Southern Pines

I have this memory from several years back. I’m sitting in a comfortable, warm office chair at Stonehall Farm, David and Karen O'Connor’s Virginia residence. The leather chair is the same warm brown as the wood floors and walls that are the canvas for decades of David and Karen's memories.

Some of these memories are the “Oh s***!!” photographs that we “crazy event riders” take as much pride talking about as the pictures with the blue ribbons. And some of the pictures are championship moments that happen far less frequently than the previously discussed pictures.

Even a quick glance at the results from Poplar Place Farm March and Southern Pines II Horse Trials from this weekend, March 25-27, could send eyebrows skyward—the numbers of cross-country eliminations and retirements alone in Hamilton, Ga., and Raeford, N.C., respectively, were shocking.

Well this weekend was a good one for me at the Southern Pines Horse Trials II as well as for our whole True Prospect Farm crew. The weather was great as well as the competition. It was a good weekend for the sport too, as there were few falls, and everyone came out of the weekend looking good.

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.”