Wellpride American Eventing Championships Begins at Lamplight Equestrian Center and Hits the Chicago News

By Amber Heintzberger

Wayne, IL − The fourth annual Wellpride American Eventing Championships kicked off today at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois. Competitors in seven divisions of Beginner Novice through Training level completed their dressage tests.

Last year's Intermediate champion Emily Beshear, who rode Woodburn in 2007, is back to defend her title riding her husband's big grey horse Blue Devil. They will take on their challengers tomorrow, but the first order of business was today's Novice Horse Championship riding Phinneus, who took the early lead on a dressage score of 22.6.

A six-year-old homebred gelding, Phinneus is the result of a cross between a thoroughbred mare and a buckskin paint Canadian sport horse stallion named Masquerade. Beshear started him under saddle as a three-year-old but he has been plagued by splints that have kept him out of training off and on until earlier this year, when a change in shoeing help keep him sound. "My husband is a vet so we tried everything, including shockwave therapy, but nothing helped," she said. "He fractured a splint and our farrier Wayne Kennedy reshod him with shoes made for horses with suspensory problems that are extra wide for extra support."

It has been a long time coming but Phinneus is now going great guns. "He finally did his first Beginner Novice in August and it's really fun because he can come out and be a big horse now!" commented Beshear. "He placed second at his first Novice, then second at Waredaca as well. Because he's a homebred he knows me and had confidence in me. He marched in and acted like he knew what he was doing."   

The 2006 inaugural Beginner Novice Champion Idle Hour McHenry, a 12-year-old Cleveland Bay gelding owned by Cindy Bank and ridden by Mary McKeon from Cleveland, Ohio is back to stake his claim at the Novice level. The handsome big horse bred by Marilyn Webster at Idle Hour Farm currently has the lead in the Amateur division on a score of 23.2, comfortably ahead of Rebecca Goad on Happy Daze with 28.4.

"We had a pretty nice test – not as good as in warm-up yesterday but forward and consistent," said McKeon. "He's a special horse. He's really fine with all this. He was a little big and 'up' when we first got here but he went into the warm-up ring and was really soft and light and swinging."

McKeon was happy that the trip to Illinois was a little shorter than to North Carolina and said, "There are a lot of nice horses competing here." Having already had a look around the cross-country course she said, "The course looks good – I'm not too concerned, and the footing looks perfect. My plan tomorrow is to sit up and ride hard, kick and go!"

Amanda Teague and Princess Grayce and James Meister, DVM on Lesson's Learned are tied for the lead in the Amateur Training Championship at the AEC on a score of 29.5. Teague, 50, of Hickory, NC was tearful and ecstatic when she learned of her placing, commenting, "I can't believe it! I didn't think it was a very good test so I went off to walk the cross-country course and look around the shops. I thought, 'I didn't go in with a whip, so at least I wasn't eliminated'."        

Her daughter Melanie flew up last night from Wilmington, NC to help out at the event and said that her mother gets a little too critical of her self. As a member of the winning team at the past two Chronicle of the Horse Adult Team Championships, Teague surely underestimates herself. She has been eventing since 1997 and her 12-year-old Arab/Trakehner gelding has been her partner nearly his whole life and they work well together. Teague said that her tears were due partly to knowing that her father, who passed away last year, will not be here to see her ride.

Of her test today she said, "I went in and felt straight down the middle but the second figure eight felt like she dropped her shoulder – I thought then that I better buck up and start riding every step."

Teague has already walked the cross-country course five times but said she will probably walk it again before cross-country tomorrow. She has not had a coach for the past year, so she likes to make sure that she gives herself every opportunity to figure everything out.

No stranger to adversity, Teague has brought many young horses along but two years ago suffered a serious injury when she went into a stall to feed one of her young charges and he spun around and kicked her with both hind feet, breaking her ribs and lacerating her liver. Now fully recovered she seems to appreciate every minute of the fun she is having here in Illinois. "I'm in a state of disbelief," she said. "When I first walked the cross-country I though, "Oh s**t! But we're going to finish and do just fine and I have to keep my wits about me!"

James Meister, 40, is a veterinarian based in nearby Barrington Hills, IL. Even though his eight-year-old Appendix Quarter Horse/Dutch Warmblood cross gelding has been qualified for the AEC every year, this is the first time he has been able to compete in the championships. "I have two kids and a busy practice so driving sixteen hours to North Carolina was impractical," he said. Meister is happy that the championships are so close to home this year. "I was lucky to have a full competition season," he said. "We are building a new vet hospital and it has been difficult to find the time and finances."

Lesson's Learned is a horse that Meister purchased from the breeder as a foal after handling the veterinary care of the mare. "He's a cute little thing and was inexpensive," he said. "The breeder just wanted to see him develop nicely." He has done one Prelim and will continue to compete at that level. Meister has done all the training himself and trains with Christopher Taylor and Jennifer Rousseau as well as various jumper trainers at the A shows where he works as a vet.

Meister will also ride Running with Scissors in the Preliminary Championships, a horse that he said is aptly named. "He was imported from Holland as a jumper but bucked everyone off," he said. "He seems to have grown out of it now."

The competition continues tomorrow with Preliminary through Advanced level dressage and Novice and Training level cross-country.