November 2019 Issue

OUR TH YEAR 3 - PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 280 LANC., PA 17604 Vol. 26 No. 11 (Continued on page 21) November 2019 Inside... Catch up: We recap Dressage at Devon, Plantation Field, Pennsylvania National and the Regional Ranch Horse Championships. Equine-assisted therapeutic program searches for new home … pg. 4 …and much more! Ready or not: Tips for preparing for winter….pgs. 11-17 Erin Sylvester and Paddy the Caddy ended their long history of competing at Fair Hill in style, winning The Dutta Corp./USEF CCI4*-L Eventing National Championship. Joining her in the victory circle was Woods Baugh- man aboard C'est La Vie 135 as The Dutta Corp./USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Champions. Sylvester (Cochranville, PA) and Paddy the Caddy, Frank McEntee's 12-year-old Irish Thoroughbred gelding, rode to the win in the CCI4*-L with a final score of 34.30. In addition to the national championship title, the combination took home the Fair Hill Trophy as the overall winner, the Guy V. Henry Memorial Tro- phy and the United States Eques- trian Team (USET) Foundation Gladstone Trophy, awarded to the highest-placed U.S athlete in the CCI4* and the Beale Wright Morris Memorial Trophy as the highest-placed lady rider. The USEF also provided a The Dutta Corp. flight to Syl- vester. "I'd love to get Paddy to Burghley at some point in time," she said. “He felt a little bit tired, but he has endless heart to do the best he can when he's in the ring," said Sylvester. "It's been my goal to get this event done and done well for a while now. We've hit a few bumps in the road during the season, so it was great to put that all behind us and have a good weekend." With the CCI5* on the hori- zon, Sylvester said, "It's special to have the finish that we've had this year, but I'm honestly going to be really, really sad. I was think- ing about that the whole week- end," said Sylvester. "This was the first two-star that I did a long time ago. I love this event-it's a local event for us. It pulls the whole community together. I'm excited to see what the future holds on the other side of the road." Mia Farley (San Juan, CA) rode away as the Reserve Champion in the CCI4*-L aboard BGS Firecracker, her nine-year- old Irish Sport Horse mare. The young rider scaled the leader- board after each phase to end on a 38.3 and bring home the Markham Trophy, presented to the highest placed U.S. young rider in the CCI4*-L. “Overall I had so much fun all week. I feel incredibly lucky to be here," said Farley. "Coming from California, it's always been a goal of mine to come to Fair Hill and experience the track and I never would've thought that I'd finish as well as I did. I'm lucky to have my horse." Farley also rode in the CCI3*-L and was the recipient of The John H. Fritz Trophy as the National Champion in the USEF Young Rider Eventing National Championship with Fernhill Fine Diamond, Charlotte Zovighian's 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare, with a score of 36.80. This USEF National Championship is awarded in the CCI3*-L to the highest-placed U.S. competitor who is between 16 and 21 years of age during the current com- petition year. Reserve Champion in the Young Rider Division was awarded to Abigail Niles (Sher- born, MA.) and Carrick Finest Lad, her 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. They finished on a score of 38.80. Rounding out the top three in the national four star champi- onship, Jenny Caras (Cartersville, GA) piloted her and the Fernhill Fortitude Syndicate's Fernhill Fortitude, a 15 year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, to an excit- ing third-place finish. The pair sky-rocketed up the leaderboard after a dramatic cross-coun- try phase and a double clear show-jumping round to end on her dressage score of 40.0. Winner of The Dutta Corp./ USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship, Woods Baughman (Lexington, KY) and C'est La Vie 135, the 17.2-hand Hanoverian gelding owned by Kim and Jay Baughman, were the recipients of the USEF Combined Training Trophy. They ended on their dres- sage score of 27.6 and took home the Heartwood Perpetual Trophy, awarded to the overall winner of the CCI3*-L division. "I was so happy when we finally made it over the last rail," said Baughman. "I can breathe for the first time since yesterday. He was a little tired this morning but then I took him out and rode him first thing and he immediate- ly snapped back to and gave me everything he had. When I got on him this afternoon, he was just right there with me and ready to put it down." Finishing her weekend as Reserve Champion in the CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship and third in the CCI3*-L Eventing Three-Day on her dressage score of 29.8, was Caitlin Silliman (Swarth- more, PA) and the eight-year-old Trakehner Ally KGO owned by the McCue Family and Q-Brook Stables. The mare by Hirtentanz *E* competed in the YEH Championships at Fair Hill a few years ago. Longtime Competitor Erin Sylvester Wins Final Fair Hill International Four Star Shown clearing the Springhouse Water obstacle on a beautiful cross country day, sandwiched between a cold, blustery dressage day and a cold, rainy show jumping day, Erin Sylvester and Paddy the Caddy fulfilled a long held goal by winning the final Fair Hill International four star to be run on the current course. Photo credit Shannon Brinkman