September 25, 2006

2006 Wellpride American Eventing Championships Wrap-Up

By Amber Heintzberger

Kristin Bachman almost met her goal of a clear show jumping round today at the 2006 Wellpride American Eventing Championships at the Carolina Horse Park in Raeford, North Carolina. But even with one rail down, she and Gryffindor finished on 37.3 penalties, well ahead of Mara Dean on Nicki Henley with 51.60, to win the 2006 Wellpride AEC Advanced division.

Bachman took home practically a trailer full of prizes, including $4,000 in prize money from the USEA, an additional $1,000 Suncoast Bonus from Suncoast Bedding, an Amerigo saddle, a $600 gift certificate and cooler from Saratoga Horseworks, a Mountain Horse jacket, pair of Maui Jim sunglasses, Adequan, $300 Bit of Britain gift certificate, pair of SSG Gloves, jump standards from Hi-Tech Horse Jumps, a grooming tote with Wellpride and Omega Cure from title sponsor Wellpride, an UlcerGard 4-pack, and a pair of Blundstone boots for her groom.

“There were some big fences out there,” she said. “You had to think about the course and really ride it.”

Bachman, 34, relocated from Redmond, Washington to The Plains, Virginia earlier this year to train with Jan Byyny and Mara Dean. Her win validates her choice and proves that she is making progress in her riding. “This obviously means we’re going in the right direction and putting it all together,” she said. It should give her a big confidence boost as she prepares to compete at the CCI*** at Fair Hill later this fall.

Young Rider Loreen Kay placed third overall and Emma Winter of Newnan, Georgia placed fourth on Mahogany Chief.

It is an ongoing concern in eventing that the lower levels be challenging enough in the jumping phases that it doesn’t become a dressage competition. Marc Donovan’s show jumping course consisted of a lot of related distances and lacked the technical, twisting style of many of today’s courses. It didn’t cause a lot of problems for competitors, but in the end it was influential in the final placings.

In the Open Training division the win came down to a rail, and since the leaders were tied, Susan Wainwright’s clear round really put the pressure on Susan Reynolds to leave all the rails in their cups. In the end Reynolds knocked the front rail off an oxer and Wainwright, from Pike Road, Alabama, was victorious.

Riding a homebred Irish Sport Horse named Hunter, Wainwright finished on her dressage score of 29.2. A former advanced level competitor, she has taken time off from the upper levels to focus on raising her 16-year-old son Sam with her husband, Sam Sr.

Coming into show jumping today, Reynolds commented, “I asked God to just give me peace and let me do my best – now that it’s over, I can’t stop shaking! I am so overwhelmed.” Reynolds said that she couldn’t have done it without the support of her barn manager and husband.

The Training Horse division in particular kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. About a third of the division had rails down, and with all the placings separated by fractions of a point, those rails could be expensive. Kelli Temple and Karen Mahaffey found out just how expensive, in fact, when they each had one rail down, altering their placings.

Local trainer Holly Hepp of Southern Pines benefited from the leaders’ errors and won the Training Horse division riding her own eight-year-old Thoroughbred Ladyslipper, a sale project that she purchased a year ago. An unraced Thoroughbred by Mohiba out of a Babamist mare, Ladyslipper had already won three training level events this year.

“She’s a quirky mare and I’ve figured out how to get the best out of her,” said Hepp. “Now she has a lot of mileage and is ready to go to a good Amateur or Young Rider.”

“This park is fantastic,” said Hepp, who added that she liked the changes to this year’s cross-country course. “The course had skinnies and corners and turning questions,” she explained. “I think the direct lines in show jumping were good practice for the eventers too – it made you come in and sit still.”

Hepp also placed second in the Novice Horse division on Icewine, a horse that also placed second in that division last year with Bobby Stevenson in the irons.

The weather was again quite hot today, but dark clouds hung over the Horse Park. The short downpour held off until the end of the Training Junior/Young Rider division awards ceremony, sending riders back to the barn happily clutching their new ribbons.

In the Training Junior/Young Rider division 15-year-old Brook Harlow of Concord, Massachusetts kept her cool as she piloted Fibber Magee around to finish on their dressage score of 32.6. Thirteen-year-old Retsy Holliday, one of the youngest competitors at the Wellpride AEC, finished second, less than two points behind, while Kaitlin Spurlock moved up from sixth to finish third.

Harlow bought the Fibber Magee from Jessica Moore in February and they have moved up to Preliminary already, which she said gave her a lot of confidence competing at the Training championships.

Harlow’s parents flew down today to watch her compete, but didn’t tell their daughter that they were at the Horse Park because she gets nervous when they watch her compete. They were there to congratulate her when she walked out of the ring.

“My heart was in my throat watching her, but we wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” said her mom, Amy Harlow.

“Brooke’s worked hard and followed the program,” said coach Karen Lorenzo. “She’s had a great season.”

PHOTO CAPTION: Kristin Bachman and Gryffindor pose with from left to right: Dr. Anne-Marie Chalmers, co-owner of Wellpride, the AEC’s new title sponsor; USEA Chairman of the Board, Kyra Stuart; Shealagh Costello of the U.S. Equestrian Federation, Event organizer Lefreda Williams; Clark Davis from longtime sponsor, Amerigo Saddles; USEA CEO, Jo Whitehouse; Arete trophy presenter, Colleen Hofstetter; and Dean Hill of Suncoast Bedding. Photo Credit: Amber Heintzberger.