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Pine Top Spring Advanced  Horse
Trials were held at Thompson, GA, March 5 - 7. Ted and I drove over to Pine Top
from Marietta, GA, on Saturday morning. It poured rain the whole way - some 145
miles. The rain stopped at the moment we stepped out of our car on the Pine Top
grounds. (Kim Severson and Winsome Adante, one of only two pairings to finish
on their Dressage score, are pictured at left, jumping the corner in the last
water.) No
two people work harder than Glenn and Janet Wilson, the owners of Pine Top - Janet
is the Secretary and Glenn the organizer of the Horse Trials. On Cross Country
Days, Glenn himself works off the stone dust truck, making sure take offs and
landings are in the best possible shape. Surely the Rain Gods smiled on the Wilson's
on Saturday, because they realized how much good weather would mean to them as
organizers as well as to the competitors. More
than 100
Advanced horses were divided into five sections. Linden  Wiesman
rode Primitive Gold to victory in Section 1. Primitive Gold had a 29.57
in the Dressage, which was good for 2nd place behind Amy Tryon, a member
of the 2002 World Championship Gold Medal Team, with My Beau. 2 time faults
in Show Jumping moved Linden into first place on 31.57, as Amy had 11 faults in
the Stadium, to drop to 7th place. 10.0 time faults on an otherwise fault free
Cross Country put Linden and Primitive Gold in the Blue Ribbon slot on 41.57.
(Linden and Primitive Gold are pictured at right jumping into the last water.)
Canada's Stuart Black finished second in the # 1 Section riding Fleeceworks
Pacific Storm. Stuart had a 38.26 in Dressage, Show Jumped clean, and had
the fastest time in the Section on Cross Country for 6.40 time faults and a final
score of 44.66. (Stuart
and Fleeceworks Pacific Storm are pictured at left jumping the corner in the last
water.) My
Beau and Amy picked up 10.40 time faults Cross Country to come up from 7th after
Dressage and Show Jumping to 3rd over all on 49.23. (There were 19 starters in
Section # 1.) ******** Maryland's
Gayle Molander, riding I Love Lucy, placed 2nd behind Terry
Martin and One Look in the Dressage Phase; moved up to first place
on the
strength of a 1 time fault Show Jumping Round; and went on to the win while picking
up 10.0 time faults on Cross Country, in Advanced Section #2. (Gayle and I
Love Lucy are pictured at right jumping into the last water.) Adrienne
Iorio-Borden moved from 4th place after Dressage and Show Jumping to 2nd place
overall with Outfoxed. Their 9.20 time faults Cross Country was the third
fastest recorded in Section # 2. (Penny Rowland (CAN) had the fastest Cross
Country in the second Section - 7.20 time faults - to place 4th on Round About.) Michael
Pollard, who rides out of Carl Bouckaert's Chatsworth, GA farm, partnered
Roses Merlin to the second fastest Cross Country time of Section # 2 -
8.40 time faults -, finishing on a score of 56.75, good for 3rd place. (There
were 19 starters in Section # 2.) ******** Australia's
Phillip Dutton, riding August Vettorino's Amazing Odyssey came  from
3rd place after Dressage and Stadium Jumping (37.39 Dressage - 0 faults Show Jumping)
to ride a double clear Cross Country and become the first competitor to finish
on his Dressage score. Amazing Odyssey is a great galloper and looks to have a
super future. (Phillip and Amazing Odyssey are pictured at left jumping the
corner in the last water.) Molly
Hooper, who rides with Kim Severson, had 10.0 time faults Cross Country to
add to a 38.70 Dressage score and a clean Show Jumping, for a final score of 48.70
and 2nd place on Kiltartan. (Molly and Kiltartan are pictured below
right jumping into the first water.)  The
reigning Olympic Individual Champion David O'Connor, of the Plains, VA,
rode Dunstan Celtic, whose "missed spot" at the Fair Hill International
CCI*** landed David in hospital with a broken ankle and wrist, to 3rd place in
Section # 3. Dunstan Celtic and David won the Dressage on a score of 28.70; but
added 14 faults in Show Jumping to begin the Cross Country in 6th place. The 4th
fastest time Cross Country for 8.80 time faults enabled the pair to rise to 3rd
place over all. (There were 20 competitors in Section # 3.)
******** Michael
Pollard, who
had finished third in Section # 2, took home the Blue Ribbon in Section # 4, with
SS Jett. This pair placed 2nd in the Dressage behind Denise Rath and
Just a Diplomat (29.13) on a score of 29.57. A clear Show Jumping and a
tie for the fastest time of Section # 4 on Cross Country - 2.80 time faults for
7 seconds over the time allowed - placed Michael in the lead. (Michael and
SS Jett are pictured below left jumping out of the last water.)  Denise
had an interesting incident with Just A Diplomat on Cross Country. The grey gelding
slipped in some sand while turning before the bounce into the first water and
fell. Both Denise and Just a Diplomat got right up, Denise re-mounted and jumped
the bounce without incident. She was more than a little surprised to be stopped
by the Fence Judge and eliminated. The Technical Delegate arrived on the scene
and decided that the fall had not been attributable to the fence and allowed Denise
to continue. She finished in 7th place, on 52.93.
Phillip
Dutton
continued his successful ways riding Mrs. Annie Jones'
The
Foreman. Phillip was in 2nd place after a 34.78 Dressage score and a clear
 Show
Jumping round and remained 2nd while accruing 4.0 time faults Cross Country for
a final score of 38.78. (Phillip and The Foreman are pictured at right jumping
into the first water.) James
Moore rode
Grieko to 3rd place in Section # 4, with a 33.91 Dressage; a clean Show
Jumping; and 9.60 time faults Cross Country for a final score of 43.51. (There
were 24 competitors in Advabnced Section # 4.) *
* * * * * * * Kim
Severson, of
Scottsville, VA, a member of the USET's 2002 Gold Medal World Championship Team,
rode her WEG partner, Plain Dealing Farm's Winsome Adante, to triumph in
Advanced Section # 5. Kim and "Dan" won the Dressage by 6.25 faults
from her WEG teammates John Williams and Carrick on the best Dressage
score of the day - 25.00. Kim
and Winsome Adante were only the second pair to finish on their Dressage score
(Phillip Dutton and Amazing Odyssey were the others, in Section # 3.) laying down
double clears in both Show Jumping and Cross Country. Readers will remember that
Winsome Adante suffered a colic operation, in England, when he became ill during
the run up to the Burghley CCI****, last fall. Happily, "Dan" appears
to be back to his 2002 form. (Kim and Winsome Adante are pictured at the top
of this article.)  Kim
also
placed 2nd in Section # 5, this time riding Upper Register. A 36.25 Dressage
and a clean Show Jumping put the pair in 5th place heading for Cross Country.The
2nd fastest time of the Section and the 4th fastest time of the day - 2.0 time
faults for 5 seconds over the time allowed - assured 2nd place on a score of 38.25.
(Kim and Upper Register are pictured at left jumping into the last water.
)
Adrienne
Iorio Borden picked
up the Yellow Ribbon with Show of Heart. Adrienne moved from 6th place
after Dressage and Show Jumping to 3rd, on the 3rd fastest Cross Country time
of the day - 1.6 time faults for 4 seconds over the time. (There were 20 competitors
in Advanced Section # 5.) *
* * * * * * * Ashley
MacVaugh won
the AI Division with All's Fair (48.43) from Nina Fout and Three
Magic Beans (52.05). *
* * * * * * * Sections
of OI were won by Phillip Dutton with Handyman Hughie (36.50); Kim Ziegler
and Ballatale (36.80); Will Faudree riding Antigua (28.80); and
Sally Cousins on Buzzby (37.50). Sarah Heffron won Section 1 of Y/OI
on Kirby Park Jamaica. Bonner Carpenter placed first in Section 2 of Y/OI. *
* * * * * * * Abigail
Lufkin made her American debut with her recent Australian purchase Kildonan
Tug. She had previously ridden him at a Horse Trial, in New Zealand just before
Christmas. He scored 42.50 in the Dressage Phase to place 15th from 17 entries
in OI/2. He Show Jumped clean and was apparently eliminated on Cross Country,
on Sunday. Ab's
other new horse Don't Step Back, who placed 10th at the Badminton CCI****
in the spring of 2003, when ridden by Ireland's Patricia Donegan, has sustained
an injury while turned out in the field. His preparation for the Rolex-Kentucky
CCI**** has been set back to the point that Ab is now hoping to make the Bramhan
CCI*** in England. *
* * * * * * * Please
click on Event Results at left for Complete Results *
* * * * * * * Brittany
Kart and Semper Fidelis, who competed in the Advanced Section # 4, are pictured
below at the corner in the last water getting in trouble, on the left, and going
for a swim, below right. Both Brittany and Semper Fidelis got right up and were
unhurt.  
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