mars equestrian

BROMONT, QC – June 9, 2024  – America’s Allison Springer has been a constant presence on the international eventing circuit for decades, as a rider, trainer, coach and trailblazer. She was the first competitor to don an approved riding helmet instead of a top hat in the dressage phase of an eventing competition at Kentucky (and she had to ask permission to do it!) She has multiple four-star short wins to her credit, but until today, she had yet to add CCI4*-L winner to her resume.

Springer rode Nancy Winter’s No May Moon to the win in the MARS Bromont CCI4*-L persistently and consistently climbing from third after dressage, to second after an incredibly challenging cross-country day, and finally with one of just three double-clean rounds in the show jumping they emerged victorious on a combined final score of 46.1 penalties. Canada’s Waylon Roberts and OKE Ruby R had an unfortunate rail down to lose the win, but were able to hold it to four faults to finish second on a score of 50.0. America’s Boyd Martin and Miss Lulu Herself posted one of the second double-clean rounds Sunday to finish in third on a score of 50.7. Interestingly, the top three horses in the 4*-L were the only three mares in the class.

“I think it’s like anything — you get experience by potentially not doing it right in the past,” Allison laughed. “I’ve had a couple of careful horses that were great at the three-star level and started out great Advanced but were a little too careful, so I learned from that and I just really wanted ‘Mayzie’ to tell me every step of the way.”

A Connemara/Thoroughbred cross, owned and bred by Nancy Winter, No May Moon is “little, but really, really well bred,” said Allison.

“She’s bred to jump and she’s bred to run, and that’s exactly what she does. It’s just been really getting her mind and getting her to understand the job and focus. She’s such an athlete but I really feel like now, in her final bit of time at the three-star level and now at the Advanced level, she knows this job.

“This is truly an international event,” she continued. “Galloping on that ground is incredible and just being at this venue — everyone’s so nice and I love to eat and the food’s so good here! It’s just it’s just a wonderful place to be.”

Canada’s Karl Slezak takes the CCI4*-S

Of the six divisions offered over the course of the weekend, ‘O-Canada’ played just once on Sunday: for Karl Slezak and his own Hot Bobo, who took the win in the CCI4*-S division. Sitting second after their dressage test, they moved up to the lead following Saturday’s cross-country and were able to hold on by posting a double-clean in Sunday’s show jumping to finish on a final score of 44.0 penalties. America’s Hannah Sue Hollberg and Capital HIM, as well as Arial Grald with Isla de Coco retained their second and third placings from Saturday, finishing on scores of 51.5 and 51.8 penalties respectively.

Slezak, whose goal this weekend was to make an impression on the Canadian Olympic selectors can safely say he succeeded in that department.

“To be honest, I try to take the pressure off,” he commented. “What will be, will be. I’m confident going into the ring on her — she’s such a good jumper. You’re never gonna have a bad day — a rail here and there might happen. But today she was fantastic.

“She feels great. She’s jumping really well. And I feel like I’m back in the game, so definitely excited about her going forward. Fingers crossed about Paris, but if nothing else, I know she’s back on top going into the fall.”

Love of good food seems to be a common theme for those who make a regular appearance at the Bromont events, and Slezak was no different.

“It’s a long drive [up from Ocala, Florida where he is based] for sure — the drive up is miserable, but as soon as you drive up the road and you just look at the cross country, it’s just unbelievable. It’s one of my favourite events to come to. The town is so amazing. The food, the vendors and the restaurants are all so good. And the venue here is just amazing. They do such a great job, they try so hard to make it the best for everybody. And I recommend anybody to come up.

“It’s very different than a lot of the events we have in Area 3 in the southern states. And so it’s great for Bobo to come up here and have a different go. Lots of hills, lots of terrain, definitely just big fences. It’s very different in a lot of ways, but it’s so great for their education.”

Boyd Martin Holds on for a 1-2 Finish in the CCI2*-L

Three-time American Olympian and world number two-ranked eventing rider Boyd Martin was the leader (and runner up) from wire-to-wire this weekend. His two “horses for the future” Fetiche Des Rouges and Kolbeinn were exceptional in the show jumping arena Sunday, with Fetiche Des Rouges laying down a double clear to finish on 21.2 penalties, and Kolbeinn adding just 1.2 time penalties to finish on 22.9. Emily Bradford and LJS Lana Traveler also performed well, with a lovely double-clean to finish in third, on a final score of 26.6.

CCIU252*-L and CCIU253*-L and the Laframboise Family Legacy Awards

The CCIU25 divisions were American sweeps, with Katie Lichten capturing the top two spots in the 3* with Romans Code Red and HTS Jensen R respectively. Maddie Hale and Cinzano 87 picked up third.

In the 2* Erin Farrell and Atavious took top honours, finishing on a final score of 41.8 penalties, enough to give them bragging rights to the lowest U25 score of the weekend. This also earned them the inaugural Laframboise Family Legacy Award, a special award established this spring in memory of Mary Anne and Guy Laframboise, whose Farm of the Mountain training centre served eventers and equestrian sport in Canada for nearly 50 years.

For the next three years, the Laframboise Family Legacy Awards will be given out to the highest placed U25 rider from any division at the MARS Bromont CCI, and to the highest placed U18 Canadian rider at Petit/Little Bromont the following weekend.

They also established an individual award of excellence to be presented annually at the MARS Bromont CCI to someone who has made a significant life commitment to enriching the sport of eventing — this weekend’s first recipient was a most fitting Sue Ockendon, Event Director at Bromont and long-time friend of Mary Anne and the Laframboise family.

Wildasin Family Gives Back to Bromont

Arden Wildasin had a great weekend at Bromont, with a win and a 15th in the CCI3*-L with Billy Beaufort and Tokyo Drift; a fourth place in the CCI4*-L with Sunday Times; and a ninth place in the CCI2*-L with Dance Monkey 7. 

The Wildasin family have long been patrons and supporters of eventing in North America and of Bromont, and following Arden’s successes today, in an incredible gesture, they donated all of her prize winnings back to the event.

“We just want to do what we can to support Bromont,” remarked Arden’s dad, Jim Wildasin, when asked what prompted the decision. “I can’t imagine the eventing calendar without Bromont, so anything we can do at any time to help them, is something we’re not going to hesitate to do. We love the [eventing] community, we know everybody and we’re always rooting for everybody. We love Bromont, period, end of story.”

IMAGES © Cealy Tetley Photo

BROMONT, QC – June 8, 2024  – Everyone knows that three-day events are never “a dressage show” and that things are always going to get shaken up come cross-country day. 

Things not only got shaken up but frankly turned on their heads following and exciting and influential cross-country day at the MARS Bromont CCI Saturday. Of the six leaders we had at the start of the day, only one has retained their lead heading into the horse inspection and show jumping tomorrow. Any guesses? If you guessed world number two ranked eventing rider, America’s Boyd Martin, you’d be right. He still holds the top two placings in the CCI2*-L with Fetiche Des Rouges and Kolbeinn, having added shockingly few penalties to their dressage scores (we’re talking 0.4 time penalties and zero penalties respectively – in a day where just three single rides of nearly 100 came within the time allowed.) Martin’s horses are going into showjumping on 21.2 and 21.7. We all know it still could be anyone’s day, that’s sport and that’s horses. Anyone want to place bets? But first, let’s celebrate the day the Canadians had on home turf, in the CCI4*-L and 4*-S divisions.

Canadians Lead in Both CCI4* Divisions

The marquee division — the CCI4*-L — by contrast, had some of the most movement with the elimination of the overnight leader Lucienne Bellissimo (GBR) following a rider fall. In the end it was Canada’s Waylon Roberts with OKE Ruby R who was able to hold his time penalties to just 10.8, to vault up into the lead on a to-date score of 46.0 penalties. America’s Allison Springer with No May Moon sits just behind, on 46.1 penalties, so Roberts will have to be clean and inside the time in Sunday’s show jumping if he intends to hold Springer to the runner-up spot. Arden Wildasin with Sunday Times had the fastest round in the class, adding just 10.4 time penalties to climb from 10th overnight to now sit 3rd on 48.1. Needless to say, there’s not a rail between them.

Roberts, admitted he had come in looking for an “educational round” for his relatively inexperienced mare, explaining that he uses the MARS Bromont CCI not only for the experience but as a bit of a gauge to see where they are in their career path.

“Bromont is an event that I try to put on all my horses schedules at a certain point of their career,” he said. “I think if you have horses that you’re looking to go to Morven Park, Maryland or Kentucky, Bromont needs to be included in your preparation, if not as a goal. It is truly a world class cross-country venue.

“I haven’t been at four-star long for a few years now, and this was Ruby’s first time at this level of competition. So it was hard to know what to expect. I definitely was looking to have a good educational round for her. And her best way of going is forward and covering ground. If she’s making time or doing well on the clock, it’s not because I’m trying, it’s more that that’s where she likes to be. The minute markers here at Bromont are very familiar to me, so I sort of knew where I needed to be, at 2-3-4 minutes. And then I just tried to keep those jumps in front of her and keep jumping. So I was really pleased with how she came along.”

The movement was not nearly as dramatic in the CCI4*-S, although the overnight leader Jessica Phoenix with Watson GS was also eliminated following a rider fall. Canadian Karl Slezak with his 2023 Lexington CCI4*-S winning mare Hot Bobo were able to add only time faults to their dressage score to move up from overnight second into first, as was America’s Hannah Sue Hollberg with Capitol H I M, moving from third into second. Arial Grald with Isla de Coco now sit in third. The biggest move of the division came from the busiest rider in the division, Canadian Olympian Jessica Phoenix, who piloted Fluorescent Adolescent from 14th overnight to now sit in fourth. 

Slezak, who was initially concerned his mare might find the atmosphere at Bromont a bit “much”, is now quite pleased with how she is maturing into a consistent performer.

“In the beginning, every time we took her to cross country schooling, it was like she’d never seen a cross country fence. Even still, if she has a long break, it’s like she’s never seen one. But then she has a few runs, and she just keeps getting better and better. And now it’s a very different ride for me. She just cruises around.”

With it being an Olympic year, everyone is waiting to hear who might be named to Canada’s eventing team, and Slezak is no different. 

“She’s been show jumping well leading up to this,” he remarked. “I’m excited about tomorrow, she should put in a good round. And fingers crossed, the selectors are happy with it.”

Back to Boyd, just for a minute…

Being one of the only riders to add little (or no) time penalties over the course of the day — and on newer/younger horses — we asked Boyd for his thoughts following the afternoon.

“You have to go pretty quick to make the time [here at Bromont] and the jumps are big and the terrain’s undulating. You get a little bit of an inside look of how much heart they’ve got, and I really think they learn a lot too. So coming here, I know it’s nice to win, but it’s more that this sort of run hopefully helps them for the future. So I think today was a great stepping stone for them. it’s just a wonderful place to bring a young horse to really see if they’ve got the ingredients for a big time horse for the future.”

Arden Wildasin and Billy Beaufort added just 1.6 time penalties to their round to vault up the CCI3*-L leaderboard from 13th into the lead on 35.2 penalties, bumping the overnight leader Sara Schulman and Cooley Chromatic into second on 35.6. Jennie Brannigan and Kismet sit in third on an even 38.

Of just three riders to make the time on course today, one belongs to the new leader of the U25CCI2*-L, Erin Farrell and Atavious. This brought them up from 11th overnight in a very competitive division.

Head to EventEntries.com for the full scores from Saturday, and live scoring for Sunday’s show jumping.

With cross-country now behind them, just two tasks remain before the winners are crowned and the ribbons awarded. The final horse inspection will begin at 8:00am Sunday, where horses will once again be presented to the veterinary and judges panel to ensure everyone is sound and fit to continue in competition; and then the final test of show jumping. Sunday’s rails are very light, and fall at the slightest touch of a hoof. And the scores are very close together. 

It’s still very much anybody’s game.

IMAGES © Cealy Tetley Photo

BROMONT, QC – June 7, 2024  – At the end of two days of competition at the MARS Bromont CCI4*, the number two ranked eventing rider in the world, America’s Boyd Martin, sits first or second in exactly 50% of the divisions offered. And in the CCI2*-L, he’s in first AND second.

But it’s Great Britain’s Lucienne Bellissimo with the leggy and elegant Dyri who sits atop the coveted CCI4*-L, laying down a beautiful test to score 26.0, a full five points ahead of her closest rival (Boyd with Miss LuLu Herself on 31.5). Allison Springer (USA) with No May Moon are just half a point behind in third (32.1) going into what will most certainly be an influential cross-country day Saturday. 

Bellissimo, who competed in the 4*-S at the 2023 event with Tremanton, is hoping this weekend at Bromont will serve as the perfect preparation, or at least stepping stone, for the next phase in Dyri’s career.

“I love (Bromont), it actually reminds me a lot of being back at home in Europe or England,” she said. “It’s just a beautiful track and a typical Derek [di Grazia] course. You just keep riding, and if you’re riding well and your horses are trusting you, it’s fantastic. And I figured if (Dyri) jumps around this well, then I’m hoping he’s kind of maybe ready to have a bash at Maryland [5 Star in October]. And if not then we’ll keep coming out until he is.

“The goals today were to try and improve a little bit with his canter work, both the changes and the canter half-pass, and I felt we did that. We’ve got a bit of a different system now with the way I’m asking him for his changes. He’s a sensitive horse and can sometimes be a bit of a slow-thinking horse, and the canter’s very big. So luckily today I think it was better, a bit more reactive at the right time. His canter work, again, in the half-pass felt a bit more supple and just a little bit more letting me ride him once he hits the centre line. I genuinely think that we can get this test a lot better by this time next year, hopefully.”

Canada is well represented in the CCI4*-S, holding four of the top five placings at the end of Friday with just fractions of points separating the leaders. 

Long-time Canadian team member Jessica Phoenix sits in the lead with Watson GS, on 27.4 penalties, with teammate Karl Slezak and his 2023 Lexington CCI4*-S winner Hot Bobo just behind on 27.6. America’s Hannah Sue Hollberg and Capitol H I M are sandwiched between two more Canadians (Dunham, QC’s Colleen Loach and FE Golden Eye) and Phoenix again with her second of four mounts in the division —Tugce.

Her efforts to produce Watson the right way were rewarded today; despite the opening of the heavens during their test, they scored a personal best to take the lead.

“We’ve just kind of slowly produced him up the levels,” Phoenix remarked. “He’s done four four-star Longs now and a lot of Grand Prix show jumping as well. He’s obviously a bigger boy, so it took him longer to really get his strength on the flat, but boy what a weekend for him to come out and do his personal best. He’s kind of been knocking at the door for a while now, but it’s just so rewarding to bring a horse along and to have them for that long and feel them come in and be so confident and reliable in the ring.”

Boyd Bests Himself with Another Low Score of the Day

After posting the low score of the day Thursday, Boyd Martin tapped out another Friday in the CCI2*-L division with Fetiche de Rouges, a 9-year-old Selle Francais gelding of whom Martin is quite excited. The horse was formerly campaigned through the CCI3* level with British rider Laura Collett and Ireland’s Aoife Clark, before joining Martin’s program at the start of 2024.

“He’s a real blood horse,” Martin said. “He gallops like the wind and is an incredible jumper, and he’s still young. It felt like he was a perfect horse to bring a large group of people around. He’s a beautiful mover and he’s one of those horses that lifts a gear and gets better once you go into the ring and he starts sort of strutting around and showing off for the judges. He’s lovely and calm, but when he gets a little excited he puffs up and shows off a bit.”

Martin also sits in second with Thursday’s ride Kolbeinn, on their score of 21.7 penalties.

The leaders of the CCI3*-L, U25 CCI3*-L and U25 CCI2*-L remain unchanged ahead of Saturday. Cross country will begin at 9 a.m. with the CCI3*-L divisions, followed by the CCI4*-L at 11:11 a.m., the CCI4*-S at 12:35 p.m., and the CCI2*-L at 2:40 p.m. 

IMAGES © Cealy Tetley Photo

BROMONT, QC – June 6, 2024  – The first half of the CCI4*-L division completed their dressage tests Thursday at MARS Bromont CCI. Shannon Lilley (USA) and her own Eindhoven Garette earned a mark of 33.8 from judges Peter Gray (CAN), Bea Di Grazia (USA), Christian Steiner (AUT) and sit in the lead, with the second half of the field yet to ride. 

Lilley prepped for MARS Bromont, which has always been her goal for the spring season with this horse, with a trip to the Lexington CCI4*-S, which is run alongside the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*. Her plan was to just practice dressage in Kentucky, taking advantage of the atmospheric Rolex Stadium.

“He took a while to develop in the beginning, over the first couple of years,” Lilley remarked. She originally sourced Eindhoven Garette from JP Sheffield and Dirk Schrade in Europe and purchased him on the recommendation of longtime coach Buck Davidson. “He’s come a very long way in the last six, seven months, since Morven Park. He went around the four-long at Morven really well, and he’s now come so far in the dressage, it’s really incredible.”

“He was super in that atmosphere and that was sort of the plan: to go and to get him in that ring and feel good about it, and he was great. Today I thought he was even better; the parts that were good were better and then there were a couple parts that need improvement, but we always need that.”

Lilley explained the changes in her horse have extended to cross-country as much as in the dressage arena: “He looks like an overgrown pony and he’s not; he’s so athletic, he’s like riding a little sports car,” she said. “He’s quite sharp. And he’s settled a lot in his brain and in his body over the last six months, but he is sharp and very quick. He’s got a huge amount of jump and gallop, and so to be able to get him to relax and move through his back in [the dressage] has been challenging. But he’s really brave, and he’s fast and he’s quite accurate. I’m excited to do the cross country on him.”

Martin Scores Best of the Day in the CCI2*-L

While a few pairs managed to squeeze into the 20s on Thursday, Boyd Martin posted the best score of the day in the CCI2*-L with Malmo Mob and Sherry Pound’s Kolbeinn, an exciting 7-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding who’s been in Martin’s program for about 18 months. 

Kolbeinn has show jumping in his pedigree and had jumped through 1.40m in Sweden before switching careers. Martin remarks that sometimes taking on a show jumper can mean some challenges in the dressage phase of eventing, but that hasn’t been the case with this horse, who Martin calls “a laidback champion”. 

“Full credit to the family that had him in Sweden, they really did a superb job educating him on the flat and he clicked right onto gear,” Martin said. “He’s just very willing and he just loves his job, and to get a 21 in dressage with only 18 months under his belt – I think it’s his character, he just loves doing everything.”

Martin says he loves bringing horses at all levels here to Bromont each year, commenting that the challenge of the cross country is proper education for them. “You can expose them to what it feels like to jump a big track on undulating country, and push them over a longer distance,” he explained. “It’s a great education between this and Morven Park – it’s the two real hardcore three-day events.”

Additional Quotes Following Thursday Dressage

Sara Schulman – CCI3*-L Thursday Leader with Cooley Chromatic 

“I’m super pleased with [my test] today. He’s honestly always quite reliable in the dressage phase, so it’s a nice feeling to go into the ring with. We’ve been this spring working a bit on bringing up some more power and exuberance that we know is in there. He’s only 8 this year, so there’s still a lot more to bring out and that’s led to some inconsistent tests actually leading up to this competition because we’ve been playing around with what works, what doesn’t work, so I actually backed off the pressure a little bit and went in wanting to have a nice, positive, confident test and I think it paid off.”

Claire Strehlow – U25 CCI2*-L Thursday Leader with Seabanks Theygo

“A lot of the things that [Bettina Hoy, guest coach for the MARS Bromont Rising program] talked about was making sure that I was keeping my hands lower and steady, so that [my horse] has the best balance in the bridle. And basically, being brave, she told me to be brave today, and confident that we can do it. I wanted to give him the best opportunity to have good quality gaits, and he certainly delivered that.”

Find full results on EventEntries.com 

IMAGES © Cealy Tetley Photo