It’s a new ballgame at the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill.
In the second year of the USA’s second 5-star three-day event, cross-country course designer Ian Stark is upping the ante on his terrain-rich route, while riders are finding the kinks have been worked out since the 2021 inaugural edition in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Astier Nicolas of France said the organizers of the event, presented by Brown Advisory, have “done a really good job this year. They’ve made quite a few improvements…the course is difficult but fair, and we’re really happy with the way it all looks so far.”
Tamie Smith, who was a spectator in 2021, agreed, saying “it’s a step up from last year, saluting “the crew that has been involved with putting in the time and effort on this property. It is 150 percent better. The presentation, everything. It is not even the same event it was last year.”
Woods Baughman, who rerouted to Fair Hill after retiring at the Burghley, England, 5-star in September, took the lead on the first day of dressage in the pouring rain with a score of 27.2 penalties as rain bucketed down on him and C’est la Vie 135.
Woods Baughman on C’est la Vie 153 under rainy skies. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
The rain was so heavy that he had trouble looking up, but on the plus side, his horse was eager to do the lateral work in an effort to escape the sideways rain.
Woods, who trains in dressage with German superstar Bettina Hoy, said his horse is “a bit quirky,” and the key to success is keeping him relaxed.
“He stood up pretty violently” at the ring familiarization yesterday, Woods commented, citing an incident that spoke to his mount’s nature.
“He’s obviously a fantastic horse. It just took a little bit of a while to figure out what we needed to do to keep him happy.”
That involves “as much free time as possible…to just be him. He doesn’t like to be pushed around too much.”
Nicolas stands second with Babylon de Gamma (29.1 penlties) and Liz Halliday-Sharp is third on Cooley Quicksilver (29.3).
Tamie was the early leader with 29 penalties aboard Danito in his first 5-star, but review by the judges added 0.4 to her total, putting her fourth.
The standings are sure to change on Friday, however, with British heavy hitters Oliver Townend (As Is) and Harry Meade (Superstition) yet to come, along with world number one Tim Price of New Zealand (Coupe de Coeur Dudevin.)
In the 3-star that is running here as well, world number five Will Coleman of the USA leads the way on Cold Red Rum earned a mark of 27.1.
“I’ve had this horse for just over a year, and I don’t think I competed him for the first three or four months I had him,” Will said of the 9-year-old Westphalian gelding.
“I felt like I had to really give him that time to settle emotionally and to physically develop. He was a bit of a weak and nervous horse for his age, but we’ve given him a lot of time.”
Ian, a former member of the British eventing team, designed his first 5-star cross-country at Fair Hill last year. It was quite an ask, because Fair Hill lives up to the hill part of its name, and a course that is too difficult can be made much more so by the terrain. As a result, he backed off the tough stuff a little bit in 2021.
Cross-country course designer Ian Stark. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
So now Ian knows the territory, which means he can refine his questions and make them more sophisticated in some cases. But his goal remains the same: hoping horses “can finish full of running” and the better for the experience.
“I want to get the horses home,” Ian said.
He always looks for a four-leaf clover on course, and he found one, wandering around in his “Walmart wellies.” So let’s hope it brings the luck everyone needs.
