Fair Hill Recap - Looking Forward to Lexington!

Look closely in the background and you will see many Team Lily supporters! 
Photo Credit: Gayle Hughes

We have just wrapped up a somewhat soggy yet successful weekend at the Fair Hill International CCI*** in Elkton, Maryland.  The weekend started off with fairly temperamental weather through the Jogs and Dressage days.  We would have brief periods of sunshine, followed by thunder, downpours and wind.  The cross-country course designed by Derek DiGrazia could not take much more water on the track, however it surprisingly dried up just in time for the 3* cross-country on Saturday.  We were lucky to have another sunny and cool day for the show-jumping on Sunday.  


I of course set out on the weekend to compete well and finish in the top ten, but the larger goal in my mind was to get my last qualification for Kentucky next spring.  I had a good run around the CCI*** at Jersey Fresh this past spring, but as many of you know I had too many rails in show-jumping for it to be a qualifying result.

The weekend started off fairly well for me and Bucky with the first jog and an early dressage test in the CCI*** division.  He jogged really well on Thursday, if anything just a bit too fresh.  He has come to understand the lead-up to these CCI competitions and he get very excited once the competition is underway!  He warmed up well for dressage, and as he had been schooling well so I had high expectations for the test.  Once we got into the arena, he was ready to perform and I unfortunately made a few mistakes!  I have never had him too engaged and balanced as I did in the ring, and I got too tight on him a few times which made our movements a bit less spectacular.  We scored a 54 which put us in the top 20 going into cross-country.  

The cross-country course was definitely the largest and toughest track I have walked around thus far in my career.  The footing was looking very wet, so there was much concern about how well the horses would run around the track and how quickly they would tire.  I was glad I had Bucky as fit as I did, as the two-star horses who rode before us were looking really fatigued by the end of the course.  


I had a foot-perfect round with the exception of one very costly fence at the Chesapeake water, the main water jump in the middle of the course.  We had a duck in the middle of the water four strides to a line of one-stride angled brushes down a hill.  I had ridden the combination exactly to plan, but I think I had more faith than I should have that Bucky would pick up on the second brush fence.  He ran down the hill past the second brush without ever seeing it.  I was able to come back around to the second brush and finish the rest of the cross-country well, but the 20 jump penalties there were costly on an otherwise perfect round.  I unfortunately needed a good reminder that Bucky and I are still green at this level, and though he is very honest to jumps I need to be harder on him about making sure he sees what he is jumping.  We sat in 23rd place following the cross-country going into Sunday's competition.  

I was really pleased once again with Bucky's performance in the show-jumping on Sunday.  He was feeling fresh but I'm sure he was masking a bit of fatigue from the Saturday's ten minute XC course.  He felt very nervous and tense going into the course, as he tends to when there is a lot of atmosphere surrounding the show-jumping arena. This usually bodes for a disastrous round where he rushes at the jumps.  He did feel a bit rushed in the arena but still maintained his shape over the fences to finish a great round with just one rail down.  He is definitely developing confidence at this level and is getting much more consistent in the way he jumps.  With that show-jumping round, we were able to finish the Fair Hill CCI*** in 20th place with a qualifying result for the Rolex CCI**** next spring!

Now that I have wrapped up my fall season on Bucky, I am looking very forward to the Midsouth Three-Day competition at the Kentucky Horse Park.  Abigail Wilson will be competing in her first CCI* with Fernhill Flag, while Annelise Aurillo and Your Lucky Day will be competing in the Training Three-Day as well as Julie Henk and Regal Dancer.  Though it looks like the weekend might start off rainy and cold, I am looking forward to coaching these girls though a very serious competition that they have been preparing for the whole year!  Stay tuned for updates on Mid-South.

I also want to say a BIG THANK-YOU to all of Team Lily who came out to support me this past weekend at Fair Hill!  Success feels even better when I have you all around to enjoy it with me.  I would not be at this level today without your support!

Plantation Field CIC

We have just wrapped up a great weekend at the Plantation Field CIC competition on our home turf of Unionville, PA.  Thanks to Katie and Cuyler Walker, Dennis Glaccum, and the help of countless others, the event was smooth and successful for riders and spectators alike.  I competed No Boundaries in the CIC***, and Abigail Wilson competed Fernhill Flag in the CIC*.  Despite minor hiccups on both mine and Abigails' parts during the weekend, we were delighted with the outcomes of both rides.  

Dressage day was beautiful and a bit chilly, which made the horses fresh for their FEI tests.  It was our first time riding in the brand-new competition arena, so many of the horses were spooky and excited.  These factors helped my test with Bucky as it made him more forward, however it made Rory a bit more difficult to ride since he was excited by the wind and atmosphere.  Abigail and I are headed to CCIs in a month's time so we have our work cut out for us to get those dressage scores down!

Cross-country day was just as beautiful as the day before, and it made for great going on the tough CIC tracks.  All of the courses have been redesigned for this year, so many of the combinations had never been seen before.  For the most part all the courses rode well, and both Abigail and I were happy with our rides.  I was very proud of how aggressively Abigail attacked the course, as it was giving many riders trouble.  She rode forward right out of the box, and it suited her horse very well.  I was very pleased with how Bucky jumped around the 3* course, despite our mishap at the bank out of the first water.  I was unable to cover the four-stride distance across the water, so we stumbled up the bank and were unable to bounce the skinny.  Though it was no disobedience on Bucky's part, it was a great reminder to me to ride every jump and every stride even when everything feels spot on.  After representing and jumping well out of the water, he jumped confidently around the rest of the track. He is feeling ready for Fair Hill!

The horses pulled up well from the cross-country and were very fresh for the show-jumping on Sunday.  Abigail had one rail down in her course but rode remarkably well.  She has been working so hard to understand the right ride for her horse over fences, and this weekend made it clear that their partnership is truly coming together.  I am excited to coach them through their first CCI* at the Kentucky Horse Park in October, they are looking very ready for it!  Bucky also had a phenomenal round in the show-jumping on Sunday.  He felt very calm and relaxed the entire round, and jumped very well.  I am excited to see all that we have been working on over the summer come together in competition. 

I would like to say a special thanks to the Crosby's for their endless volunteer efforts at Plantation Field,  and a thanks to Gayle Hughes and Sumner Crosby for the great pictures they took of the weekend.  Next weekend we are off to Middleburg Horse Trials with all of the Novice and Training horses.  Stay tuned!

Maggie's Richland Update!

I have just arrived home early Monday morning from a great weekend at Richland Park.  While everyone on the East Coast was hunkered down in the fury of Hurricane Irene, competitors at Richland Park were lucky enough to enjoy perfect weather and footing out in Michigan.  The event served as the selection trials for the Pan Am Team, so the competition and pressure was intense!  I took Bucky to Richland to compete in the CIC***, and Parris went along for the ride to compete in the Training.  

The weekend started off well with the dressage.  Both horses tried hard and had good tests, despite being wound up from the twelve hour drive.  Bucky's test was lacking engagement in his trot work, so we will look to improve that in the coming weeks.  Parris tried very hard during her test and took the lead in her Training Horse division from the start.  

The cross-country courses designed by Ian Stark were forward and challenging courses for all levels.  As many of you know I have had some tough luck getting started this summer with Bucky, so I was looking to have a confident and smooth ride on him.  Parris is still green at the Training level, so I was looking to give her a good ride and have her jump around clean.  Both horses exceeded my expectations, jumping around the courses with ease.  Bucky finished the 3* course with about eight time penalties, reflected mostly in the time I took to give him good rides at the larger fences on the course.  He did not blink at any of the challenging combinations on the course, which was a great feeling to have!  Parris jumped well into both waters, which was the challenge we had at Millbrook.  Both horses recovered well from the cross-country and were ready for the show-jumping.  

I have been working with Anne Kursinski this summer to improve my show-jumping skills, and I was pleased to see the progress made at Richland this weekend.  Parris show-jumped clear with ease which was very encouraging to see.  This was the first weekend Bucky has had to show-jump after a rigorous cross-country run, which makes him harder to ride.  I was very pleased with his round, just having two rails down.  He felt nervous in the warm-up, as he usually does after a big cross-country run, and he went into the course and was trying very hard and jumping well.  My goal is to get to a point where we are jumping clean, and right now I am confident we are moving on the right track.  

The other big news of the weekend is Team Lily's newest edition, Maggie!  She is an eleven-week old puppy I adopted while at Richland, and she clearly brought me some good luck for the weekend! 

We will be changing gears and heading to the Jumper Show at Ludwigs Corner this Monday for some practice in the show-jumping ring.  Next weekend we will be headed to the Fair Hill Starter Trials and Bucks County Horse Trials.  Stay tuned!

TEAM LILY DOMINATES THE TRAINING 3-DAY AT GMHA!

I apologize for neglecting the Team Lily blog for the past month, however I have great news to report from Vermont!  Our girls Andi Lawrence, Eliza Crosby and Annelise Aurillo have finished competition at the GMHA Training 3-Day in second, third and fourth respectively.  We were very lucky to have beautiful, cool weather the whole week and it made for a great competition!

The girls started off the week strong with their dressage results on Tuesday.  Annelise lead the division on a score of 30 with Andi close behind in third on a 33. Eliza rounded out the top four on a 34.  The Training 3-Day is run as a long format competition, so the girls had heaps to focus on as they headed into Wednesday's competition.  All the parents had an intense day and lots to prepare for on Wednesday, as the Training 3 day is the only opportunity to experience a long format cross-country day. 
(Click Here for more info on the Training 3 Day)

We had a second great day on the endurance day of competition, with Annelise and Andi posting double-clear cross-country rides and Eliza adding just 1.6 time to her dressage score on phase D.  We had a phenomenal support crew from parents that were on top of everything in the cooling boxes.  I also want to make a special thank you to Ally Aurillo who has helped the entire week and was my right-hand girl in the boxes yesterday!  Wex, George and Leroy proved to be quite fit and recovered extremely well from the cross-country.

Show-jumping rounded out the competition today with Annelise adding eight penalties to her dressage score, while Andi and Eliza posted clear rounds.  These girls have had their eyes on this competition since the start of the season, and they have been working very hard to get here. I could not be more pleased with their efforts this week! The horses are going to have a very well deserved break now, and the girls will be looking forward to coming back for a few more competitions in the fall.  

Congrats to Annelise, Andi and Eliza on a phenomenal performance!

Well Done Hannah!!

In this crazy sport of Eventing, we often find ourselves ever focused on training, competing and anything gearing us towards our end goals. It is easy for us to lose sight of the bigger picture and what is truly important in our lives.  One student of mine, Hannah Daneker, put this all in perspective for me following a routine doctor's visit just after Christmas this year.

Hannah had been a student in my program for about six months at the time, and she was learning the ropes of the sport of Eventing on her new pony, Magic.  She had high hopes for the coming year, looking forward to competing in her first horse trials at some point in the spring, when it was discovered on an MRI December 29, 2010 that Hannah had a brain stem tumor.  She was just ten years old at the time, and it appeared the tumor had been developing for five years.  

Hannah and her family consulted many different specialists to plan their course of action.  Chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery were their options, and each had their risks and drawbacks.  It was decided that Hannah would undergo surgery on March 4, 2011.  The expectation of the surgery was to remove 50%-70% of the tumor, to give Hannah more time before it would develop again.  While much of the Eventing world was gearing up for the March Sporting Days Horse Trials, Hannah was in surgery to rescect as much of the tumor as possible.

The outcome of the surgery was better than any prognosis.  Doctors were able to remove over 90% of the tumor, and Hannah recovered from the surgery well.  She spent a month at home recovering, and started back at school half-days in April.  She began riding again at the end of April, and within two weeks it looked like she hadn't missed a beat.  Her follow-up MRI on June 14 showed no changes, giving her the go to continue on life as normal.  

Hannah had a monumental day this past Saturday, competing in her first event at the Fair Hill Starter Trials.  She and Magic competed in the Elementary division, and despite an emergency dismount two fences from home on the cross-country, they had a great day. The entire Lily Bridge event team are incredibly proud of Hannah's extraordinary strength and progress, as well as her commitment to her goals. 

Well done Hannah!

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Continue to Help Our Friends at True Prospect Farm!

Please help us continue to raise funds for the whole crew at Boyd's and True Prospect Farm!

Through the hard work & volunteer efforts of many people and many donors, we are launching the 2nd leg of the PRO/SCES online ebay auction!!

This auction features a variety of items including some great lesson packages from Buck Davidson, Ange Bean, Stephie Baer.....as well as several amazing vacation homes, tack, a Point Two Air Jacket, photography, art, etc.

Please continue to spread the word & support the fundraising efforts. Everyone at Windurra USA and True Prospect Farm is so appreciative of the outpouring of support from our riding community!

Click Here to Bid!!

Thank You Lori Daneker!

Many thanks go out to Lori Daneker who organized a "Lilybridge Fundraiser" to help Ryan Caitlin and Lillian who suffered losses in the fire at True Prospect Farm.

Lori spearheaded this fundraising effort & through the enormous generosity of the friends and clients of Lilybridge Eventing, she was able to raise in excess of $3K to help our friends!  Thank you so much to all the contributors and to Lori for taking the time to make this happen!!