Jacob Fletcher and Fabian Win the CCI4*-S at The Event at TerraNova
Jacob Fletcher and Fabian. Photo by Al Green Photo
Myakka City, Fla.– Oct. 23, 2022 – Taking home top honors for The Event at TerraNova's CCI4*-S are Jacob Fletcher (USA) and Fabian (Up To Date x Ineke), a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Fletcher Farms. Sitting in fifth after dressage on a 32.6, Fletcher had one rail and 0.4 time faults in show jumping to head into day three on a 37.0. Fletcher and Fabian have been partners since February 2020, and they won their first FEI event together this spring in Tryon International Spring Three-Day Event's CCI4*-S.
Fletcher rode Fabian in the Open Preliminary in the inaugural Event at TerraNova last fall. "So it's my first time around one of the FEI tracks [here]. The courses rode great. Everything went really well with the show jumping track and the dressage as well," Fletcher shared. "I think the biggest improvement is probably the stabling. The two barns are incredible. So that was really fun to see when we pulled in."
"I got here a day early and kind of settled in, [so] he handled the dressage really well. He got quite excited for the show jumping. There was a lot of atmosphere, I think, for the show jumping, so it was good practice for that in the future. He handled the atmosphere really well on cross country," Fletcher said.
Fletcher shared some words of advice for up-and-coming young eventers. "I think stick with one program until you know it in and out before you start bouncing around. And I know I'm saying that after I just said I'm riding with four or five people, but you know, I have a good base system for myself, and so I can grab from other people. I think you should stick with one program until you know it in and out and not move too quick."
Mary Bess Davis and Imperio Magic. Photo by Al Green Photo
Mary Bess Davis and Imperio Magic (Cassander x Khadija Des Hayettes) started cross-country with a 36.7 and added 8.8 time faults to finish in second place in the CCI4*-S. "I was thrilled with McColl's performance today. He was incredibly brave and all business out there. The weekend was a great accomplishment for both of us. A huge thanks to TerraNova for putting on such a quality competition," Davis said.
Leslie Law and Castle Howard Romeo. Photo by Al Green Photo
The leaders from day one, Leslie Law (GBR) and Castle Howard Romeo, won The Event at TerraNova CCI3*-S, adding just 0.4 time faults from cross-country to their dressage score to complete their weekend on a 30.2.
Karl Slezak and Hot Bobo. Photo by Al Green Photo
Karl Slezak (CAN) and Hot Bobo (VDL Arkansas x Taneys Leader), a 2013 Irish Sport Horse/Thoroughbred, received second place honors in The Event of TerraNova CCI3*-S. Slezak was sixth after dressage and fifth after show jumping. They were the only pair in the CCI3*-S to have double clear show jumping and cross-country rounds.
Terri Miller and Beau Regard lead The Event's final victory gallop. Photo by EQ Media
William Robertson designed the show jumping tracks for the FEI levels and the national levels this weekend. "I thought show jumping went very well. For the FEI classes, it sorted the competitors out appropriately before cross-country. [For] the National classes, the course did its job of completing the competition after the cross-country," Robertson said. "The facilities at TerraNova are amazing with top-notch footing, the jumps provided by Dalman Jump are world-class, and the team behind the scenes works endlessly to make the dream happen."
After show jumping on day three, the national levels of The Event at TerraNova enjoyed a ribbon and awards ceremony set to music in front of the VIP Pavilion. The top eight riders rode a victory gallop around the arena, with the winner completing two laps of victory.
Hannah Herrig Ketelboeter and Sara Kozumplik present Benjamin Noonan with the Sara Kozumplik Young Rider Sportsmanship Award. Photo by EQ Media
In 2021, at the inaugural Event at TerraNova, the Herrig family surprised Sara Kozumplik by creating a sportsmanship award in her honor, as Kozumplik has been very involved with developing The Event at TerraNova. The Sara Kozumplik Young Rider Sportsmanship Award is presented to a young rider (21 and under) in the FEI divisions. The 2022 recipient of the Sportsmanship Award was Benjamin Noonan. Noonan placed third in the CCI2*-S with First Class, 14th in the CCI2*-S with Street Fighter, third in the CCI1*-S with Tout De Suite and first in the Open Novice with Kay-O.
"Every morning I wake up, I go out to the backyard, and I feed all my horses. I think being able to see your horses every day, when you're the one feeding them, looking at their stalls, you know every single thing about them. You start knowing them individually so you can better understand them," Noonan shared. "I think you have to love the horse first. My parents always told me that our horses are pets and then they're competition horses."
The 2022 #WeCareAtTerraNova Charity Partners. Photo by EQ Media
Watch Highlights of Jacob Fletcher's winning CCI4*-S cross-country round.
The Event at TerraNova Winners Photo Gallery:
CCI2*-S: Bruce Davidson- Stracathro Solitary Minstrel
CCI1*-S: Leslie Law- Fernhill Lottery
Open Intermediate: Autumn Schweiss- Global Quarycrest
Open Preliminary: Autumn Schweiss- Bamford CF
All photos by Al Green Photo
The Event at TerraNova Winners Photo Gallery:
Intro: Terri Miller- Beau Regard
Open Beginner Novice: Krista Wilson- Stella
Beginner Novice Rider: Susan Cerbone- Seattle Sangaree
Open Novice: Benjamin Noonan- Kay-O
Novice Rider: Maggie Shuman- Zach Eyed Pea
Open Training: Alexander O’Neal- Hardwired
Training Rider: Amy Etheridge- Royal Lufttanzer
All photos by Al Green Photo
