FLAIR English
Caroline Martin Hits the Road (and Air)
Posted on Tuesday, June 18th, 2013 at 8:00 am.
Caroline Martin and QUANTUM SOLACE a 2013 Red Hills Horse Trials
The spring events are coming to a close and the summer is about to begin! It just felt like yesterday I was getting ready to bring the horses back into work from their winter vacation! However these past couple of weeks have been extremely successful. Just six weeks ago my young horses did their first one star at the Ocala Horse properties.
Then as a barn we made the trip to my farm in Pennsylvania where Buck (Davidson) and I are based out of till October. The next weekend I did my first CIC*** at Jersey Fresh with TITANIUM which was a fantastic event! Ty gave me a great round the cross-country which have me confidence to take my four other horses all in the FEI just five days later.
Buck and I jumped on a plane immediately after show jumping at Jersey and went down to Georgia where we competed at Chattahochee Hills! My horse CENTER STAGE placed 4th in the CIC* and QUANTUM SOLACE placed 4th in the CIC***! It was an exciting event, to compete all four of my horses in a FEI event. It was something I have never done and it went very successfully! I could have never done it without my coach and everyone who helped me!
But again right after the show Buck and I got on another plan and went to Saumur France where he showed my parents’ horse, THE APPRENTICE in the CCI***! It was a sad moment when Dirk jumped outside of the flags at the corner and got eliminated however the experience I received from that event was irreplaceable!
We returned home with some sadness but as soon as we got home it was time to get ready for Bromont! We headed to Bromont the next Tuesday to get the horses settled in and prepared for the upcoming week! I got to take three up there, CENTER STAGE in the CCI* , PETITE FLOWER in the CCI**, and TITANIUM in the CIC ***. CENTER STAGE received fourth place out of fifty and first for YOUNG RIDERS. TITANIUM also received fourth in the CIC***!
It’s been an exciting season so far but it’s no where near an end. With all these big competitions I still go to the little ones with my younger horses! Just yesterday I took my six year old ROLLERSKATE in the preliminary and she placed 4th! Next week I also head to a local event to take my four year old homebred to a beginner novice!
This is a crazy life style full of adventure but I love every minute of it! Thank you for sponsoring my horses and I! It is your product that keeps my horses and I successful and healthy!!
Many thanks,
Caroline Martin
Paget and Clifton Promise Win Badminton
Posted on Monday, May 6th, 2013 at 2:25 pm.
Jock Paget and Clifton Promise take victory lap at 2013 Badminton Horse Trials.
HSBC FEI Classics™ 2012/2013: Paget’s Promise is fulfilled at Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials
By Kate Green
A new star was born when New Zealander Jock Paget triumphed in an extraordinary climax to the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR), fourth leg of the HSBC FEI Classics™.
Paget, who is the first Badminton debutant to win since fellow Kiwi Mark Todd in 1980, had been at great pains to tell people that he had so far never jumped clear in the finale of a CCI4*. But this time, he and Frances Stead’s Clifton Promise were quietly flawless, as indeed they had been throughout the entire competition in which the spotlight had been focussed on the tussle between Jung, Nicholson and Fox-Pitt.
Jock Paget and Clifton Promis on their way to 2013 win.
Photo by Kit Houghton/FEI
In an almost unbelievable scenario, the usually faultless Michael Jung (GER) and La Biosthetique Sam, leaders after first two phases, hit the very last rail of the competition and dropped to second place.
The Rolex Grand Slam challenge evaporated in a split-second when William Fox-Pitt (GBR) and Parklane Hawk hit the last part of the treble at fence 7 to drop from third to fifth place.
Andrew Nicholson (NZL) had already jumped clear on Nereo to rise one place to third, but when Paget produced his foot-perfect round, Nicholson had to accept that the Grand Slam quest was over for him too.
Nicholson, who has the considerable consolation of extending his lead in the HSBC FEI Classics™, admitted that the dollar signs flashed past his eyes when Fox-Pitt hit a fence. “I certainly saw a lot of money for a moment,” he laughed.
He has now completed Badminton 33 times – more than any other rider – but it was only his second time in the top three. “But I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole weekend,” he said. “It’s been very exciting, which is great for the sport, and great for New Zealand where Eventing has even been getting ahead of the rugby in the news.”
Ironically, Jung, who won his Olympic gold medal thanks to a last-fence error by Sara Algotsson-Ostholt (SWE) at Greenwich Park last summer, has been training Paget during the winter and he was amused by the suggestion that he might have done too good a job. “I’ll be training with Jock now,” he joked.
The German, a popular new face at Badminton, was sporting in defeat. “Sam was jumping with a lot of power and I thought I had a good line to the last, but perhaps I was going too fast,” he said. “I am still very pleased with my second place and to be at my first Badminton.”
Eight nations were represented in the top 12 in one of the most international line-ups seen at any CCI4*, and 65 of the 84 starters completed the competition. There were 20 clear Jumping rounds without time penalties.
Ten years ago, Paget, 29, had not even ridden at an international event. He was an apprentice bricklayer in Sydney, Australia, when he first started riding. “I knew when I came to Badminton that I had two great horses and that I could win, but didn’t actually think I was going to,” said the modest Paget, who was also 14th on Clifton Lush. “Until now, I’d made a few little mistakes at CCI4* level but I kept knocking at the door. When I was a teenager, I watched Badminton on video, but the idea of winning it was certainly a distant dream.” The dream has now become a reality!
HSBC Training Bursary
Sarah Ennis (IRL), who finished 38th on Sugar Brown Babe and won the $1,000 HSBC Training Bursary for the most successful first-time CCI4* completion, has been competing internationally for 20 years but had never been to Badminton before.
In 2012, she was second at Tattersalls CCI3* and was longlisted for the Irish team for the London Olympic Games. She also won the autumn Ballindenisk CIC3* (IRL) on BLM Diamond Dulux and was third on Sugar Brown Babe.
Ennis, 38, lives in Dunboyne, Co Meath, and runs Stellor Sport Horses. She is married and has a three-year-old son.
Sugar Brown Babe, an Irish Sport Horse, is an 11-year-old mare by Porsch, owned and bred by Miriam Murphy.
About the winner
Jonathan Paget (NZL) – known in the sport as Jock – has made a meteoric rise to stardom in Eventing. He only started riding at the age of 18 when he was an apprentice bricklayer in Sydney, Australia, his family having moved from New Zealand in 1986. He started training with Kevin McNab (AUS) in Queensland and progressed from never having jumped a fence to competing at CCI3* level in two years.
After the 2007 equine influenza outbreak in Sydney, Paget returned to New Zealand and started riding Frances Stead’s Clifton horses. His first CCI4* was Kentucky in 2010 where he was finished seventh and was subsequently selected for the Kiwi squad for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in 2010, where he again finished seventh individually on Clifton Promise.
Paget has been based in Dunsfold, in the south of England, working closely with senior New Zealand riders Mark Todd and Andrew Nicholson, since February 2011. He was part of the bronze medal New Zealand team at the London Olympic Games in 2012, finishing 10th on Clifton Promise.
His other CCI4* results include two fifth places at Burghley, in 2011 and 2012, on Clifton Lush, plus sixth at Kentucky and second at Pau last year on Clifton Promise. He is now second on the HSBC FEI Classics™ leaderboard.
Final results
1 Jonathan Paget/Clifton Promise (NZL) 39.7 + 0 + 0 = 39.7
2 Michael Jung/La Biosthetique Sam FBW (GER) 36.0 + 0 + 4 = 40.0
3 Andrew Nicholson/Nereo (NZL) 40.2 + 0 + 0 = 40.2
4 Sandra Auffarth/Opgun Louvo (GER) 41.3 + 1.2 + 0 = 42.5
5 William Fox-Pitt/Parklane Hawk (GBR) 40.0 + 0 + 4 = 44.0
6 Stefano Brecciaroli/Apollo VD Wendi Kurt Hoeve (ITA) 36.8 + 6 + 4 = 46.8
7 Vittoria Panizzon/Borough Pennyz (ITA) 47.3 + 0 + 0 = 47.3
8 Aoife Clark/Master Crusoe (IRL) 45.8 + 0.8 + 1 = 47.6
9 Astier Nicolas/Piaf de B’Neville (FRA) 49.3 + 0 + 0 = 49.3
10 Christopher Burton/Holstein Park Leilani (AUS) 43.0 + 2.4 + 4 = 49.4
11 Andrew Nicholson/Avebury (NZL) 45.0 + 0 + 6 = 51.0
12 Rebecca Howard/Riddle Master (CAN) 51.3 + 0.8 + 0 = 52.1
Full results on www.badminton-horse.co.uk
Watch FEI YouTube interview with Jock Paget: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXojw9-kOMA&feature=youtu.be
FLAIR® NASAL STRIPS ARE BACK IN BLACK!
Posted on Sunday, March 31st, 2013 at 10:28 pm.
Media Contact: Nan Rawlins
nan@flairstrips.com
3-29-2012
For Immediate Release
FLAIR® NASAL STRIPS ARE BACK IN BLACK!
Flair LLC, maker of the FLAIR Equine Nasal Strip, is pleased to announce the return of the Black FLAIR Nasal Strip, and the introduction of the FLAIR Six-Strip Value Pack.
Says FLAIR LLC President Jim Chiapetta DVM JD — Co-inventor of the FLAIR Equine Nasal Strip – “We’re excited to announce the return of the Black FLAIR® Nasal Strip and the FLAIR® Six Strip Value Pack. The reintroduction of the Black Strip to our product line is in response to requests by many horsemen and horsewomen that embraced the original FLAIR product, as well as to new owners, breeders and trainers seeking scientifically proven alternatives to maintain and support equine respiratory health without drugs. ”
Flair LLC also announces a new cost-saving Six Strip Value Pack – in Black. The re-sealable Value Pack keeps FLAIR Strips clean and organized after the package is opened.
Both Black and White FLAIR Nasal Strips continue to provide the outstanding lung protection that horsemen everywhere have come to depend on — gently supporting the nasal passages of the equine athlete at every level of competition.
About FLAIR Nasal Strips: FLAIR® Strips provide drug-free support and protection to the respiratory system of the hard-working equine athlete. FLAIR Strips are clinically proven to: reduce airway resistance, reduce lung stress and EIPH/bleeding, reduce fatigue, and shorten post-exercise recovery time.
For more information about FLAIR Strips and Team FLAIR Eventing, please visit http://flairstrips.com.
Rolex 2013 Ticket Contest
Posted on Thursday, March 21st, 2013 at 6:59 am.
We had 136 qualified entries. Thank-you to all who joined in the fun!
Congratulations to the following winning entries:
(Each entry number below was drawn in order by Random.org‘s random number generator.)
Jess Hill’s #65 entry was drawn for one (1) set of three day passes – FRI, SAT, SUN!
Trish Bosch’s #32 entry was drawn for one (1) set of three day passes – FRI, SAT, SUN!
Tracy McPherson’s #78 Pinterest-shared entry was drawn for one (1) SAT XC Pass!
Courtney Welle’s #66 entry was drawn for one (1) SAT XC Pass!
Britney Hensman’s #50 Twitter-shared entry was drawn for one (1) SAT XC Pass!
Heather Mason’s #129 entry was drawn for one (1) SAT XC Pass!
IMPORTANT: Please respond to the email you will have received from contest@flairstrips.com in order to finalize your entry. If your response is not received by 9am CT (10 ET) Saturday April 6, 2013, your entry will be void and another name will be drawn.
Congratulations! Hope to see you all at Rolex!
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Want a chance to be part of the 2013 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Action — on us? Now’s your chance!! #FLAIRcontest
Flair LLC, maker of FLAIR® Nasal Strips, is giving away two (2) sets of three-day (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) tickets to the 2013 Rolex Kentucky CCI**** Three-Day Event AND four (4) individual Saturday XC tickets!! Rolex Kentucky is North America’s premier eventing competition and we’d like to take six lucky eventing enthusiasts along for the ride.
In addition, each lucky winner will receive a FLAIR cap and a FLAIR Equine Nasal Strip.
To win, simply answer the following question in the comment section below this post:
How will FLAIR Strips protect your Horse?
That’s it! If you don’t have a horse, just say something like “I’d like to go to Rolex with FLAIR“. Contest begins at 7am Central Time, Thursday, March 21, 2013, and ends Friday, April 5, 2013 at 7am Central Time.
Winners will be chosen by a random number generator, and announced here on this page on Friday April 5, 2013 , at 9am Central Time! **Please note: We will draw for the two three-day passes first and then move on to the four cross-country tickets.
**Winner has 24 hours to respond to an email request for contact information from contest@flairstrips.com or another winner will be drawn.
FOUR Chances to win!
Increase your chances to win by spreading the word about our contest on social media:
- Share our contest on your Facebook page and let us know in another comment below.
- Follow @FLAIRstrips on Twitter — and tweet about the @RolexKentucky contest with the hash tag #FLAIRcontest and add another comment below to increase your chances to win!
- Finally, follow FLAIRstrips on Pinterest and pin this page using the hash tag #FLAIRcontest, leaving a final comment below to let us know.
Hurry to enter and spread the word!
Phillip Dutton Wins Pro Tour Series!
Posted on Tuesday, December 4th, 2012 at 9:42 am.
DUTTON WINS PRO TOUR SERIES RIDER LEADERBOARD, AND KRISTIN & JANET SCHMOLZE’S BALLYLAFFIN BRACKEN TOPS THE HAYGAIN HORSE LEADERBOARD
December 4, 2012 – Vero Beach, FL: Phillip Dutton’s commitment to the PRO Tour Series pays off as he caps the season by winning the PRO Tour Series Rider Leaderboard for the third consecutive year. Phillip competed in seven of nine events in the 2012 PRO Tour Series, including a recent West Coast outing at Galway Downs garnering 94 points over Buck Davidson who, despite breaking his collar bone this year, still accrued 59.5 points to finish in second place.
The 2012 PRO Tour Series includes: Southern Pines II Horse Trials Advanced Division, The Fork CIC3*, Bromont Three Day Event CCI3*, The Event at Rebecca Farm Advanced Division, The Millbrook Horse Trials Advanced Division, Plantation Field International CIC3*, Woodside International CIC3*, Dankso Fair Hill International CCI3* and The Galway Downs International Three Day Event CCI3*.
Phillip Dutton will be presented with the Welcome Here Farm Award, which was donated by Nina and Tim Gardiner: “It’s an honor to win this award for the third time,” said Dutton, “the PRO Tour Series has been a great addition to the sport in this country and the level of the events is really beginning to get much better. We’ve had great support from the sponsors of the series and we’ll hopefully continue to build on that in the future.”
Janet & Kristin Schmolze’s 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse, Ballylaffin Bracken by Ricardo Z, topped the 2012 PRO Tour Series HAYGAIN Horse Leaderboard with 36 points, just edging out Sherrie and Randy Martin’s The Apprentice by one point. Janet & Kristin Schmolze will be presented with the Cassandra Segal – My Boy Bobby Award at the PRO Awards Reception on December 7th.
“I’m honored to be riding Ballylaffin Bracken and so excited that he has won the PRO Tour Series HAYGAIN Horse Leaderboard in his first year at the Advanced level!!” said a very excited Kristin Schmolze, “Thank you to all of the sponsors and event venues that have helped make this series a reality.”
HAYGAIN, sponsor of the PRO Tour Horse Leaderboard and Official Hay Steamer of PRO has created revolutionary hay steamer solutions that enhance, protect and care for your horse’s overall health and well-being.
Jennifer Brannigan managed to squeeze out the win over William Coleman in the PRO Tour Series Multi Radiance Medical Itermediate/2* Challenge, which is a new addition to the Series this year. Jennie will be awarded with a Multi Radiance MR4 ACTIVET Laser System at the awards reception.
“I’m so excited, I’ve never won anything like this and I can’t wait to bring it back and use it with my horses,” said Jennie. “I’ve seen Emma using one all year on Phillip’s horses, and they really seem to be responding incredibly well to the treatment, so this is super for me.”
Multi Radiance Medical is the Official Laser Therapy of the Professional Riders Organization. The MR4ACTIVET portable laser system can be used in a variety of treatment modes to keep horses, dogs and humans in top shape.
Phillip Dutton, Janet and Kristin Schmolze, and Jennifer Brannigan will be presented with their awards on December 7th at 6:30 pm at the PRO Awards Reception at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs site of the 2012 USEA Annual Convention. The PRO Awards Reception is open to the public.
For more information on the Professional Riders Organization,
please visit www.professionalriders.org
FLAIR Television Commercial
Posted on Sunday, November 18th, 2012 at 4:20 pm.
FLAIR® Nasal Strips protect the respiratory system of the equine athlete. FLAIR reduces EIPH/bleeding, makes breathing easier which reduces fatigue by helping your horse use less energy to breathe. Breathing easier saves more energy for the muscles, and allows your horse to cool out faster. Learn more at www.flairstrips.com
A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO LIFE AS AN OLYMPIC EVENT RIDER’S WIFE!
Posted on Thursday, October 18th, 2012 at 8:41 am.
As you will remember, there was much disappointment in the Griffiths Eventing Team camp when Sam wasn’t selected for the Games. However, no less than two weeks later, Sam was called by one of the selectors saying that one of the reserve horses had gone lame and would he and Happy come into the Olympic Training Camp as a replacement. Lucy wrote this piece for an article for her old school magazine so we thought we’d share this extract with you all:
“Despite still feeling a little cross with the selectors – being called in as a reserve was an opportunity not to miss. So at the beginning of July I waved Sam and Happy off for two weeks of intensive training with the other team members, only to expect them home again two weeks later when the training camp was over and the team left for Greenwich. Sure enough that day came and Sam and Happy arrived home, trained up, fit and ready to go but having waved the team off from the camp that morning. I had a very deflated husband on my hands and many hugs, cooking of his favourite meals and sayings such as ‘there’s more to life than the Olympics’ ‘it’s only a sport’ etc etc followed!! We went about our daily business and had just got back to life as normal when the phone rang at 5am on the Thursday morning – the day before the Olympic three day event was due to start – it was one of the selectors ringing to say one of the team members had gone lame and they were 99% sure Sam and Happy would be needed in the team but they would call back to confirm at 7am. Well, we tried to get back to sleep but that was hopeless, we sat up in bed, drinking tea and just longing for that phone to ring with good news. Sure enough, the phone rang at 7am and Sam was told he and Happy needed to get up to Greenwhich ASAP! I can’t begin to describe the excitement, panic, packing chaos, phone calls to Sam’s parents in Australia that followed! The girls in the yard got to work packing all Happy’s gear and Sam got his things together. I nipped out to the shops and got some champagne and croissants and we all had a quick Olympic send off breakfast together – a very special time and lovely to have all our hard working girls there to celebrate with us. Waving Sam, Happy and our headgirl off at just after 9am was a very emotional moment and one I will never forget.
As a wife of an Olympic athlete, we do not get accreditation, but we do get tickets to each phase of the event. So the next evening I got on the train to Greenwhich ready for his dressage test the next morning. I managed to see Sam for about 10 minutes that evening before he had to get the shuttle bus to the Athlete’s Village. The next morning, I spoke to him on the phone to wish him luck for his dressage but it all felt very strange as I normally help him in the warm up etc and am much more ‘hands on’. Nevertheless, I was so incredibly proud when he trotted into that amazing Olympic arena and performed a test that took the lead. I couldn’t believe it – my husband, in the lead at the Olympics! I rushed around to the area where they leave the arena and I knew I could get a glimpse of them through the 8 foot wire fencing! Luckily Sam saw me and came over for a hug – everyone was thrilled and tearful! But no time for tears as he was whisked off for a press interview and a drug test! Later that day, Sam was able to come and meet me and we had time to discuss the test, the cross country course for the next day and how everything at home was. It was a brief interlude of normality!
Cross country day dawned and we knew it was a good course for Happy as he has proved himself over much bigger courses over the years. Of course, the atmosphere made it all incredibly nerve wracking but incredibly exciting too! I got into the park very early so as to beat the crowds but it seemed as though everyone had had the same idea and there were just hordes of people heading towards the ticket gates – my hear sank – had I allowed enough time to get in or was the nightmare scenario about to happen and I would be left standing in a queue whilst my husband was tackling the most important event of his career?! My worries were soon dissolved though as the incredibly efficient team of ‘Games Makers’ and the Royal Navy got everyone through security (which, yes, did involve no liquids, aerosols, taking jewellrey off etc) at a very good pace. Once in the park I met up with Sam’s Dad, who had jumped on a plane from Australia as soon as he heard the news, and together we decided where would be our best place to watch him warm up, where would be the best viewing point whilst Sam was on course and where we might just be able to congratulate him at the finish! I had a quick phone call with Sam, wished him luck, told him to go for it and that I knew he could do it. Soon enough, his time came around and off he set…..All was going brilliantly, we had watched him on one of the many big screens negotiating the tough fences and were waiting for him to come into the last section of the course when we heard the commentator say those words I will never forget “ Well, we can see Happy Times, but we can’t see Sam Griffiths on his back” Just ghastly….I started running to the area where I knew Sam was roughly, bashing many unsuspecting spectators out of my way as I went and then I saw Sam covered in grass stains, also trying to fight his way through the crowds to try and find Happy who had long since galloped back to the start box. I was just relieved to see he was in one piece but, as would be expected, Sam was seriously disappointed – they had slipped up on the flat between the fences – just the worst luck and something that could have happened to anyone at anytime but it had to happen to us at the Olympic games. I went with him back to the team area where one of the other riders lent me their accreditation so that I could be with Sam but nothing I, or anyone said, was going to console him at this stage. All those years of work had been thrown away by one slip on a turn – unbelievable. But then you just have to remind yourself that much worse things happen. Sam and the horse were both fine, he was going fantastically well and of course, he is and always will be an Olympian and how many people in the world can say that? At the moment, it all still seems quite ‘raw’ but time is the best healer for these things and having had a taster of that amazing Olympic atmosphere it has made Sam even more hungry to get to Rio and win a medal for his country.
We are back home in Dorset now and I think we are getting our lives back to some degree of normality. It was incredibly touching how many messages of support we had throughout the Games and this in itself is very heartening and motivating for the future. Despite things not quite going or way, it was an amazing and unforgettable experience which I feel so lucky to have been a part of . Yes, it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions and yes, it’s really tough being the one picking up the pieces when things go wrong but I wouldn’t change it for anything and I just can’t wait to see Sam represent his country again. “
ONTO BURGHLEY…..
Posted on Thursday, October 18th, 2012 at 8:38 am.
ONTO BURGHLEY…
So, as you well know, our Olympics didn’t quite go to plan (!) but seeing as both Happy and Sam were unhurt from their slip on the flat and they had only done 7minutes of the course, we decided to re-route Happy to Burghley.
Following a quite couple of weeks after the excitements of the Olympics we got Happy back in work and began prepping him for Burghley. He was very fit and all those pre Olympic training sessions meant that his schooling was ‘tip top’. Arriving at Burghley is always special, it really is one of the best events in the world – not only is the setting stunning but also the atmosphere is so friendly and relaxed. Having got set up on Tuesday evening, Sam and Happy had a dressage session with Gareth Hughes on Wednesday morning and then had their first look around the course after the briefing. The only thing is that no matter how many times you do Burghley, the course never gets any easier and sure enough this year it lived up to it’s full expectations!
Having sailed through the trot up on Wednesday evening, Sam had another session with Gareth on Thursday where they ran through the test and ‘put the polish’ on. Then dressage day dawned and thank goodness this year we had a good draw – you may remember last year we were drawn first to go! So there was much relief when we got a Friday afternoon dressage slot! Following a little loosening up session in the morning, all was set for Sam and Happy to do their stuff! Which indeed they did – scoring a very good mark of 42 and leaving them 9th after dressage – so well in touch.
Onto cross country day and this is when being drawn late in the field suddenly doesn’t seem so appealing as the waiting around for your time is just agonising! You just want to get out there and get on with it. Anyway, Sam is used to this and funnily enough manages to sleep through some of the time! The rest of the time is spent walking the course early in the morning before the crowds build up, giving Happy a little leg stretch and then watching a few on the closed circuit to see how everything is riding. This year, the big issue as well as the enormous jumps was the going – it seemed much more draining than anyone had thought when they had walked it. However, we knew how fit Happy was and he is so light on his feet that we realised this could work in our favour. After what seemed like an eternity it was finally time for Sam to get on board and warm Happy up – this year Happy knew exactly where he was and was very over excited indeed in the warm up and we could hardly get his grease on his legs – he knew what was coming and couldn’t be bothered with all these unneccesary interruptions!! Anyway, greased up and everyone still in one piece we made it up to the start box and off they set. From a supporter’s point of view, the next 11mins 30secs is agony as you frantically watch the screens in the rider’s tent, desperate to see how they are getting on – your heart is racing, you can’t talk to anyone and you are just relieved to see the back of each question as they come thick and fast. However, nobody need have worried as Sam and Happy made it look like clockwork – it really was the most fantastic round and they showed everyone what a class combination they are. Sam came back on an absolute high (as did Happy!) and said he had probably had the best round of his career! Very fitting indeed after the disappointment of London. Happy looked a treat that evening so we had no worries for the next day and we could all get some rest.
As expected, Happy flew through the trot up so we now just had another long wait for the show jumping. There’s always a lot to do on this last day what with packing up etc so the time passed quickly and with some great help from Clayton Fredericks in the always tense show jumping warm up arena it was time for their round. They started off beautifully – Happy was giving the fences a lot of height and staying ‘in his box’. He even cleared the bogey fence – the Royal Mail upright that everyone was having! However, Happy then ‘did a Happy’ and grabbed the bit and rushed through the next three fences clipping each one behind as he went. Gutting! But actually, the show jumping had caused so much trouble that day that those rails weren’t quite as expensive as we thought and they still finished 9th – another top ten finish at what really is the world’s biggest four star! That’s certainly a cause for celebration and makes all our ups and downs of this season melt away. Happy in the meantime, is enjoying the Autumn sun on his back out in the fields. He’ll have a nice long rest and come back into work around December time.
In the meantime, all other business in the Griffiths Eventing Team has to go on and what with the cancellations and the Olympics, there have been a lot of horses eagerly awaiting their turn to get out and party. So life’s been very busy here, we’ve rushing around the one day circuit with the novice horses, trying to get some much need runs and qualifications under their belts and we’ve also been to France to Haras du Pin with three horses. We took Favorit Z to do the CIC** and Real Dancer and Paulank Brockagh to do the CIC*** World Cup. They all went well as this is always a big track with a big atmosphere – Favorit Z, who is still very green, really rose to the challenge of the beefed up two star cross country course and showed he is definitely on course for being a yard star. Then Paulank Brockagh and Real Dancer finished 10th and 14th in the World Cup. A good weekend and always a fun event – this will be a great venue for the World Champs in 2014, not to mention the fact that we always seem to return home with a lorry load of Camembert and Calvados!
This weekend we’ve got a busy time at Gatcombe – some of the novices doing their first CIC* (including Angelo IV – normally Lucy’s ride but Lucy is now 5 months pregnant so has had to temporarily, yes, Sam, temporarily, hand over the reins to Sam….he thinks his owners give him a hard time – wait until he has the wife to answer too! ) and Favorit Z with whom we are trying to qualify for Le Lion D’Angers 7 year old Championships.
Although we are coming to the end of the season, there’s no ‘tailing off’ for us as we still have several one day’s to do and probably Boekelo and Le Lion. We’ll all be in need of a good rest in November! Although nursery painting could well be on the cards for Sam!
To learn more about Sam Griffiths, please visit his website: http://www.samgriffithseventing.co.uk/
FLAIR ANNOUNCES 2ND ED. OF FLAIR EVENTING MASTER CLASS VIDEOS
Posted on Thursday, September 20th, 2012 at 8:21 am.
Media Contact:
Nan Rawlins
pr@flairstrips.com
9-19-2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FLAIR LLC ANNOUNCES THE SECOND EDITION OF FLAIR® EVENTING MASTER CLASS VIDEO SERIES
Flair LLC, maker of the FLAIR® Equine Nasal Strip, is pleased to announce the second edition of the popular FLAIR® Eventing Master Class video series. The 2012 Eventing group of Master Class videos features two-time Olympic gold medalist and coach to some of the other top names in eventing, Phillip Dutton, and company walking four of the most difficult complexes of the 2012 Rolex Kentucky CCI4. Another group FLAIR® Master Class videos features two popular veteran eventers and teachers — Eric Dierks and Ralph Hill — who together take a large group of spectators on an entertaining and informative walk through the entire 2012 RK3DE CCI4* cross-country course.
FLAIR® Media plans to release this new video series weekly, beginning in September 2012, on the FLAIR Nasal Strips website, and will announce the release of each new video on FLAIR’s Facebook page and through @FLAIRstrips on Twitter. You may also find a complete listing of all FLAIR Master Class videos on FLAIR’s Pinterest Master Class Video Pin Board.
About FLAIR Nasal Strips: FLAIR® Strips provide drug-free support and protection to the respiratory system of the hard-working equine athlete. FLAIR Strips are proven to: reduce airway resistance, reduce lung stress and bleeding, reduce fatigue, and shorten post-exercise recovery time.
For more information about FLAIR Strips, please visit http://flairstrips.com
For more information about Phillip Dutton and Phillip Dutton Eventing, please visit http://phillipdutton.com.
For more information about Eric Dierks, please visit http://ericdierks.com/
For more information about Ralph Hill, please visit his website — which is currently under construction.
AEC Top Honors Go To Holder
Posted on Monday, September 10th, 2012 at 8:33 am.
Becky Holder and Courageous Comet (Hannah Bennett/USEA Photo)
USEF National Advanced Horse Trials Championship Honors Go to Holder and Courageous Comet
By Kathleen Landwehr
Fairburn, GA – The Merial Advanced division at the Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Bit of Britain wrapped up today with the show jumping phase at Chattahoochee Hills. Mark Donovan’s tough course had riders incurring numerous jump and time penalties with just five double clear rounds in the division. Becky Holder (Palmetto, GA) and Courageous Comet had one rail down but held onto their lead to win the Merial Advanced division held in conjunction with the USEF National Advanced Horse Trials Championship with a score of 27.7. Holder had a stellar weekend with her and husband Tom Holder’s 16-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, taking top honors at this year’s Championship as they did in 2010 Land Rover USEA American Eventing Championships.
It was a fitting way to end Courageous Comet’s illustrious career as Holder confirmed this was his last upper-level competition. The crowd went wild as Holder and “Comet” crossed the finish line winning the Championship and bringing a very special partnership to a close.
“He (Comet) deserves this. I believe now and have believed for a long time he is the best in his sport,” Holder said. “I appreciate the grooms, vets, trainers, selectors, USEF High Performance Committee, and everyone who has been part of shaping his career. Thanks to all the fans and to those at the Kentucky Horse Park, many of our most memorable moments were on that course and in that stadium.”
Finishing in second place were Laine Ashker (Richmond, VA) and Anthony Patch, her 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. The pair was able to finish on their dressage score of 32.4, the only pair to do so in the division, after having one of the few double clear stadium rounds of the day.
Hannah Sue Burnett (The Plains, VA) rode her 2011 Pan American Games mount Harbour Pilot to a third place finish. She had a great weekend with Jacqueline Mars’ nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding moving up from seventh after cross country with a double clear stadium round to take third place honors with their final score of 38.8.
View the results here.
For more information about the event, click here.
