From: judy@valinor.mythical.com (Judy Labovitz)
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: Fair Hill CCI*** and Driving (long - results at end)
Keywords: fair hill, cci, driving, result
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 92 12:08:11 CST
Distribution: world
Organization: (What? Organized??) - Mythical Computer Systems

Well, I've been back from my East Coast vacation for a week now and
haven't seen anybody else post anything about Fair Hill, soooo .....

This was the first time I've been to Fair Hill so I can't make any
comments about how this year compared to previous years.  However, there
did seem to be a fairly low percentage of new jumps, while a large hunk
seemed to be retooled jumps; tough to say with no room for comparison.
The driving obstacles did all seem to be new, however.  This isn't
surprising because the driving competition was one of the selection trials
for the world pairs championship next year, being held in Gladstone, NJ at
the USET training facility (blatant plug - I'm planning/hoping to go!!).

Dressage day:

Beautiful weather (sunny, light wind, temps in the upper 50s)!!!!!  Either
the judges were being tough or the horses were having a tough time.
Probably the latter since most competitors were rinding their younger
horses.  There were only a few scores below 60.  The veteran Lou Llewellyn
with Torrance Watkins led after the day was over, with a score in the
upper 40's, if I remember the score correctly (I didn't write down the
dressage scores).

Driving dressage was also held but I always find it a little boring to
watch more than 3 or 4 competitors from a division do their test.  Don't
yell at me, though; I thought driving dressage was boring even back when I
was grooming for a driver.

Endurance day:

Weather was colder and wetter and cloudier and windier (highs around 50,
rain off and on all day, never saw a good shadow, and winds around 15
mph); was I glad I brought my gloves and earmuffs and umbrella!!!

The driving marathon was held in the morning.  Obstacles were fun as
always, especially since I ended up holding Jamie O'Rourke's horses as he
and his groom and his referee piled back in after tipping their cariage
over exiting hazard #4.  Most of the problems wrt accidents happened at
the new hazard #5.  My gang and I were up there for 7 carriages and 3
flipped over.  All of them flipped as they made the turn exiting the
hazard, heading back toward the in/out timers (slick grass, ground sloping
away from the direction of turn, 90 degree turn).  Only one person looked
seriously hurt - one of the referees went off in the ambulance with,
according to the next day's rumor, a broken hip.  Bill Long competed his
4-in-hand that he took to the last world championships.  Very impressive
watching those 4 horses go through the hazards.  FYI, he is retiring this
team after this season.

CCI endurance went off in the afternoon.  The course was, IMHO, very much
a rider's course.  The fences were not _that_ difficult wrt sheer size and
"required horse scope" (how does one say that as a noun?), but most
required an accurate line and pace in order to be successfully negotiated.
Cross country really shook up the standings.  Lou L. retired on phase C
and Eagle Lion moved from somewhere around 14th up to the lead.  There
were a lot of time faults and some of the leaders had refusals problems at
the water (a log on top of a steep bank where the horses didn't see the
water on the other side until it was time to jump the log) and at the fast
option to the two corners (a fairly standard corner to corner ABCD option
with the first corner invinting the run-out).

19 of 27 jumped the next day.  For those who are concerned about "cruelty"
during the cross country phase, all of the falls (as far as I know) were
of riders only and a number of horses were eliminated or retired because
of 2 or 3 refusals (mostly at the water).  Please don't flame me for the
use of the word cruelty, it seemd the best one-word way to describe the
perception that came out of the Olympics.

Obstacles/stadium jumping:

Again, the drivers went first.  Results (top ten in each division - there
are some limits to how much I'll type)

single pony:   Lois Holtby     174.0
       	       Sharon Makurat  259.5 (withdrew on marathon)

single horse:  George Hoffman  164.0
       	       Heike Bean      	       the scores for these next three were
       	       Chandler Irwin  	       revised after they went and I didn't
       	       Ellen Epstein   	       catch the scores, the placings are ok
       	       Jane Ramsey     199.9
       	       L. Taubenheim   216.2
       	       David Schwartz  247.4
       	       Dennis Fouldrod 264.6
       	       William Orth    365.0 (withdrew on marathon)

advanced pairs horses (selection trial for world championships):
       Sharon Chesson          151.2 (went clear to move ahead of JF)
       James Fairclough	       155.5
       Bill Lower      	       164.6
       Lisa Singer     	       171.8
       Hardy Zantke    	       193.5
       Kelly Valdes    	       195.9
       Gary Stover     	       204.9
       Herbert Cassidy 	       214.7
       David Jones     	       216.8
       John Fairclough 	       221.2

       (send me e-mail if you want to know about anybody else)

advanced 4-in-hand horses:
       Bill Long       204.7

CCI***:
    (everybody in the top ten jumped clean)

    Eagle Lion 	       Bruce Davidson  	        82.4
    Alden's Image      Marcia Carabell 	        85.0
    Pacific Lion       Missy Ransehousen        88.4
    Hoopoe     	       Mike Huber      	        97.0
    Altair     	       Phyllis Dawson  	       103.0
    Happy Talk 	       Bruce Davidson  	       106.0
    Greek Fire 	       Jane Sleeper    	       121.4
    M.A.S.H.   	       Diana Rich      	       124.6
    Pennylane  	       Mimi Osborn     	       128.4
    Sandlewood 	       Peter Green     	       132.2

    (again, send me e-mail if you want to know about anybody else)

WHEW!!  Hope you folks enjoy.

Judy

        
   Judith A Labovitz               judy@valinor.mythical.com
                                   uunet!valinor!judy
            I bark, therefore I am.    ---- Rene Descarte's dog.