On the second day of competition at Aspen Farms Horse Trials in Yelm, WA the CCI and upper level divisions contested the show jumping courses designed by Chris Barnard, FL, and the lower level divisions tackled the cross-country courses designed by Morgan Rowsell, NJ.
In the CCI4*-S, Stephanie Goodman and Elwenda DP (pictured), a Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Deanna Briggs, jumped clear in front of a packed crowd to maintain their overnight lead.
“We had a great round,” said Goodman. “That was probably the best she has been in show jumping for our last few shows, or at least I was better this time. She was keen, happy, straight. It was really fun. She didn’t struggle at all.”
Looking ahead to cross-country, Goodman says, “I feel great about the cross-country course. I don’t expect her to make the time. I expect her to be pretty close to time and to be pretty competitive, but I also am not going to make her go faster than she is comfortable with. She has a pretty small step. But I think the ground feels fast, and the jumps look great. I will try to be as efficient as I can and try to make sure she feels confident and comes home safe.”
Karen O’Neal and Clooney 14, owned by Annika Asling, brought down one rail, but retained their second place position. Young rider Gabrielle Shank and her Irish sporthorse gelding Billy delivered a convincing double clear and moved up to third.
“It was a super course,” said Shank. “It was definitely hard. It made you really use your outside rein quite a bit, which I tend to not do enough–I tend to pull my inside rein. But I really liked the course.”
Shank is looking forward to taking on the cross-country course tomorrow. This is Billy’s first attempt at the 4* level.
“I’ve walked the course, and there wasn’t really anything that made me think we couldn’t do it,” she said. “It’s going to test me quite a bit. It will test me again to use my outside rein. I also think I will have to really ride into the second water, and if I ride well, we will be good!”
Amber Birtcil and Orpheus. Photo by Ashley Kemp Photography.
In CCI3*-S Amber Birtcil maintained her overnight lead thanks to a double clear show jumping round, one of only three double clears in the division.
“I thought this was a really good course,” Birtcil said after her ride. “You had to make decisions. He’s quite a long horse, and he has a gigantic stride. It’s always a test of rideability for him. I loved the bending lines because I can use every ounce of my space out there when I need to. It’s also such great atmosphere here, which is why we come up to Aspen Farms. I love it!”
Lauren Billys Shady and Kingston 60. Photo by Ashley Kemp Photography.
In the CCI2*-S there was no movement in the top five positions on the leaderboard after show jumping, with Lauren Billys Shady of California and Kingston 60 holding on to their lead.
“The course was technical,” Billys Shady reflected after completing a clear show jumping round. “It kept me thinking and on my feet the entire time. I really appreciated getting to be able to do it–it was well prepared and appropriate for the level.”
Billys Shady is eager to take on the cross-country test tomorrow.
“I’ve never taken this horse outside of California,” she said. “This is a great challenge for us to travel somewhere new and to compete on grass. The course looks fabulous. The ground is perfect from the rain earlier this week and it’s prepared really well. He’s a very fun horse to ride on cross-country, so I’m looking forward to it!”
Sara Sellmer also show jumped clear to hold onto second place in the CCI2*-S.
“The course was really creative,” said Sellmer. “I loved all the bending lines. The triple bar to start gives you a nice positive go. It was big and square, which for this horse I’m like… ‘bring it on!”
Thinking ahead to cross-country tomorrow, Sellmer shares, “We have been working on going clear. I have been practicing being a bit braver about my galloping fences and trying to work on my system–be a bit more present. He’s just such a good horse. He’s brave. He’s scopey. And it makes me brave, because I know he can jump from anywhere.”
Stephanie Goodman maintained third place overnight in the CCI2*-S with Diranca.
“My horse was a little bit green, so the course rode a little bit harder than I was anticipating,” she said. “But the course is great, the ground is good, the weather is perfect. I had to ride a little bit more forward on a green horse. I think that’s a great experience for him, and it just made him jump harder. Tomorrow I think he will be great. I think it’s going to be a little green going through the trees, and then he’s going to settle in and it’s going to be a blast.”
There was significant movement on the leaderboard in Open Intermediate after show jumping. Paige Dinnie and her Canadian Warmblood gelding Crown Royal moved up from second to first, and Elizabeth Bohling and Monbeg Heatwave Elizabeth moved from fifth to second.
“The course challenged us riders for the level,” Dinnie said after her clear show jumping round. “There were some good questions to get us started, but then we got into the meat of it quite quickly! The bending line to the double had everyone’s attention, and I was also the first horse into the ring so I was a little unsure how a few things would come up, but I’ve had such a good relationship with this horse and I trust him–he’s just the best. I always thought that he would be a horse I would sell someday and buy a ‘real’ horse, but he just keeps telling me he’s the real horse! He’s been such a pleasure.”
Dinnie can’t wait to take on the cross-country course tomorrow.
“I’ve been coming to this event since I was a kid,” shared Dinner. “To see it from the early, early days to now… We thought it was amazing back then, but to see it now it’s just incredible! You know the courses are going to be challenging to the level, but always fair. I feel like the horses come off these courses more confident than they started. For my gelding, he was off all of last year, and this is his first time back at the level. We’re going to go out on cross-country and jump all the jumps and have a good time together–I’m looking forward to it!”
In Open Intermediate Elizabeth Bohling and her Irish Sporthorse Monbeg Heatwave are second, and Marc Grandia and Obligado VD Watermolen, owned by Melissa Jaten, are third.
“The course was windy and spooky,” said Bohling after a clear show jumping round, only their second time competing at Intermediate level. “It was great for me because it challenged me to ride well to everything. He trusted me, and he worked really hard for me! For tomorrow, the cross-country course looks perfect. It has some bigger fences, but I don’t feel like any of the questions are too out of character. It feels straightforward and nice after a tricky Intermediate course at Equestrian Institute Horse Trials. Hopefully it’s a fun run for us tomorrow!”
There was no change to the top three on the leaderboard in Open Preliminary after the show jumping phase, with many clear rounds in the division. Amber Birtcil and Prince of Oolde are currently first, Brynn Josey and Gentle Gallucci are second, and Amber Birtcil and Picasso are third.
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