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Lots of the big guns were out at Pine Top Winter II, in Thompson, Georgia. Many were firing their first shots of the 2006 season aiming ultimately at the spring CCI****'s and CCI***'s and a place on their countries' Short Lists for the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany late this summer.

Phillip Dutton showed that Mrs. Annie Jones 2005 Chronicle Horse of the Year The Foreman had lost none of his form as the pair won OI/1. Phillip, a serious candidate for Australia's WEG Team, also won IO/2 with Lucky Stripe. (Phillip and The Foreman are pictured at the right jumping onto the Island at the 2005 North Georgia Horse Trials.)

Mara Dean and Bobby Costello both rode as individuals at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Mara won OI/4 riding Good Stuff and was third in OI/2 on Jos Ambition, while Bobby won OI/5 with Wild Delight. (Mara and Good Stuff are pictured at the left below jumping one of The Loons at the Fair Hill International CCI*** last October.)

John Williams, a member of the 2004 Bronze Medal Team at the Athens Olympic Games, rode Sweepea Dean (not a candidate for Aachen) to second place in OP/1.

Canada's Mike Winter, third in OI/1 with Daybreak, who finished on his Dressage score, and Kelli Temple, second in OI/2 with Paris have both represented the Maple Leaf in Olympic Games.

Becky Holder and Nathalie Pollard, each of whom rode under the Developing Riders Program at the Luhmuhlen CCI****, in Germany last summer, placed first and second in OI/3.

Most of the above will be competing in the Pine Top Advanced Horse Trials March 4th and 5th. They will be joined by Kim Severson with Royal Venture and Winsome Adante and John Williams with Carrick and Sloopy

The race is on! Stay Tuned!

Open Intermediate 1:
1. Phillip Dutton, The Foreman - 32.8
2. Emily Beshear, Three Wishes II - 39.1
3. Mike Winter, Daybreak - 41.4 (FODS)

Open Intermediate 2:
1. Phillip Dutton, Lucky Stripe - 35.7
2. Kelli Temple, Paris - 36.4
3. Mara Dean, Jos Ambition - 38.2

Open Intermediate 3:
1. Becky Holder, Courageous Comet - 26.2 (Becky and Courageous Comet are pictured at the right jumping the Skinny in the Water at the American Eventing Championships last September.)
2. Nathalie Bouckaert Pollard, West Farthing - 27.1
3. Mara Dean, Nicki Henley - 28.1

Open Intermediate 4:
1. Mara Dean, Good Stuff - 23.3
2. Stephanie Wear, Lionel the Stalker - 34.5
3. Phillip Dutton, House Doctor - 36.7

Open Intermediate 5:
1. Robert Costello, Wild Delight - 35.3 (Bobby and Wild Delight are pictured at the left below during their Victory Gallop at the Fair Hill International CCI***, last October.)
2. Phillip Dutton, Handyman Hughie - 40.0
3. Michael Pollard, SS Jett - 46.2

YR Open Intermediate:
1. Ashley Brown, Patmos Bentley - 50.8
2. Cayla Kitayama, Docksider - 59.4
3. Ashley Adams, Vaunted - 59.9

Open Preliminary 1:
1. Emily Beshear, Baileywick - 31.9
2. John Williams, Sweepea Dean 32.9 (FODS)
3. Jan Thompson, Lenamore's Dreamer 37.1 0 0 0 0 37.1

Open Preliminary 2:
1. Phillip Dutton, Loose'N Cool -30.4 (FODS)
2. Clarissa Wilmerding, Clean As A Whistle - 32.0
3. Yvonne Lucas, Car Tanga 34.6 0 0 0 0 34.6

Open Preliminary 3:
1. Kate Ditchey, Belmont 27.1 (FODS)
2. David O'Brien, Money Spider - 32.5
3. Susie Beale, Isabella II 30.0 4 0 0 0 34.0

Jr/YR Preliminary 1:
1. Nate Chambers, Rolling Stone II - 27.5 (FODS) (Nate and Rolling Stone are pictured at the right during their Victory Gallop at the American Eventing Championships, in 2004.)
2. Gillian King, Benjamin Bunny - 33.7
3. Lillian Heard, Anything But Ordinary 26.7 0 0 0 10 36.7

J/YR Preliminary 2:
1. Lucia Strini, Liste De Folie - 34.6
2. Caitlin Silliman, Twain - 40.3
3. Stephen Rogers, Kelecyn Applause - 42.1 (FODS)
4. Coren Morgan, Early Achiever - 42.1 (FODS)

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The following article is by Hans Gerling, a recent graduate of the University of Virginia with a major in journalism. He rides with Stuart Black. Hans and Leap finished 7th in OI/5 at Pine Top. eventingetc is pleased to announce that Hans will be covering Red Hills for our readers. This article was disseminated by the Phelps Media Group.

Australian Event Rider Phillip Dutton Dominates at Pine Top II in Georgia

Thompson, Georgia – February 21, 2006 - Threats of heavy rain and plummeting temperatures held off, allowing Pine Top Farm to hold their annual warm up competition for riders at the preliminary and intermediate levels. Janet and Glenn Wilson, owners of Pine Top Farm, made a few changes for this year’s show. Due to an increased volume of entries, the schedule of the event was expanded from Pine Top’s traditional one-day format to a two-day format. With dressage and show-jumping taking place on Saturday, overly enthusiastic horses were given the opportunity to settle before tackling Sunday’s cross-country test.

In addition to the schedule modification, John Williams, a team bronze medalist from the 2004 Olympic Games and team gold medalist from the 2002 World Equestrian Games, was selected as the new course designer. Williams, who designs courses at the Carolina and New Jersey Horse Parks, created new tracks for both the show jumping and cross country.

Williams’ courses provided good early season tests for both riders and horses. The show jumping courses were relatively small and placed on fair distances. However, several combinations were caught out by two verticals early in the course, which were placed on a snug four strides. Overall, the show jumping played a limited role in the final standings.

The cross country courses utilized many of Pine Top’s traditional fences, but Williams managed to put his own distinctive style onto the tracks. After a few straightforward galloping fences, intermediate riders faced a difficult test at fences 4ab and 5. Fence 4a was a tall vertical that landed riders in a small cluster of trees. Riders then had to choose between making a tight turn inside of a pair of round bales to a matching vertical in order to exit the woods, or wasting time to make a safer, longer turn to the outside of the round bales. After jumping fence 4b, riders had to choose between a direct four stride or a bending five stride line to hop over a small left point corner.

Williams then gave riders several straightforward combinations before presenting a final test at the last water. Intermediate riders approached the water over a downhill roll top before dropping into the water. Riders then jumped a narrow vertical in the water before jumping up a bank and bending to a right hand corner.

Preliminary riders faced challenges around the entire course including: a bounce bank to a narrow log pile, a big log in the first water jump, and a vertical at the top of Pine Top’s massive dirt mound.

Most riders handled the challenges well, prompting Glenn Wilson to praise the high quality of horses and riding over the weekend.

Not surprisingly, Australian transplant, Phillip Dutton, collected the majority of first place finishes. Dutton won two divisions of intermediate aboard the experienced The Foreman and new acquisition, Lucky Stripe. Dutton also captured a preliminary division aboard Loose N’ Cool. However, the most impressive of Dutton’s rides was his on again, off again veteran, House Doctor, the horse that carried him to a team gold medal in Sydney.

Other intermediate winners were: Becky Holder on her impressive grey, Courageous Comet, Mara Dean on Good Stuff, and Robert Costello and his athletic mount, Wild Delight. Ashley Brown captured the Young Riders division aboard the experienced Patmos Bentley.

Preliminary winners included: Emily Beshear on Baileywick, Kate Ditchey on Belmont, and Katherine Coleman on Trader Vic. Nate Chambers and Lucia Strini produced exceptional performances in the Young Rider divisions to secure wins aboard Rolling Stone II and Liste De Folie respectively.

Several competitors looked workmanlike, but finished farther down the order, mainly due to conservative cross country rounds. Canadian Kelli Temple aboard Paris went wellin all three phases, especially in the dressage test in which she placed second behind Phillip and Lucky Stripe. Tiffani Loudon-Meetze, who is one of the most underrated riders in the country, looked fantastic on the cross country and in show jumping.

Stuart Black produced a smooth, quick cross country round to help overcome an unusual mistake in the show jumping aboard his mammoth horse, Fleecework’s Pacific Storm. Heidi White’s veteran, Northern Spy, looked as good as ever and must be getting close to representing the United States at the upcoming World Games.

In the preliminary divisions several young horses stood out. Jan Thompson’s new ride, Lenamore’s Dreamer, appears to be a worthy backup to her string of advanced horses, while Thompson’s student, Lillian Heard, produced a professional result aboard Anything But Ordinary.

Glenn Wilson promises several changes for the Advanced Pine Top in two weeks, and hinted that the course may reverse directions for the first time in many years.