report_pine

A quick trip to Thompson, Georgia, to test the eventing waters of 2003 turned into a test of competitor's, organizers' and spectators' ability to withstand the deluge brought to Pine Top Farm by a tropical system which originated in Florida. Twenty miles west of Thompson there was only fog and light drizzle. At Pine Top at times the heavens opened - straight down pounding rain!

Congratulations are in order for Glenn Wilson, owner of Pine Top Farm, which has been in his family for more than 200 years, and his crew for liberal and constant applications of stone dust to the take offs and landings of fences. This continuous maintainence during the Advanced competition, on Saturday, insured that the course was safe for the 106 competitors. 96 of the original 106 riders started Cross Country. 86 finished the competition.

Darren Chiacchia, who rode as an individual representing the USET at the WEG, in Jerez, Spain, last fall, continued his dominance of early 2003 horse trials by winning Advanced Division 1 with Dr. Timothy Holkamp's stallion Windfall. (Windfall is pictured at right jumping off the island in the water at Pine Top.) Windfall led after the dressage phase on a score of 29.6, added no faults in the show jumping, and incurred only 14.8 time faults in the difficult conditions of the Cross Country, for a final score of 44.4. His tour through the water complex, which involved seven jumping efforts, was spot on and extremely time efficient.

Australia's Phillip Dutton, the US Eventing Association's Leading Rider for 2002, placed second on August Vettorino's Troy, 18.5 faults adrift of the winner. Troy also had a good trip Cross Country as he had not been in the top six following Dressage and Show Jumping. Holly Hepp and her own Lester Piggott placed third on 64.2.

Julian Stiller and Market Mover won Advanced Division 2. (Market Mover is pictured at left jumping the second element of the bounce into water at Pine Top.) This pair had been fourth after Dressage and Show Jumping on 37.4, added 15.4 time faults to finish on a score of 53. Bill Hoos and Celtic Cross placed second a mere .9 of a fault adrift of the winner. Bobby Costello, of Southern Pines, NC, finished third on Leila Clay's Dalliance, also on a score of 53.9. Dalliance had been second after Dressage and Show Jumping on 33.9. Bill Hoos' faster Cross Country round broke the tie with Costello.

Karen O'Connor, of The Plains, VA, Olympic Team Silver Medalist at Atlanta, 1996, and Olympic Team Bronze Medalist, in Sydney, in 2000, triumphed in Advanced Division 3 on Mr. and Mrs. Richard Thompson's Upstage, with 54.8 faults. (Upstage is pictured at right jumping the first element of the bounce into water at Pine Top.) Phillip Dutton, who resides in West Grove, PA, was second again, this time with Mrs. Nina Gardner's I'm So Brite, on a score of 57.1 Jonathan Holling and Lion King, who had led after the Dressage and Show Jumping Phases on 31.7, added 15.6 time faults, for a final score of 57.3 and third place in the Division.

Darren Chiacchia added Division 4 to his list of first places, riding Colleen Hofstetter's R.G.'s Renegade to a final score of 52.8. Once again Darren led throughout having been in first place after Dressage and a clean Show jumping on 29.6. (R.G.'s Renegade is pictured at left jumping the second element of the bounce into water at Pine Top.) Peter Barry and Devon finished second on 54.4 while Phillip Dutton placed third on Shannon Simpson's Nova Top, whose final score was 59.3

Advanced Division 5 was won by John Williams, who was the highest placed American at last fall's WEG, in Jerez, Spain, where he led the USET's Gold Medal Winning Team to victory. John rode his own and Boeckman & Delton's Sloopy to third place after Dressage and Show Jumping with a score of 33.0. The pair added only 10.8 time faults for a victory in their Division. John and Sloopy's score was the best of any Advanced Division winner, 43.8.(Sloopy is pictured at right, ridden by John, at Morven Park, last year,) Kelli McMullen Temple, who rides for Canada internationally, placed second riding her own Blackout on 51.2. Phillip Dutton, who had led the Division after Dressage and Show Jumping with Bruce Duchessois' Hannigan slipped to third, while picking up 26.7 time faults on the Cross Country, for a final score of 54.6.

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Other winners at Pine Top included:

Advanced-Intermediate: All's Fair, Ashley McVaugh

O/I Division 1: Waterfront, Jan Thompson (Jo Ellen Byyny)

O/I Division 2: Warsprite, Mark Weissbecker (Birch Hill Farm)

O/I Division 3: Buzzby, Sarah Cousins (Trout Walk Farm)

O/I Division 4: Welton Tangle, Sarah Cousins (Trout Walk Farm)

O/I Division 5: Upper Register, Kim Severson (Plain Dealing Farm, Inc.)

Young Rider O/I: O Gosh Josh, Amanda Judge

For complete results please see: www.pinetopfarm.com