the Southern Pines Horse Trials II, earning a second place with a 35.50 at Preliminary. (Photo by Brant Gamma Photos)


➡ RIVER RADIANCE and Jess Brumfield at


behaved herself well. Also, she felt she had a very nice walk and was very correct.” Despite having done only a handful


of Novice events, Dawn decided to give Remi a chance and the mare remained at Blue Hill Farm on trial. “They were kind enough to allow us to keep her at the farm and work with her, and needless to say, she never left!” Dawn and Remi forged a wonderful


partnership in the first few months they were together. Initially, there were no plans to jump her, as Dawn was mainly interested in hacking out and in flat work. But, plans changed, as they often unexpectedly do. “After nearly 18 months of indoor work


and hacking, I thought she was getting bored,” says Dawn. “So I asked Jess Brumfield if she would be willing to jump her a little. Jess is a very good rider, now 22 years old, who has ridden since she could sit on a pony,” Dawn says of Remi’s rider. “She has been a working student at Blue Hill for four years. She had competed through Intermediate level eventing with her previous horse and also through Prix St. Georges in dressage.” “Since Jess didn’t have a horse of her own at Blue Hill,


I thought maybe she and Remi might be happy jumping together. I think everyone was surprised just how lovely a jumper she is! Poor Jess could barely stay in the tack in the beginning. Remi was so exuberant…over-jumping everything!” But Remi’s jumping talent—and her sheer enthu-


siasm—would soon be molded into her new career as an event horse. Jess took Remi to a Novice event in 2008, which the pair won. They spent the rest of the season at Training level before moving up to Preliminary in the spring of 2009. “Remi does better with a job, and so, on a roll, I sent her


and Jess to Florida for a few weeks in March 2009 to start their spring season. They did a few Preliminaries, and then did some FEI competitions. They finished eighth at the Fair Hill CIC* and worked on a few things prior to heading to Virginia for the CCI* there. Jess was quite surprised to win her first CCI* in May at Virginia!” Jess and Remi continued their winning ways


throughout 2009 at the Preliminary level. In the early months of 2010, Dawn once again sent the pair to Florida to get their season going. In March, Jess and Remi competed in their first Intermediate class. “They have had some very mixed results since moving to the Intermediate


level and were aiming for the CCI** at Fair Hill in October, but varying circumstances, including the heat and hard ground this summer, have made us slow down and look forward to possibly Jersey Fresh or Fair Hill next year.” The pair has serious potential, though, as Remi is still


young and has years of competition left in her. Plus, according to Dawn, she has plenty of jump in her. “I cannot emphasize how much this horse LOVES to jump! Remi looks at dressage as the penance she must pay in order to go jump. She is very brave and honest cross-country and gets very impatient waiting her turn to hit the course.” “Remi is super intelligent,” Dawn adds. “She is quite


sensitive when being ridden, and if she makes a mistake, she is fine with being corrected once—but not twice! All who know her at the barn call her a princess because she is so opinionated, but it makes me laugh because she is quite a slob and tough as nails!” As this lovely mare moves up the levels, though, her sire is still the topic of discussion at many events. “She is a lovely mover, quite flashy, and people seem to recognize her and comment on her at nearly every show she attends,” says Dawn. “Even if they don’t know her name, many will ask, ‘Is that a Riverman horse?’”


THE BOYS CAN DO IT TOO Riverman fillies aren’t the only ones who excel in


three-day eventing. Slate River, a Riverman son bred by Elizabeth Callahan, is one of the top eventers in the nation. He was named to the USEF High Performance Developing Riders list with rider Heather Morris in 2009, and won two CIC** competitions and a CIC*** the same year. Slate River is being aimed at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in the future.


WT Warmbloods Today 41


radiance! river


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