Dragonfire had a fantastic showing at the Summer Event at Woodside, with top placings in several of the divisions. Woodside features excellent courses, with the Training course being fully updated for this show. It also boasts the best viewing for spectators, so no petrified parent or spouse will have to wait to hear the announcer tell them that their rider is clear. Of course, the weather is also a delightful escape from the Summer heat here in Wilton, so the Dragonfire clan had a wonderful time enjoying our horses and barn mates.
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Ian awaits his mount in style in "The Throne Room" |
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Natalie Jensen and Wrigley
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Natalie Jensen made her debut at the Open Intermediate level with her long-time partner, Wrigley. The two did a great job their first time over the red numbers and completed the weekend with much deserved confidence for their next go.
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High Times and Jennifer McFall |
High Times was stellar in his Open Intermediate performance in woodside with a very strong cross country round and a fourth place finish for the weekend.
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Caroline Dein and Lucid Opposition |
Caroline Dein and her mare Lucid Opposition moved up to Preliminary with mixed results. After one of their better Dressage tests, they started off cross country in grand style. The out to the coffin proved confusing though, ending their day there. There must have been something in the water, because Merissa Underwood had similar results. Surely these two girls will be riding arrowheads nonstop from now until the next event!
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Ian Diery and Oscar of Penzance |
After two spectacular clear jumping rounds, including coming in exactly on his optimum time cross country, Ian Diery and Oscar were fourth in their Training division. With those results, I'd say Ian deserves a Throne Room at every show!
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Claire Jan and Artistic Flaire |
The darling duo of Artistic Flaire and Claire Jan always give crowd pleasing performances, and Woodside was no different. The two ended in sixth place in their Junior Training class.
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Infinite DF and Tracy Felt |
After taking most of the season off to work (boo!) Tracy and "Nate-the-Great" made a return the show world. Tackling the tough new Training course, these two really got back into the Eventer's way of riding by the end. Tracy gave Nate some good confidence building rides that will payoff in the near future.
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Maddy Rau and Aurio Secto |
Maddy Rau and Aurio Secto had their absolute best cross country round to date at this event, and are showing real promise for moving up to the green numbers. Now, if only the pesky Dressage would come along! Maybe they need to watch more of The Colbert Report.
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Marta Tabatabai and Dancing Diva show jump in the cool morning fog |
Marta Tabatabai and Dancing Diva gave a fantastic performance in Junior Novice to capture second place and their own Woodside halter! Knowing that this was no Dressage show, Marta dug deep to ensure that Diva didn't have any second thoughts about the ditches on course that she normally peeks at. Diva responded to Marta's strong ride with a nod, a YES MAM!, and a speedy clear round.
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Tim Terrific and Earl McFall |
The sky is the limit for Tim Terrific. This exciting young star has all the makings for a top class event horse, from his stunning uphill good looks to his matter-of-fact temperament. In his first (and surely his last) Novice performance Tim ate up the courses with double clear rounds and a sixth place finish.