Eventer Doug Payne never expected he’d be capping off his season by placing eighth in the $30,000 RMI Grand Prix at the RMI Raleigh Benefit Horse show on Nov. 15 in Raleigh, N.C., but he’s never been one to pass on a nice horse and the opportunity to broaden his skills.

Payne, who brought several more of his lower level eventers to compete at the show, rode Michael Rubin’s Eli to eighth place in the class with just one rail down.

So what was a four-star eventer doing at a grand prix? This winter, Rubin had been looking for a rider for Eli after his previous one didn’t work out, and Payne had recently sold a horse to Rubin’s girlfriend, Justine Wilson.

Rubin offered to let Payne sit on the 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Cisco—Nirvana IV) and the pair clicked. Payne started showing Eli in January.

“You’re never going to turn down that chance, so I went over and hopped on him and jumped a bit,” said Payne, who has competed two other horses in a handful of grand prix classes over the last five years before they were sold.

“For me, [I think] there’s something to be learned [from all disciplines],” he said. “I guess my goal is to be able to show up at a dressage show or event or jumper show and not be tagged as an outsider. You want to be good enough that you can be competitive and make a real shot at it and not just be a one-off fluke. I want to really be able to go and compete and it’s something that’s driven me for quite a while.”

Payne brought one of his former grand prix mounts, Courage, up to the level from his very first jumps with help from top jumper rider Anne Kursinski. After Courage was sold, he’d hoped to find another top jumper.

“In the end, she’s probably the best instructor I’ve ever ridden with hands down, across the board,” he said of Kursinski. “I learned an incredible amount, but at the same time, I was only able to take Courage in a few [grand prix classes], so there’s always been a desire to find a horse that I can campaign and make a legitimate shot at it. This opportunity came along and horses like this don’t come along very often. I think you sort of have to figure out a way to make it work.”

Payne hasn’t been able to get as much help from Kursinski as he’d like since he moved to Apex, N.C., with his wife, Jessica, this year, but he’s been able to take the occasional lesson when he goes to visit his family in New Jersey.

Eli had competed in smaller grand prix classes before Doug took over the ride, and together they’ve racked up consistent results in national-level 1.50-meter grand prix classes and 1.40-meter classes at several shows at Tryon (N.C.) and Princeton (N.J.) this year.

Watch Payne and Eli’s round in the $30,000 RMI Grand Prix…

“He’s actually changed a fair bit through the year,” said Doug. “He’s just getting stronger. I would like to think I’m getting better too, but it takes a little bit to establish a partnership. These last couple of shows it’s finally starting to feel like we’re working on the same team.”

Doug described Eli, who’s 18 hands, as low-key and chilled out, but quick on his feet. “He’s like a big puppy dog basically,” he said. “But even with his massive size, he’s incredibly quick. He’s a kind-natured, slow type but he’s super-sharp.”

Doug enjoys taking Eli and his other low-level jumpers out cross-country schooling over novice sized jumps and even keeps him on a similar gallop conditioning schedule to his training level eventers.

“It’s been really, really helpful because they jump it like it’s a 5’ fence, but they gain confidence, just like any event horse,” he said. “Then the next time they’re in the ring, they just seem a bit more settled.”

A New Outlook

Doug, 32, admitted that he was a bit intimidated when he first dipped his toe into the jumper ring, not knowing the etiquette or unwritten rules, but he’s found a new group of friends and a changed outlook.

“It’s an eye-opening experience for sure,” he said. “I’m probably a lot more picky now with the type of horses that I’ll ride and to what level I’ll take them than I would have been before. The power and the quickness that the really good jumpers have innately is something that I didn’t really know to what extent it was possible. Knowing what’s possible really does change your perspective.”

While the jumps at the advanced level of eventing might look small now, the skills he’s learned are valuable for the horses in his barn at any level.

“Most of these shows that you go to have five rings going at once and it’s a bit of a circus,” he said. “The atmosphere there is much, much bigger than most events you would go to, so I think there’s a huge benefit for the young horses and their development. You don’t necessarily have to run every other weekend at an event if you can take them to Tryon or one of these other bigger facilities. It’s an eye-opening experience for them, so by the time you get to some big stage at an event, it’s not the first time they’ve seen it.”

And since selling his top three-star horse Crown Talisman this year, Doug has found having Eli in the barn to be good practice since he doesn’t have an advanced horse at the moment.

“I’d never envisioned selling Tali, but he did sell,” he said. “At the moment I don’t have another horse going advanced at this second so it’s great to keep your eye. I can take the time now and make the most of it. For me, ridingwise, you’re raising the bar. The window for error is quite small when the jumps get that big. I think the accuracy and the demands of it will only help the other disciplines. The stuff you can get away with at 1.20 meters, you’re not going to get away with at 1.50 meters or above.”

So will he try his hand at hunters now that he’s a jumper convert?

“I’ve done three hunter classes in my life,” he said. “Not to say that if one came along I wouldn’t do it. Jess grew up doing the hunters so she would probably end up stealing the hunter from me!” he joked. “I’m incredibly grateful and [Rubin and Wilson have] been supportive partners in this venture that we’ve got going. It’s been great fun, I really enjoy it.”

Doug Payne also blogs for the Chronicle—you can read all his posts here.