Hundreds compete in March Trials

The Full Gallop Farm March Horse Trials featured nearly 350 rides this weekend.

Shanon Baker did intermediate with Black Sox Shiraz and found the cross-country course inviting.

The New Hampshire-based eventer and the New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred have been going intermediate for about a year. They did the Plantation Field Two-Star in September and are pointing toward the Jersey Fresh Horse Trials this spring.

"I thought it was fabulous; it was really fun," said Baker. "It was very appropriate for the level. He (Black Sox Shiraz) is great."

The eventer is based in Aiken during the winter and recognizes the benefits for training younger horses and for keeping the older, competitive horses fit.

"Everybody gets December off and then starts back in January," said Baker. "Then we get to get rolling for the spring for events like Jersey Fresh and Bromont."

Baker has a 16-year-old Thoroughbred named Beringer, which she also competes at the intermediate level and will be competing at the Bromont Concours Complet International in Quebec.

"Beringer has been doing this for a long time, and I've owned him for about seven or eight years," said Baker. "I'm probably going to move him up to advanced after the Two-Star."

Rebekah Simmons will be pointing Free and Clear to the Virginia International One-Star on May 21-23 at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Va.

The tandem went preliminary at Full Gallop and will compete at preliminary at Pine Top Farm Equestrian Center in Thomson, Ga., on March 27-28 before doing one more preliminary to qualify Free and Clear for the One-Star.

"He feels really good and really on," said Simmons. "I'm really happy with him. There were some good questions (on the cross-country course). It was a good, confidence-building course."

Eventer Colleen Rutledge had three rides and competed two at intermediate level and one at training level. The cross-country course asked some really good questions at the intermediate level, said the Maryland-based rider.

Eventing in Aiken allows the eventers and their horses the opportunity to start on their year a little bit earlier, she said.

"Both my boys are looking at Jersey Fresh and Fair Hill this fall," Rutledge said.

Contact Ben Baugh at bbaugh@aikenstandard.com.

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