The Maryland Horse Trials is a great event to prime the horses for the international CIC's and CCI's that are coming up, and to get the training and sales horses out for a run to see how they've come along. This past weekend I competed eight horses on Saturday, four at intermediate, one at prelim and four at training level, and two prelim horses on Sunday.
It was great to be riding Remington, Shatzi and Benwald who are all gearing up for the CCI***-W at Wit's End in Canada next month. Remi went his best ever, winning the OI-A with 34.5. Benwald came a creditable eighth in the same division, his first run since The Fork in April, where he pulled both front shoes on cross-country. He was foot sore after that and we've been playing around with his shoeing and seem to have him back on track.
Shatzi W scored 36.2 to finish sixth in OI-B. I also finished 13th on Select, a catch-ride who belongs to the organizer of the event. She was too busy to ride him and he just flew around for me.
In training level I rode an exciting mare called Sancerre who belongs to Sandra Ranke, a fashion designer for the catwalks of New York City. Sancerre is a gorgeous Dutch/French cross mare who placed second with a 33.7 in her first run at training level.
The rest of the day was spent with three catch-rides that I had never sat on before. Two of them, Zack and Wrandels, belong to my friend Betty Adams, who is ill with shingles right now, so I hopped aboard and spun them around for her. The other horse is Clover Sky, an Irish horse that's just getting established at training level and gave me a great go this weekend.
On Sunday I brought Minotaure du Passoir out for his first run since the Bromont three-day event in Canada and he placed fourth in preliminary A with 39. In Prelim B I rode Double Exposure, a new horse that's in for training and sale. He's a classy seven-year-old Thoroughbred and finished fourth as well on 39.6.
For complete results click here.
Now Silva and I are on vacation for a few days, living it up in Las Vegas, doing a bit of gambling and catching some entertainment before we get back to work on Thursday.
-Boyd
