Virginia Horse Trials

Four more of our horses ended their seasons this past weekend at Virginia Horse Trials. The Virginia Horse Center is a great venue and proved once again to be a fun away show for horses, riders, and parents alike.

Kaelen and Mimi, CCI1* show jumping.

Kaelen and Mimi during Awards.

Huge congratulations are in order for Kaelen Speck and her mare Sweet Rebellion for their bronze medal finish in their first CCI completion! After a great dressage test put them in 3^rd in the young rider CCI1*, they maintained their placing with a double clear cross country round and a good show jump round. They were also 2^nd place among Junior riders. We expect great things to continue to come out of this young and very talented partnership!

Mimi on her "best behavior" at the second jog.

Not to be outshone by his sister, Braden Speck rode his pony Rosenharley Romello in the Novice Championships against professionals, adults, and juniors alike. They finished on their dressage score for 9^th place out of 42 starters, and were also 3^rd place among Junior riders. Well done, B and Weasel!

Braden and Weasel, on their way to a clear Novice Championship Show Jumping.

Nicole Spiropolous had an educational weekend in her first Preliminary attempt aboard Melissa Stubenberg’s Aberjoy. After a good dressage test and stadium round, Nicole unfortunately popped out of the tack on cross country and their weekend came to a premature end.

Nicole and Joy in their Prelim dressage test.

Redemption was had for Nicole when she piloted her own Henry around his first Training level completion. He had a great dressage test, a green but educational show jumping round, and a fantastic clear cross country round to finish out the weekend. Herbie’s a Training horse now!

Huge thanks to Justine Dutton for trusting me with her four riders this weekend while she rocked around the CCI3* at Galways! Congratulations to riders Tori Hain, Madi Bantivoglio, Isabella Sandstead, and Olivia Briskin on their great rides this weekend! A very fun team to coach and help.

Overall, it was another excellent weekend of eventing. Our very last show of the season is next weekend at Maryland Horse Trials Starter, and we will have many combinations competing, so stay tuned for results!

Recent Sales

Congratulations to Sharon Jones on the recent purchase of Some Kind of Wonderful from the Ciccone family!  Gabrielle has had an extremely competitive campaign at the Training level with Bo over the past year, enjoying several top finishes. He is an absolute gem to ride and work with in the barn, and we look forward to seeing him bring the same joy to the Jones family as he has brought to us! He is pictured here helping Sharon take her granddaughter for a trail ride. A perfect gentleman for the job!

Congratulations also to the Meyer Family on the recent purchase of Stonewall Winters! Stonewall has been a part of our program for the past three years, and he's been a great member of the team.  He spent years campaigning at the Novice and Training levels with his owner, Olivia Saber.  We have loved having him on the team, and are so happy that he found a new person to spoil him. Best of luck to Lauren and Stonewall in all future pursuits!

Dutta Corp Fair Hill International 2015

Last weekend marked the season finale for our upper level horses at Fair Hill. I rode Jeanne and Spike Sylvester’s Mettraise in her first CCI3*, Marnie Kelly’s Campground in his first CCI2*, and Frank and Kate McEntee’s Paddy the Caddy in his second CCI2*.

Missy making short work of a tricky combination on the 3*. Photo credits to Don Truesdell.

I was so proud of Mettraise for putting in her best dressage test at the level so far, in the big atmosphere nonetheless. She skipped around cross country double clear on Saturday, and show jumped clear with just two time faults on Sunday to finish fifteenth. She was also recognized as the highest placed American Thoroughbred mare. Go Big Gurl!

Paddy out of the water and over the angled brush! Photo by Sophie Kager.

Paddy the Caddy was once again a star, and finished on his dressage score for tenth place in the two star. Paddy has grown up a lot this year, and he so enjoyed showing off his ninja moves all weekend!

Gideon on cross country. Thank you to Valerie Durbon for the awesome picture!

Campground put in an amazing performance as well. He had a respectable dressage test, followed by a double clear cross country, and just the final show jump down for twenty-fifth. Most horses cannot hack at the buckle one day and run around a two star double clear a few days later, but Gideon breaks the mold completely.

Julie and Merry Sioux off the massive drop. Photo by Sophie Kager.

Huge congratulations are in order for my student Julie Henk who completed her first CCI2* with her own Merry Sioux. It is a huge feat to even get to Fair Hill, and they just looked better and better as each phase went on.

Overall, it was a phenomenal finish to these four horses’ years. Most of our other horses have at least one event left on the schedule this fall, so we are keeping busy while our Fair Hill horses take a much-deserved break!

Congratulations to Emma Stradley & Debi Moore on Purchase of Sequoia!

Congratulations to Emma Stradley and Debi Moore on the purchase of Sequoia!  We look forward to their future success ! 

Lilybridge Students Shine at The Horse Park of New Jersey !

We had another great showing at the Horse Park of New Jersey where Jessica McCabe and Julie Henk bumped their mounts back up to the Intermediate level.  Jess and Ferdinand came 9th after a respectable dressage test and an unfortunate few rails on Saturday evening followed by a super cross country round on Sunday morning. Julie got the job done in dressage on Merry Sioux and then had two great jump rounds, but time faults dropped them to 12th. 

Jess and Ferdinand

Annelise Aurillo and Rasher added just 2 seconds of time faults on their solid dressage score for 11th in a large Open Training division.  Nicole Spiropolous rode Aberjoy to a very nice dressage test and stadium round, but decided to call it a day before cross country.

I am so grateful to Marnie Kelly for her unwavering support of Campground as my competition horse, but it is the icing on the cake that “Gideon” is equally as successful as Marnie’s own ride. This weekend they completed the Training in beautiful form, adding one rail and a handful of time faults for 10th.

Marnie and Campground

Cassidy Heitzenrater rode her own Go Devil Go in the Novice and had her best outing yet! She finished on her dressage score of 29.3 for 5th place. “Prada” has been quite testing as a young horse, and we are so happy to see Cassidy earning the rewards for all of her hard work and patience.

Emma Stradley added just a bit of cross country time onto her dressage score with Coloured Gem to finish 11th in a large Novice division.

Congratulations to all of my students this weekend; you all made me proud!  No downtime for us as we left for Millbrook on Wednesday morning with a mixed group of students and my own horses.

Moving on Up at Maryland Horse Trials II

We were back at Loch Moy for Maryland Horse Trials II this weekend, and everyone who competed produced great results.

On Saturday, I rode Marnie Kelly's Campground in the Intermediate. He tried very hard and showed great improvement on the flat then jumped freakishly well as per usual. With his one rail and some time on cross country he finished just outside of the placings in ninth.

Erin with Marnie Kelly's Campground

Frank McEntee's Paddy the Caddy made his return to competition in the Preliminary.  Our favorite little ninja was very happy to be back from his post-Jersey Fresh vacation.  He won the flat with an unreal 23.6 and show jumped clear, but I took my time on cross country and he ended in seventh.

Zehra Gundogan and Captivate moved back up to Preliminary and made it look easy.  They earned a 28.9 with a great dressage test, had a lovely show jumping round with just one rail, and cruised around the cross country to jump clear and add a bit of time for ninth place.

Kaelen Speck rode extremely well on an amped up Sweet Rebellion to add only time onto her dressage score for an eighth place finish.

In the afternoon Braden Speck rode Rosenharley Romello to finish on his Novice dressage score for eighth place in the Junior division. Tori Kager rode her young horse Sage Advice to a fourth place finish on her dressage score in the Open Novice.

On Sunday we were back for the Training divisions.  Jill Tallman's Bold Tiger completed his first Training level event in great form. Although he is quite green, he rose to the challenge and finished on his dressage score of 33.9 for eighth place.

Sale horse Stonewall Winters had a great day with Tori Kager in the irons.  He had no trouble finishing on his dressage score of 34.6 for fifth place.

The Girls Icing Their Legs Post Comp!

Hannah Daneker and Peace Proposal made the move up to Training level and added only cross country time onto their dressage score.  Parris was very happy to see the fences a bit higher, but she was disappointed that the dressage test did not allow her to show off her walk-to-canters.

Gabbie Ciccone and Some Kind of Wonderful were our big winners of the weekend, leading the Junior division on a 32.3 from start to finish.  Congratulations Gibba and Bo Bo!

Our horses and riders all had an excellent weekend in spite of serious heat and humidity. We will be at Jersey next weekend; fingers crossed for slightly more mild weather!

Maryland Horse Trials I at Loch Moy

We had horses competing on both Saturday and Sunday this past weekend at Maryland Horse Trials I at Loch Moy where all of my students rode extremely well!

On Saturday Julie Henk with Merry Sioux and Jess McCabe with Ferdinand competed in the Preliminary for both of their first outings since their Virginia CIC2* and CCI1* debuts.  Both pairs laid down lovely dressage tests and added only cross country time to their scores for a great start towards their Fall season. 

Owner and Supporter Jill Tallman and Bold Tiger

I rode my young OTTB Bold Tiger in his final Novice start where he was very professional, finishing on his dressage score of 32.8 for seventh place.  I am excited for him to tackle Training level with the same air off confidence next time out!  He's pictured here at the farm with owner/partner/supporter Jill Tallman, who came down for a surprise visit over my birthday.  

After an unfortunate meeting of horse teeth with skull this week, my working student Jenn Catalano was not able to compete this weekend.  I took the ride on her mare Validation in the Novice for a successful completion, and hopefully the stars will soon align for Jenn and Koffee so they can run a whole event together!

Jess McCabe also rode Cassidy Heitzenrater's mare Go Devil Go in the Novice to add just a few time faults to her dressage score.

On Sunday we returned with the Training level horses.  Gabbie Ciccone and her own Some Kind of Wonderful were our first pair to show and finished on their dressage score of 32.5. Zehra Gundogan and Captivate finished on their dressage score of 31.6 with a very speedy cross country round for seventh place……...Go Cappy Appy!  Annelise Aurillo and Rasher (pictured here) started their day off with a consistent dressage test and added only cross country time to their score. 

Annelise and Rasher

All of my students used the event to apply everything we have been working on at home and to keep building their horses' confidence, and I'm very proud of them all. We will be back next weekend for the second Maryland HT where a few pairs will be moving up!

Busy Weekend at Fair Hill Starter Trial and HPNJ

Lilybridge had an especially busy weekend, competing at back-to-back events. I spent the weekend coaching as all of my horses had a more relaxing weekend back at home.

Fair Hill:

On Saturday, we headed to Fair Hill Starter Trial in near-monsoon conditions. Cassidy Heitzenrater gave her own Go Devil Go great rides in the Novice, having one of their best dressage tests to date, a clear show jumping round and an educational cross country round. 

Jesse Connell added just two rails to her competitive dressage score aboard Tamulligan Fly for eighth place in her Novice division. Coloured Gem made his return to eventing with owner Emma Stradley. "Gem" didn't seem to have skipped a beat during his hiatus and added just one rail to his dressage score. A huge congratulation to my student Lyndsay Poole who moved her young horse Forte up to Novice and added nothing to their dressage score to WIN the division!

In the Beginner Novice, MacKenzie Verna sat second after dressage and added one rail to finish third with Your Lucky Day. Working student Jenn Catalano brought her mare Validation to do only a dressage test, and "Koffee" was very excited to be out and about. Joy Atwell made her much-anticipated eventing debut in the Beginner Novice with her young horse Ryker. They schooled us all in the jumping phases, finishing on their dressage score for third place. Emma also rode her young horse Good Prize in the Beginner Novice and he showed off his great brain with three great phases other than one baby moment at the ditch.

I was very pleased with all of these pairs' performances, but perhaps even more pleased to get home and out of the torrential downpour!

HPNJ Horse Trial:

We turned right around to head to the Horse Park of New Jersey Horse Trial on Sunday.  Tori Kager rode sales horse Stonewall Winters in the Training Level and they added just a rail and a bit of time cross country. We were so excited for Zehra Gundogan and Captivate to get back out there. "Cap" was feeling uncharacteristically fresh in dressage, but put in a clear show jumping round and finished the Training cross country confidently to redeem himself. 

Stonewall Winters and Tory

Annelise Aurillo rode Rasher to a great dressage test and a clear show jumping round. Though he had a disappointing problem spot on cross country, Rasher had a constructive day and overcame down bank demons that have been following him around lately.  Aberjoy had many things on the brain and dressage was not one of them, but Nicole Spiropolous put in excellent jump rides to finish on their dressage score for 12th of 23 in their Training Level division. 

In the Novice, Braden Speck rode Rosenharley Romello to a fifth place finish on his dressage score. Hannah Daneker rode Peace Proposal to finish on her dressage score for ninth in another Novice division. Tori Kager's young horse Sage Advice also added no faults to her dressage score.

It was a long but rewarding weekend as I am always excited to see my students' hard work pay off.  Next weekend we do not have a competition scheduled and then we will be back out at the Maryland Horse Trials the following week. 

Wishing everyone a happy and relaxing Fourth of July weekend!

Exciting New Sponsorship With KL Select & USG

For Immediate Release: Date:  June 22, 2015

KL Select

www.klselect.com

Stonington, CT 06378

KL Select & USG (United Sportsproducts Germany) are thrilled to welcome American 3-Day Event Rider, Erin Sylvester, to their team of sponsored professional riders.  

KL Select is the exclusive distributor of USG’s products in the USA since 2010, quickly climbing to the top of the US sales charts by offering a vast array of colorful & functional breeches, socks, saddle pads and matching fly veils.  KL Select also offers within the US market USG’s and Europe’s #1 rated Body Protector and Equi Air Bags.

Erin Sylvester, an established 4-Star Rider, owns & operates Lilybridge Eventing, located in Cochranville, Pennsylvania.  Lilybridge Eventing is a full-service training facility with a barn full of competition horses and developing riders of all levels who campaign at USEA sanctioned events.  

Erin and her horse, No Boundaries, received USEA’s 2014 Horse of the Year title following their string of international successes.  

Erin is currently using USG Safety Equipment, both the Flexi Body Protector and the Equi Airbag, joining the ranks of International riders like Ingrid Klimke, who only use Germany’s #1 rated Safety Equipment.  The USG Safety Equipment recently received the BETA 2015 Safety & Security Award, a top international recognition.

You can expect to see Erin sporting her USG breeches, in a variety of styles and fun colors, during her every day rides and in competition.  Erin’s horses will also be outfitted with USG Saddle Pads and matching Fly Veils.

Watching this talented young lady compete is a breath-taking experience, and it is with pleasure that USG-USA welcomes Erin to their team and    looks forward to keeping her safe and looking fabulous on her journey to the top.  Erin Sylvester’s talent clearly knows “No Boundaries”.

Learn more about Erin Sylvester and  Lilybridge Eventing atwww.lilybridgeeventing.com

Great Meadows Recap!

No Boundaries and Mettraise attended Great Meadows CIC3* this weekend as the first lead-up event for their Fall CCIs. I am extremely proud of both horses' performances.

This was Missy's first 3* completion and only her second Advanced run, and she took it all in stride. I was pleased with her dressage test on Friday evening; while she is still quite green at the movements, she is trying very hard to maintain composure and I was disappointed that her score did not reflect her efforts. She jumped out of her skin for a clear show jumping round on Saturday and then absolutely skipped around the cross country on Sunday.  I ran her quite slowly as her confidence was my top priority this weekend.

Missy Earned A Well Deserved Nap!

Bucky only did a combined test, and he couldn't have been any more bitter about it on Sunday when he had to watch all of the other horses going back and forth from cross country.  Next time, Buckster… 

His dressage test on Friday was very relaxed and obedient and he sat 9th on a 50.8. I am hopeful that his next time out I can ask for even more from him since he is so confirmed in the flatwork now.  He put in a great effort and pulled out a clear show jumping round on Saturday.

Great Meadows proved to be an excellent event, in spite of atrocious weather on Saturday.  I look forward to my two "big kids'" next outing to replicate and improve upon their results and to let Bucky run fast and jump big! 

A big thanks to Emma Stradley for taking great care of them this weekend and to Jess McCabe and Jenn Catalano for keeping the farm running at home.  Next weekend Team Lily is going back to back at the Fair Hill Starter on Saturday and Horse Park of New Jersey on Sunday.  The majority of our riders will be competing, so check back for a full recap!

Busy Weekend for Team Lily at Plantation June HT!

It was a busy weekend for Team Lily at Plantation, with twelve horses from within the barn competing across the two days.

On Saturday, Kaelen Speck and her mare Sweet Rebellion put in another stellar performance at Preliminary, adding only time to a competitive dressage score to finish second.  In the Training, Gabbie Ciccone had a great dressage test to sit in third with her Some Kind of Wonderful.  Her two rails in stadium were unfortunate but they followed that up with a double clear cross country round to bring home third in her Training division!

Nicole Spiropolous and her new ride Aberjoy completed their first Training together in good form, save for one unlucky rail and a green moment at the ditch on cross country.  I rode my young OTTB, Bold Tiger, in his first event of the year and he impressed us with a respectable dressage (in spite of a very short warmup) and exuberant jumping rounds to finish on his dressage score for seventh in the Novice.  Finishing right behind us in eighth on his dressage score was Stonewall Winters with Tori Kager in the irons. We were also happy to see students Miranda Webb and Lyndsey Barrett have great outings and add only time to their dressage scores in the Training and Novice, respectively.

Braden and Weasel in the warm up.

On Sunday we returned for the Unrecognized competition.  Annelise Aurillo and Rasher started the day off at Training level with a great dressage test followed by a near-perfect show jumping round and an educational cross country round. Rasher is still green at this level, and Annelise persevered to get it done out there and made us all proud.

In the Novice, Braden Speck won the dressage on an amazing 25.40,  unfortunately Weasel bested his jockey with a pony move in stadium but Braden redeemed himself with a great clear cross country round!  Heather Cooper finished on her dressage score for second in the Novice with Regal Dancer, with Jesse Connell and Corduroy close behind in fourth after a strong cross country ride.

Heather Cooper on Regal Dancer

Cassidy Heitzenrater competed Go Devil Go in her first outing of the season, and Cassidy rode extremely well through some rusty, green moments to have a confidence-building day. Summer working student Jenn Catalano had her mare Validation in the Novice and put in a nice dressage test but sadly their day was cut short after disagreements in show jumping.  We were disappointed that Mackenzie Verna and Hannah Daneker were unable to compete due to unfortunate circumstances and look forward to having them back out with the team in the near future!

All in all, it was a great weekend at our favorite local event and I am proud of all of my students for their hard work thus far this season.  Team Lily was also so pleased with our eventing community pulling together for our friend Seema; the love for her over the weekend was so apparent and well represented by all the riders sporting purple gear.  She was an incredible contributor to the sport and will be greatly missed!

(Almost) End of Season Wrap Up!!

Well its been an exciting fall season for our crew of riders and horses, and it's hard to believe its coming to an end!  Our fall season started off with a bang at Richland Park, and we have been powering through one competition after another every weekend since then!!!  

Last weekend we wrapped up our traveling fall season with a huge showing at Virginia Horse Trials, bringing home several top placings across the levels.  We have two more starter trials to look forward to before hanging the show clothes up for the season.

Lilybridge Eventers at the Virginia HT
Gayle Hughes Photo

I am so proud of the progress several of our riders have made in the past few months, and it's certainly making this season wrap up on a sweet note.  We have two new-comer combinations at the FEI 1* level, Annelise Aurillo riding Peace Proposal, and Kaelen Speck riding Sweet Rebellion.  These two combinations have been plugging away at preliminary since the summer, and have really impressed me with their progress leading up to their 1*s at Plantation and Virginia.  Kaelen's stellar weekend at Virginia CCI1* was cut a bit short with an emergency dismount on cross-country, but no doubt they will be back at it and kicking butt at the 1* level in the spring.  Annelise wrapped up with a stellar third place finish at the Virginia CCI1* in the Young Rider division.

We have had several novice riders cleaning up at the events all this fall, and they finished the season with a bang at Virginia.  Hannah Daneker has been schooling all of us riding Classy Lady at the novice level this fall, finishing up with a win at Virginia. Sarah Hughes has been educating her young Charlie at novice, and they now have two solid finishes at the level.  They will be wrapping up the season at Full Moon Farm.  Nicole Spiropoulos has been rocking around at the novice level as well, finishing fifth in her last two starts.  

It was also exciting to have Gabbi Ciccone and Lucie Hughes competing with us for the weekend, Gabbi finishing 8th in the Training Championships and Lucie winning her Novice division!  MacKenzie Verna was our Beginner Novice rider for the weekend at Virginia, enjoying her traveling competition experience.  She rode exquisitely to add just two rails and a few cross country time to her dressage score.  It was exciting to have so many riders with us at Virginia, and even more exciting to watch their success!

A few of our riders will be wrapping up their season at the local starter trials in the coming weekends at Saint Augustine Pony Club and Full Moon Farm.  Among those riders will be Heather Cooper, Jesse Connell, Braden Speck, and Tori Kager who has kindly been bringing along a young prospect of mine while I have been traveling!  Here's to hoping for warm weather, although the forecast is not indicating such luck!!!

As for my own fall season with my string of competition horses, it has been a hectic yet incredibly rewarding one.  Bucky and I have just made it home from our best CCI 4* yet, finishing 6th at the Pau CCI in France.  I am overwhelmed with the support and encouragement that got me there, and I am so pleased that we could bring home such success.    Check out this great USEF Article on the event, and thanks to Libby Law for this fun photo!

Pau 2014 - Photo Libby Law

Paddy and Missy both endured the CCI2* at Fair Hill, having not quite the result planned.  They came off great finishes at Plantation, and each found their own struggles with the Fair Hill course.  I am eager to get them back out in the spring and iron out the kinks for a strong 2015 season.   I am pleased to have another FEI horse in the ranks with Campgound, a young athletic thoroughbred owned by Marnie Kelly.  Marnie and I have been quietly bringing this one along for the past four years, and he is a smart and athletic guys with potential for the top, and I am excited to see how progresses next year!  

Paddy The Caddy Fair Hill International
Photo Lisa Thomas

Mettraise Fair Hill International
Lisa Thomas Photo

With the end of the traveling season comes time to reflect on the year.  I am so thankful for my sponsors, supportive clients and friends around me…….and all who have trusted me with their kids to bring along through the eventing ranks.  I am proud of all of our riders and the progress they have made this year, and excited to see what next year will hold for us!

To wrap up this post I would like to make and official warm welcome to Jessica McCabe, who has joined our team full-time to work along side Jenn Cain!  She brings experience and skill to the table, and I think she and Jenn together might be unstoppable! 

Until next time, stay tuned ………  Erin

USEF Network's Coverage of Pau CCI 4*!

We just love this photo from Libby Law and article from the USEF Network on Erin and Bucky's recent success at the Pau CCI 4*!!  We're going to have a season wrap up for your shortly, as Lilybridge had a fabulous 2014!!

Sylvester and Kieffer Finish in Top 10 at Les Étoiles de Pau CCI4*

RELEASE: October 26, 2014
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: Helen Murray

Erin Sylvester and No Boundaries (Libby Law Photography)

Pau, France- The Les Étoiles de Pau CCI4* came to a conclusion on Sunday afternoon as 19 combinations went forward to contest Jean-Philippe Desmaret’s challenging show jumping track. The United States closed out the competition by securing two spots within the top 10.

Leading the way for the Americans was Erin Sylvester (Unionville, Pa.) with her own and Jill Tallman’s No Boundaries finishing in sixth place on 72.9 penalties. By collecting just four faults on Sunday, the pair continued their ascent up the leaderboard that saw them start the weekend in 30th place after the dressage and rise 23 places after a clear jumping effort on the cross country and final climb up another spot in the show jumping.

Land Rover USEF Competition Grant recipients Lauren Kieffer (Ocala, Fla.) and Team Rebecca, LLC’s Veronica lowered three rails in the show jumping to add 12 penalties to their overall score, finishing on 83.4 in ninth place.

Rounding out the U.S. effort was were Sharon White (Summit Point, W.V.) and her own and Richard Weber’s Wundermaske, finishing in 19th place on a score of 128.3 after collecting 16 jumping faults on Sunday.

Germany’s Ingrid Klimke earned her first CCI4* victory on Sunday producing a four-fault effort with Horseware Hale Bob in the show jumping and finishing on an overall score of 44.1. Compatriot Andreas Dibowski with FRH Butts Avedon finished in second place on 54.3, with Arnaud Boiteau and Quoriano ‘ENE HN’ of France finishing third on a score of 56.8.

To learn more about the Les Étoiles de Pau CI4*, visit: http://www.event-pau.com.                            

Welcome Home to April HT at Plantation Field!!

Erin and Henry

WOW what a fun weekend for the Team at Plantation Field Horse Trials! Our riders rode fabulously, their horses jumped great, and we came home with a heap of ribbons ... Topped off with the best weather we've had all year!

Congrats to Zehra Gundogan, Kaelen Speck, Miranda Webb, Melissa Carson, Lyndsey Poole, Hannah Daneker, and Jenn Cain for their awesome performances this weekend!  Full Results

Onto Fair Hill next weekend and then the BIG ONE at Rolex!!!!

I'm also so excited to announce LBE's new partnership with VTO Saddlery! They're the top spot around in eventing, frequenting many of the east coast horse trials with all your tack and equipment needs.  They also have wonderful customer service and will have a large tent at Rolex in the vendor's village, so please come check them out!

LBE 2014 WINTER/SPRING COMPETITION SCHEDULE!!

While many of us our watching the snow fall in Chester County, LBE is busy putting together the 2014 Winter/Spring Competition Schedule!  We're all dreaming of the competition season!!

Morven Park Spring HT - March 29-30
Schedule : Sat I / T / BN  Sun P / N
Callie/Tori  - I
Merry/Julie -  P
Cap/Zehra - P
Melissa/Bo - P
Gideon - P
Stonewall / Livvy - T
Bouncer/ Nicole - T
Cowgirl / Hannah - N
Mimi / Kaelen - N
Prada / Cass - B N
Weasel / Braden - BN

Fork CIC3 & CIC2 and HT - April 2 - 6
Bucky - A
Missy - A
Paddy - I
Parris - I
Wiley / Jenn - P

Plantation Field April HT - April 12-13
Merry/Julie -  P
Cap/Zehra - P
Melissa/Bo - P
Stonewall / Livvy - T
Bouncer/ Nicole - T
Mimi / Kaelen - T
Cowgirl / Hannah - N
Prada / Cass - N
Gem / Emma - N

Fair Hill Int'l Horse Trials & CIC - April 18-20
Missy - A
Callie/Tori - CIC2
Paddy - CIC2
Parris - CIC2
Gideon - P
Wiley/Jenn  - P

Rolex KY CCI 4 - April 24-27
No Boundaries CCI 4
...will hopefully respect the boundaries of the dressage arena this year

MCTA Horse Trials - May 3
Merry/Julie -  P
Cap/Zehra - P
Melissa/Bo - P
Gideon - P
Stonewall / Livvy - T
Bouncer/ Nicole - T
Mimi / Kaelen - T
Cowgirl / Hannah - N
Prada / Cass - N

Fair Hill Starter Trials - May 4
Rasher/Annelise - N
Charlie / Sarah - BN
Braden / Weasel - BN
Avi / Heather - I
Wexford / MacKenzie - I

Jersey Fresh CCI / CIC - May 7 - 11
TBD

Fair Hill Int'l Horse Trials - May 17 - 18
Cap/Zehra - I
Merry/Julie -  I
Melissa/Bo - P
Gideon - P
Stonewall / Livvy - T
Bouncer/ Nicole - T
Mimi / Kaelen - T
Rasher/Annelise - N
Cowgirl / Hannah - N
Prada / Cass - N

Waredaca Spring Horse Trials - May 31 - June 1
Melissa/Bo - P
Stonewall / Livvy - T
Bouncer/ Nicole - T
Mimi / Kaelen - T
Cowgirl / Hannah - N
Prada / Cass - N
Weasel / Braden - BN

Volvo Bromont Int'l CCI / CIC - June 5 - 8
Missy CIC3
Paddy CCI2
Callie CCI2
Merry/Julie CCI 1
Cap/Zehra CCI 1

LBE 2014 WINTER TRAINING IS UNDERWAY!

LBE 2014 WINTER TRAINING IS UNDERWAY! 

Greetings from Aiken!  The Lilybridge snowbird crew is settled and well into winter training at our winter base at Southern Cross Farm.  The horses are settled and happy, and enjoying the warm weather (relatively speaking) in Aiken.

Jenn Cain is graciously holding the fort down at home with ten horses, and I am so thankful for her efforts keeping all horses safe and sound in what sounds to be miserable weather!

Jen's View After the Last Storm!

I'm pleased to have Tori Kager down for a second year in Aiken managing the horses along with Annelise Aurillo.  While Tori has been working with me for the past year full-time, Annelise is taking advantage of a long winter break from school to immerse herself in training down here.  Both girls brought their horses with them to get geared up for the competition season, and they have made great progress in just two weeks!

Tori is eagerly training for her intermediate move-up in a few weeks with her mare Callie, with whom she rounded out last season with a top ten placing last fall in both of their first one star.  We have been steadily working on learning the intermediate dressage movements to prepare Callie confidently.  They have jumped a few times and we've even fit in a cross country school.  Tori and Callie are looking ready to tear up the track at Pine Top!

Annelise is working diligently on building her partnership with Rasher, her OTTB prospect acquired last fall.  Rasher is very green so we are taking our time with him, but Annelise's patience is paying off as he is improving every day!  He shows the potential to be a top horse for the sport, so we will continue on the slow-and-steady plan to keep him progressing confidently.  He has had a cross-country school as well, and to say that he can jump is an understatement!

There's a lot of sunbathing going on at the farm! 
Here Bucky is enjoying his daily afternoon nap.

For my competition horses, I have Bucky, Missy, Paddy, Parris and Gideon down here in training.  Each of them (except for Bucky) are looking at a move up in their respective levels this spring, so I have been working hard on their preparation.  Boyd and Silva have been helping me with them, and we will continue to work in the coming weeks to get them all ready for their starts at Sporting Days and Pine Top!

Here are some recent videos of Paddy and Gideon getting tuned up for their upcoming events!

Silva has been schooling Paddy up to the intermediate moves ... He's looking pretty fancy!

Here's Gideon schooling at home ... What a jumper!

Also joining us for winter training are Melissa and Bo, Julie and Merry, Cap, Stonewall, Mimi and our super prospect Henry!  The competition season starts next week as Kaelen Speck and Regal Dancer join us to compete at Full Gallop.  We are looking forward to having Hannah Daneker in Aiken with us next weekend as well to get some riding in with Cowgirl.  We also welcome Joy Atwell's young gelding to the program, as he will be arriving at Southern Cross Farm tomorrow for some training!

We also have Henry, a 9 year old 16.2 hh TB gelding offered for sale.  He is a cute mover, great jumper, has an amazing  temperament, and is ready to excel in any discipline you'd like! 
He is currently located in Aiken.  Please check out the website for his full sales listing!

Henry

Stay tuned for more updates, pictures, and all the fun!

Spotlight On Jenn Cain!!

Jenn on Wild Genius at Walton Place Jumper Show

Jenn Cain, barn manager and assistant trainer at Lilybridge Eventing, has been with the team since 2011, when she came to work for Erin after working for Missy Ransehousen at Blue Hill Farm.

She has groomed for Erin at Rolex and Burghley and brings a lifetime of riding and barn management skills to the facility.

We recently put Jenn on the spot & asked her for a bit of a bio, since we're spiffing up the website.  Thanks Jenn for the following statement about your history in the eventing world!


" I'm 26 years old and have been riding since I was 9, living in this area my entire life. I was a working student for Missy Ransehousen for 3 years before starting to work for Erin in 2011.   I have competed up to Prelim and recently winning the prelim at the fall Plantation Field has been one of my greatest moment yet!"

"In 2006 I was leading national novice rider.   I have had the privilege to groom for Missy at Rolex and groomed for Erin at both Rolex and Burghley.  Working for Erin has opened my doors up to so much.  She has given me the opportunity to be her assistant trainer and to be the barn manager of Lilybridge Eventing, both of which I love. These experiences have helped fuel my dreams of being a 4* rider one day, and I have Missy and Erin to thank for that!!"

Jenn, who currently helps Erin train the junior clients, is a integral part of the team at Lilybridge and we're so grateful that she keeps things running smoothly at our new facility!!