United States Eventing Association

Paso Robles, Calif.—Sept. 24—Karma is developing into one of the fastest and most-reliable cross-country horses in the West. The 9-year-old bay Oldenburg mare and James Alliston won their third-straight blue ribbon together at either the four-star or Advanced level in the CCI4*-S at the Twin Rivers Fall International in Paso Robles, California, with the only double-clear cross-country round on Saturday.

Karma is now scheduled to fly from Los Angeles to Amsterdam on Sept. 27, and then Alliston will join her to compete at the FEI Eventing Nations Cup Netherlands CCIO4*-NC-L at Military Boekelo in Enschede, the Netherlands, on Oct. 5-8 as part of the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team.

Other highlights in the second international event of the year hosted at Twin Rivers Ranch were the victory in the CCI3*-S by Erin Kellerhouse and Bon Vivant GWF leading after each eventing phase in the largest FEI division and the CCI2*-S and CCI1*-S being won by a pair of 16-year-old riders. Julia Beauchamp Crandon and MGH Capa Vilou were the only pair to finish on their dressage score in the CCI2*-S. Jillian Mader and Coolrock Wacko Jacko took the first-ever CCI1*-S held at Twin Rivers.

Prior to the weekend, Alliston had said, “I definitely won’t be babying her,” when it came to his approach to the final run for Karma (Escudo II x Travita) before heading overseas. They blazed around cross-country designer Morgan Rowsell’s 3,619-meter four-star track in 6:11, 10 seconds under the optimum time and 35 seconds faster than any other pair. Their final score was 36.2.

“She was awesome,” Alliston said afterward. “Felt very bold and fit. The ground was really good, so I thought it was a nice opportunity to give her a quick run as fitness preparation for Boekelo. It was a good setup for Boekelo hopefully.”

With an eye also on potential events overseas for the horses she rode in the CCI4*-S, Tamie Smith and Elliot V (Zavall VDL x Vera-R) had the only double-clear show jumping round on William Robertson’s course at the level. They finished fourth overall after adding 19.2 time penalties on cross-country. Smith was also second with Cooley By Design (Plot Blue x Uthree Z) and fifth with Kynan (Envoy x Danieta).

Kynan is currently the traveling reserve for the United States at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, at the end of October, and Elliot V is a team alternate. They are scheduled to compete in the mandatory outing for the Pan American Games at the Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy on the same weekend that Alliston and Karma are at Boekelo.

Tommy Greengard and Joshuay MBF (Foreign Affair x Fernacchy MBF) were third in the four-star debut for both horse and rider.

In the CCI3*-S, Kellerhouse and Bon Vivant GWF (Banderas x Power Point) led after a dressage score of 27.6, tied for the best across all the FEI levels. Then, they were one of only three pairs in the biggest FEI class with 17 entries to record zero jumping penalties in show jumping and on cross-country. They added just 6.4 time penalties on cross-country for a finishing score of 34.0.

“It was one of those weekends that all phases just felt great,” Kellerhouse said. “He’s getting settled and strong enough to feel confident and happy in his work.”

Kellerhouse has developed quite the partnership with the 8 year-old Oldenburg gelding she calls “Pierre” in the barn. They first competed together at the Beginner Novice level when Bon Vivant GWF was 4 years old in 2019.

“Jill Jaeger and I bought him as a baby from Gateway Farm [in California], where my cousin Laurel Ritter and her business partner Elizabeth Jenner bred him,” she said. “He was really the first horse that they bred that had jumping lines. They mostly breed dressage horses. As a 4-year-old he always just got the jumping and was super brave and happy to do his job.”

With the 2023 USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships to take place at the Galway Downs International Horse Trials in Temecula, California, on Nov. 1-5, a pair of 16-year-old riders won the CCI2*-S and the CCI1*-S.

“We have a really strong set of young riders out here because we all work really hard out here,” Beauchamp Crandon said. “We try and compete with the East Coast and do our best, and we all just want to keep getting better. So, we have a strong desire to keep improving and work together as a team.”

Beauchamp Crandon and MGH Capa Vilou won their first blue ribbon in their 13th USEA-recognized event together. They started showing together last year after the 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare previously competed at the equivalent of America’s Preliminary level in Great Britain in 2021 with Sammi Birch.

“She gets on course, and she just locks in and focuses,” said Beachamp Crandon, who was also fourth in the CCI3*-S with Playing the Game (Hillviewfarm Trnvelyan x Oughterard Beauty). “She really listens to me. It’s taken a bit to get a partnership with her. This year, it’s felt more set, and I’ve been able to communicate with her a bit better cross-country, and each show has gone a little bit better. She loves working. She definitely likes to work, but she also likes her rest time.”

They were the only two-star pair out of 14 entries with a double-clear show jumping round and then one of only three with a double-clear cross-country round, finishing with a score of 31.1.

“After the dressage, she was feeling super rideable and overall very willing to listen in the show jumping, which I think helped a lot,” Beauchamp Crandon said. “This also helped us cross-country I believe, as she was a bit calmer, so I could go quicker and make better use of the track with her like this.”

In the CCI1*-S, fellow 16-year-old Jillian Mader and Coolrock Wacko Jacko (Jacomar x Lux D Part) led after each phase to win with a score of 32.4. They were fourth in Twin Rivers’ inaugural CCI1*-L at the Spring International and have put together five top-three finishes since.

With an eye toward the Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) West Coast Championships that will take place at Twin Rivers on October 27-28, Smith and Solaguayre Cantata (Canturo x Solaguayre Clarita) won the 5-year-old qualifier with the second-highest YEH score of 89.6 in the United States this year.

“Cantata is a remarkable mare, and I’m very excited to have such a promising young horse to produce for the Guariglias,” Smith said about the Argentine Sport Horse mare owned by Julianne Guariglia. “They have been so supportive to me in recent years, and it’s extra special because Cantata is from the same breeder in Argentina, Solaguayre,” referring to Solaguayre California, the mare whom Smith lost earlier this year following complications from surgery.

Amber Birtcil and Cellar Farm Corp’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Oxford K (Grand Slam VDL x Walzing Patty) won the 4-year-old qualifier at the Twin Rivers Fall International with a score of 85.3, second-best in the United States for 4-year-olds in 2023.

“He is actually quite quirky, but I really like his type, and for me he’s quite comfortable to ride which has become quite important for me,” Birtcil said. “He has been super here for his first outing, taking it all in stride. I love how the YEH introduces them to the sport.”

Birtcil acquired “Oxford” (“He’s quite serious in his personality, so it really suits him,” she said about the barn name) from the Netherlands last year. Oxford’s dam, Walzing Patty, has produced three show jumpers that have competed at 1.40 meters—one based in California, one in Europe, and one in Iran.

The USEA YEH West Coast Championships have been held as a standalone event at Twin Rivers since 2020 and will be preceded in 2023 by the Last Chance Qualifier on October 26.

“We love coming to them each year,” Birtcil said. “It’s a great showcase for young horses and being able to produce them.”

Full results.