Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night (RedBayStock.com)
Halliday-Sharp (East Sussex, UK) had an excellent test with Deborah Halliday’s Fernhill By Night to lead the Rolex/USEF CCI4* National Championship standings and sit in second place on the overall leaderboard. She and the 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding painted a lovely picture in the dressage arena with a great flow from movement to movement. The pair impressed the judges during the mid-morning session, earning a score of 43.0 and maintaining a solid position near the top of the leaderboard throughout the day.
“‘Blackie’ is literally one of the nicest horses I have ever ridden. He is kind of like a big Black Labrador for anyone who knows him,” Halliday-Sharp explained of her mount. “He is very lazy. I think I got the warm-up right today. He’s not like a normal four-star horse in that way. Since he is a big horse, he is 17.1 [hands], he can get away from you in the test a little bit; he can get a bit long, but today he really, really tried. I felt he was with me the whole way through and I think he enjoyed it; I know I did. We have a good partnership now.”
Dutton, the 2015 Rolex/USEF CCI4* National Champion, had the unenviable position of being the first combination of the day with Thomas Tierney and Ann Jones’ Fernhill Fugitive, but the pair delivered a fantastic test. The 2005 Irish Sport Horse gelding demonstrated that he has become a solid competitor for Dutton (West Grove, Pa.), putting together a smooth test. The duo received a score of 43.1 to move into second place in the Rolex/USEF National CCI4* Championship.
Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Fugitive (RedBayStock.com)
“He has really matured. I think if I had my time with him over again, I might not have done as much with him as a younger horse. I think it has taken him a while to get stronger and mature,” Dutton explained of Fernhill Fugitive. “Silva Martin had a big influence on him, as well. She took him for quite a few weeks and worked on his flatwork. I think it is all a combination of things that have come together as he is maturing. He is a very quiet, good-natured horse that is easy to teach.”
Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) is the third highest-placed American in fourth place in the overall standings after a great performance with his 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games mount, Shamwari 4 Syndicate LLC’s Shamwari 4. He and the 2002 Hanoverian gelding gave a solid effort to score 44.6 on the first day of dressage.
“I’m quite pleased with him. It’s the first real, big deal competition he has been to since the World Equestrian Games. It wasn’t a perfect test, but it was alright,” Martin said.
Michael Jung (GER) had an exceptional test with fischerRocana FST to stand atop the leaderboard after the first day of the competition. Jung demonstrated his skill with Brigitte and Joachim Jung’s 2005 Deutsches Sportpferd mare, garnering an impressive score of 34.4 and a solid lead on the field thus far.
Competition continues Friday with the second day of dressage. Watch the live stream on the USEF Network and catch every ride and all the action of the weekend. Get behind-the-scenes coverage on the USEF Network Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts as well as on the USEF Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat accounts.
Friday’s dressage phase begins at 8:30 a.m. ET with Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby.
For more information about the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover, visit rk3de.org.