The
Advanced Divisions
73
Advanced competitors ran in five Sections at the Pine Top Spring Advanced Horse
Trials, in Thompson, GA. Only one pair made the time over Rich Temple's Cross
Country course - Lynn Symansky and No It Tissant. The two next fastest runs were
Kim Seveson and Winsome Adante and Wendy Bebie with Phoenix. Each collectied 6.8
time faults for 17 seconds over the time allowed.
Becky
Holder won the Advanced Test "D" Division riding Courageous Comet.
Eventing fans will remember that Becky, then Becky Douglas, was the Travelling
Spare for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia with Highland Hogan. Becky
also placed third in Open Intermediate Section 3 With Early Achiever.
Courageous
Comet (38.3) was in 5th place after the Dressage Phase, which
was won by Kim Severson with Winsome Adante (32.9). (Becky and Courageous Comet
are pictured at the right jumping into the second water.) Becky and the handsome
grey moved up to second place after Cross Country, with 9.6 time faults - the
second fastest XC time - for a two day score of 47.9, still 8.2 faults adrift
of Kim and "Dan" who picked up 6.8 time faults, for 17 seconds over
the Time Allowed - the fastest XC time of the Division.
4
Show Jumping faults put Becky and Courageous Comet in the winner's slot on a score
of 51.9, when Winsome Adante also had four faults in the final phase; but, added
11 Show Jumping time faults for a score of 54.7, good
for second place.
Amy
Barrington and Platinum checked in third, a position they held throughout the
competition, on 56.3 with 12.8 time faults Cross Country and 6 time faults in
Show Jumping.
There
were 10 competitors in the this Division.
* * * * *
Kelli
Temple riding Paris won Advanced Division -Test "C"-1. They came
from second place after Dressage on a score of 38.7, added 14.8 time faults 
Cross
Country, and Show Jumped double clear for a final score of 53.5. (Kelli and
Paris are pictured at the left jumping the first part of the triple in the second
water.)
Tiffani
Loudon-Meetz with Above 'N Beyond won the Dressage Phase on 34.8; but, added 16.8
time faults Cross Country, and 2 time faults Show Jumping to finish a mere .1
of a fault behind the leaders on a final score of 53.6.
Stuart
Black rode his Radnor CCI** winner Fleeceworks Starlight to third place in the
Dressage on 41.3, added 13.2 time faults Cross Country and Show Jumped double
clear for 54.5, finishing in the third spot.
There
were 17 competitors in this Division.
*
* * * *
Mark
Weissbecker, who winters in Southern Pines, North Carolina, led from 
"flag
fall to that's all" in Advanced Division - Test "C" - 2,
riding Swayne. This pair scored 34.8 in the Dressage, added 12.8 time faults
Cross Country and Show Jumped double clear for a final score of 47.6. (Mark
and Swayne are pictured at the right jumping the second part of the triple out
of the second water.)
Jan
Thompson, with Waterfront, third after the Dressage on a score of 38.3, picked
up 10.8 time faults on Cross Country to move up to second place where they remained
thanks to a double clear Show Jumping round for a final score of 49.1.
Top
Deck, ridden by Sally Cousins, came from 4th after Dressage (40.40) up to third
place on a final score of 54.0. This pair had a double clear Show Jumping and
added 10.8 time faults Cross Country.
There were 15 competitors in this
Division.
*
* * * *
Advanced
Division -Test "C" - 3, was
won by Wendy Bebie riding Phoenix. Phoenix had the fastest time of his division
on Cross Country for 6.8 time 
faults
for 17 seconds over the Time Allowed, to vault from fourth place after the Dressage
(40.0) to first place, a position he held at the end, in a final score of 46.8,
thanks to a double clear Show Jumping. (Wendy and Phoenix are pictured at the
left jumping the third part of the triple after the second water.)
Canada's
Mike Winter placed second with Kingpin on 60.6, 13.8 faults behind the winners.
Kingpin Show Jumped double clear; but, had 17.6 time faults over the country.
Mary
Bess Horton and Mojo Rising checked in third on 61.7, which included a 46.1 Dressage
Score, 15.6 time faults Cross Country, and no faults in Show Jumping.
There
were 15 competitors in this Division.
*
* * * *
Adrienne Iorio-Borden
rode Better I Do It (37.8) to second place behind Kim Severson and Maguire
(37.4) in the Dressage Phase in Advanced Division - Test "C" - 4.
Both rode double clears in Show Jumping, so Adrienne's faster time Cross Country
of 6.1 time faults by comparison to Maguire's 7.2 time 
faults swung the pendulum in Better I Do It's favor, as he won the Division on
a score of 43.8, .8 of a fault better than Kim and Maguire's 44.6 final score,
which was good for second place.(Adrienne and Better I Do It are pictured at
the right jumping the third part of the triple out of the second water.)
Michael
Pollard rode Carl Bouckaert's The Boomer to third place on a final score of 48.2,
which consisted of a 42.6 Dressage score, 5.6 time faults Cross Country, and a
double clear Show Jumping.
There
were 16 competitors in this Division.
*
* * * *
The
Intermediate Divisions
Two
Internationally celebrated horses, famous both for their accomplishments and for
their prices, made their American debuts in the Intermediate Divisions at Pine
Top.
Don't
Step Back, formerly ridden by Ireland's Patricia Donegan, to good finishes
at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the 2002 World Equestrian Games, in Jerez, Spain,
and to 10th place at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton CCI****, in 2003, was bought
by Abigail Lufkin as a potential Olympic mount for Athens, 2004. However, Don't
Step Back, purportedly hurt in the field more than a year ago, never competed
with Ab.
Don't
Step Back made a belated American debut with Phillip Dutton in the Dressage Phase
of the Open Intermediate Division 2, at Pine Top, on Friday, March 4th,
in which he scored a 40.0 for 15th place. A double clear Cross Country and 8 time
faults in the Show Jumping improved his final position to fifth place on a score
of 48.0. (Phillip and Don't Step Back are pictured at the left jumping the
first part of a double out of the last water.)
Internet,
who was formerly ridden by Kate Hewlett in Great Britain, was a more recent purchase.
Internet finished 15th at the Mitsubishi Badininton CCI****, in 2004; 5th at Gatcombe
Park, in 2004; and most recently 7th at the Burghley CCI****. He had been offered
for sale for a rumored 300,000 British Pounds - nearly $600,000 US, or more than
$700,000 Canadian, at present exchange rates.
His
new owner, Canada's Nicole Shinton, rode him to a score of 43.5, in the Dressage
Phase of Open Intermediate Division 4 - good for 11th place from 19 starters.
Internet neither ran Cross Country nor Show Jumped at Pine Top.
*
* * * *
A rather nasty thunder storm passed over Pine Top Farm about half way through
the Intermediate Divisions. Competition was halted for approximately 30 minutes
and re-commenced without incident. There was no appreciable change in the going,
as the sandy soil of Pine Top handles moisture extremely well.
Divisions
of Intemediate and Advanced Intermediate were won by:
AI:
Ashley
MacVaugh, All's Fair - 50.9 (5 entries)
OI-1:
Courtney Olmstead,Rockafellar - 39.0 (21 entries)
OI-2: Kristin
Schmolze, Castle Jordan - 33.0 (20 entries)
OI-3: Phillip Dutton,
Connaught - 34.0 (20 entries)
OI-4:
Will Faudree, Antigua - 39.3" (19 entries)
YOI-1:
Coren Morgan, Higher Learning - 34.0 (12 entries)
YOI-2: Rebecca
Barron, Oberon - 42.2 (11 entries)
Please
click on Event Results
above at the left for
Complete Results.
