It’s All About Time on Cross-Country at the Wellpride AEC

By Amber Heintzberger

The leaders of Advanced, Intermediate and the Preliminary Horse Championships at the Wellpride AEC all lost their leads by adding time faults on cross-country, which was held today at the Pratt’s Wayne Woods Forest Preserve across the street from Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois.

Advanced hopefuls Allison Springer and Arthur added 5.6 faults putting Becky Holder and Courageous Comet into the top position in the Advanced division. Springer is disappointed to have lost the lead but said, “I was just thrilled when I was ahead of Becky after dressage. I really look up to her – she’s fabulous.” Of her horse she said, “I’m really excited about him – he’s only eight now but I’m going to take him to Kentucky and Burghley and Badminton someday, knock on wood. I’m really looking forward to Fair Hill this fall.”

In Intermediate, Nate Chambers of Middleburg, Virginia blazed around on Rolling Stone II to jump from fourth place to first when overnight leader John Williams and Sweepea Dean added 8.4 faults to their dressage score. Rolling Stone, an 11-year-old Hanoverian who was imported from Germany, was Chambers’ partner in placing second in the 2005 AEC Open Preliminary division and that same year claiming the individual gold medal at the NAJYRC, followed by NAJYRC  individual silver in 2007.

Ann Bower and her 2006 Intermediate Adequan USEA Gold Cup Intermediate champion, Rejuvenate, moved up from third to second place, while Lauren Kieffer’s double clear round aboard David O’Connor’s Walk on the Moon paid off, bouncing her from eighth to third place.

In the Preliminary Horse division Darren Chiacchia gave Hanno a conservative ride and racked up 7.6 time faults, dropping to ninth place, giving Justine Dutton on Sharon Cooper’s Samson VIII the opening to take the lead. Hanno won the USEA/Spalding Labs Young Event Horse Series five-year-old championship which was held at Lamplight on Wednesday (and was the four-year-old champion last year).

Jennie Brannigan went double clear on Cooper to maintain the lead in the Preliminary Junior/Young Rider division. She was tied for first with Julie Wolfert after dressage, but Wolfert galloped past Fence 15, a steeplechase fence on the course, and jumped Fence 16 before she realized her error, which resulted in elimination. Second placed Missy Miller had two stops and 14.8 time faults, so Olivia Upham moved up to second riding Robert and Lori Upham’s In Any Event.

Lisa Barry fell off her first ride, Just a Lil’ Bit, in the morning, but took the lead with her second ride, Kenzo de la Roque, on a double clear score.  Duncan MacRae moved up from eighth to second on Flash Point and Tiffany Lunny dropped from second to third on My Tuition with 6.8 time faults.

Seventy-seven horses competed in the Open Beginner Novice championship and Tera MacDonald maintained her lead riding Cheryl Quick’s handsome 17-hand bay Hanoverian/Thoroughbred gelding La Tee Da, who also competed in the Young Event Horse Championships for four-year-olds on Wednesday. The pair had the lowest dressage score of the event, a 19, and was clear and in the time today. Laura Chumley on Neil Sorum’s SNF Maarta also went double clear to stay in second place and Tawn Edwards and Luna held on to third.

All divisions of the Wellpride AEC conclude tomorrow with show jumping.

A Word About our Sponsors

The USEA is thrilled to have a long list of sponsors, including Title Sponsor:  Wellpride; Legacy Sponsors: Amerigo, Bit of Britain, Nutrena, and Saratoga Horseworks; Contributing Sponsors: Adequan, Cover-All Building Systems, and UlcerGard; and Platinum Sponsors: Broadstone Equine Insurance Agency and Pegasus Design Group.

Additional Wellpride AEC sponsors include Gold Level: Charles Owen, Finish Line, Flair Nasal Strips, Fleeceworks, The Fork Stables, Maui Jim Sunglasses, and Ovation; Silver: Auburn Laboratories, Equestrian Classics, FITS, Hi-Tech Horse Jumps, Pegasus Vans and Trailers, Platinum Performance, Rodney Powell, SmartPak Canine, SSG Gloves, and Spalding Labs; Bronze: Fiebing, Mackinnon Ice Horse, and Phoenix Performance Products.  Patron:  Cindy DePorter and Midwest Breeders Group.

Lamplight Equestrian Center sponsors include John Deere, Nutrena, Oros Saddlery, and Windy Hill Acres.

More Info

Go to the USEA Wellpride AEC page for additional information including an extensive photo gallery, audio interviews, and video coverage.  For competition details, visit www.aecatlamplight.org. For more info on the host site, go to www.lamplightequestrian.com.