Wrap-Up: 2014 Colorado Horse Park CCI **/ CCI*, Training and Novice 3-Day, National Horse Trials and Area IX Championships

28th Aug 2014

The Colorado Horse Park is an ideal venue for eventing and the 2014 CCI **/ CCI*, Training and Novice 3-Day, National Horse Trials and Area IX Championships showcased some of the country’s top, talented athletes and horses. The Training and Novice 3-Day divisions were offered in the long format and provided an opportunity for competitors to experience roads and tracks and steeplechase phases. Tiffany Cooke, Stuart Black, James Atkinson, Bonner Carpenter and more had outstanding outings.

Tiffany Cooke and Patent Pending. Photo by Carrie Writh

CCI**

Cooke, a Dallas patent attorney and litigator and her horse Patent Pending earned a 52.80 in dressage, placing them in the lead. Cooke is smiling in a photo taken over a large, solid trakehner on the cross-country and there was reason to smile. The twosome maintained their lead with a clear round. In the show jumping phase, the pair was spot on, leaving all the rails up to handily win the CCI**.

Tiffany Cooke and Patent Pending. Photo by Cristy Cumberworth

“We are headed to AECs,” said Cooke. “I’m riding in the Intermediate there. It was a great weekend and we were happy to have all the support at a great venue.”

Cynthia Wiseman from Miller, Missouri, and her Thoroughbred gelding, Vote Yes were second.

Olivia Cliver and My Mitch. Photo by Cristy Cumberworth

CCI*

Thirteen talented horses and riders made up a very strong and competitive CCI*. Olivia Cliver and her horse, My Mitch scored 45.9 in dressage and led the field though their fantastic cross-country effort, free of additional penalty points. Stuart Black of Weatherford, Texas, and Orin Book’s Tre Du Kernat were in second place after dressage with 49.1 and were clean with good time through cross-country. Cliver and My Mitch had an unfortunate rail in show jumping. Cliver shared that show jumping has not been their strongest phase but had a smooth and well executed round until the triple bar.

“It was really one of our best rounds to date,” Cliver said. “I am super happy with the weekend.”

Stuart Black and Tre Du Kernat. Photo by Carrie Wirth

Stuart Black, a top international eventing rider and trainer and Tre Du Kernat, a chestnut Selle Francais gelding, were in second place going into show jumping. The pair performed a flawless, clear round and moved into the lead to take the division.

“TK is a fancy boy now,” said Black “He’s grown up and muscled up in the short time we’ve had him. He always struck me as an upper level horse. He’s got the mind for it. He’s got the gallop. He’s got the movement for the dressage.”

Black and “TK” Photo by Cristy Cumberworth

Black also won the Training Horse division with Last Dance, owned by Janet Book, maintaining an incredible dressage score of 29.6 and was second in that division with Dee Strand’s Severe Flying .

“I haven’t been to Colorado in over 15 years,” Black said. “I really do like the venue, they do work hard at keeping the footing right. The horses go really well here and it is a nice event, it very professional yet it is really enjoyable, too. The one star division was packed with a lot of lovely horses. They do everything they can to make it the best.”

Amy Dalrymple and Tritons Echo. Photo by Carrie Wirth

Novice 3-Day

Amy Dalrymple of Eagle, Colorado, and her own Tritons Echo were the leaders in dressage in the Training 3-Day. The pair performed their best effort to date and received a 32 from the judges. Dalyrmple had additional penalties in the steeplechase phase of 5.60 for a score of 37.60 going into the show jumping phase. This propelled Sarah Richards from Peyton, Colorado, and her Storm of the Century, a black American Warmblood gelding, to the top spot after the cross country scores were tallied at 34.30.

In show jumping, Richards and her horse had two rails making their score 42.3. In the Novice 3-Day division, only two horse and rider combinations left all the rails intact, Janet Taylor from Fort Worth, Texas, and her own American Paint Horse Zarpazo, earned the blue ribbon with a score of 37 and Dalrymple and Tritons Echo were second with a 37.60.

Janet Taylor and Zarpazo. Photo by Cristy Cumberworth

“I have shirts that say USCTA- I’ve been around,” joked Taylor. “Zar’s 13. I bought him as an unbroken 4-year-old. He’s a good old boy. He takes care of me.”

Training 3-Day

Hayley Clark from Miller, Missouri, and her gray Thoroughbred gelding Bold Impression, led the field after dressage with 33.20 but had 25 time penalty points in roads and tracks phase. Swedish Warmblood gelding Verakai, owned and ridden by Angelika Beutel, a trainer from Longmont, Colorado, slid into first. Their score after a cross-country was 34.70 and a fault-free show jumping round clinched the win of the division. Josie Thompson from Manhattan, Kansas, and Pistol Annie, a Holsteiner owned by Julie Dinel earned second place honors.

Angelika Beutel and Varekai. Photo by Carrie Wirth

“It was the first time I had done the 3-Day,” said Beutel “I loved that we got to school the roads and tracks and steeplechase. They have very nice organizers here. Everyone is professional. It is our favorite horse show. It is a beautiful venue.”

Open Intermediate

Bonner Carpenter from Dallas and her own Basco, a bay Dutch Warmblood gelding were in the lead after cross-country and had an accurate and clear show jumping round earning the pair the win and the victory gallop. Wyoming’s Christian Eagles and her Bugatti accepted the red ribbon.

Bonner Carpenter and Basco. Photo by Cristy Cumberworth

“He was feeling good today – he had a lot of jump left after yesterday,” said Carpenter. “He was supposed to do the two star this weekend but when we decided to go out to California to run a three-star in two weekends, we decided to drop him down to Open Intermediate. Overall, I think it went really well. I really couldn’t ask for it to be much better.”

Open Preliminary

Gold Chip Stables in Weatherford, Texas, had a large group at Colorado Horse Park for the event. Assistant trainer Heather Morris and Mike Huber’s Laker earned 30.9 in the dressage phase but had a stop during cross-country which dropped the pair down to sixth place leading into show jumping.

Heather Morris and Laker. Photo by Carrie Wirth

“This is his first prelim so he just had a green moment,” said Morris. “I’m not worried about it. It’s one of those things that happen when they first move up. It’s not a big deal.”

International rider James Atkinson from Ramona, California, and Landonn II OHF, owned by Dan Michaels took the lead going into the show jumping phase. Atkinson had jumped the horse only once before competing him at this event. He had never flatted him until his dressage test. The pair earned a remarkable 32.2 in dressage maintained through cross-country. With a gorgeous, fault-free show jumping round the duo won the division by 8.2 points. Stuart Black and Silent Glider, owned by Debbie Jenkins took the second spot.

James Atkinson and Landon II OHF. Photo by Cristy Cumberworth

“He’s an awesome rider, isn’t he?” said Michaels about Atkinson. “He’s 10-years-old. I bought him as a yearling. I’ve done everything on him until this moment. It’s pretty cool.”

“He jumped well,” said Atkinson. “He’s pretty exciting. He is a really cool horse. I think we’re going to go forward and get him up to California and do some stuff. He really couldn’t have been any better this weekend.”

Click here for complete results of the Colorado Horse Park CCI ** / CCI*, Training and Novice 3-Day, National Horse Trials and Area IX Championships

The picturesque property, located only minutes from the town of Parker, hosts international equestrian events in multiple disciplines. Visitors enjoy the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountain surroundings and access to miles of trails and open space.  The Colorado Horse Park is committed to supporting equestrian education and amateur athletics, preserving open space, fundraising for local charities and supporting the community.

Visit CHP at: http://coloradohorsepark.com/

Source: Phelps Media Group