American Gold Cup Program 2017

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Great Lakes Equestrian Festival

$35,000 Welcome Stake CSI2* and U.S. Olympic veteran great family fun and has received rave reviews from
Margie Engle take home the top prize in the $50,000 exhibitors, trainers and spectators alike.
Grand Traverse Grand Prix CSI2* with Dicas.
“This is my first time here,” said GLEF Week Three
The final week offered one additional FEI competition and Four winner, Lambre. “It’s an unbelievable facility.
as a designated CSI3* event. Taylor Land (USA) and For I’m very happy and the horses are happy. The grounds
Edition garnered their first victory together in Thursday’s are fantastic. I hope to come back next year!”
$35,000 Welcome Speed Stake CSI3*, while Abigail
McArdle (USA) and Chuck Berry 8 claimed the $40,000 The town of Traverse City is known for its diverse
Great Lakes Classic CSI3* on Friday prior to Sunday’s grand cuisine, Michelin-star restaurants and was recently rated
finale, which was captured by Tafur. “Mario Batali’s 10 Favorite Food Cities” in USA Today.
In addition to the food, there are several local brew-
In addition, Tiffany Morrissey and Sebastian, Tori eries and vineyards to enjoy. With an average high of
Colvin and Pitch Perfect, Jacob Pope and J’Adore and 79 degrees for both July and August, it’s perfect
Winn Alden and Marshall all added their names to the weather to experience any of the activities at Flintfields
USHJA National Hunter Derby winner’s list, which was Horse Park and around Traverse City.
held each Sunday throughout the GLEF circuit.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve the Great
The 2017 GLEF also featured World Champion Lakes Equestrian Festival to make it a more enjoyable
Hunter Rider (WCHR) week during Week Two and a experience on all fronts for both horses, riders and
$25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby during spectators,” said Matt Morrissey of Morrissey
Week Four, which was won by Courtney Calcagnini Management Group. “We’re already beginning to work
and Bowie for the second year in a row. on 2018’s circuit and look forward to seeing everyone
in Traverse City again next summer!”
Equitation Tuesdays were also a new addition to the
2017 GLEF schedule, providing equitation exhibitors even Mark your calendars as the Great Lakes Equestrian
more opportunities to collect double the amount of Festival returns next summer July 4–Aug. 12, 2018!
valuable qualifying points per week in one location
throughout four weeks of the six-week circuit. For more information on the Great Lakes Equestrian
Festival, visit www.greatlakesequestrianfestival.com.
The action-packed series offered the perfect
combination of exciting equestrian competition and

52 American Gold Cup



The CP National Horse Show Celebrates 134th Year of Competition

By Lenore Phillips

This October 31st - November 5th, 2017, the historic CP mortality rate in the state of Kentucky which boasts the highest
National Horse Show will return for its seventh consecutive year numbers in the country. The CP National Horse Show is proud
at Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena. Founded in 1883 in New to have the UK Markey Cancer Foundation as their official charity
York, the National Horse Show was first held in the original partner for the 2017 event. All donations and a percentage of
Madison Square Garden before coming to Lexington, KY. The each registration fee for race entries support continued cancer
National Horse Show has the distinction of being America’s oldest research.
indoor horse show and has been honored with its own exhibit
in the International Museum of the Horse. Featuring prestigious The NHS 5k will begin at the Alltech Arena, and afterward
international hunter/jumper competition and the ASPCA Maclay participants receive complimentary access to the CP National
National Championships, the event is routinely identified as one Horse Show, where they are invited to a Breeders’ Cup Viewing
of the most important events of the year. Party preceding the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping
Lexington at 6:30pm. The CP National Horse Show is one of only
This year’s edition of the CP National Horse Show features seven events that comprised the East Coast division of the
events for top equestrian athletes from around the world. This Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League. This
year once again features the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping class, one of the largest of its kind in the United States, attracts
Lexington on Saturday night, as well as the $130,000 CP Grand athletes from around the world. The winner earns points to
Prix on Thursday and the Salamander Hotels & Resorts qualify for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Finals in Paris, France
Accumulator on Friday. The brand-new addition of the National in 2018.
Horse Show 3’3” Equitation Championship on Sunday, October
29th was implemented to help riders that aspire to compete in VIP guests have the opportunity to enjoy the thrills of
the ASPCA Maclay National Championships hone their skills. This competition from the comfort of the luxurious Taylor Harris VIP
new class aims to test the horsemanship and decision making Club overlooking the Alltech Arena. New this year, Levy’s Restau-
skills of junior riders through two jumping rounds and a flat class, rants is the official caterer of the CP National Horse Show’s
mirroring the format of the ASPCA Maclay Finals. The ASPCA premier hospitality venue, providing a full breakfast, lunch and
Maclay Final Round takes place Sunday, November 5th. dinner and a variety of beverage options daily for table holders.
Levy Restaurants was recently named one of the 10 most
The National Horse Show aims to combine both tradition and innovative companies in sports by Fast Company magazine and
community. The annual Barn Night invites equestrian groups, recognized as one of America’s Best Employers by Forbes. Levy
barns, and local organizations come together for a fun evening can be seen serving at premier events such as the Grammy
of themed costume competition for a chance to win fantastic Awards, PGA Championship, US Open Tennis Tournament,
prizes. Held on Friday, November 3rd beginning at 7:30pm, the Kentucky Derby, and NHL, MLB and NBA All-Star Games.
2017 Barn Night awards both group and individual prizes
throughout the night. Participants who register their barn through In addition to elite competition, spectators of the CP National
nhs.org/barn-night will receive complimentary tickets to enjoy Horse Show can spend their time browsing through the more
the Salamander Hotels & Resorts $35,000 Accumulator show than 35 vendors on the concourse of the Alltech Arena and shop
jumping class. for equestrian products, clothing, jewelry, and much more
between classes. Please join us in celebrating our 134th anniver-
Saturday, November 4th features National Horse Show 5k sary in style and make the CP National Horse Show part of your
benefiting the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Foundation fall activities. Visit NHS.org for more information.
at 5pm. Established in 1978, the University of Kentucky Markey
Cancer Foundation was formed in effort to reduce the cancer

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G lossary of Terminology

AMATEUR OWNER - Divisions which are restricted to non-profes- classes”) touches are not scored, only knockdowns and refusals,
sional adult riders who ride horses owned by themselves or mem-
bers of their immediate family. as contestants are timed in the first round. Except in the unlikely

ASPCA MACLAY CLASS - A year-long horsemanship competition for event of a tie, there is no jump-off. In the Table II(c) ”Power and
junior riders. Riders must qualify for the finals by winning a spec-
ified number of ASPCA Maclay classes throughout the year. Speed” classes, all exhibitors who have gone clean immediately

CLEAN ROUND OR CLEAR ROUND When a horse completes the proceed through a set of timers to the ”speed” portion of the course.
course within the time allowed, without incurring jumping faults.
When more than one horse has a ‘clean round’ and the class is In all jumper classes, falls and going ”off course” (jumping the
designated as such, a jump-off will occur.
jumps out of order) result in elimination.
COMBINATION Two or three jumps set up so they must be taken
in quick succession, separated by only one or two strides. A com- Faults are scored as follows:
bination is considered to be a single obstacle. If a horse stops or
runs-out at any element of the combination (elements are lettered Knockdowns 4 faults
A, B, C), the entire obstacle must be re-jumped.
1st Refusal or run-out 4 faults
COOLER A blanket used to cover a horse that is heated or sweating
after a competition. A cooler, often made of wool or a mesh mate- 2nd Refusal or run-out Elimination
rial, aids the horse in cooling off without catching a chill. Coolers
are often presented as awards for the winner of a class. Fall of horse or rider Elimination

Failure to cross start line within 45 sec. after sound of horn

Elimination

Exceeding the time allowed 1 fault for every second

FEDERATION EQUESTRE INTERNATIONALE (FEI) The interna-
tional sanctioned body of equestrian sports.

FEI WORLD CUP An annual competition governed by the FEI in
which the top riders in the world meet in a different location each
year to determine the reigning world champion.

COURSE In each class over fences, competitors must negotiate GAITS The different paces at which a horse travels: e.g. walk, trot,
the jumps in a prescribed order. Courses for each class are posted canter, gallop, and varying speeds of each.
in advance near the In-Gates so that riders and trainers may mem-
orize them. It is the role of the course designer to establish the de- GREEN An inexperienced or young horse.
gree of difficulty in the course. A mark of a good course designer
is that he or she will gradually increase the course difficulty as the GROOMING Some of the jumpers in the grand prix ring have
week proceeds so that both horse and rider learn as they jump in their manes and tails braided to enhance their appearance. A tail
classes at the show. The grand prix is the highest level of show that is braided and then turned up so the hairs do not hang loose
jumping competition so the fences are larger and the course is is called a ”mud tail” and is frequently used in damp weather con-
longer and more challenging. Grand prix courses are planned by ditions.
accredited course designers. No two courses are ever the same.
There are usually 12 to 18 fences on the grand prix course. Spec- HORSES There are a variety of breeds and imports that make it
tators who hear a course described as a ”perfect course” (P.C.) have to the grand prix ring. American breeds include Thoroughbreds,
seen an event in which the number of riders who qualify for the Quarter Horses and Appaloosas, etc. Import breeds come from Ire-
jump-off is the same as the number of ribbons offered in that class. land, France, Holland and Germany. The grand prix horse is the
most talented jumper in the show world and also the most expen-
DISOBEDIENCE A refusal or inability to jump a fence, resulting sive with several sales topping the $1,000,000 mark. A horse could
in the horse stopping before or running out to the side of a fence. make it to the grand prix ring at the relatively early age of six or
A disobedience is scored as a penalty. seven years, and continue to compete into its early 20s. Horses in
the jumper division compete in sections according to the age of
FAULT Penalty assessed in jumper classes for mistakes such as the rider ( Junior, Amateur-Owner, or Adult Amateur Jumper) or ac-
knockdowns, refusals, and exceeding the time allowed. In Table cording to the amount of prior experience and prize money win-
II classes, (”Timed 1st jump-off”) touches don't count; knock- nings (Preliminary, Intermediate or Open Jumper).
downs and refusals are penalized. There is also a time limit or
”Time Allowed” to complete the course. ”Time-faults” are assigned IN AND OUT A two-jump combination, with elements separated
for each second over the time allowed. All with clean rounds return by one or two strides.
for a jump-off, or in a ”power and speed” format class, proceed to
the ”speed” portion of the course. In Table III classes (”speed JUMPER Jumpers are judged solely on their ability to jump ob-
stacles. They need not be any special breed or size. They are re-

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American Gold Cup 61

quired to complete a course of approximately 16 obstacles ranging in RAIL The wooden bar used on a jump. Rails must be a minimum of four
height from 3'6” to 5' and higher with spreads of up to 6', depending on inches in diameter and six feet in length, and usually measure about 14
the division in which they compete. feet.

JUMPER DIVISIONS Schooling, Pony, Children’s, Junior, Adult, Ama- RIBBONS Ribbons are awarded to those who finish in the money. The
teur-Owner, 1.30m, 1.35m, 1.40m 1.50m and Grand Prix. The 1.30m, color of the ribbon indicates the placing of the horse.
1.35m, 1.40m 1.50m and Grand Prix jumpers are classified based on the
amount of money the horse has earned in a given time frame. Ama- Blue - 1st Red - 2nd Yellow - 3rd
teur-owner jumpers must be ridden by amateur riders only who own
their horses. Adult amateur jumpers must be ridden by amateur rider, White - 4th Pink - 5th Green - 6th
but do not have to actually own the horse. Junior and Children’s jumpers
must be ridden by riders under 18 years of age. Schooling jumpers may Purple - 7th Brown - 8th Gray - 9th
be ridden by anyone.
Championship - Tri-Color -Blue, Red and Yellow.
JUMPS The general types of jumps in competition are a straight or ver-
tical fence and a spread (wide) fence or oxer. The degree of difficulty of RIDER’S ATTIRE Breeches and boots, a ratcatcher, hunt coat, and safety
a jump is determined by its height, width, construction, and its placement helmet are all worn by the riders. Breeches are the tight fitting pants
in relation to other jumps on the course. In competition a variety of worn under leather boots. A ratcatcher is another name for the riding
fences can be used including walls, panels, gates, oxers, water jumps, com- shirt worn under the hunt coat or jacket. It is common to see grand prix
binations, banks, and ditches. An oxer is a single fence composed of two riders attired in a scarlet coat. A blue collar signifies that the rider has
or three elements to produce a spread. A ”square” oxer is one in which competed for the United States Equestrian Team. Other hunt coat colors
the front and back rails are of equal height, making it more difficult to are blue, dark green or black. The safety helmet must be worn by the
jump. Types of oxers include parallel, ascending, descending and Swedish rider when ever on horseback. A rider may also elect to wear spurs or
oxers. A ”triple bar” is composed of three fences, which a horse must carry a crop, or stick, to encourage the horse over the fences.
clear in one leap. This tests the horse's ability to jump both height and
width. A water jump is another type of spread fence that can stretch 12 ROUND OR TRIP A complete section of the grand prix or class in which
to 14 feet. The lathe or tape marker on the landing side designates the all the horses have their turn on course. Some grand prix hold two rounds
end of the fence and if the horse touches the marker upon landing it is before the jump-off. A trip is the rider’s individual turn on the course.
counted as a penalty. Combinations are a series of jumps, usually two or
three in a row set to challenge the horse's ability to jump successively SPREAD Width or distance from the front to the back of a jump.
after one or two strides. Another name for a combination is an in-and-
out. A ditch is a shallow depression dug into the show ring. A ditch is SCHOOLING The warm-up session prior to the rider’s round in which
designed to provide a visual distraction to test the horse's bravery. A bank they are able to jump practice jumps in a designated and supervised
is an earthen mound which the horse must jump up onto, or scramble schooling area.
over. Obstacles are brightly colored both for aesthetics and to add diffi-
culty to the course. Some course designers believe the colors and patterns SHOW JUMPING HALL OF FAME – The Show Jumping Hall of Fame con-
painted on the obstacles affect the way the horses take the jump. The type ducts the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series, held under
of construction of a particular fence also determines its difficulty. A fence Grand Prix rules and specifications. The Series holds classes at approxi-
that is composed of just a few rails, for example, appears more airy and mately 100 horse shows across the country, including the Show Jumping
is more difficult for a horse to negotiate than a solid looking fence. Derby at the Hampton Classic. The Show Jumping Hall of Fame is located
at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY.
JUMPING ORDER, START ORDER OR ORDER OF GO The jumping order
or starting order is determined in a drawing before the event so that each SPORT HORSE - Horse bred especially for competition in the disciplines
competitor has an equal chance of attaining a favorable starting position. of show jumping, eventing, or dressage based on the performance records
Riders near the end of the starting order have the advantage of seeing in the lineage of sire and dam. This method of producing equine athletes
how the first riders complete the course. has been practiced for years in Europe, and is beginning to take hold in
the U.S., where many of our horses have traditionally come from the race-
JUMP-OFF All horses with ”clean” first rounds jump a shortened course track. Scores of horses of European sporthorse breeding, including Dutch
against the clock to determine the winner. Warmblood ("VIP"), Hanoverian ("The Natural"), and Selle Francais
("Galoubet"), have been imported for competition and breeding purposes.
OPEN (i.e. Open Jumpers) Advanced divisions in which competitors are
not restricted by previous winnings. STANDARDS The various types of supports which hold up the rails and/or
planks of each jump.
PERFECT COURSE (PC) A course that is termed ‘perfect’ is one in which
the number of riders qualifying for the jump-off is the same as the num- STRIDE The amount of ground covered by a horse in one step at the
ber of ribbons offered. canter. The average horse’s stride is 12 feet. Distances between fences are
set accordingly by the course designer.

TACK The equipment worn by the horse depends on the needs of the animal.
The saddle and bridle are the staples. Other equipment may be added such

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classic oxer style jump or obstacle

as a martingale, which attaches to the saddle and bridle to keep the horse's VERTICAL A fence with no spread to it, which forces a horse to make a
head from rising too high. Horses may also wear boots or bandages on their steep arc in his effort to jump.
legs for support or protection.
VOLUNTARY WITHDRAWAL A rider makes a decision not to continue on the
TIME FAULT A penalty for exceeding the designated time limit. A rider is course and to leave the ring. Generally this is done with a nod of the rider’s
penalized 1/4 faults for each second over the allotted time. head or tip of the hat to the judge. Rider’s may decide to withdraw for any
number of reasons such as a problem with the horse or equipment, trouble
U.S. EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION, INC. The national sanctioning body negotiating the course, or because the rider knows he or she has too many
which governs equestrian sport activities in the United States and repre- faults to place in the ribbons.
sents the U.S. internationally.
WALKING THE COURSE Riders and horses may not practice on a course
UNITED STATES HUNTER JUMPER ASSOCIATION (USHJA) - The USHJA prior to actual competition, but the rider is permitted to walk out the route,
is committed to advancing and representing the hunter and jumper dis- pacing off the number of strides between jumps and examining the ob-
ciplines by fostering an educated community of equestrians that promotes stacles closely. It is a course designer’s job to set up problems that will
the welfare of the horse and fairness in competition. challenge the ability of exhibitors. Riders and trainers must determine
what and where these are in a course and develop strategies accordingly.
USETF The United States Equestrian Team Foundation is the organization
that fields and promotes teams to represent the United States at international WARMBLOOD - Type of sport horse resulting from crossing heavier draft-
competitions such as the Olympics, World Cups, Pan American Games, and horse breeds with lighter Thoroughbred-types. European warmblood
World Games. Disciplines overseen by the USET: Show Jumping, Dressage, breeds have been imported extensively into the U.S. over the past decade.
Driving, Endurance, Reining, Vaulting and Para Equestrian. (See "SPORT HORSE")

American Gold Cup 63

Notes & Autographs

64 American Gold Cup