Friday, August 21, 2009

Notes from the Saugerties CDI

Last weekend Silva competed at the Saugerties CDI in New York:

Saugerties was a very good weekend for everybody but Jeff, who, just like the past two years, was terrified of the arena. He warmed up beautifully on all three days but as soon as he got in the arena to perform the test he did not listen to me one little bit. Anyway, I am not that upset about it anymore - I am looking forward to Devon and hope he will be better there.

Sea Lord was a star. He did his second show at PSG and finished reserve champion overall. I am so very exited about him. He is a real competitor.

Concorde also had his second show at PSG. He was third on the first day and fourth on the second. Very good effort!!

Comet did his first show at Fourth level and tried his heart out for me. We had a few little bobbles but still finished second,third and second!

-Silva

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Happy 30th Birthday Boyd!



Then....

Photo courtesy of Ross and Toy Martin


and now!


Photo courtesy of Kat Netzler for The Chronicle of the Horse



Tuesday, August 18, 2009

PRO Press Release: Waredaca Horse Trials

PRESS RELEASE:

PROFESSIONAL RIDERS ORGANIZATION FINISHES FIRST AT WAREDACA HORSE TRIALS


Laytonsville, M.D.: Members of the Professional Riders Organization took top honors at the Waredaca Horse Trials in Maryland this weekend, with PRO riders winning six divisions. In a crowded field of competitors, PRO founder Phillip Dutton walked away with first, second and third place finishes in Open Intermediate.

Dutton is currently ranked second in the nation behind fellow PRO founder Buck Davidson. Boyd Martin, a PRO board member who also competed at Waredaca, is ranked third. Overall, the top five American riders are either PRO founders or members of its board.

In its 30th year of competition, the Waredaca Horse Trials host three USEF-sanctioned events annually. Owned by Gretchen and Robert Butts, Waredaca draws competitors from across the nation to compete on more than 200 acres in the heart of Maryland.

PRO riders' wins at Waredaca included:

Phillip Dutton with Wild Tiger in Open Intermediate,
Phillip Dutton with Vidalia in Open Preliminary A,
Ryan Wood with Balmoral Mighty Legend in Open Preliminary C,
Sinead Halpin with Sir Bally Patrick Ricardo in Novice Horse B,
Boyd Martin with Lillian Pink in Open Novice,
and Boyd Martin with Little Miss Sunshine in Open Beginner Novice.

Other PRO members who competed at Waredaca include Jennifer Brannigan, Caroline Lendl, Hillary Moses, Bonnie Mosser, Katie Ruppel, Kristin Schmolze, Jennifer Simmons, Allison Springer, Erin Sylvester, Laura VanderVliet, Danny Warrington, Julia Wendell and Sharon White.

PRO was formed in 2009 by a leading group of professional riders who felt they had a special obligation to and interest in strengthening the sport of eventing. In addition to representing the goals and objectives of professional riders, PRO is also dedicated to elevating the level of competition, contributing to ongoing rider education, improving the standards of competition and promoting safety while working to attract new fans, sponsors and participants.

Though formed with professional riders in mind, PRO works with the eventing community to increase spectators' involvement. As eventing grows in popularity, PRO works with both current and prospective fans to raise its profile to that of more mainstream, high profile sports. Through partnership with sponsors and spectators, PRO works to make eventing more exciting and dynamic as it continues to evolve.

Following his successful finishes at Waredaca, Dutton will head to England to compete at the Burghley Horse Trials CCI**** with Tru Luck.
For more information on PRO, please visit www.professionalriders.org.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Highlights from Boyd's Clinic at White North Stable, Cleveland Ohio

"Wednesday was our first day, and a constant drizzle ruled the day...welcome to Cleveland! The dressage was enlightening, and everyone enjoyed their spiral circles, leg yields, and shoulder in work. The treat of the day was watching Boyd ride a rambunctious young German import (belonging to Kelly Walker) in a very forward manner, and then bring him back to a fabulous trot & canter.


Thursday dawned a beautiful sunny morning and stadium jumping commenced with Sarah Grice and her lovely Thoroughbred Solitaire. They were impeccably turned out everyday, and subsequently won the award for Best Turn Out. Boyd set a great exercise consisting of turns in both directions to bounces, as well as a variety of other combinations to enhance rider accuracy and the horse's jumping technique. Everyone was all smiles and couldn't stop talking about how much confidence Boyd gave them to go the extra step.

Our final day was the most fun of course; cross country schooling at South Farm, in Middlefield! The rain threatened us, but gave way to a gorgeous afternoon. Man thanks go to Sarah Greer and Chris Gable (the owners) for hosting us all day, and moving many portables and making various other arrangements so that the course was perfect for all levels. Everyone had a safe and educational time as we worked on galloping position, ditches, banks, water, and corners. Kim McConnell and her horse Middleburg were the crowd favorite as they tackled their first cross country school like total pros, and won the most Improved Rider Award. The horses had a ball and all the participants were beaming from ear to ear.

Boyd had a keen eye for assessing exactly what each horse and rider needed to accomplish in the three days. All the participants raved about how much they learned, how their confidence had grown, and how their horses showed much improvement. Thanks to Boyd for working with such a large variety of riders and horses, and making the clinic a huge success. We cant wait for him to come help us all again!"