“Everyone has traveled well and looks good,” U.S. Chef d’Equipe David O’Connor said. “We have a good group here. We have some younger horses and newer combinations. We also have unusually nice weather for this event, so we are ready to get started and get the ball rolling.”
Matt Brown and Super Socks BCF (Libby Law Photography)
Brown (Petaluma, Calif.) has been making a name for himself with top performances on both the East and West Coasts. He and Super Socks BCF, Blossom Creek Foundation's 2006 Irish Sport Horse gelding, won the Fair Hill International CIC3* in the spring and followed that performance up with a fifth-place finish at the Jaguar Land Rover Bromont CCI3*. The recipients a of Jacqueline B. Mars Competition Grant through the USET Foundation hope to replicate their top form in their European and Nations Cup debut at Boekelo.
Davidson (Ocala, Fla.) brings two talented mounts with him to Boekelo. His Nations Cup mount, Copper Beach, received a USEF Land Rover Competition Grant to attend the event. Davidson and Sherrie Martin and Carl Segal's 2006 Irish Sport Horse gelding won The Fork CIC2* and finished second in the Cosequin Stuart CIC2* earlier this year, and are coming off a solid ninth-place finish at the Richland Park CIC3*. Davidson’s other mount, Carlevo, is a newer ride to him, but their partnership shows much promise. He and the 2007 Holsteiner gelding owned by Carlevo LLC won an Intermediate division at Millbrook Horse Trials and had a solid prep-run at the Richland Park CIC3*.
Halliday-Sharp (East Sussex, England) and HHS Cooley have had impressive finishes this year. While Halliday-Sharp was based in the U.S. for the beginning of the 2015 season, she and Deborah Halliday's 2004 Irish Sport Horse gelding finished second in the Red Hills International CIC3*. Returning to Europe, the pair finished in 12th place in the Breda CIC3*. They recently were third in the Ballindenisk CIC3* and seem to be peaking at the right time for Boekelo.
Little (Frederick, Md.) has two mounts capable of top results at Boekelo. She and her Nations Cup mount, RF Scandalous, had a spectacular performance at the Pan American Games this summer, winning the Team and Individual Gold medals. She and Robin Parsky, Jacqueline B. Mars, and Michael and Phoebe Manders' 2005 Oldenburg mare are coming off of a second-place finish in the Plantation Field CIC3*. Little also received a USEF Land Rover Competition Grant to attend Boekelo with RF Quarterman. Little and Raylyn Farms, Inc.'s 2008 Oldenburg gelding were seventh in the Jaguar Land Rover Bromont CCI3* in June. They were then fourth in the Poplar Place CIC3* as their final prep-event for Bokelo.
Four other strong combinations will aim for top performances at Boekelo. Lauren Kieffer (Middleburg, Va.) has two mounts: Landmark's Monte Carlo and Vermiculus, both owned by Jacqueline B. Mars. Kieffer and Landmark's Monte Carlo, a 2006 Irish Thoroughbred Cross gelding, were named as the first-ranked alternate to the Nations Cup team, and won the Jersey Fresh International CIC3* earlier this year. With the 2007 Anglo-Arabian gelding, Vermiculus, Kieffer finished sixth in the Pan American Games Preparation Event at the Land Rover Great Meadow International presented by Adequan, and has been giving him experience competing in Europe during the summer and fall. Jon Holling (Ocala, Fla.) was named as the second alternate to the Nations Cup team with Downtown Harrison. He and Constance Holling's 2004 Trakehner/Thoroughbred gelding were members of the Nations Cup team at Boekelo in 2012, and are coming off of a fifth-place finish in the Poplar Place CIC3*. Katherine Coleman (Baydon, England) brings Longwood, her own 2002 Irish Sport Horse gelding, to make her Boekelo debut, looking to gain valuable experience at the three-star level.
The dressage phase begins at 9:00 a.m. CEST on Thursday.
Find out more about the Military Boekelo-Enschede CCIO3* and watch the live stream.
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