Event organiser Jen Best takes over the reins while Erin Hands makes her acceptance speech for winning the Ride With Elegance EvA95C
An Eventful Life filmed competitors in the EvA 80, 95, 105 and 1* on the cross country at Lakes & Craters – click here to find out more
While the 3 Day Event competitors in the CCI, CIC and CNC classes completed their event at Lakes and Craters today, Saturday saw the finish of the event for the riders in the EvA95 and EvA80 divisions.
It was a perfect day for the cross country and show jumping phases in the Western Districts of Victoria and the day finished with presentations and some great speeches by the riders, even if some of them were a bit perturbed about speaking with a microphone in public and had to be gently coaxed by event organiser Jen Best. But Wendy Whiting, one of the well known characters of Victorian eventing who won the Camperdown Pets & Ponies EvA95B had no such reservations, assuring Jen that “I don’t need a microphone – my voice is loud enough!”
A delighted Wendy Whiting with her EvA95B winner Butter Bing and horse-finder/event organiser Troy Best
Wendy’s win in this class on Butter Bing was one worth a speech as she had only started to ride the horse three weeks ago. Her previous horse Ripley Lodge Gator, that gave Wendy the win of her eventing career when they took home $5,000 as the winner of the inaugural Triequithon in 2015, was also competing here but with another rider as Wendy had sold him and until recently was looking for another horse
“Then Troy (Best) rang me up and said ‘come look at this horse’ and as soon as I tried him, I knew this was the one. I couldn’t afford an expensive horse but Troy has found me a cracker!”
Wendy and Butter Bing started in fourth place after the dressage but they finished with a clean score sheet in the cross country and show jumping to give them the win on a score of 39 ahead of Nat Davies on Equineaffair Casper (41.10) and Lena Schulz on Darwin Park Spider Man (47.70)
Wheres The Kaboom doesn't look like he would touch one in the show jumping warm-up!
In the Equissage EvA95A Simon Tainsh and Where’s the Kaboom led from start to finish on their dressage score of 39.90 and, although Simon wasn’t totally happy with the show jumping round, they left them all up! We talked to him afterwards about Where’s the Kaboom
Simon Tainsh
Simon Tainsh with the owner of Wheres The Kaboom and FEI vet, Emma Nicol
Again Nat Davies finished in second place, this time on Equineaffair Eclipse (42.80) and Ella Pusterla on Bvlgari took third (48.70). Another rider in this class, Rebecca Martin, may have finished in 12th place but she certainly caught our eye due to her impressive colour co-ordination with her gorgeous palomino Jaybee Amigo (below) - more about them coming up soon
Erin Callahan seems to be downsizing having had a horse called From Small Things and now one called Minuscule. He may be only 15.3h but he won the Ride With Elegance EvA95C on a good score of 36.50 and just 0.8 time penalties on cross country
When do I get to watch my video? The Joker inspects his prize
Another small horse, but very cute, was The Joker ridden by Catherine Tolliday who won the Horseware Ireland EvA80A. They led from start to finish, adding nothing to their dressage score of 39 but it was a close run thing with Leanne Le Claire and Ashbend Bewitched in hot pursuit, also finishing on their dressage score of 39.60.
They held a good lead over third placed Domesky, an off the track thoroughbred who won more than $420,000 in prize money during his racing career and started eventing in 2015, who finished on 50.2. Domesky is ridden by Hailey Dawson who acquired the Group 2 winning gelding from Cranbourne trainer Mick Kent’s racing stables through a friend that worked there
Nice rug Zoe!
An Eventful Life EvA80B Zoe Rogers and Valley View Lazer Beam started in third place on a dressage score of 47.10 but a clear show jumping round and just 1.2 time penalties on cross country moved them up to take the win (and get a cross country video as part of their prize of course! The winners’ videos will be coming up soon here)
Zoe is 15 and this was her very first EA event on her horse Valley View Lazer Beam (Lazer). He is a 12 year old Welsh/TB x Riding pony and they have been a combination for the past two and a half years. She has had a lot of success on him at pony club events however he is only 15.1 and Zoe is extremely tall so they decided that we would end the competition year at Lakes and Craters and then put him on the market. What a way to finish! The hunt now begins for the next horse... and some lucky person will be the new owner of Lazer
“He is a very talented horse but can be a little bit looky on cross country” said Zoe’s mum Narelle “However the course here suited him to a tee. Whilst it was challenging in some ways, it wasn't as spooky as some pony club courses can be so he managed to keep his mind on the job. We were so thrilled with our first experience of Lakes and Craters and were absolutely shocked to walk away with the win”
“It is an understatement when I say it was the highlight of Zoe's riding career so far!”
Nat Davies and Vulcan Elmare
Nat Davies may have finished second in other classes but she took the win in the Corangamite Shire EvA80C on Vulcan Elmare. This is the full brother to Nat’s Lucrezia Elmare that won the 5 Year Old Young Event Horse Challenge at Melbourne International 3 Day Event earlier this year
Despite not being the usual coloured horses produced by this sire, both horses are by Copabella Visage out of Wungum Sexy Legs and Nat cannot believe how lucky she is to have the two young horses
“This is his first presentation in a big competition” said Nat as the young horse stood quietly for his rug being put on and photographs taken “And he is always like this – really calm and obliging as if he has been doing it all his life! And yet, when you go into an arena for the dressage he just lifts as if he wants to show off - his sister is the same. I would never have thought that two horses could be so similar in temperament and equally talented”
Vulcan Elmare must have certainly ‘lifted’ in his dressage test at this event, with an excellent score of 24 and he added nothing to it, to finish 14 penalties ahead of second placed Charlotte Flood on Collude With Me. Nat and her Elmare horses are definitely ones to watch next season .....
More to come from the final day at Lakes & Craters soon
