May/June 2024 Issue

Page 44 May/June 2024 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Real Estate Horse Droppings By Sylvia Sidesaddle Well, hello again darlings! Syl’s sweet things may have noticed that their favorite publi- cation is not showing up in their mailbox or tack shop on quite the same schedule as before. The staff made a collective decision to publish fewer, larger issues and have more time off to enjoy life. (It’s the wave of the future darlings!) And for ace advertising sales manager Phyllis Hur- dleston , time to enjoy her first grandchild, who should be in the world by the time Syl’s darlings read this. So, onto the news. Ava Bertagnolli (Rices Landing, Pa) is one of twelve saddle seat equitation athletes headed to the 2024 International Saddle Seat World Cup in Parys, South Afri- ca, in December. The U.S. will field two teams—one three-gaited (including Ava) and one five-gait- ed—of six athletes. The compe- tition tests riders’ horsemanship with rail work and pattern work on an unfamiliar horse provided by owners in the host country and selected by random draw. Make us proud, Ava! Caroline Pamukcu (Springtown, Pa.) and She’s the One, a 2015 Anglo-European mare and Cassie Sanger (Wilm- ington, Del.) and Fernhill Zoro, her own 2008 Irish Sport Horse gelding are headed for Great Brit- ain in mid-May. They will be part of the Defender U.S. Eventing Team at the FEI Eventing Nations Cup Great Britain CCIO4*- NC-S. The event will take place during the Chatsworth Interna- tional Horse Trials in Bakewell, England. Devin Ryan (Long Valley, NJ) is in Riyadh, Saudi Ara- bia for the FEI Jumping World Cup Finals as Syl writes. Ryan is riding his steady, veteran mount, Eddie Blue, a 2009 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by LL Show Jumpers, LLC. Syl learned just now that one of the American horses on the team, Chromatic BF, following a double clear third place finish, returned to the barn to be put away, happily ate his dinner, collapsed and died. Syl’s deepest condolences to his rider, Jill Humphrey and all his connections. Marcus Orlob , Annan- dale, NJ and Jane, a 10-year-old KWPN mare ridden by owner Alice Tarjan to eleven straight international victories, have burst onto the dressage scene. The pair are fourteenth in the standings for the three-member U.S. Olympic team that will go to Paris this summer. Marcus is a German native who operates out of Elite Expression Dressage and he and Jane have been together only since mid-February. A pair to watch darlings! Syl’s darlings who enjoyed watching William Fox-Pitt ride to thrilling top finishes at the Maryland 5 Star, apparent- ly won’t get another chance to see him there. Horse Network reports that the five time Olym- pian and world’s most decorated eventer plans to retire from competition after the Badminton Horse Trials in May. In 2023, Fox-Pitt finished second with Grafennacht, his 2024 Bad- minton entry, at the MD 5 Star. The 55-year-old rider says he plans to continue bringing along young horses but has “come to his senses” about competing at the five star level. News from Dressage at Devon: Australian Brett Par- bery will be the 2024 Master- class presenter. DaD has hosted a Masterclass for the past two years, one of the few venues in North America to do so. Brett, who will coach the Australian eventing team in dressage at the London Olympics, has had a top-ten finish in the World Equestrian Games and top spots at international competitions including Aachen CHIO, and Rotterdam CHIO. Fun fact: He was one of Australia’s top 20 bronc riders, which Syl is sure comes in very handy in dressage. Discounted early bird tickets for the September 26 Masterclass are on sale now at dressageat devon.org . It was looking like we might have a local Kentucky Derby entrant in Uncle Heavy, who is Pennsylvania bred and trained at Parx by Butch Reid . Uncle Heavy has 30 Derby points from wins in the $250,000 Withers Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct and prior to that, Parx's Wait For It Stakes. Then, with a slow break from the outermost position and a horse falling close to him at the 3/16ths pole, he fin- ished fifth in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, so…recalculating. He is 25th in the standings for a spot in the 20-horse Kentucky Derby starting gate as Syl writes. Uncle Heavy was bred by Reid’s sister-in-law Barbara Reid , and named for "the original Uncle Heavy, my brother Mark (Bar- bara's husband)," Reid told The Bloodhorse. (Continued on page 49)