Janelle Marshall and Irresistible were Untouchable in 3* Single Pony Win In the 3* Single Pony Division. Janelle Marshall (SC) who is Australian and competes internationally for her home country, and Irresistible climbed from third place after Dressage to claim the lead after Cones on a final score of 154.88. In reserve, Hilary Mroz-Blythe (MA) had a faultless Cones performance to win that phase and finish the weekend on a score of 163.87. Amy Cross (MD) wrapped up her weekend on a score of 168.93 for third place. 

All photos by Shannon Brinkman 

Marshall was able to claim the win piloting Barbara Sims’ mare, who is 14 years old. The duo are preparing for the FEI World Driving Championships for Ponies 2023, Oirschot, Netherlands, finding their stride after a bit of a “rocky” start to the weekend.

World Class Preparation for a World Championships

This is a great venue, certainly with world-class hazards, that’s for sure. Dressage was a little rocky for her, but during Marathon yesterday she was actually quite exceptional. And today in Cones, I’m very, very happy with her.”

According to Marshall, who is a repeat competitor at Tryon International’s Combined Driving events, the White Oak Course delivered the world-class conditions she’s used to seeing at the venue despite heavy rain prior to competition.

Quality Course Design

“The water obstacle was spectacular. The lighthouse… I love driving that hazard! It’s gorgeous, and number six, which was the mounds, was certainly quite challenging, but I think it actually drove absolutely beautifully. Pretty much all the obstacles here drive exceptionally well,” she elaborated, “and Marc Johnson is a great course designer, so we’re very lucky to have him here. He set up a fantastic course.” Johnson, a 3* FEI Course Designer knows Tryon well, assisting Richard Nicholl with its creation for the FEI World Driving Championships in Tryon 2018.

Walking into Cones competition with a lead of more than nine points, Marshall’s strategy in the phase was to keep herself and her mare calm, she detailed. “For this mare, I was aiming just to go cool, calm and collected, and not allow her to get strong. She had moments, but that was okay. Overall I’m very, very happy with her. It’s definitely different footing for us; we’re not always used to competing on this footing, so that adds another layer of strategizing.”

Icing on the Cake at Tryon

In addition to earning a qualifying score for the World Championships at the end of August, Marshall called the weekend “icing on the cake” to a remarkable spring season full of hard work. “Unfortunately now, we have a little bit of a big break before the Championships, but this gave us a qualifying score for the World Championships and was a great way to finish the Florida season up here. It just gives us a little bit more time to work on things through the summer. We worked really hard in the Florida season, so this weekend was a great experience.

“We love it here!” Marshall concluded. “We come every year, and we will keep continuing to come, because we love it here. It’s so pretty. I love looking up and seeing the mountains right there.”