While their senior counterparts strut their stuff down the centerlines in the CCI2* and CCI3* divisions at the Fair Hill International Horse Trials, four- and five-year-old stars-to-be were flashing their talents in the Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships.
Youngsters from around the eastern United States gathered to show their potential in conformation, dressage, and jumping in their own Championship division, which ran in conjunction with the prestigious fall CCI3* Championship event, in Elkton, Maryland.
In the 4-Year-Old division, Kim Keeton and Accolade, a Swedish Warmblood/Thoroughbred stallion owned by Keeton and Hope Thomas, found themselves draped with the tricolor ribbon in the winner’s circle after scoring big in the jumping phase. Earning a 43.70% out of a possible 50% for their fluent and bold trip across the country, the pair ascended from third place to the top of the class on a total score of 84.65%, the highest of both Young Event Horse divisions.
Keeton is a full-time equine vet from Watkinsville, Georgia, and bred “Bear” herself. “I was a vet student actually,” said Keeton, “and he was my first frozen semen experiment. He was born in my lap.”
With proven bloodlines including the strong dressage and flat performance of a warmblood and the speed and agility of a Thoroughbred, Keeton knew from day one Bear would be a powerful eventing prospect. He is out of an off-the-track Thoroughbred, Her Elegancy, and by Amiral, a dressage Stallion ridden by Kyra Kyrklund at the 1996 Olympic Games.
“They mixed quite well,” Keeton explained. “He had what she didn’t and she had what he didn’t, and for once it all came together.”
Of a possible 35% in the dressage phase, Bear produced a 29.82%; once again the highest score of both divisions. For his conformation, he earned an 11.13% out of a possible 15%. Surprisingly, he’s only been in regular work since last December.
“He’s only been under tack for six or eight months now and I’m a complete amateur so this has kind of been my gig from the beginning," Keeton explained. "The [Young Event Horse] program has been good for him to develop. He did Beginner Novice this summer and this just kind of made sense as the next step.”
She plans to keep him going, “take it slow, let him develop, and let him grow up and be a big horse," she assured. "He’s on the right track.”
For co-owner Hope Thomas, this significant victory meant more than just ribbons, trophies, prizes, and bragging rights. “This has been the worst week of my life up until now because I had to put my dog down before I came here,” Thomas said fighting back tears. “But this is awesome, I’m just tickled! It’s been from one extreme to the other for me.”
Though the morning of the jumping phase felt like a frosty December day rather than mid-October, the wind and rain didn’t seem to phase most of the youngsters and the footing held up well.
“The courses were very honest and straight forward,” Keeton said. “I think if you get out there, put your leg on, and ride forward, the horses develop confidence as they go along, and that’s what the [Young Event Horse] program is designed for.”
Keeton and Thomas originally intended to keep Bear a stallion and this victory further bears witness to his stellar bloodlines and potential. And though he may be bold on course, for a stallion, “he’s very good around the barn,” said Keeton, “and has covered a couple mares.”
Buck Davidson came closest to Keeton in the 4-Year-Old division aboard No More Rocks, an Oldenburg gelding owned and bred by Sharon Will, and co-owned by Davidson. He earned an 11% for conformation, 27.37% in dressage, and 42.06% after jumping for a total score of 80.43%.
“We’re very excited about Rocky’s future and plan on developing him to his full potential,” said Will.
Leslie Law and Kalamata, a Trakehner mare owned by Cheryl and Tim Holekamp and bred by New Spring Farm, rounded out the top three with a score of 80.38%.
In the 5-Year-Old division, Matt Flynn and BreakThrough graduated atop the class with a combined score of 84.65%.
Flynn found BreakThrough doing the young horse show jumping classes in Ireland. He was bred there by Paul Dillon and came to the United States this April and started eventing in May.
“I think the Young Horse program here is a great program to show case these young horses and he’s a great horse to support the program,” Flynn said. “He had done the four-year-old show jumping classes in Ireland and it’s been interesting for me to see how he does here.”
A Dutch Warmblood gelding by Heart Breaker (DWB) and out of Cabata (DWB), jumping is in his blood and clearly his strongest suit. Flynn commented that the 5-Year-Old division's championship course was certainly up to par and gave his horse a chance to showcase his talent.
“We all got to see how the horses reacted to more substantial questions,” Flynn said.
Star Dazzler, a Sport Horse gelding owned and bred by Courtney Cooper and her husband Neal Camens, wore the 5-Year-Old Reserve Championship ribbon with a total score of 79.57%.
“The Young Event Horse classes for us have always been a part of the program with our young horses and bringing them along,” said Cooper. “I think it’s a really good program to develop the youngsters without the pressure of a competition, but with enough atmosphere to give them the competition experience.”
With numerous young horses by Mark Todd's eventing stallion, Aberjack, in Cooper’s breeding program, she chose to breed her Irish Sport Horse mare Heavenly Star to Catherston Dazzler to produce Star Dazzler and diversify the talent in her barn.
“We didn’t want to keep breeding the same horse over and over again,” Cooper explained. “Based on his bloodlines and what he’s produced, we thought the Dazzler line would be a good choice.”
Rounding out the top three in the 5-Year-Old division was Master Frisky, an Irish Sport Horse gelding by Master Imp and out of Frisky Legs, owned by Charlotte Hogg and ridden by Kurt Martin. They finished on a score of 80.38%.
“He’s so rideable and trainable, I love him and love riding him,” Martin said. “I think holding the Championships here was perfect. It was just another reason for me to be here!” he added with a laugh.
YEH and FEH Updates
The Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse competition taking place at Stony Brook Farm on September 4th is adding a New Event Horse Division. This class is open to horses of all ages and will be using the 4-year-old YEH tes. This division is perfect for an(July 27, 2010)
Twin Rivers To Host YEH and FEH Competitions This Sunday
Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California will be hosting both Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse and USEA Future Event Horse Classes this Sunday, July 11. In addition an "Event Horse Prospect" Class will be offered for horses who have aged out of th(July 8, 2010)
FEH and YEH Openings Still Available at Waredaca
Be sure to get your entry into Waredaca for the Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse and the USEA Future Event Horse competitions coming up on May 28th. Waredaca has extended its closing date to May 22nd, which is this Saturday; they still have room for m(May 19, 2010)
The Young Event Horse Competition At Galway Downs Canceled
The Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse Competition scheduled to be held May 14-16 in Temecula, California was forced to cancel due to low entries.
For a complete listing on YEH events consult the YEH Calendar.
More information about the YEH Prog(May 7, 2010)
Twin Rivers Kicks Off The West Coast Spalding Labs/USEA YEH Series
The first West-Coast Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse Competition of the year was held last Thursday at the Twin Rivers Spring Three-day Event and Horse Trials in Paso Robles, CA.
Although there were only two entries in the four-year-old divi(April 20, 2010)
The Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse Series is Under Way!
The Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse Series kicked off its season on February 3rd with a competition in combination with the YEH Judging Symposium held in Ocala, FL. Thanks to newcomers to the organizing side of the series, Timothy and Cheryl Holekamp(March 31, 2010)
Upcoming Young Event Horse and Future Event Horse Competitions
February 27th is a big day for the Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse Series with competitions taking place at Rocking Horse Stables and The Ark. Both venues are still accepting entries, but be sure to send them in as soon as possible to guarantee a spo(February 18, 2010)
Date Changes for YEH and FEH Calendars
The March 1st Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse and USEA Future Event Horse competitions at Cedar Ridge Farm have been rescheduled for September 5th. Be sure to mark your calendars so that you don’t miss this wonderful event. If you have any further qu(February 17, 2010)
YEH for Late-Bloomers? Ocala March YEH Offers Class for Every Age
Would you like to try out the YEH format, but worry about getting your horse ready by age four? The Florida Horse Park March YEH is offering a YEH competition for horses of any age.(January 25, 2010)
Upcoming YEH Competitions To Be Held in Florida
The first Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse competition of the year is being held February 3rd in sunny Ocala, FL. The competition will run in conjunction with the YEH judging seminar at the beautiful Longwood Farm. This is the first in a series of thr(January 11, 2010)
Golden Prospects shine from East to West
The eventing champions of tomorrow gathered to show their potential in conformation, dressage, and jumping in their own Championship divisions on both sides of the country this year.(January 4, 2010)
Spalding Labs/USEA YEH East Coast Championships Update
Due to the volume of entries to the Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse Championships will take place over two days, October 15-16, 2009. The conformation and dressage will take place on Thursday and the jumping along with the pinning of winners on Frida(October 14, 2009)
West Coast Spalding Labs/USEA YEH Championships Information
The Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse West Coast Championships will be held at Galway Downs in Temecula, California on Thursday, October 29. The YEH championships will be running in conjunction with the Galway Downs Three-Day Event and Horse Trials. So(October 14, 2009)
Cedar Ridge Farm YEH/FEH Competition: A Wet But Triumphant Day
Though the mantra of the day seemed to be "rain, rain, go away," eventers proved once again that they were more than fair-weather fans. The horses were beautifully turned out, rid of the manure stains they incurred over night, and the crowd was bubbly in(October 8, 2009)
Young Event Horse Championships at the Fair Hill International CCI**/***
This year, the Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse Championships will be held Thursday, October 15 in conjunction with the Fair Hill International CCI and are gearing up to provide an exciting competition. Young horses are coming from all over the Easter(September 25, 2009)
YEH at The Event at Goose Downs Still Accepting Entries
Attention West Coasters, The Event at Goose Downs is still accepting entries for the Young Event Horse Classes. Don’t let this opportunity to get a qualifying score for the West Coast YEH slip away. Remember the West Coast Championships will be held at th(August 11, 2009)
YEH and FEH Updates
Complete Results
