Millbrook Horse Trials a galloping success

MILLBROOK — Four days of competition, more than 425 horse-and-rider combinations, hundreds of volunteers, too many spectators to count, just one downpour in an otherwise sunny stretch of weather and the ambulance service never left the grounds: The Millbrook Horse Trials was a smashing success, said Nancy Hathaway, one of the organizers.

There were six levels of competition from beginner novice through advanced, and three different courses: dressage, cross-country and show jumping, more than 260 horses were stabled on the grounds, and the venue of Coole Park Farm was awash in activity from Thursday, Aug. 5, through Sunday, Aug. 8.

In addition to the regular competition, the Professional Riders Organization (PRO), staged a special event with the Millbrook- based Running Fox Pony Club. And The Chronicle of the Horse, a national weekly magazine, sponsored an adult team challenge, adding to the prizes that competitors placing in the ribbons got to take home.

Each phase of the competition requires slightly different tack and attire for the horse and rider. Riders going cross-country are required to wear a body protector vest for added protection in case of falls, as well as an approved helmet. This year many riders and nearly all of the advanced level riders were also wearing an air-vest over their body protector. This new vest operates very much like an air bag in a car. If the rider falls, the vest inflates (in 0.1 seconds) helping to cushion the impact on the neck, spine and ribcage.

Many participants competed on more than one horse and several of the professional riders had six, seven, even eight horses to ride. Buck Davidson Jr., who spends one half of the year in Ocala, Fla., and the other half in Pennington, N.J., had seven rides lined up, with four of them in the two advanced-level classes.

He took the first- and second-place ribbons, plus a seventh place in one of the advanced divisions. But he withdrew his horse My Boy Bobby after dressage in the other advanced division. Davidson and My Boy Bobby took a third place win at the 2009 Rolex Kentucky Three Day event, which is the highest level horse trials in the U.S. To see all the results go to area1usea.org.