Those rail fences look like a steeplechase timber fence. They tend to jump nicely. Morningside Training has several in their cross-country field. when I used to pair race, part of the course at Casonova, Piedmont, Warrenton, Blue ridge and Old Dominion usd part of the timber course. They were meant to be jumped at speed and were fun.
1 Like
For anyone who is there in person today, how is the parking area? Like muddy vs dry? I know theyāre supposed to get some showers Friday/Saturday but nothing crazy, just deciding if weāre bringing the car or the truck tomorrow AM.
Thanks!
Youāre right! I went and looked at last yearās course, and Ianās commentary. Theyāre frangible. Sounds like they rode well last year - I stand corrected!
1 Like
Dry today 
The course looks nice and would be fun to watch. I donāt know what the terrain is like but I wouldnāt put the course in the classification of Burghley/Badminton.
Is the combination including the crab a bounce or a one stride? Also, I really liked the sunken road. Although Iām disappointed not to see a true coffin on the course or the equivalent of a Cottsemore leap.
Now that we have two 5* in the country, I think we need to buff one of them up to be on par with Burghley or Badmitton.
1 Like
I believe it is a bounce based on a couple things Iāve seen posted.
Lovely test from Mia Farley and Phelps!
2 Likes
I noticed a few of the horses had braided tails. Is that a thing now?
There is a water bottle refill station behind the chalets 
I didnāt walk around much today but that was something I took notice of.
2 Likes
Itās completely dry everywhere today.
YES. Thank you Korbel for sponsoring this. Itās tucked away sorta on a diagonal from the kiddie area behind the main arena but gosh what a nice amenity. If you find the Korbel VIP chalet walk toward the timber field grass/cross country then hang a left by the fancy footing track.
2 Likes
Latest confirmed course walk announcements:
Friday 11am Leah Lang-Glusic by County Saddlery
Friday 12:30(estimated) between the 3* and 5* dressage Allison Springer by Mars Equestrian (on her facebook page)
Latest unconfirmed course walk announcements:
Friday TBD Ian Stark per Area II chatter
Friday TBD āevent coachesā from the USEA Eventing Owners task force announced back in July but Iāve received no additional notifications so perhaps this didnāt come together
The Mars/Buckeye coursewalk with Allison Springer is now being billed as an āabbreviatedā course walk.
1 Like
They say bounce but isnāt this a 1 stride?
There was a comparison of the terrain done last year or 2021. Of all the 5* events in the world, this one had the most elevation gain and drop in total, making it the āmostā terrain from an uphill/downhill point of view.
Hereās a quote from Oliver Townend in 2021:
Oliver Townend predicted the terrain will be a huge factor, calling it potentially more challenging than the hills at Englandās famous five-star Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.
āWe always think of Burghley as the toughest terrain, but actually when you walk Burghley there are long pullsāand you feel like youāre walking foreverābut then when you get to the top of Winners Avenue, you can actually keep them open and get them breathing again at the same time and you run downhill for a long time,ā he said. āWhereas here, for me, itās a little bit more intense. Itās a little bit more steep climb, drop down; steep climb, drop down; steep climb, drop down, and again heās put some fences in some places that I think is very, very brave to do. Even the rails going up the hill [at 13AB], thatās something that none of us have possibly seenāwell, Iāve never seen it since Iāve been eventing. Itās probably not been designed for the last 35 to 40 years."
2 Likes
The terrain at MD5* is hilly -much like Burghley and its on task to be up there with Badminton and Burghley though will take some time - those 2 events have been around for much longer. From what Iāve seen of the course, in person, itās beautiful and the show grounds have made additional improvements over last year. Again this is the 3rd and itās great to see the positive efforts the organizers are putting in to make this truly a top class event.
9 Likes
The course walk through for the next set of jumps up he mentions he picked those jumps to slow the riders down and that they are indeed frangible.
What shopping are yāall planning on.
I want to see Remarkable Leather Goods new stability leathers. And then Fair Hill saddlery should have the Aero helmet so Iām interested to take a look at those.
1 Like
Dubarry and Fairfax and Favor! And I am interested to check out some of the dog vendors too as my pup needs a coat!
I literally just spent 15 minutes going through my dogās wardrobe deciding what he needed. Heās a Great Dane and the biggest wuss. Decided on his kilt (which he normally wears to the Ren Faire) with a fleece lined raincoat underneath.
So if you see someone with a very large black GD who is dressed better than most people. That would be me. And heāll be wearing a bib that says Not a Horse.
17 Likes
