Karen Conk

Tiffani Loudon-Meetze cantered into the show jumping ring at the Ocala Horse Properties CCI** on Lo Fino with a weekend of pressure on her shoulders. After taking an early lead in the dressage, she knew the win was hers to lose if she made any mistakes. The second-placed horse and rider, Leahona Rowland and Lorenzo, had jumped a clear round, and they were ready to move into the lead if any rails fell, but Loudon-Meetze and Lo Fino jumped a beautifully to claim the Ocala Horse Properties Cup and $6,600 in prize money.

Tiffani Loudon-Metze didn’t take any chances when she left the start box today, April 17, at the Florida International Three-Day Event in Ocala. She and Lo Fino blazed around the CCI** course with time to spare to remain in the lead for tomorrow’s show jumping.

While Loudon-Metze took control of the CCI** early in dressage on Friday, she knew she would have to go clean in order to stay on top. Leahona Rowland and Lorenzo III and Danielle Dichting and Tops were hot on their heels in second and third, respectively, and only 5.8 penalty points separated the top five combinations.

Her home country’s rich horse culture helped Tserenbaljir Baatartogtokh prepare for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association.

Tserenbaljir Baatartogtokh had no delusions about her chances of snagging a spot on the Dartmouth College IHSA equestrian team when she first arrived in New Hampshire last fall. “Baljir,” as her American friends now call her, knew her riding résumé was thin. She’d never seen a hunter seat equitation show, attempted a posting trot or even sat on a non-Mongolian horse.

Becky Holder headed into show jumping in second place with Courageous Comet 7 points behind Kim Severson in advanced, division 1, at the Southern Pines Horse Trials II in Raeford, N.C. When she dropped a rail, it looked likely that Severson had the competition all sewn up.

But Tipperary Liadhnan took down an unfortunate three on Marc Donovan’s course, allowing Holder to lead the victory gallop after all.

Kim Severson and Will Faudree had a lot to smile about after they finished Tremaine Cooper’s advanced course at Southern Pines Horse Trials II, in Raeford, N.C. Severson and Tipperary Liadhnan jumped around strong and clear to maintain their dressage lead. Faudree and Pawlow’s fast round moved them up four places to sit on top of the leaderboard in the advanced, division 2.

“I thought it was great,” Severson said of the course. “I thought the question at 11 was hugely substantial. It was a very hard questions for the majority of advanced horses.”

In this monthly series leading up to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in September and October, we watch a different competitor prepare for competition each month.

Tucker Johnson competed in his first international competition in 1987, and now he’s preparing for what he said will be his last—the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

After the WEG, in October, Johnson, a 46-year-old from Hobe Sound, Fla., will be retiring from international four-in-hand competition.

A trip to the Olympic test event as groom for Megan Jones of Australia had an unexpected twist. 

The 11 weeks I spent in Hong Kong in relation to the Olympic Test Event in 2007 turned into a once-in-a-lifetime experience. From the moment I stepped off the plane to welcoming officials who escorted us through customs, to splendid times with the grooms from other teams, through the rain of the actual event—and then nine more weeks looking after the two Australian horses in quarantine—I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

What would you do if you had to prepare a horse for an awards ceremony? You had to braid both the mane and tail, tack up, wrap the legs with white wraps, and help the rider get dressed. And you only had 10 minutes.