The Canadian show jumpers seem to be staging a coup.  They’ve railroaded the CN Wellington Open CSIO, aptly sponsored by the Canadian National Railway.

The Canadian team snatched victory in the $75,000 CN Nations Cup on the evening of Mar. 9, and today, Mar. 11, Canadian Mario Deslauriers topped the $150,000 CN U.S. Open Jumper Championship.  In a class where the treacherous ground played almost as big a role as the big jumps, Deslauriers and Paradigm topped a nail-biting three-horse jump-off for the win.

Usually, it’s the horses and riders competing against each other and the course, but lately in Wellington, Fla., on the grand prix field, the footing has become another foe, rather than a friend.  Just two weeks into the six-week circuit in Wellington, show officials began dumping sand on the traditionally well-groomed grass surface in the Internationale Ring and the riders have not been fans of the tactic.  (See sidebar below.)

Todd Minikus, the sole American in the hunt for the title, went first aboard Pavarotti, and while he certainly didn’t lollygag, he wasn’t moving at his usual warp speed due to the slippery footing.  “Unfortunately, I had to go first, and it’s not like I had slow and slower following me,” Minikus said.

“I was a little slow to fence 2, and then he slipped so bad turning back to the third jump.  My horse did an amazing job—he felt like he left the ground from his knees at that one.”  Minikus opted not to leave a stride out to the CN vertical, but cut inside on the turn after it.  He stopped the timers clean in 47.59 seconds.  “It’s not my style to be a little cautious, and I was hoping they would some mistakes, but they didn’t,” he said.

Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil challenged next, riding Coeur.  The reigning Olympic individual gold-medalist just took up the reins on the huge gray gelding, owned by CN CEO and president Hunter Harrison’s Double H Farm, a few weeks ago.

“[Coeur] is a little bit of a slow horse with a big jump, and with the conditions, with slippery turns, you had to be cautious,” said Pessoa.  He chose to ease around the turns, and gallop down the last line to the oxer.  The strategy paid off with the fastest time of 46.98 seconds, but backfired when Coeur caught a rail at the last fence.

“For me, the only place to make time was in the last line because it was in a straight line.  I thought it was possible to do the seven [strides], but I got a little bit surprised at how big his stride really is.  I’ve only ridden the horse for a few weeks.  When I landed off the vertical and went for the seven, he really responded well and I got there in a short seven, and he didn’t have time to pick up behind.  On the rest of the course, he jumped really well. Slowly, we’re getting to know each other.”

Coeur used to be the ride for Harrison’s daughter, Cayce, but she decided to concentrate on her education after a bad fall during the Winter Equestrian Festival last year.  And then Coeur suffered an injury and was laid-up for most of last year, so Pessoa—who took over the rides on a few of the Double H horses last summer–is just getting to know him.

Deslauriers had no illusions about what he had to do, but he wasn’t going to take unnecessary risks.  “I watched Rodrigo go, and his horse is a big mover and a little slow-going, so I tried to follow the same track.  He went inside to [one oxer], but there was no way for me to turn inside there,” said Deslauriers.  “I went outside, and just tried to keep going forward out of the turn.  My horse is quick, I know that.  The first three fences were very quick for me.  I knew I was close.  I couldn’t have told you how close, but close enough.”  Even with the outside turn and not leaving a stride out to the last fence, Deslauriers and Paradigm finished just fast enough (47.03 seconds) to take the win.

The victories—added to the Canadian Nations Cup win on their home turn at the prestigious Spruce Meadows Masters (Alta.) last year—have buoyed their spirits.  The Canadian team failed to qualify for the Olympics at last year’s World Equestrian Games (Germany), so they’re very focused on this summer’s Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

IT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A BEACH
The crown jewel of the Winter Equestrian Festival has always been the Internationale Ring, the sprawling grass field dotted with open water jumps and palm trees at the center of the showgrounds.  Officials of Stadium Jumping, the show management of the WEF, have for years cultivated the grass footing and created a world-class arena that drew the cream of the crop from the U.S. and beyond.

But this year, the riders aren’t happy with the footing.  The grass deteriorated quickly as the weeks of jumping continued.  By the end of the circuit in Wellington, Fla., the field always showed some wear and tear, with bare spots.  But this year has been markedly worse, and by the CN Wellington Open CSIO, Mar. 7-11, the field had grass just around its edges, as show management has been adding sand to the field in an attempt to stabilize the footing.

But it’s not working as well as it should, say the riders.  “From week 1, it was terrible footing,” said Lauren Hough.  “It’s been worse than any other year. I don’t think they maintained it at all throughout the year.  It looked pretty the first day, but after three days, it was bad.  I don’t think they had anything good to start with.

”In the second week, they put that white sand down, and there were 16 clear in the grand prix, and the jump-off was so fast. That seemed to work, but now the sand that they’re putting in is really fine, and the horses have no chance.  I went to go fast the other day, and I slipped on the straightaway.  I just think, for the amount of money that we spend to be here, and the cost of our horses, it’s ridiculous. This is supposed to be the best horse show in the world,” she continued.

The results of the footing debacle were evident in the $150,000 CN U.S. Open Jumper Championship, where many horses slipped on the turns and the jump-off riders rode very carefully.  “The condition of the ground plays a big role in horses having fences down,” said Rodrigo Pessoa.  “They slip a little bit, and then lose some confidence.  Then, on the next jump, when they would not normally think about hesitating, the rider gives a little more pressure, and the jump comes down.  The course was tough today, but I think that under normal conditions, you could have had eight or nine clear.  I think there were a lot of mistakes today that came from the footing.  The builder [Jose ‘Pepe’ Gamarra] did a good job knowing the conditions that the horses had to jump from.”

With the finale of the Wellington WEF shows looming next week, the CN Worldwide Wellington Finale, with the Global Champions Tour grand prix on the schedule, the riders hope for better.  “I think everybody realizes that the footing needs some help,” said Todd Minikus. 

“In the first round, a lot of horses slipped just cantering through the turn.  At this point, I think discussing the footing is an over-exercised issue.  It needs to be taken care of, and I’m sure it will be taken care of.  Next week is important—we jump for a lot of money—so I hope everybody’s on the job.  You’d hate to have these horses not have a fair chance in the last week, when it’s so important.”