Nathalie Bouckaert-Pollard and West Farthing overtook the lead with one of nine rides inside the time at the Fair Hill CCI***, Oct. 15 in Fair Hill, Md. Will Faudree moved into second place with Antigua with one of the day’s clear rounds, and dressage leader Robyn Fisher stands third with Le Samurai after incurring just 4.4 time penalties.
Of the 63 starters, 49 finished, with nine inside the time and 30 rounds with no jumping penalties. “The course caused a lot more problems than I thought it was going to,” said Bouckaert-Pollard. “I was down on all my minute markers. I was down at 8 minutes and then up [on the time] at 9 minutes, so I let off a little after 9, and then I had to really go after the last fence.”
Bouckaert-Pollard was thrilled with her 12-year-old English Thoroughbred. “He jumped all the combinations looking for the next fence,” she said. “It went smoother than ever. He’s getting more rideable, and I’m getting better, thank god. He just goes and goes and never gives up.”
Faudree and Antigua completed the Badminton CCI**** (England) this spring, and Faudree said the course at Fair Hill couldn’t have been more different. “This is the course of the future,” he said. “Badminton was more big and gallopy-there were only five jumps in the first 3 minutes. Here there were 13 jumps in the first 3 minutes. You had to be right on your game coming out of the box. He was strong in the beginning, and I felt I couldn’t get a rhythm.”
Faudree, of Southern Pines, N.C., did have a scary moment, at the double corners at fences 22AB. “I wanted to angle the second one, but as I jumped the first, I saw that the white flag wasn’t there, so I didn’t want to angle it then. I ended up turning him in the air, and he hung a leg. I was around his neck, and we went through the ropes,” he said with a laugh. But he still managed to re-group and finish inside the time.
Fisher, who didn’t complete at Rolex Kentucky this spring or Luhmuhlen CCI**** (Germany) this summer, has benefited from three weeks of training with Phillip Dutton, who told her to just let her horse run. “I had to kick him for the first time,” she said with a smile. “The terrain tired him and made him more rideable, and Phillip gave me the confidence to let him go. He told me the more I try to hold him, the feistier he’s going to get.”
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Buck Davidson made the time look easy as he guided Hyperlite around as the first horse on course. But then the next two riders—Holly Johnson and Sara Davis—retired on the first part of the course, and then Corinne Ashton retired Dobbin after falling off at fence 16, the Toll House set on an angle at the top of a hill.
In addition to Bouckaert-Pollard and Faudree, Phillip Dutton with Hannigan (standing in fourth), Karen O’Connor and Upstage (fifth), and Davidson and Hyperlite (sixth) also made the time. Holly Hepp and Clark Montgomery rode easily inside the time with Damien and Falcon Flight, as did Julia Steinberg and Mr. Big and Kristen Bond and Blackout.
The problems were well-spread around the course. Emilee Libby fell from Cahir at fence 24, Wayne’s Walls and retired and didn’t return to ride Special Excursion later in the afternoon. Michael Pollard also retired The Boomer after two stops at the Loon at fence 18. Lesley Grant also retired at the Loons after a fall of horse and rider, and Hilda Donahue retired when she and Squire’s Cap fell at fence 24. Mark Nelson and Power Of 2 fell at the turtle at fence 5B, and the canoe before, at fence 5A, caught Bruce Davidson and Little Tricky as Davidson came off there after Little Tricky hit the fence hard. Melissa Hunsberger retired after falling from Just Fun Stuff after fence 21, an oxer on the back part of the course. Ralph Holstein also parted company from Arctic Dancer at the final water, fence 26AB, and Laura VanderVliet fell from Topspin at the Loons, as well.
“The conditions were ideal—it was clear, with amazing footing,” said course designer Derek di Grazia. “If the riders maintained their concentration and plan, they had the ride they wanted.”
He thought that removing a loop on the back part of the course—which he was able to do since FEI rules allowed the courses to be shorter this year—allowed the horses to finish fresher, as well as helping more horses finish inside the time.
