Jenn, Caiden, and I just returned home from the annual meeting in Scottsdale Arizona.  Over all I thought it was a very productive meeting with alot of good discussion regarding the direction of our sport.  The PHC has been working very hard this past year trying to find a way to revitalize the rider representative program.  We put a rule change proposal forward that I feel very confident will do just that.  It was met with some concern from officials and organizers as to the additional burden it may place on these two groups.  After some great discussions and a few changes to the wording I think we have a great new rule that will help us be able to utilize the rider rep program better. 

Alright enough about the boring "rule" stuff.  The hot topic coming out of this years meeting was the infamous Oliver Townend speech.  I must say that Oliver was exceptionally funny.  It was like going to a "Chris Rock does Eventing" lecture.  The problem is, that it was presented as the keynote speech at the USEA annual meeting.  In my opinion, the keynote speaker for this meeting is supposed to someone who is either educational or motivational.  Being entertaining is obviously a must, but this speech was over the top.  At the forty minute mark I had heard enough and I walked out of the room.  I have never left in the middle of speech like that before, but I couldn't handle the embarrassment anymore.  I appreciate Oliver's honesty about who he is and how he got to where he is.  I just don't think we as the USEA should be holding him up as an example of how hard work and determination get you to the top.  The reality is that I came out of the room thinking how a fowl mouth, and poor business ethics don't stop you from getting to the top.  I remember being told once to be nice to people on the way up, because you're going to see them on the way back down.  I hope Oliver learns this lesson soon.

We have returned home from the CCI** and CIC* at Chattahoochee Hills.  The weather could not have been better and it produced some of the best footing we have had all year.  Dressage day was good and all the CCI** horses put in decent tests.  Baco scored a 54.70 with his usual workman like performance.  Safdie was a little stiff and came in on a 57.50.  She is really coming along and I expect this phase to continue to improve.  Lexi Scovil also had her little jumping bean Laugh Out Loud entered and scored a 59.20 on the first day

Saturday began with an early morning start in the Chattahoochee River fog.  This was truly the only disruption to the entire weekend.  The officials tried to force us to start in what was in my opinion a blinding fog.  The competitors got together and refused to start until the fog cleared.  After some tense conversations we started with a fifteen minute delay.  The course rode great.  All three of the horses had double clear rounds and came off the course better and more educated animals. 

Sunday morning all of the horses jogged beautifuly for the ground jury.  The show jumping course was designed by Mark Donovan and was brilliantly presented as usual.  Safdie was first in the ring in our group, and put in a stellar round.  She did have one rail down jumping into the in and out, but all in all she jumped very well.  Lexi and Ruby were the next in.  After a less than fantastic warmup, the pair put in a great double clear round.  There were a couple of "breath taking" jumps, but all in all they looked fantastic all weekend.  Baco was our final horse in the ring.  I have to say that he really tried his heart out.  I probably could have ridden him a little better in a few spots on the course.  Unfortunately, this meant that we came out with three rails down.  That was a bit of a let down considering we moved down from fourth to tenth place.  The great news is that all three of these horses are right on track to be running advanced in the early spring.

While all of this was going on, Downtown Harrison was putting in his usual fantastic performance.  He made his FEI debut in the CIC* division.  "Will" won the dressage by 10 points.  Not too bad for a six year old.  On Saturday he smoked around the cross country course to gain another few points on the second place horse and lead by almost 16 points.  Will finished up on Sunday with a double clear round in the show jumping and won by nearly 20 points.  It was great fun to ride him and I must say I was very proud to hear what I hope is not our last national anthem played because he won.  I look forward to every ride on him.

    Well it seems like everyone has an opinion right now, so I thought I would use my blog to "vent" mine.  First, let me say that I am truly proud of my friends and Countrymen at the WEG.  I wish it had gone better, but sometimes no matter how bad you want it to work, it simply doesn't.  In my opinion the problem is not with our riders or horses.  I get so tired of hearing how much better the Europeans are than the North Americans.  If that's the case then why were the US and Canada in silver and bronze on Saturday night?  It's not a dressage competition and every team has strengths and weaknesses.       

    So where is the problem for us?  In my opinion, the problem is in the program.  Mark Phillips is a great coach.  I have been fortunate enough to ride with him on several occasions and have learned a lot from him.  The problem is simply accessibility.  Mark lives in England.  No matter how much he travels he simply is not accessible enough to keep the team horses and riders sharp and improving all year long.  Now try to imagine how much time can be dedicated to the developing riders.  Riders that are first timers and do get the honor of being on the developing rider list get maybe two training sessions a year.  Seriously, I am not joking, TWO.  How is that a program?  We need some sort of US based coach, or at least a developing coach who can funnel the talented pairs up the ladder to to the team coach.  I really believe this is a huge problem that must be addressed before we get a deep team of horses and riders to choose from.  I truly hope that before we choose our next coach we take a long look at how accessible he or she will be, and maybe take the crazy step of hiring an American who could actually be at the shows on a regular basis.  Again, no disrespect to Mark, he is super, but the US needs more help at the base.  A truly competitive team must be strong from the bottom up.

We have returned home from Poplar Place Horse Trials.  It was another long hot summer weekend, but as always we had a great time.  Holling Eventing sent six horses to the competition.  Safdie was first to go in the Advanced division.  This being her advanced I was very excited to see what she is made of.  She put in a respectable dressage test and finished in sixth place.  On cross country day Safdie was her usual excited self and felt up to the challenge.  She came out of the box a little wild and ran me up under the first two jumps.  At third fence Safdie spooked at the huge brush and had a silly stop.  While I was disappointed I have to say after we got it done, she jumped around the rest of the track like a seasoned advanced horse.  It was really cool to feel her get more and more confident as the course went on.  On Sunday Safdie went into the show jumping arena and put in her usual fault free round.  Overall she had a decent first advanced and I am really excited to see how she progresses at the level.

Jos Baco was in the Intermediate and put in his usual workmanlike performance for a great weekend finishing in sixth place.  Downtown Harrison put in what is almost becoming his standard world class performance to handily win the Preliminary division.  Next out was Kompass who is really starting to mature.  He put in a great dressage test and two solid jumping rounds to finish in fourth place.

Lexi Scovil had her super mare Laugh Out Loud entered in the CIC**.  Lexi and "Ruby" put in a good dressage test to start the weekend in fifth place.  On cross country morning I must say that Lexi looked like she was wondering if running as fast as she could at solid fences while being literally strapped to her horse was a good idea.  Once she left the box the butterflies went away and Lexi and "Ruby" looked the great cross country team I knew they were.  Show jumping was no problem for them and they finished double clear in fourth place.  As reward for all that great riding, Lexi flew home to beautiful sunny Milwaukee to have her wisdom teeth yanked out of her head.  On a good note she took my advise and chose laughing gas.  It really is amazing how funny a man who has a drill and a hammer wedged in your mouth can be.

Now we have a break in our schedule until we head up to Chattahoochee Hills for the CCI**.  We will be attending several schooling shows in the mean time and I will do my best to keep you posted on those results.

We just returned home from a very long drive from Waredaca Horse Trials in Maryland.  There is just no way to make that trip a quick one.  Having said that it was well worth the trip.  The weather could not have been better and the cross country footing was fantastic.  The weekend started with Safdie and Baco in the intermediate division.  Both horses put in good dressage tests and were in a good placing after the first phase.  Safdie put in her typically fantastic show jumping round and came out of the ring with another double clear.  Baco was also great, and finished show jumping with one unlucky rail.  Most exciting was that both horses were great cross country.  Baco will upgrade to Advanced in three weeks at Five Points Horse Trials in Southern Pines.  Safdie will run one more Intermediate before she upgrades as well. 

Kosmo is developing nicely as well.  He was a little tense in the dressage, but he did put in two great jumping rounds adding just four penalties to his score.

Downtown Harrison was probably the highlight of the weekend.  He started with an exceptional dressage test and was in first place on a 21.  Show jumping was super also and we were able to post a double clear coming out of the ring.  Cross country was a lot of fun, and he definitely finished a better horse than he started.  We were a little slower than I would have liked and ended up with some time penalties.  Overall I was very pleased with all of the horses this weekend.   

Sundays Cross country day was an exceptionally exciting one.  Due to the lack of preparation of the site, the course had to become a derby type track.  Our first rider out was Michelle "Paris" Romero.  Michelle rode her heart out and truly looked the part.  She stepped up and made it happen.  Unfortunately as she crossed the finish line Michelle had a heart breaking reality hit her.  She had missed the 16th fence.  This really was too bad as it was only a simple galloping jump.  This meant that Tony "Gonzo" Hatcher had to jump a conservative clear round to ensure a chance at a team finish.  As usual Tony delivered the goods.  He gave Domestic Dispute a picture perfect ride around the course and kept Puerto Rico's hopes alive.  Next out was the youngest rider on the team Andres Espinet.  Andres left with the same mission for a clear steady round.  Unfortunately, Andres ran into trouble early and was eliminated at the sixth fence.  I am confident that Andres will be back representing his country in the future.  This meant that we had no team left to finish.  The super star Mark Watring was our last to go.  Mark left the box to a huge roar from the home town crowd.  Brilliant was just that over the first five fences.  The corners at jump six were just a little tricky and Mark had an uncharacteristic twenty penalties.  Being the true professional he is, Mark pick it up from there and galloped around the rest of the track flawlessly.

Today was an exciting show jumping round.  Mark was first in of our group and showed everyone why he is a gold medalist.  He jumped a clear steady round.  Tony was our top hope, and rode like the star we all know he is.  Although he was on an exceptionally tired horse Tony piloted Brian around the track better than ever.  Unfortunately he came out with three down, but I expect big things in the future from this team.  This had Tony and Brian finishing in eigth.  I have to say that although I envisioned a better outcome for this team, I am exceptionally proud of every member of the squad.  They all came from different places and programs, but they all worked as a team.  Thanks for letting me be a part guys, I was honored to do it.

Today was a truly exciting day for team Puerto Rico here in San Juan.  We started the competition with Michelle "Paris" Romero in the number one spot.  The strategy was to send a message to the judges that we were a force to be reckoned with.  Michelle and Picadilly delivered.  They put in their best test to date and scored a 44.  This mark held up through the day.  Our second rider out was Tony Hatcher.  Tony out in a text book ride and scored a 52.2.  Although Domestic Dispute was a little tense in spots, Tony did a professional job squeaking out every possible mark.  Our third rider was the young Andres Espinet.  Andres did a good job and showed why he was put on the team.  At 17 years old he did a great job handling the pressure and scored a respectable 61.2.  Our final rider was Puerto Rico's golden boy Mark Watring.  Having made a comeback to eventing, the team was counting on Mark's years of experience to anchor our very young squad.  Mark delivered a superb test and solidified the lead with a 50.4  Tomorrow is cross country day and I expect it to be very influential.  The site has not been prepared well so the footing is going to be a major issue.  It has made a fairly kind course into a very tough track.

I am presently recovering from another day of non-stop rain here in San Juan Puerto Rico.  I am coaching Tony Hatcher and Michelle Romero in the Central American Games.  Both horse and rider combinations look ready to put in a great weekend.  Today we were able to work in the competition arena for thirty minutes.  It was a big help to be able to get into the ring as both horses were a little spooky.  By the end however, they looked super and right on track.  Tomorrow morning at 7:30 am is the first horse inspection for the three day eventing competition.  I will keep you posted on their progress right here on the Holling Eventing Blog.  To say that the site is behind on it's preparation is an understatement.  While the weather has not been helpful, things have been left too long and therefore it will be tough for the course designer to put together a fair and safe course.  I will reserve my judgement on the course until I see what the renowned course designer Mr. Jose Ortelli presents the competitors with. I am sure he will do a fantastic job with the tools he has at his disposal.   

Well here I sit in what is feeling more like home every weekend, the Orlando International Airport.  Since it looks like my flight will probably be late I thought it would be a good opportunity to update the journal.  Holling Eventing's most recent competition was at Chattahoochee Hills, here after known as Chatt, and what a fun weekend it was.  Carl and his team have done an incredible job in very short notice to put together a world class site.  The horses I rode were all super.  Kompass was competing in the training championships.  Although I am still struggling to get a competitive performance out of him, he was better than ever.  Thinking about the future for this one is a lot of fun.  His owners Dianne Delayo, Grey Handy and my parents have been very patient, thanks guys!  I also had King's Ransom and Downtown Harrison in the preliminary division.  They were both super and ended up finishing in first and second.  Speaking of patient owners Janet Olsen has been pretty amazing with Ransom.  I know he will be a great horse and she has been waiting for the next star to step into the very big shoes left by Direct Merger.  While replacing Monty is not even close to possible I am confident Ransom will be a star in his own right. 

The students had a great weekend as well.  Annie Aul put together a great weekend and finished Aron's first intermediate in great form.  This pair still has some fine tuning to do, but they look to be on the right track.  Michelle Romero, Katharine Wade, Kristen Stowell, and Tony Hatcher pretty much made up the one star division.  It was fun to watch them all through the weekend.  Each one of them made Jenn and I proud with how they took on the competition from day one.  Katharine had some demons to fight in the vet inspection and got it done for a great weekend.  Kristen Stowell put in a decent dressage test and jumped great around the cross country.  If not for one small mistake on sunday they would have been challenging for the top spot.  Tony Hatcher also had a great performance, and was our top finisher in the division.  Congrats guys!  Michelle Romero was just one corner away from putting together the best performance of her life.  Unfortunately when the dust settled so did she.  In class form Michelle got up dusted herself off and got on a truck headed for my homeland.  Yep, she went to the land of cheese and beer Wisconsin to take on Otter Creek Horse Trials.  Mark and Lena Warner put on a great show and were kind enough to let Michelle in late.  Michelle got it done and is now qualified for the Central American Games!  Congrats Michelle we are very excited to see how you look in a red jacket.

The team Puerto Rico is getting organized looks great.  The riders based in the US are very excited to head down to their home court and join their teammates.  I can also promise you that the riders based in Puerto Rico have been doing their homework and will be more than ready.  The riders in San Juan will have completed three CIC* competitions by the time the games start.  Great job getting it done while still trying to find a site and build the jumps.  Not the easiest circumstances to say the least.  Well my plane just arrived so until next time.

The season here in Ocala culminated last week at the Ocala Horse Properties International Three Day Event.  Holling Eventing was well represented in every division with 23 horses in total.  Safdie put in a great performance in the Two Star.  Her dressage was as good as it has ever been, but unfortunately I hurried her along a little too much.  The score was not nearly as good as it could have been, and I learned a good lesson for later this summer when she moves up to advanced.  She jumped great on the cross country and only had two time penalties.  She finished up with a super show jumping round.  Safdie definitely finished the weekend thinking she was pretty hot stuff.  Downtown Harrison put in his usual great performance from start to finish and ended in third place in the Preliminary horse division.  King's Ransom was also great and is back to himself again.  That is great news for the upcoming summer season where I plan to move him back up to Intermediate.  Probably the most exciting horse for me this past weekend was Kompass.  He really came into his own and jumped a great showjumping round.  He is a super horse and the future is very bright indeed.

The students also had good performances.  Lexi Scovil had a great weekend in the one star division on her own Laugh Out Loud.  Lexi finally seemed to understand that she can't actually "Laugh Out Loud" while on her very opinionated mare.  The mare is a little bit of a red neck woman and needs some tough love from time to time.  Annie Aul put in a good performance in the CCI* as well.  Once Annie is able to put Aron's head down in all three phases, she will be hard to beat.  Michelle Mercier also did a great job in the one star division.  Michelle is a true talent and looks like she will have a great time this summer on her way to young riders.  Gonzo Gorman Hatcher became the first Puerto Rican to qualify for the eventing team for this years Central American Games.  While he needs to continue to improve on his showjumping it was a great weekend for both Tony and the motherland.  Michelle Paris Romero is working hard to be the second to qualify, and looked like she is on the right track.  Paris has one more preliminary to go before her CIC* at Chattahooche Hills.  Meg Morgan jumped around her first preliminary at this competition.  Ironically Meg has an aversion to large square tables.  Anyone who has been to the Florida Horse Park can tell you that there is no shortage of these at this particular venue.  Great job Meg you did it!  If I forgot anyone it is only because I am a thoughtless mean person and only care about myself, so please don't take it personally.  It truly was a great winter season and I am looking forward to seeing everyone back in Ocala next year.

Well it is official, the season is well underway and things here at the farm are as intense as ever.  We have an exceptionally great group of horses and riders here on the farm.  We started the two weeks of horse trials at The Ocala Horse Properties Horse Trials.  As is always the case here in Florida, we had fantastic weather right from the start.  As soon as the payment Equiventures sent to weather gads was received that is.  We actually had a serious monsoon on dressage day, but did end up with two beautiful days to follow it up.    King's Ransom and Jos Baco started their season at this competition.  Both horses had fairly good results overall, but certainly left room for improvement in the show jumping phase.  In the Preliminary division Downtown Harrison and Safdie both put in impressive performances.  Despite the sheeting rain these two kept it together on the first day and both finished dressage in the top six.  They then jumped double clear in the show jumping and had great rounds on cross country.  These two are really exciting horses for the future.  Kompass stepped up to a whole new level in the training division with a clear show jumping round.

The students had a great time as well.  I would love to tell you all about it but the guy in charge of the equiventures site still hasn't figured out how to post the scores properly!  Yeah, that would be me.  I do know that Lexi Scovil, Meg Scott, Kristen Stowell, "Paris"Romero, Katherine Wade, and Azuree Linteruer all had great weekends.  Fortunately for the rest of the group, the rip cords were fully functional on the new Point Two Air Vests, enough said! 

Rocking Horse put on a fantastic competition as well.  Since they are actually capable of posting scores properly I can tell you all about it.  Michelle "Paris" Romero put it all together and finished exactly were she should have been all along in second place.  I prefer this spot for Paris so she keeps trying hard (I don't want her thinking she has it all figured out yet).  Katherine Wade had a great first preliminary run back with her own Dun and Dusted.  Despite my best efforts to lose fifty pounds and steal this horse from Kat, she did get to ride her and was great.  The pair finished in seventh place.  If anyone has a good way for me to get the extra fifty off with out losing an arm or leg in the process please let me know.  Jenn Holling rode Judy Shewmake's Crockett's Rocket around his first Training level.  He looked great from the start and Jenn did a great job instilling him with the confidence he needed to get around the course.  Next stop Red Hills!

Holling Eventing moved on this past weekend to Rocking Horse Stables for the Winter 1 horse trials.  It was a fun and successful competition.  The students from our team were either upgrading or preparing to upgrade at their next competition, so expectations were high.  Lexi Scovil had a good Showing with Sky Show finishing in 9th.  Kate Berta also completed her first Intermediate.  Kristen Stowell and I had a very stiff competition going the entire weekend.  The winner was whoever was able to finish closest to their dressage score.  While I still contend that I had a faulty watch on cross-country, she was able to sneak out the victory.  Poor Moon Dance will now have to be braided by yours truly.  I am sure that the complete lack of braiding for the past five years will not affect the quality of the job!  Congratulations Kristen you were pretty darn good.  Double or nothing at Ocala perhaps?  Downtown Harrison was pretty exciting however, and was able to finish in third.  Not a bad start for his preliminary debut.  The training level competitors had a great time as well.  Tony Hatcher the great Puerto Rican hope for eventing was able to secure his first eventing victory on American soil.  Domestic Dispute looked fairly agreeable despite his name throughout the competition.  Meg Scott and Charlee Marinovich both had good weekends and are looking to move up to the preliminary level at the next competition.  Michelle Romero was getting to know her new partner Pikadilly in the novice division.  The Puerto Rican Paris Hilton showed everyone how it is done while jumping a great clear round on Sunday!  These two will be moving up a level next weekend.  Everyone pitched all weekend and we truly had a great time.  We look forward to seeing you all next weekend at The Ocala Horse Properties Florida Horse Trials. 

    We just kicked off the 2010 season at the Florida Horse Park Horse Trials.  It was a great weekend despite the freezing temeratures.  I personally rode my two young horses on the weekend.  Downtown Harrison competed in the Training Horse division and won from the dressage on.  Kompass kicked off his cometitive career with Holling Eventing in the Novice Horse division.  Both of these horses showed great performances on the weekend and will be upgrading one level at the next competition at Rocking Horse.  Even more exciting, was getting to see Jenn back out competing.  Jenn looked polished and sharp on Judy Shewmake's Crockett's Rocket.  Jenn gave Crockett a great positive ride and finished the competition with a happy and motivated horse. 

    Our students did equally well.  Kate Berta finished in second place in the Preliminary division with Lexi Scovil close behind in fifth.  Both girls will be upgrading to intermediate next time out.  The Training level students did great also.  Tony Hatcher finished in fourth while Kristen Stowell was sixth.  Meg Scott, Charlee Marinovich, and Savanah Kilpatrick all completed the division on a good note.  Michelle Romero made her eventing debut with her own Apollo.  Michelle shows great promise for the future, and is taking on the difficult task of teaching a green horse how to event.  Michelle is sure to represent her home country of Puerto Rico at some point in the future.  All together we had eleven horses represented at the competition and had a great time.  Next stop Rocking Horse!

We have just returned home from Poplar Place in Hamilton Georgia. Wow what a great weekend! I had three horses entered in the CIC**, two in the preliminary level, and two in the training level. I was lucky enough to win every division. Safdie put in a great performance winning the CIC** by adding just 4.4 time penalties on cross country to her final score. Jos Baco and Kings Ransom both went great as well finishing in seventh and eleventh respectively. Then Fan Music won the Preliminary with Domestic Dispute hot on her heels in third. Finally Downtown Harrison won his third consecutive competition at the training level. Kate Brown had a great competition as well. Poplar Place was her final run before Fairhill so she needed to try out a few new things. She did and was able to finish in fourth place. Not a bad practice run at all! We had a great time and were happy to see so many of our students have such great weekends as well.

Jon

We have just returned home from Kentucky Classique horse trials. This competition was the culmination of our four week midwest road trip. We started the trip at Hunters Run in Metamora Michigan. Although the competition there got rained out it was a great time and the horses were very good in the dressage. From Hunters Run we headed to spend the week in Chicago at the Lamplight Equestrian Center. We had a great camp at the horseshow from tuesday through thursday. Everyone had a great time and seemed to learn alot.

When the competition got underway the horses all went great. Cross country day was a success in nearly every sense of the word. Every horse finished the course better educated than when they started. We sent the horses home for the next week while I headed to Indianapolis to teach a clinic at the Hoosier Horse Park. What fun, I have not been to the park since I was a teenager running my first preliminary! Finally, Safdie, King's Ransom, and Jos Baco all ran in the intermediate at Kentucky Classique. These three horses are fast becoming an exceptional string of eventers. I am very excited about the future of everyone of them.

Jon

The Spring season has concluded here in Florida and Holling Eventing had another great series of competitions. All of our students did a great job at their three-day events and have set themselves up well for the summer. We have several aiming towards NAYRC this summer and would like to wish Lexi Scovil, and Taylor Humphrey good luck in their efforts to compete in the Young RIder Championships. Also, we want to wish Tracie Sathoff and Becky Farrel good luck through the summer season. We hope to see them, and all of our winter students back again next season.

Things have not slowed down here at the farm despite the winter students heading back north. We are a year round operation to say the least. The young horses I spoke about earlier this season are suddenly not so green. Jos Baco and King's Ransom are both going great, and are nearly ready for the move up to Intermediate. Also, Domestic Dispute had a great first outing at the Preliminary at the Florida Horse Park. Downtown Harrison is going great and heading towards the Area 3 championships before moving up to Training. Finally, we are excited to have a new prospect in the barn. Kompass is a really exciting four year old that shows all kinds of potential. Keep your eye out for him.

Jon

Holling Eventing was well represented at Rocking Horse Spring Horse Trials this past weekend. Jos Baco and Kings Ransom both placed in their first preliminary events. Domestic Dispute had a great weekend as well, winning his training division handily and showing that he is ready to move up to preliminary next time out. Also, on another exciting note Downtown Harrison completed his first novice finishing in excellent form. All of these horses are going great and we are very excited about their prospects for the future.

Holling Eventing's students did an excellent job this past weekend as well. Marci Funk had a great first preliminary competion winning it on her exciting young horse Pancho Villa. Lexi Scovil was a winner as well on Sky Show. They certainely put on a show the entire weekend to win handily. Debbie Foote, Jordynn Sahagian, Becky Farrel, Taylor Humphrey, and Camilla Topham all put in good performances in the preliminary divisions. It was a very busy but exciting weekend all around. We are presently preparing to head off to Poplar Place in a few weeks to have another great weekend. Be sure to check back for further updates.

Jon