who complete a qualifier earn the chance to vie for $40,000 in prize money and thousands of dollars in prizes in the Adequan Advanced Division and the title of Adequan USEA Gold Cup Champion.

The 2016 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series is made possible through the support of its many loyal sponsors: Adequan, Standlee Forage, Nunn Finer, Nutrena, Merck, Broadstone Equine Insurance Agency, and FITS.