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AEC
Wrap Up
By Amber Heintzberger
The second annual American
Eventing Championships at the Carolina Horse Park wrapped up today with
preliminary, intermediate and advanced championship show jumping over courses
designed by British designer Richard Jeffries. The courses proved technical
enough to change the standings yet rideable enough that several riders at each
level produced double clear rounds.
Three divisions of preliminary
ran in the morning, with all the action centered in the main arena so patrons
and sponsors could enjoy the competition from the main tent while enjoying a
catered brunch and cocktails. The AEC is the national championship for event
riders at all levels from novice to advanced, offering $50,000 in prize money
and $75,000 in prizes.
23-year-old Doug Payne of
Califon, NJ rode his big bay Irish gelding Cornerhouse in a double clear round
that secured the win (31.2) when overnight leader Allison Kelly-Coates, riding
Irish Cavalier, had one rail down and slipped to third place (34.5). The 2004
North American Young Riders Preliminary level gold medalist Nate Chambers, 18,
of Middleburg, VA rode Rolling Stone II to place second on his dressage score of
32.0.
Mark Weissbecker and Birch Hill
Farm’s Top Gallant (31.5) won the Preliminary Horse Championship just a hair in
front of Michael Pollard and Voltaire (31.8). The two had plenty of room for
error after Karen O’Connor on Mr. Ripley (39.5) dropped two rails and traded
places with Pollard to finish third. Weissbecker was also in sixth place on
Swayne in the advanced championship but withdrew from the competition this
morning when the horse trotted out lame with a bruised stifle before shipping to
the competition from their home farm in nearby Southern Pines.
A student at the University of
South Carolina studying International Business, Diana Brown kept her wits about
her to jump clear, allowing her to win the preliminary Jr/YR championship when
overnight leader Caroline Teich on Show of Heart had a disappointing two rails
down, dropping to fourth place (41.5). Lisa Barry on L’Cedric finished second
(39.2) and Lauren Kieffer on Snooze Alarm placed third (40.0).
A Dallas, Texas native, Brown
said that the AEC was her first event without her parents, Gary and Susan there
to help, and she was proud of herself for handling things on her own. She said
that her trainer, Tiffani Loudon-Meetze, was very supportive throughout the
competition. And, she said, “Even though my parents weren’t here, they gave me a
lot of support. My mom called me twenty times a day!”
Intermediate champion Jessica
Kiener also had a support team cheering her on from home. Her husband Matt and
her horse’s owners, Carl and Cassie Segal, tuned in to the live audio cast from
the event via the internet to keep up with the action from their home in
Pottersville, NJ. “They said that when they heard that he went clear on
cross-country, they jumped out of their chairs,” said Kiener.
Her stadium round riding My Boy
Bobby moved her up to first despite one rail down, to finish on 36.9 in front of
Robert Costello on Wild Delight (38.7) and Stuart Black on Fleeceworks Pacific
Storm (39.9).
In the Advanced championship
24-year-old Will Faudree and Antigua had one rail down and finished on 30.30.
Nathalie Bouckaert Pollard also had one rail down to finish on 37.7, followed by
Karen O’Connor and Upstage, again with one rail down on course. Each rider had a
different rail down. Faudree could have afforded one more rail to maintain the
lead.
“I’m glad that this horse has
an opportunity to be in the limelight,” said Faudree. “He has often been
overshadowed by my own inexperience, but words can’t describe how awesome he
is.” |
