Thoroughbred and 25 percent Hanoverian and is registered as Baden-Württemberg (Stan The Man xx out of Halla by Heraldik xx). Many Warmbloods already have a great deal of Thoroughbred blood in their pedigrees, of course, so finding the winning combination really comes down to breeders producing high quality stock—both here and in Europe— and selecting the best athletes and training them well. “There’s
no question that event horses have changed,” Denis Glaccum says. “People refer to particular horses as ‘prototypes’ and those are often part Thoroughbred and part Warmblood. The Warmbloods of today are lighter and freer at the gallop than Warmbloods 20 years ago, so it’s somewhat confusing to make blanket statements. I think the impact on the sport with the Warmblood is that more people can do the sport because the Warmblood is generally an easier ride in the dressage.” Accomplished four-star rider Lauren Bliss Kieffer, 24, came up through the ranks of the O’Connor Event Team and took the ride on Veronica when Karen O’Connor broke her back in a riding accident in 2012. Lauren and Veronica, a Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Team Rebecca LLC, won the 2013 Ocala CCI2* and Jersey Fresh CIC2* and were subsequently named to the USEF High Performance Training List this summer. Lauren says, “I don’t think the courses have necessarily
become more ‘Warmblood-friendly’ so much as that we are seeing better-suited Warmbloods. They are being purpose- bred for the sport with a lighter build and good gallops. Veronica, for example is a very light-built and quick mare.” Despite how courses have changed, it’s clear a successful
rider still needs a fit, athletic horse with a good gallop and endurance to jump around an upper level course— regardless of its breeding. “The courses come at you faster now, with more com-
plexity at speed, I think,” says Samantha St. Jacques. “You want to be on a horse that is a very good jumper and is not overwhelmed by the questions that are presented while galloping. I think you still need a good amount of run and stamina to get around the upper level tracks on cross-
16 September/October 2013
country. My favorite horse is a Thoroughbred…but there are plenty of Warmbloods that can easily jump around a 12-minute cross country-course with the right conditioning schedule.” “There are so many different types of horses that are
going to be successful that you cannot cater the courses to one type of horse and you cannot put a stamp on the perfect upper-level three-day event horse and say that this is the only horse that will be successful,” she reasons. “There are so many important qualities to a successful upper level event horse.”
Sweden’s Sara Algotsson Ostholt riding Wega at the 2012 London Olympics.
Trends in Course Design Cross-country has evolved in numerous ways and often
a walk around a course these days feels more like a stroll around a manicured golf course than hiking through rugged wilderness. Formerly rough ground is smoothed out and footing is manicured so that valuable horses do not encounter holes and rough patches. Natural logs are carved into animal shapes; picnic tables are laid for lunch; and jumps are even built to look like a product, such as the gigantic wine bottle and wedge of cheese at The Fork CIC3* this spring. Course builder Eric Bull of ETB Construction in Scotts-
ville, Virginia has worked on courses around the country, including those at Fair Hill International, Millbrook and Southern Pines. He has also competed through the preliminary level, and his wife Molly has competed to the four-star level riding the Irish-bred Kiltartan. Eric feels that
Allen MacMillan/MacMillan Photography
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