May 12th, 2013 -- The equine veterans ruled at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event this weekend, taking the titles in all four sections of the competition at the Horse Park of New Jersey. But their riders were a mix of the up-and-coming athletes who are the future of the sport, and those with well-earned team experience.

Change is gradual; sometimes you don't see it coming, then you wake up and there it is. But anyone who watched the event in horse-friendly Monmouth County had a chance to glimpse where things are going.

Veronica's permanent rider is now Lauren Kieffer, 24, who came up through the ranks of the O'Connor Event Team, and took over the ride from Olympic multi-medalist Karen O'Connor after she broke her back in a fall with the mare last year. Lauren led through all three phases to win the CIC 2-star on a score of 55.3 penalties, adding 8 time penalties cross-country in a division where only one person made the optimum time and dropping a rail in show jumping. She still had a nice margin over Sharon White's ride, Don Sheffield (57.9).

Lauren Kieffer, winner of the CCI 2-star with Veronica

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

Lauren is grateful to the Broussard family, which owns Veronica, for giving her the ride.

"It was very generous of the Broussards to take a chance on a new rider. It speaks worlds to their dedication to the sport that they're willing to give it to a younger rider rather than one of the top riders who ride for them already," she commented.

Boyd Martin handed over Remington XXV to 23-year-old Caitlin Silliman for what was supposed to be the first leg of the  17-year-old horse's  retirement, but he never looked better as he, too, led through all the phases of his division, the CCI 2-star and finished on his dressage score of 41 penalties, the best of any horse in the entire event.

"The more I learn about him, the better I'm able to ride him," said Caitlin, noting that Boyd, her boss, has been "a huge help." But she observed that Remington has learned something too; he's thinking more on his own than he used to with Boyd's professional ride.

Also leading throughout the CIC 3-star competition (do you sense a trend here?) Will Faudree's ride, Andromaque, finished on 51.1 penalties, adding only four time penalties cross-country as he prepped the mare for a trip with the U.S. contingent going to Saumur, France, this month.

"She's a star. I've always believed in that horse. She came here this weekend in preparation for Saumur and I wanted her solid in all three phases," said Will. He noted that her dressage performance was a wake-up call; "I won here on a score of 51, which is really exciting, but I know in France, 51 probably won't get me in the top 20, so we've got to up our game."

Jessica Phoenix celebrated Mother’s Day with her husband, Joel; her son Jacob and Exponential, who won the CCI 3-star

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

The hardest-fought division was the CCI 3-star, where Buck Davidson had no margin for error after cross-country on the 8-year-old D.A. Adirmo, who faced the biggest test of his short career on the course designed by John Williams, who has held that job for the entire history of Jersey Fresh. He was one of only two double-clears on that route; the other was that fiercely competitive pair, Canada's Jessica Phoenix and Exponential. Buck had 51.5 penalties to lead after cross-country, Jessica had 52.7. It's interesting to note that Jessica was the busiest rider at Jersey Fresh with five mounts, and I have to say she looked none the worse for wear after her final trip as she accepted a Mother's Day chocolate ice cream cone from her 3-year-old son, Jacob.

I chatted with Debbie Adams, D.A. Adirmo's owner, before the show jumping. Debbie came up with the idea for Jersey Fresh 11 years ago, and was so excited about how her Dutchbred horse was doing.

Listen: Debbie Adams

The winner of the dressage phase, Californian Mackenna Shea's horse, Landioso, had dropped to third with time penalties after cross-country. But disappointingly, he didn't make it through the horse inspection this morning. Mackenna, who had to settle for the sportsmanship award, a clock, rather than a ribbon, said the problem was a shoeing issue, and as soon as Landioso was reshod, he was sound. That's eventing.

With Courtney Cooper and Who's a Star on 63.9 penalties rather far back in third place, it was obvious that Sally Ike's course would be the decider between the top two.

Jessica had a rail at the eighth of 12 fences, a black-and- white oxer.

"I was thinking, `Oh, I sat on him' and apologized to her horse: `I'm sorry, I won't do that again.' " Then "we went around to the last line, and he was awesome."

She had given Buck some breathing room, but she didn't watch him go.

He used up his advantage at the first element of the yellow-and-white triple combination, dropping a rail at the oxer. And three fences later, it was over, as he had another knockdown at the next-to-last obstacle.

That was it, he finished second on 59.5 penalties, ahead of Courtney, who had one of only two double-clears in the division.

Analyzing what went wrong, Buck said, "when he hit the 'in' of the triple, it sort of startled him. I landed short coming out of the triple and thought, 'I better add' (a stride). If I had gone, he would have had a back rail. Obviously I shouldn't have done that."

Buck noted that the horse is young and when asked what A.D. Adirmo had learned, he replied. "Everything. He was trying, he's still green. I'm very excited with the finish. He's a nice horse for the future."

Jessica empathized.

"In this sport, it's so humbling, all I want is for everyone to have a good weekend. At the end of the day, when you win, you want to win because you've been at your best. You don't want to win from other people's rails. I feel for Buck,, it's unfortunate. He had a great weekend on that horse."

Jessica Phoenix and Exponential

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

Jessica--who was on her country's silver medal team with Exponential at the 2010 World Equestrian Games--was especially thrilled, because ironically with all that mileage, it was her first 3-star win.

And she was merely following orders from new Canadian coach Clayton Fredericks.

He had advised her to withdraw from the Rolex Kentucky 4-star last month after her dressage test wasn't up to snuff.

"This horse does not need to prove himself in his jumping phases. He just needs to go out and be competitive. Let's go to Jersey and win it,"  he told her.

So she did.

Jersey is a very different event from high-profile Rolex, just as the compact Horse Park of New Jersey is completely different from the expansive Kentucky Horse Park. That figures; Kentucky is all about the horse industry; New Jersey is not, even though the horse is the state animal, for what that's worth.

Jersey Fresh is an amazing volunteer operation that goes above and beyond with a shoestring budget. Everyone makes a big effort, and riders love the hospitality. The event has improved in recent years. There was a feeling that this edition was the best ever.

CIC 3-star winner Will Faudree with Andromaque

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

It drew a nice crowd for tailgating around the "Jersey Shore" water complex yesterday, despite the omnipresent threat of rain, which graciously held off until the competition was finished. The eventing gods have been kind this spring; the same thing happened at Rolex.

John, the cross-country designer, called his layout, "a notch more difficult this year, but it's also a better course. We're finding ways to utilize the property better so the course can be more open, galloping and flowing." He noted that with the one-fall rule for elimination and only three refusals on course allowed, the competitors don't get out of sequence as they used to when they remounted and caused delays, or kept going with refusal after refusal. Therefore, they don't get in each others way as they often did in the old days, making it difficult for the course to cross itself, as it does now. Therefore, the course "can exist on a smaller piece of property," John pointed out.

I spoke with Morgan Rowsell, the course builder, for his viewpoint.

Listen: Morgan Rowsell

Jersey Fresh was the source of a big improvement, breakaway flags that fall when a horse hits them, rather than breaking and injuring the animals. Last year, one of Will Coleman's horses was impaled by a broken flag and suffered a serious injury. Dr. Scott Palmer, the veterinarian who pulled the horse through, called then-U.S. Equestrian Federation President David O'Connor's (now the U.S. eventing coach) attention to the situation and suggested flexible poles should be used. They were at all the narrow jumps on course at Jersey Fresh.

Here's how Scott explained the situation.

Listen: Dr. Scott Palmer

It was good to catch up with Karen O'Connor and hear about her recovery. While she's back jumping, she has yet to compete; when she will do that, and what she will do, is still up in the air. Meanwhile, she's worried about Mr. Medicott, her 2012 Olympic horse. Marilyn Little is riding him while he's being syndicated, but not all the shares have been sold.

Listen: Karen O'Connor

Also on the injured list is Boyd, who had ankle surgery after Rolex Kentucky and was sporting a big bandage. He's getting it off tomorrow, and soon will be doing dressage, he said. When he'll be eventing again he couldn't say, but I'll bet it will be soon.

I'm switching gears at the end of the month and going to the Devon Horse Show, one of my favorites. Look for my postcard May 31. In the meantime, check out facebook.com/equisearch and facebook.com/practicalhorseman for more photos from Jersey Fresh.

Until then,

We're on the road to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for the 2013 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championships! We have two IHSA members on the ground to bring you lots of behind-the-scenes coverage. Here is a little info about our correspondents:

Madison Harris is a senior at Berry College in Rome, Georgia, studying Business Management. As team member of the Berry Hunt Seat team, Madison has held the captain's position of Historian for 3 years as well. On top of team, riding her Appendix Quarter Horse mare, Sassie, and participating in the IHSA Media Internship, she also started and manages her own photography business called MHarris Photography. Photography and horses are two of her passions and she is incredibly excited to be helping out with the Practical Horseman coverage this year in Harrisburg.

Nicole Mandracchia has been riding for over 10 years and is a working student at James and Robin Fairclough’s Top Brass Farm in Newton, New Jersey. She helps tend to the farm's 25 driving and jumping horses. She grooms and shows at major horse shows on the East Coast, such as HITS Saugerties and Ocala, Garden State, the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show, the Pennsylvania National and Lake Placid. She attends Centenary College and is the senior captain of the IHSA team where she has been competing in the Open level for four years. Nicole is planning to graduate in May 2013 with an Equine Studies degree with a concentration in Communications.

For the latest results and information about the 2013 IHSA Nationals, click HERE. Watch live streaming of all the action HERE.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Nicole Mandracchia's Blog: Final Hunt Seat Day at IHSA Nationals: I heard one of my favorite songs, “Titanium” by Sia, come over the loudspeaker this morning while all our horses were out schooling. I sang along with it for a few bars and then turned to one of my teammates with a smile. “It’s going to be a good day—this is a good song.” He looked at me like I was crazy, but I was getting good vibes.

As the saying goes, it ain’t over until it’s over. It seemed as though Centenary’s luck finally turned around today. Senior Cori Reich won the coveted USEF/Cacchione Cup title, something she has been working very hard for. This is the third time in five years that a Centenary rider has claimed this title; graduate Lindsay Clark won it in 2009 and graduate Marissa Cohen won in 2011.

It was so stressful listening to the announcer list the riders’ names in reverse order of placing during the awards presentation. Our entire team was there to cheer for her when her name was called in first place—we were all in tears. After all the ribbon pictures were taken, we stormed into the arena and enveloped her in a group hug. There are so many of us that I’m sure it looked like a stampede! Cori is amazing and we are so proud of her.

Our Open Flat rider, junior Kathryn Haley, scored a win for us in Team Open Flat. The judges did not call the riders back for further testing like they did last year. Instead, they asked the riders to drop their stirrups to the right and perform flatwork without them, including a lengthening of stride at the canter. Katie rode beautifully and with the same grace and poise that she always has. I wish I could flat as well as she can!

That win brought us to a tie with Goucher College for 5^th overall in the team placings, which was the same placing we received last year. Being one of the top five teams in the country is pretty good and we’ll definitely take it! Skidmore and St. Lawrence deserved the win—their riders were exceptional all week. Stanford University jumped to the Reserve Championship, which was great for them! The Savannah College of Art and Design was third and Mount Holyoke was fourth.

The show always does three sportsmanship awards to recognize three individuals who have worked hard all week to make Nationals possible. Rebecca Folk of Lafayette College won the Rider Award, Erin Githens of Lafayette College won the Coach Award and Centenary’s very own Amy Gregonis won the Volunteer Award. Congratulations to them—all were very deserving!

There’s also a Horse of the Show award given to the horse that has been the most consistent all week and has been a favorite among riders and coaches. Centenary’s King won this award, and he proudly posed in the winner’s circle. He will receive free SmartPaks for a year and won a beautiful bridle, which we want him to wear in his lessons every day. Centenary has had King for 7 years, and he has been such a great addition to our program. He has taught countless riders how to ride and always comes to Nationals with us. He also does ANRC Nationals, IDA shows at Centenary, IHSA shows at Centenary and Hunter/Jumper team shows. He a professional and knows his job well.

After the award presentations, we packed up our equipment and horses to go home. This was the last IHSA show of my college career—I graduate from Centenary in two weeks. It’s so surreal and I do not know where the past four years have gone. IHSA has been a part of my college career from day 1; I have always been committed to our team. I have learned so many essential riding skills competing in IHSA shows in Zone 3, Region 3. As a captain, I’ve learned the value of teamwork and how to run horse shows successfully and efficiently. I have learned how to get the best out of my team and encourage them to work hard and never give up. I’ve made so many life-long friends that I will never forget and will always keep in touch with. And most importantly, I’ve learned horsemanship skills that will last a lifetime.

Ultimately, we had a great year and that’s all that really matters. We were undefeated, winning every show all semester and we claimed the Zone 3 Finals Championship. None of Centenary’s success would have been possible without the help of all 60 people on our team, and I thank each and every one of them for one of the best years our team has ever had. I can’t thank our coaches Michael Dowling and Heather Clark enough for all their support and dedication to the team. All those no-stirrup lessons and practices ultimately made us stronger riders. It has been an honor to work with each member of this team, and I hope that they will learn as much from IHSA as I did.

2013 IHSA Nationals ended in a tie this year between Skidmore and St. Lawrence. Both coaches had wonderful things to say about the other team. Mary Drueding (St. Lawrence): "I'd rather share than lose the title. I'm incredibly proud of Zone 2 in itself. We have strong riders, strong coaches, and we all fight until the 8th class on the last day." Belinda (Asst. Coach of Skidmore): "This was a really special camaraderie and we're both thrilled to share the title within Zone 2."

© Madison Harris

I have to share this photo of my own team, Berry College, who claimed 6th place today. On a personal note, we have fought the past three years of my college career to reach Nationals and haven't made it as a team past Zones. This year, after an undefeated season, my team made it to Nationals. I have never been a part of such a hard-working and supportive group of people before and I was proud to watch them accomplish this goal. This was probably the greatest present I could've received at the end of my senior year. Go Vikings!

© Madison Harris

King, the Dutch Warmblood from Centenary College, won Champion Hunt Seat Horse of 2013 Nationals. What a beautiful guy!

© Madison Harris

I had the chance for a quick word with Peter Leone after the Cacchione Cup final. He stated: "The Cacchione final testing was Maclay caliber of skill. All the coaches and teams should be incredibly proud of their riders. I was impressed."

© Madison Harris

We have some fantastic video footage provided from a number of sources this week!

© Madison Harris

Running the in-gate at a horse show, especially Nationals, takes a large amount of skill and multitasking. I caught our manager, Chris Mitchell, in the middle of a vary precarious situation involving the balance of coffee and calling riders.

© Madison Harris

Everyone has a tendency to stop and check out the coveted Hunt Seat National Champion trophy, I know I have a couple of times.

© Madison Harris

Meet Lucy! Lucy is a 12 year old, Dutch Warmblood, who is owned by the United States Military Academy. After speaking to her owners, Lucy was found by a friend of the family and shared with them her remarkable talent as a jumper. Lucy has been a show-favorite this week due to her floppy ears as she listens to her riders. As her owner said: "She's known for it, and sometimes you can't really help how big your head is!"

© Madison Harris

While we're here with our teammates cheering us on, we have a tendency to forget how proud our parents are of us. As our number one fans since we start our careers, countless hours are spent watching ringside. They stick with us through the highs and lows, the falls, the smiles, and most of all, the moments that matter most. I had the pleasure of capturing Flavia D'urso's father watching from the gate as Flavia received her Champion ribbon in Collegiate Open Equitation Over Fences for Skidmore College. Not a single person could help but smile as he pointed her out in excitement and pride.

© Madison Harris

The final 10 riders from the Cacchione Cup line up for the awards ceremony.

© Madison Harris

Peter Leone is present today at Nationals. Winning riders have been awarded his "Show Jumping Clinic" book as a prize here. All 10 of the Cacchione riders received a book as a token of competition. Peter is a Member of the United States Equestrian Team and has represented the United States on numerous occasions including in 1982 when he helped the U.S. finish fourth in the World Championships in Dublin, Ireland, and in 1996 when he and Crown Royal Legato were part of the USET's Silver Medal team at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta.

© Madison Harris

Cori Reich, of Centenary College, becomes emotional as she is left standing in the lineup as the winner of the 2013 Cacchione Cup. After finishing 15th last year in the Cacchione Cup, Reich was ecstatic with this accomplishment. Speaking to her after the awards, she "thanked Heather and Michael for pushing her incredibly hard and expecting a lot out of her and her teammates. That's how accomplishments are made."

© Madison Harris

The Cacchione Cup is a wrap! Final standings were: Cori Reich, from Centenary (Champion), Flavia D'Urso, from Skidmore (Reserve Champion) and Blake Roberts from Virginia Intermont (Third).

© Madison Harris

Here's the mounting arena where the riders meet their horses. Afterward they make the walk through the tunnel to the competition arena.

© Madison Harris

Andrew Nicholson clears the final fence (appropriately themed for the Rolex Grand Slam) with Quimbo

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

Andrew Nicholson, the last rider to go in show jumping this afternoon at the Rolex Kentucky three-day event, kept it all together to win and qualify for the last leg of the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam at Badminton next weekend.

It was "phew" moment for the New Zealander, who rejoiced during a pre-presentation victory gallop as he flew around the ring on Quimbo once safely across the finish line.

After receiving his trophy and a Rolex watch, he did another three laps, some of which he performed while waving both hands to the sold-out crowd of nearly 20,000 that packed the stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park.

William Fox-Pitt, who also is in line for the Grand Slam if he can win Badminton, was just as happy but less exuberant, though he smiled broadly as he swept past his fans on Seacookie, who was totally fault free over Richard Jeffery's course. One four in the starting field of 29 could make that claim.

When the defending champion left the ring, however, he found he wasn't able to straighten his left pinky. He had no idea how he broke it, but was already bandaged up when he arrived at the press conference. William didn't think it would affect his riding, however.

Making a triumphant run around the sold-out stadium after he kept all the poles in the cups for show jumping, Andrew Nicholson celebrates aboard Quimbo

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

Andrew logged 3 time penalties as he made his careful way around the fences, but that was a wise decision, since he had a comfortable cushion. His final score was 41 penalties, to 48.2 for William. Andrew's other horse, Calico Joe, isn't much of a show jumper. He also wasn't much of a steeplechase horse, which is why he originally was purchased. But he's won a good bit of money eventing, and even with 12 penalties today, he emerged in third place with 52.8 penalties.

Quimbo is a stunner, a Spanish horse bred to show jump who also is versatile enough to handle cross-country and dressage. This one is going to be a superstar. Andrew had some help from Spanish show jumper Luis Alvarez Cevera, who also has been the coach of the New Zealand show jumping team. But I wouldn't think Andrew needs too much assistance. He is a beautiful rider who know how to let a horse do its best, using guidance rather than interference.

Now it's time for Andrew and William to concentrate on Badminton, and if he had to guess which of them might earn the Grand Slam (which has been won only once in its 12-year history) a smiling William conjectured, "probably neither."

Not only will they have to cope with Badminton's demanding cross-country course, but also Olympic, world and European champion Michael Jung of Germany. Yes, their work is cut out for them.

I asked Andrew what he'll do when he gets home tomorrow as he prepares for Badminton.

William Fox-Pitt, Andrew Nicholson with his new Rolex watch and Buck Davidson

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

Listen: Andrew Nicholson

Unfortunately for us, and by that I mean the U.S., this is the eighth time in 11 years that a foreign rider has won Rolex. Our event. New coach David O'Connor has a lot of work to do, but there were some bright spots on our horizon.

Buck Davidson, who had been third on Ballynoe Castle RM, dropped rails at the last two fences on course to wind up fourth with 53.2 penalties. He could take comfort from the fact that he was the spring U.S. Equestrian Federation champion, but noted, "I'm bummed to have two down," saying the effort "fell apart a little bit at the end."

Yet he noted if he had to lose, being right behind the world number one (Andrew) and William (who has won more big events than any other rider) is the place to be.

Buck Davidson, the highest-placed American, fourth on Ballynoe Castle RM

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

And I'm thinking maybe he--or anyone else--wouldn't be here at all if it weren't for his father, Bruce Davidson. It was Bruce's victory in the 1974 world championships in England that granted the U.S. the right to hold the next world championships in 1978, which he also won. That was the start for the fledgling Kentucky Horse Park, giving it a boost that enabled it to become one of the world's premiere equestrian destinations.

Notable American finishes included Lynn Symansky with Donner, who achieved a double-clear to come in fifth, and Will Faudree on Pawlow, right behind her in sixth place.

I was happy to see Australia's Peter Atkins finish 10th on Henry Jota Hampton, coming up from 28th after dressage. Big move! You may know his horse as "Henny," as in "Run, Henny, Run" for their wonderful helmet cam videos. Peter and Henny have had a soap opera's worth of problems, from an ownership squabble to Peter's leg fracture. But they're together now and going well. Next year's Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and perhaps the 2016 Olympics are in their sights.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Peter today. Why don't you listen in?

Listen: Peter Atkins

I still haven't gotten a consensus on the difficulty quotient of the cross-country course. I spoke this morning with Great Britain's Yogi Breisner, the always astute chef d'equipe of the British eventing team, and he felt the course was hard enough.

So when I ran into course designer Derek di Grazia, I wondered what he thought about it after nearly a day to consider.

Listen: Derek Di Grazia

The best, best, best part about it was that no one (horse or human) suffered a serious injury and it made for a day of great sport without serious consequences.

The main focus at Rolex is, of course, the competition, but for some, a bigger enticement is the trade fair. It is huge, having spread over the years from an area near the stadium to an indoor arena and beyond. One of the big features at various booths is having eventing celebrities on hand to autograph and have their pictures taken with excited fans. When I was walking through the fair this afternoon, I saw a looooong line in front of the Purina booth. So I investigated; the occasion was the appearance of Boyd Martin. He deserves all the admiration he can get; he's incredibly personable and makes everyone he talks to feel important when they come to see him.

I got a few minutes with Boyd (yes, I cut the line, I was in a rush to cover the show jumping). He told me he's undergoing surgery tomorrow for an ankle problem, a fracture and ligament damage. I asked how it happened, he told me, "falling off horses."

I hope he's back in time for Jersey Fresh in two weeks, though that may be wishful thinking. At any rate, I'll be there, and sending you a postcard on the evening of May 12. Be sure to check back at Equisearch, and go to facebook.com/equisearch and facebook.com/practicalhorseman for more about Rolex.

Until then,

April 28, 2013--The 2013 Rolex/FEI World Cup Final came to an exciting yet familiar conclusion Sunday in front of a packed house in the Scandinavum Arena. In the first of two rounds Course Designer Uliano Vezzani tested 23 horse and rider combinations over a demanding track composed of 12 obstacles that did not yield a single clear round. The number of competitors was then whittled to 17 for the 11 obstacle second round with two riders producing flawless efforts. But for a second consecutive year, four rounds would not be enough to determine a champion and again an American and Swiss competitor would jump-off.

The United States' Beezie Madden and Steve Guerdat of Switzerland each ended on a four round total of nine-faults. In a replay of the 2012 Final, Guerdat riding his 2012 Olympic Individual Gold medalist Nino Des Buissonnets, would be forced to jump-off against a U.S. partnership that was known for turning in quick and efficient trips. Last year it was Rich Fellers and Flexible but in 2013 Madden (Cazenovia, NY) and Abigail Wexner's impressive a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Simon were looking to keep the title in the United States.

Madden and Simon, the winners of Thursday's Speed Leg, entered Sunday's first round on a single fault in second place and were poised to jump a clear round until just rolling the pole coming out of the double at five. Their four fault round was good enough to move them to the head of the field going into round two. In the second round, the pair again jumped a beautiful round only to be marred by a single rail down (11A) and stand on a total of nine faults.

"It's been a fantastic week. The first leg was one of those rounds where everything came up. Friday, I was happy with the first round and I was kicking myself for the jump-off." said Madden recapping her performances earlier in the week. "I was disappointed (today) I would have liked to have gone clear in the second round but you have to shake that off and concentrate on the jump-off."

Guerdat was one of two to go clear in Sunday's second round to also lay on nine faults. The 2012 Final runners-up again entered as the first pair in the jump-off and set a lightening fast pace from the very beginning but faulted at the final two fences.
With Madden following him into the jump-off, Guerdat knew that he would need to produce a scorching time if he were to claim top honors.

"I know she's a very fast rider, so I had to try."

Once she saw that Guerdat had two rails down, the double Olympic Team Gold medalist knew all she had to do was leave all the rails in place and be careful to not exceed the time allowed. Madden and Simon returned to the arena for a final time and the hard-trying, careful gelding produced a steady clear to earn the 2013 Rolex/FEI World Cup Final title.

"The cards laid out right for me today. Steve made a great jump up on the leaderboard and the door was left open for me in the jump-off," said Madden.

The veteran rider has claimed many of the most prestigious honors in the sport including Team and Individual medals at the Olympic Games, FEI World Equestrian Games and Pan American Games. However, a Rolex/FEI World Cup Final title had eluded her until today.

"It's been a dream of mine to win the World Cup and I can't believe I've done it," said Madden. "It's a title I've always wanted to win and the closest I had been before was fourth so it was a nice jump to make."

Madden was joined by five other Americans in Sunday's final as McLain Ward, Reed Kessler, Karl Cook, Katie Dinan and Charlie Jayne also completed both rounds.

Three-time Olympian, Ward (Brewster, NY) produced a fifth place finish overall with Grant Road Partner LLC's Super Trooper De Ness on a score of 13 faults. In Sunday's first round the scopey 11-year-old Belgain Warmblood stallion jumped a near flawless round just adding four faults at the sixth oxer. The pair returned in round two with a podium finish on their mind but were one of many to get caught out in the triple combination adding four faults at 4C.

Rounding out the U.S. competitors in the top-ten was 18-year-old Reed Kessler and her 2012 Olympic Games partner the 11-year-old Belgain mare Cylana. Kessler (Lexington, KY) was making her Rolex/FEI World Cup debut this week in Gothenburg and produced an eight fault total in Sunday's first round after dislodging rails at fences 5B and 9B. In round two, she again incurred eight faults; rolling poles at 4C and 5.

Kessler finished in 10th place on 25 faults.

Directly behind Kessler in the 11th place was Karl Cook (Woodside, CA) riding Signe Ostby's 11-year-old Zangerscheide stallion Jonkheer Z to four fault totals in both rounds. They completed their first Final appearance on a score of 28 faults.

Completing the U.S. effort were Dinan and Jayne. Riding Grant Road Partners LLC's 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding Nougat De Vallet, Dinan (Wellington, FL) jumped eight and 12 fault rounds respectively to finish on a score of 38 in 16th place. Like Kessler and Cook, the 19-year-old was also riding in her first Final. Jayne (Elgin, IL) and Alex Jayne and Maura Thatcher's 10-year-old Zangerscheide stallion Chill R Z produced an eight fault trip in round one. But 20 faults in the second round left the 2012 Olympic reserve combination in 17th place on 44 faults.

Kent Farrington (Wellington, FL) also qualified to represent the United States in Sunday's final but chose to save R.C.G. Farm's Uceko for another day.

Chef d'Equipe Robert Ridland was pleased with the results of all the U.S. combinations this week.

"We're very excited; we made this a huge goal. This was a priority; not just winning but really doing better with all our riders in the running and we saw that today," said Ridland. "It was just icing on the cake that Beezie won."

For more information about the 2013 Rolex/FEI World Cup Final visit: http://www.gothenburghorseshow.com/

Follow the 2013 U.S. Jumping Team here.

Andrew Nicholson leads the way at Rolex Kentucky on Quimbo and stands second as well with Calico Joe after cross-country

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

Allie Knowles, queen for a day when she stood fourth as the highest-placed American after dressage, was back to earth this afternoon at the unlucky 13th obstacle, the sunken road complex. She was eliminated there after her Last Call said "no more" to the imposing combination.

But the king of eventers, defending champion William Fox-Pitt, also was toppled. Chilli Morning, first in the rankings after dressage, had a stop at the seventh fence, the HSBC Water Park. William turned around and headed to the stables, figuring there was no point in going all the way around the course at that point.

When I asked what happened with the stallion, the British star replied, "Who knows? There will be lots of time to reflect on it. Maybe he just over-jumped the fence before and shut down there. Whatever the reason, there was no point in carrying on--he’s 13 years old, and he’s not here for the experience. We’ll try again another day."

But all was not lost for William, who moved up from 10th to fourth on Seacookie (46.2 penalties) after putting in one of 10 double-clear trips logged during the day on Derek di Grazia's course.

William Fox-Pitt lost the lead on Chilli Morning but is fourth with Seacookie

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

Even if he jumps clean in tomorrow afternoon's show jumping, however, he just has to wait and watch to see what Andrew Nicholson does. Though Andrew is first on Quimbo (38 penalties) and second on Calico Joe (40.8), the New Zealander is not feeling any sense of comfort about retaining his spots at the time the ribbons are presented.

I asked him if there was some comfort to standing first and second.

"You can never have too much of a cushion in the show jumping,” he answered.

"I’ll make the most I can of my rounds today and worry about the show jumping tomorrow."

He and I had good eye contact, and I'm sure he knew that I knew the Spinning Rhombus story. That's a tough one to live down.

In 1992, when he and the New Zealand team were poised to take gold at the Barcelona Olympics, Andrew could have had seven rails down and still earned the top prize. But he and Spinning Rhombus had nine rails down; I've never seen anything like it. My jaw kept dropping with the poles as they toppled, one after another. Australia got the gold, and New Zealand had to settle for silver.

But on the plus side here, Quimbo is a good show jumper, though Calico Joe apparently is not quite up to that standard. So tomorrow should be very exciting.

The undercurrent, of course, is that if Andrew wins, he has a shot at the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, for which only William is currently eligible; his finish here does not affect that. But if Andrew is in the running, Badminton--the last leg of the Triple--will be quite a donnybrook next week, I guarantee it. (If you want more detail about this, look at yesterday's postcard. Or Thursday's, for that matter.) And the mix will include Germany's Michael Jung, the world, Olympic and European champion. He could be the spoiler.

Buck Davidson is the highest-ranked American, in third place with Ballynoe Castle RM

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

Buck Davidson was the top American, making the climb from 10th after dressage to third on his old pal Reggie, whose formal name is Ballynoe Castle RM. He was one of 10 double-clears, a group that was a third of the field who finished cross-country.

This was a great moment for Buck in several ways. It eased the memory of Reggie's stop at the sunken road during the 2012 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games here, when Buck was part of the U.S. team.

"It’s a shame that his entire career has been plagued by that stop at the Sunken Road, because he’s such a great horse and everybody loves him," said Buck. "I just about gave up and stopped after he was so perfect through the sunken road--I was so happy."

And it was a nice bounce back from 2012, when he hurt his shoulder in a fall.

Buck and I talked about his feelings today.

Listen: Buck Davidson

Of course, his mood also was elevated by winning the Land Rover Best Ride of the Day for being the U.S. rider finishing closest to the optimum time of 11 minutes, 21 seconds to finish the course. He got free use for two years of a 2013 Range Rover. The award came for his trip on Mar de Amor, one of three horses he rode around today. Mar de Amor's time was 11:15. William actually hit 11:21 on the head, but since he isn't American, he wasn't eligible for the prize.

Will Faudree and Pawlow powered out of the Head of the Lake on their way to fifth place in the standings

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

The course seemed generally well-regarded, but I got an interesting insight on it from Mark Phillips, former coach of the U.S. eventing team.

Listen: Mark Phillips

Bruce Davidson, Buck's father, has ridden around Rolex more times than anyone else--though it seems his son is catching up with him quickly. I was interested in what he thought of the course.

Listen: Bruce Davidson

Happily, no one was seriously injured, though there were five rider falls, including Becky Holder, who was seventh after dressage. Ronald Zabala-Goetshel of Ecuador drew a laugh after he and Wise Equestrian Master Rose tumbled into the drink at the Head of the Lake, and the rider rose from the water to take a bow for the crowd.

I ran into Marilyn Little at lunchtime, when she was wearing a sling on her right arm to support a shoulder injury. I asked how it happened, and whether she would ride today. Here's what she said.

Listen: Marilyn Little

She did wind up starting on course, but had a fall from RF Demeter at the 17th fence, the Land Rover Hollow, ending her quest. Let's hope she'll take a rest and let the injury heal.

Several top riders followed William's cautionary lead by withdrawing their horses after a refusal, in order to save them for another day. Mary King, the winner in 2011 with Kings Temptress, came back on her second-place horse from that year, Fernhill Urco, to give try giving him equal time in the trophy department. But he looked tired coming into the Head of the Lake and ran out on the brush obstacle after jumping out of the water. Mary retired six fences later.

Boyd Martin had a refusal with Trading Aces six fences from the end of the 28-obstacle course and walked away.

The original field of 45 for dressage is now at 30, and I suspect it will be smaller still after tomorrow's horse inspection.

It should be great show jumping, Andrew and William, the fiercest of rivals personally and professionally, squaring off with so much at stake. I'll be there, and tell you all about it tomorrow evening in my final postcard from Rolex Kentucky. In the meantime, be sure to go to facebook.com/equisearch and facebook.com/practical horseman for more photos and videos.

Until then,

How do you feel and behave when you get out of bed in the morning with tight or painful back muscles? Chances are you move stiffly or tentatively and your range of motion is restricted. Until you get relief, you don’t have your usual enthusiasm for normal tasks.

It’s much the same for your horse when his back muscles are stiff or hurting. He may

• flinch or sink away when you’re saddling him;
• travel with his head elevated and/or his back hollowed;
• canter less freely than usual;
• experience a decrease in coordinated power;
• trail his hind end rather than stepping under himself;
• jump flat rather than with a rounded bascule;
• drift sideways, either on the flat or over jumps;
• resist lateral work.

One thing your horse will not do as a response to back pain or tightness, by the way, is buck. He needs to round or flex his back to buck, whereas his normal reaction to pain and tightness in his back is to move away from the discomfort by hollowing.

What’s Hurting

The longissimus costarum, just below the longissimus dorsi, extends across the horse’s ribs. This muscle assists in extending the spine and in flexing it laterally.

© Jim Leiby

The muscles whose tightness is frequently a cause of these signs are the longissimus dorsi—the longest and largest muscles in your horse’s body and a powerful extensor of his spine—and the longissimus costarum, which lie below the longissimus dorsi across the ribs on each side and are important in lateral flexion of the spine and in breathing (see photos page 66 for the location of these muscles).

As part of understanding how tightness develops in these and other muscles, let’s take a quick look at how muscles work. Every muscle has two ends, each connected to bone by a tendon. One end is the anchor and the bone to which it is connected doesn’t move. The other end is connected to a bone that moves when the muscle is used. The middle part of the muscle, which does the work of moving the bone, is called the belly. It’s composed of hundreds of tiny fibers, each of which has its own blood supply. When a muscle is working normally, it tightens, then immediately relaxes or ­releases. Muscle tightness occurs when the muscle doesn’t release as it should. When a muscle becomes chronically tight, the fibers lie closer together. This constricts the flow of blood through the muscle belly, somewhat like stepping on a garden hose reduces the flow of water. The muscle ­operates less effectively when it’s tight, and it may be painful.

All muscles work in pairs of opposites: As one muscle contracts, its opposite ­releases. When a muscle is tight, the ­release process of the muscle is affected. The back muscles extend the horse’s spine, and tight back muscles can’t release to allow for the spinal flexion your horse needs to, for instance, round himself for a bascule over a fence or a nice collected canter. Tightness in the longissimus ­costarum will also affect your horse’s ability to bend around your inside leg.

What Causes It
Back muscle tightness can result from a number of factors. Some of the most common are

• the strain and exertion of repetitive schooling, such as working much more on one canter lead than the other;
• footing that is very deep or too hard;
• an ill-fitting or out-of-balance saddle;
• a very imbalanced rider (whose horse will attempt to compensate for her ­one-sidedness);
• poor saddle placement (for instance, too far up on the withers, which drives the cantle into the back muscles);
• too many pads under a correctly fitted saddle. Contrary to some riders’ belief, this does not reduce pressure on the horse’s back but is more like cramming two pairs of socks inside your shoes.

Tight back muscles can also signal a deeper problem such as hock or ankle issues, weak stifles or ligament problems. How can you know whether you’re dealing with simple muscle tightness or with something more serious? If your horse’s discomfort is not relieved after you have done the massage and exercise sequence I’ll describe on the next two pages a couple of times, you need to involve your veterinarian. (As a general rule of thumb, in my 20 years of practice as a massage therapist, if I find persistent tightness in the forward area of a horse’s back, it may indicate a deeper problem in his front end; if the muscles remain tight in the area near his haunches even after massage, there may be a bigger problem in his hind end.)

April 17, 2013--Ever wished for Olympic-caliber training for you and your horse? Would you love to get some feedback on your riding from a winner of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event? Award-winning magazine Practical Horseman, in partnership with Cosequin, wants to give you an opportunity to win a clinic for you and up to nine of your friends with Olympian Phillip Dutton. This isn’t just any clinic: Phillip will come to you!

To enter, write an essay of 250 words or less describing why you deserve to win the clinic and submit your entry at www.PracticalHorsemanMag.com/PhillipDuttonContest. Ten finalists will be selected to submit videos of themselves and their horses, and a winner will be chosen from among the finalists. Phillip will give the clinic at your barn or a suitable local facility.

“One of our goals here at Practical Horseman is to provide our readers with a riding lesson in print,” said Editor Sandy Oliynyk. “With this contest, we’re offering a chance to win a real-life lesson with an Olympic rider. Phillip is a longtime friend of the magazine, and we’re excited to give a lucky winner a once-in-a-lifetime experience riding with him.”

A five-time Olympian and five-time World Equestrian Games team rider, Phillip is also a 13-time USEA Rider of the Year and two-time Olympic eventing gold medalist. In 2007, he won team and individual gold medals at the Pan-American Games. Based at his True Prospect Farm in West Grove, Pennsylvania, which he owns with his wife, Evie, Philip coaches many adult amateurs and several U.S. Equestrian Team short-listed riders.

10 finalists will receive a copy of Modern Eventing with Phillip Dutton: The Complete Resource—Training, Conditioning, and Competing in All Three Phases. This fabulously illustrated book covers training, conditioning and competing in all three phases of events: dressage, cross-country and show jumping. The book includes full chapters describing the special needs of the event horse, with tips and advice from the top experts. It is available for purchase on HorseBooksEtc.com.

The contest is now open and will close on June 17, 2013. For more information and to enter, go to www.PracticalHorsemanMag.com/PhillipDuttonContest.

The Gene Mische American Invitational, however, is completely different. Being in an NFL facility, Raymond James Stadium, (which has hosted the Super Bowl) IS A  key element contributing to a special experience for riders and fans alike.

Horse show judge Jimmy Lee, who has been to many Invitationals and attended the 41st last night, explained it this way to me:

"Just to walk into such an awesome place in the evening and the way they do the presentation, it's a great course and a lot of people from the community come to watch -- they really make it an event," he pointed out.

"Sometimes we just have a wonderful horse show, but it's just like the wonderful horse show the previous week, and the one we're going to have next week. With these long circuits, it's fun to say to someone, `What show were you champion at?'

`I was champion the fifth week.'

`But what was the name of the show?'"

Odds are, you won't get an answer to that one.

There's no such confusion with the Invitational; even riding in it without getting a ribbon is memorable. As Jimmy  said, "It's a production."

You just get one shot; there's no schooling, no warm-up class. It becomes a real test of horsemanship.

McLain Ward at the X-factor jump on the way to winning the Gene Mische American Invitational with Rothchild.

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

This edition definitely was tough; only McLain Ward, on the hard-fighting Rothchild, and 18-year-old Reed Kessler, his 2012 Olympic teammate on Mika, made it from the starting field of 30 into the tie-breaker.

Steve Stephens, who has designed the Invitational since 1985 (with the exception of one year) put his usual amount of thought into the route he laid out. There were several new fences, including the American Invitational pedestal, raised up on a red X (Steve was inspired by The X-Factor TV show), as well as a vertical/liverpool/vertical triple combination near the end of the course that took a lot of prisoners.

Why is an arrangement like that so difficult here?

Listen: Steve Stephens

So now you understand the circumstances, and why, for McLain, winning his third Invitational since 1998 has special meaning.

"This class is an institution for this country, this sport. I really hope people in the industry rally behind this and keep it going," he said. "It almost died a few years ago. I'm so glad to see (organizer) Michael Morrissey and his group of people and sponsors who have really made great effort to revive it, because it's very, very important to us as athletes.

"This is something unique and special and when I grew up, this was the most important class to win, this is what we coveted. I think that's important for future young riders; my children, one day, I hope."

The show also is a great experience for spectators, who come out in droves to walk the course,

measuring the height of the fences against the top of their heads, spreading their arms in the middle of the oxers to see how wide they are.

The crowd of 8,500 was better than last year and comparable to the number who came to Wellington on Florida's east coast last weekend for the $500,000 grand prix that ended the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. They do look a bit lost in the cavernous facility, though as McLain pointed out, "In anything other than a 65,000-seat stadium, it would look packed. But I think the stadium also makes the atmosphere a bit."

He sees the Invitational's potential for becoming a "destination event," such as Devon or the World Cup Finals in Las Vegas.

"That's what this event should be aimed to be," he commented.

"WEF is so great, but it gets so monotonous by the end, when you use the same jumps every single week. It's beautiful here," said Reed.

"They really put in that extra work to make it special, and it feels special from the moment you get here."

"There are so many things they do so, so well," McLain pointed out, noting that there are always different fences each year, and the organizers and Steve don't simply rest on their laurels.

His most memorable Invitational win, achieved during a 2008 night of rain, was on Sapphire. There will never be another like the mare, who retired last year at Devon in an emotional ceremony.

"For me, every horse is in the shadow of Sapphire. I miss her very much," said McLain, but Rothchild has found a way into his heart.

"It was a little bit of a lucky chance that I got him," McLain said, recalling he had gone to Europe seeking a horse for a student, and tried Rothchild.

"Francois Mathy, who we buy all our horses from, said, `I think it's a very careful horse.'"

McLain had a different opinion.

"I didn't like anything about him. All the way to the airport, I said, `No, no, no.'"

It apparently fell on deaf ears.

"I called my father to say I was home and he said, `By the way, we bought the chestnut horse. Francois says you don't know what you're talking about."

Well, look at how it's turned out. Rothchild is as competitive as his rider, and as he pins his ears back while he's clearing a fence, you can tell he's going for it.

"He's an every day competitor. He can go in a speed class, he can jump the American Invitational, he can jump a Global Tour grand prix, he can jump Nations' Cups," said McLain.

"He's very quietly amassed quite a record. In the end, he's become a very good friend of mine. He gives me everything he has to give me."

Rothchild, who is owned by the Dolan family's Sagamore Farm, also is "an unbelievable character. He's the sweetest horse in the world to deal with," said McLain.

That's when you're in the barn.

At the same time, "he's totally opinionated and it's going to be his way. He does not like other horses. He makes up for lack of classic style with determination. He can kind of do everything, which is a rarity in today's sport. You know, everything's a specialist. This horse is really the blue collar worker, but the blue collar worker won one for the team today."

McLain Ward hoists the Invitational trophy as second-place Reed Kessler and third-place Sharn Wordley look on.

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

Despite the fact that only McLain and Reed were in the jump-off, this was no easy victory, and there were a few others who came close to making the tie breaker. Sharn Wordley, a U.S.-based New Zealander, nearly did qualify but scored a time fault with Eric Lamaze's Olympic mount, Derly Chin de Muze, to wind up third.

And how did he get the ride on this horse?

Simple: "I got engaged to the owner (Ashley Fleischhacker)," he admitted, getting a laugh, as the beautiful blonde held the flowers he got during the awards ceremony.

Sharn had a mishap that put him over the 89-second time allowed.

"My horse drifted quite hard to the right at fence four and I rubbed my foot against the standards and I was kind of discombobulated and I kind of took a bit of time on that corner to get myself organized," said Sharn.

"I knew from then on it was going to be touch-and-go...I tried to catch up as best I could without jeopardizing having a rail. It was my first time doing the Invitational and I love it. It's going to be a focus for me next year. It's just so different...with so much atmosphere...it really is quite challenging."

McLain has gone from being one of the young guns to being the establishment, and they're all coming after him.

(Listen: McLain Ward

Invitational runner-up Reed Kessler on Mika

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

Reed is having a great time as an 18-year-old; becoming the youngest equestrian to compete in the Games last summer, and now nearly winning the Invitational in only her second attempt.

She had the disadvantage of going first in the jump-off, and was faced with the always difficult task of splitting the difference between having a fast time and making sure the fences stayed up.

"McLain is so, so fast; Rothchild, especially," she said.

"So I tried to lay down a really competitive round...to go in my comfort zone with Mika to make sure I put in a clear round. I tried to put enough pressure on without making a mistake."

She accomplished that, but by leaving out one stride and making a smoother approach than Reed did to one fence, McLain was able to better her mark of 43.37 by more than a second by crossing the finish in 42.10.

"It's so huge, it's such a prestigious class. I love walking the course and listening to people like Katie (Prudent, her coach) and Leslie (Howard) talk about the different horses they've won it on and the years where they had this (jump) in the course," said Reed.

"It's just such a historic class and has so many great stories behind it. It's great to say I've been second in the Invitational once," she continued, then smiled.

"I hope I can add a win."

The top three all liked the course, and praised Steve.

"He had some very young and green riders in the class, as well as Olympic horses and riders, he had to find a balance and I thought it was a good balance test," said McLain. Two or three, but under five (in the jump-off) is the right number for this competition."

The first Invitational I attended was in 1984, the year of the Los Angeles Olympics. Leslie Howard won on Albany and I thought it was neat that as I walked toward the stadium entrance yesterday, she was the first person I saw. We reminisced a bit about that experience.

Listen: Leslie Howard

There's always something different and intriguing at the Invitational, aside from the jumping. One area of the grounds is devoted to kids, with a petting zoo, horseless horse show and face painting. A Percheron was pulling what I call a Cinderella carriage (round and enclosed by artistic white metal strips).

Katherine Bateson Chandler did a freestyle demonstration with Alcazar.

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

During a break in the class, 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games U.S. dressage team member Katherine Bateson-Chandler performed a freestyle on Jane Clark's  Alcazar, not easy to do with jumps in the way and workmen pounding down divots all around her. But it was good practice for the horse, who will have to compete in a comparable setting (minus the jumps and workmen) if Katherine makes the squad for next summer's WEG in France.

Before everyone left the post-show party, always a relaxed affair and a good way to wind down from an exciting evening, I checked in with Michael Morrissey, head of Stadium Jumping Inc., which runs the show presented by G&C Farm.

Michael was Gene Mische's nephew, and devoted to him. Still is; he is keeping the Invitational going (and believe me, many people wondered if it could continue) in memory of Gene, the impresario who founded the Florida circuit.

Listen: Michael Morrissey

Don't forget to check out facebook.com/equisearch and facebook.com/practicalhorseman for more photos of the Invitational.
This was my last trip to Florida for the year. Like nearly everyone else, I'm heading north for the start of the regular season. I'll be sending postcards daily from the Rolex Kentucky 4-star at the end of the month, so be sure to look for them.

Until then,

I understand what she means. It's great to spend time in Wellington, Fla., where the equestrian section is a unique community that now is talked about worldwide. Drive around and you'll be in awe.
As I got ready to say goodbye to Wellington for 2013, I reflected, as I often do, on  its uniqueness. When I visited Canadian dressage star Ashley Holzer (more about her later) Saturday morning, the scene in her neighborhood five minutes from the showgrounds was pure bliss. The sun sparkled, the palms swayed slightly and people were riding everywhere in what looked like horse heaven.

This morning I was in Grand Prix Village, next to the showgrounds, and saw beautiful stable after beautiful stable (not to mention the mansions that go with them). The grounds seem always to be garlanded by colorful flowers making a Florida statement, and ringed by impressive hedges that offer privacy. And I'll admit to some sadness as I watched the big tractor-trailers loaded with fabulous horseflesh pulling out to head north.

The Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, the focal point of equestrian existence for many here, is unique, with acres of arenas. There's always a festive air for "Saturday Night Lights," the big grands prix that draw thousands of spectators. More than an hour before last night's $500,000 FTI Consulting 5-Star Finale Grand Prix, the stands were packed. A live band entertained and the mood was anticipation as the climax of the jumper competition drew near.

To decorate the ring, giant date palms were added (my progress to the parking lot on Friday was held up as a truck laden with the huge trees attempted to maneuver the narrow path leading to the arena).

Brazil’s Alvaro de Mirando won the $500,000 FTI Consulting 5-Star Grand Prix on AD Rahmannshof’s Bogeno.

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

There was a stellar 40-horse field for the finale, but halfway through the class, there was only one clear round, Athina Onassis de Miranda of Greece on Camille Z.

Last year's winner, Colombia's Daniel Bluman, had  a foot in the water with Sancha LS. Margie Engle was going well down the last line aboard Royce as the crowd cheered her on, then dropped a rail at the final fence as a heartfelt groan echoed from thousands of fans around the arena.

Had course designer Alan Wade made the route too tough? Nope, he's a genius. Nine more clear trips joined Athina's in the second half of the class, setting the stage for one of the most thrilling jump-offs of the season.

Kent Farrington had the fastest time of the tiebreaker on Blue Angel, 43.52 seconds, but it was only good enough for fourth, as the rails clattered down from the last fence.

"My horse was trying her guts out the whole way around," said Kent, who had won a class earlier this month with the mare.

"You have a group of riders like this competing for $500,000 and everybody's going to put it all on the line," he explained.

"That's my style as well, and if I win, I'm going to go all out and if I don't win, it's not going to be from lack of trying.

"We pulled out all the stops. I took a big risk at the last fence doing nine strides, which is sort of a big stretch for that small a horse. I knew if I did one more, I'd be second or third anyway, so I'll take the risk and if I have one down, I'll be fourth, but if she happens to leave it up, then maybe it's our day."

Don't feel to sorry for Kent, though. After the class, he was presented with a blown-up version of the check for $50,000 that he will get for winning the FTI Rider Challenge, based on his results during the circuit.

Athina's husband, Alvaro (Doda) de Miranda, a Brazilian Olympian, went after Kent and knew what he had to do with AD Rahmannshof's Bogeno. His wife had gone clear in a leisurely 54.46 seconds, but she was smart not to push it--she wound up third.

Ben Maher rode through pain to finish second in the $500,000 grand prix on Cella.

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

Doda clinched the win in 43.96 seconds with a powerful round. But the bravest effort belonged to Great Britain's Ben Maher, who finished second on Cella. Ben was diagnosed with several fractures of his vertebrae following a fall last week in the warm-up area, and he took the difficult decision of riding in pain, all braced and wrapped up. His effort in 44.88 came before Kent and Doda went, so if he had gone later, maybe he could have found a slightly faster route.

Doda was a gracious winner, and did not neglect to give his wife kudos, noting she devotes nearly her entire life to her horses. I thought his mount was amazing, though I was having a lot of trouble typing his name, so we talked about this big bay.

Listen: Alvaro de Miranda

It may not surprise you to hear that George Morris has been working with Doda and his wife. Oh no, George said he wasn't really working with them, he was "a sounding board."

Here's how the sounding board sounded, "Whoa, whoa; leg, leg, gallop!" all delivered in the inimitable Morris vocal style.

Both Doda and his wife are very grateful for his help, and they have some powerhouse support as well from Rodrigo Pessoa and his father, Nelson. The Brazilians have medaled at the Olympics before, and I would bet they'll be likely to do it again in Rio three years from now. Doda noted that the Brazilian Olympic Committee has earmarked show jumping as one of the country's few chances for a medal on its home turf.

Jessica Springsteen put in an impressive performance on Vindicat W to win the $33,000 1.5 meter Suncast Classic.

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

In the afternoon's 1.5 meter Suncast Classic, Jessica Springsteen showed she has really gotten together with Vindicat W, the horse who clinched the team gold medal for the Brits at the London Olympics. She has gained rapport with the horse in the half-year or so that she has owned him, and in the Suncast took the measure of such stars as her trainer, Laura Kraut, and McLain Ward during the12-horse jump-off. The combination of Jessie and Vinnie is particularly impressive on the turns.

I had thought, however, that she might be in the $500,000 class instead of the Suncast, but she explained why she wasn't entered, and then talked a little about her winning trip.

Listen: Jessica Springsteen

The WEF ended today with the handy round of the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby. It was held on the grass a half-mile from PBIEC, at the Global Dressage Festival grounds. Not many people showed up to watch; it was, after all, Easter, but those who did were treated to a special experience, as horses jumped many natural obstacles, including a little bank.They ascended a hill to trot over birch rails at the top, and finished with a flourish over a jump that used giant champagne bottles to demarcate the more difficult option from the lower parts of the fence. Riders get bonus points for trying the higher options and for galloping and making "handy" tight turns to show off their mounts.

Jen Alfano won the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby on the reliable Miss Lucy.

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

They did a classic round at PBIEC yesterday, with the top four all within two points. Jen Alfano, known as a derby specialist with Jersey Boy, winner of the 2012 hunter derby finals in Kentucky, was up on the calm redhead Miss Lucy.

"She's so NOT a chestnut mare," said Jen, and anyone who has had a temperamental female horse of that color knows what she means. Miss Lucy stood fourth on 186 points going into today's round, four points ahead of the amazing Inclusive, ridden by Tori Colvin, who was penalized for a light rub yesterday.

Tori's plan for today?

"I was just going to go as handy as I can and jump the big ones and if I have a rail, I have a rail, because I kind of had to move up, not down," the talented teen said.

Her plan worked. The three at the top after the first round, Brunello (Elizabeth Boyd), Skyfall (Louise Serio) and Taken (Kelly Farmer), all dropped today, to fifth, 12th and 11th respectively.

Jen, as she so often does, nailed it with Lucy to win on a total score for both rounds of 384.5, while Inclusive was reserve champion with 382. Former national equitation champion Kristy McCormack moved up from seventh to third on Temptation with a score of 380.

If you've never come early to a hunter derby, you might be amazed to see grooms, riders and trainers leading their horses around, not only looking at the jumps and sniffing them, but in the case of straw bales and greenery, sometimes trying to nibble them.

The idea is to give them an introduction to the course. While veteran Louise Serio said she thinks sometimes it's more for the riders' benefit than that of the horses, she noted that the horses had only competed at PBIEC this season and had never been over to the other showgrounds.

When you think of where the idea of hunters came from ( I know, I know, they bear no real relation to horses who follow the hounds), the "course walk" procedure seems to be a little weird. Jen Alfano and I discussed it.

Listen: Jen Alfano

It's not all fun and games at the WEF. There are some very real issues facing the show horse industry. Last week, the U.S. Equestrian Federation held the first of its Town Hall meetings at the showgrounds. The idea is to educate people in the sport on equine welfare and "Meeting the Needs of the Performance Horse in a Changing Environment," and get some feedback as well.

Hunters particularly have been singled out on drugs and medications issues, but the USEF says the situation should be addressed across all breeds and disciplines. Six other such meetings will be held across the country through the summer, so if there's one in your area, you might find it interesting to attend.

I asked USEF President Chrystine Tauber what she thought about the first meeting and the response from owners, trainers, riders and others in the industry.

Listen: Chrystine Tauber

By the way, if you've given something to your horse to make it go like a zombie, beware. Officials will be on the lookout for that and those animals could be candidates for a drug screening, as well as being marked down in their class, Chrystine told me.

Oh, real quick, back to Ashley Holzer. She had been without a grand prix horse when owner P.J. Rizvi started riding Ashley's Olympic mount, Breaking Dawn. But then GQ, a Small Tour horse, owned by P.J., came back into the picture.

He had suffered a bone infection two years ago, and it was so bad that when the vet said he would never be sound, Ashley warned P.J. she should be prepared to put him down. P.J. wouldn't hear of it.

"No expense was too much for him to become a lawn ornament," said Ashley.

The one day, an incredulous Ashley got a call from P.J. saying GQ was sound. P.J. showed him here last week and won, smiling all the way, but left the ring bawling with emotion at the enormity of the moment.

So P.J. is focusing on G.Q. and Ashley is back riding Breaking Dawn, though she noted P.J. at some point will take over on him again.

But until then, could she possibly ride him in next

year's Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games?

"I'm not saying anymore," said Ashley, who is out of the prediction business and playing it day by day.

I thought that was a good story; the moral: Never give up on someone you love.

I'll be putting up more photos a little later at facebook.com/equisearch and facebook.com/practicalhorseman, so do take a look.

And next Sunday morning I'll have another postcard for you, this one on the always memorable Gene Mische American Invitational in Tampa.

Until then,

Pulling the shoes of a horse headed to a major international event and doing barefoot dressage isn’t typically part of anyone’s training strategy, but Shannon Peters believed it could be successful for Ravel and Steffen Peters. Just a few months earlier she’d begun working with barefoot trimmer Sossity Gargiulo, who had undertaken a dramatic transformation of Shannon Peter’s own Grand Prix horse, Flor de Selva. The Westfalen gelding had suffered from soundness problems for two years.

Steffen was more skeptical. He wondered how he would keep Ravel in the condition needed to compete against the world’s top equine athletes in London. “I had no personal experience with this,” he says, “but seeing that Shannon had success gave me the confidence to try it.”

Fortunately, a new generation of hoof boots enables newly barefoot horses to maintain their training routines, says Gargiulo. “The shoes can come off and the horse can be ridden the same day.” For Ravel, that meant a pair of Easyboot Gloves for his front feet (he remained shod behind) that were put on prior to training sessions and removed afterward. The gloves have a tough rubber

tread and a neoprene gaiter that fastens around the pastern, protecting the hoof while allowing it to expand and contract and adjust to the ground below. Using heat, Gargiulo and her husband, Mario, are able to fit the boots to each horse’s hoof.