Four-star eventers Phillip Dutton and Julie Richards both have exciting new additions to their barns this Olympic year.
On Jan. 22, Dutton will welcome Indian Mill, an 11-year-old British-bred Thoroughbred gelding (Millkom—Charwelton, Indian Ridge) who was campaigned to the four-star level with Australian rider Paul Tapner and purchased by David Garrett.
Garrett’s daughter, Holland, has been riding with Dutton this season, and when the opportunity to purchase Indian Mill came up, Dutton thought he would be a good match for her. He’ll compete the gelding first and see where it leads.
“He came available, and he’s obviously got some experience and is a good age, so I spoke to Holland’s dad about the opportunity,” he explained. “We’re flexible to see where the horse goes—if he still wants to be at the four-star level or if he’s more suitable as a young rider horse. We’ll get him over and see how the spring goes and go from there.”
Tapner brought “Monkee” up the levels from a 5-year-old. In 2015, they placed 14th at the gelding’s first four-star at Badminton (Great Britain) with a double-clear cross-country round and finished 17th at the Pau CCI**** (France) with another double-clear on cross-country but 24 penalties in show jumping.
Dutton tried the gelding in person at Tapner’s base in England. “He’s an interesting horse,” he said. “Paul’s done a great job of educating him. His show jumping record at some of the bigger events is not very good, I realized that, but he’s got a great cross-country record. I thought it was a good opportunity.”
Dutton mentioned Sandhills Brillaire as a possibility for Richards when she told him she was looking for her next upper-level partner. Richards’ family purchased the mare, a 14-year-old Australian Thoroughbred-Warmblood (Staccato—Sandhills Glimmer, Galverston) who won the 2012 Adelaide CCI**** in Australia with Craig Barrett, in October.
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After returning to the top levels of the sport in 2014 with Sher Schwartz’s Beaulieu’s Cayenne and Asa Cooper’s Urlanmore Beauty, 2015 didn’t go the way Richards hoped. Both horses moved up to the advanced level, but Urlanmore Beauty reinjured an old tendon injury, and Beaulieu’s Cayenne was euthanized in September after a pasture accident.
A two-time Olympian, Richards started thinking about another horse with upper-level potential after Urlanmore Beauty was injured, but knew she’d have to pick carefully because of her FEI categorization. As a D-level rider, she’d need to start at the intermediate level and earn qualifying scores with whatever horse she bought if she wanted to qualify for the Olympics.
“I’d never really had to look into it because every other horse I’d brought up the levels needed to do a one-star or two-star and get qualified on their own,” she said. “I hadn’t really ever planned on buying a going horse again, but I just thought, ‘What’s out there?’ ”
When Dutton suggested “Sparkle,” Richards was intrigued. A product of Barrett and his wife Prue’s Sandhills breeding program in Australia, Sparkle won Adelaide in 2012, Craig’s first four-star completion. The mare went on to finish third at Adelaide in 2013 and was long listed for the Australian team for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (France) but suffered a bout of cellulitis and an infection.
She spent 2015 recovering and came back into work with Oliver Barrett, but Sparkle’s owners, Keith and Juliet Osborne, decided to put her on the market.
Richards liked what she saw on a video and made plans to try the mare, but a serious illness prevented her from traveling, so on Dutton’s advice she asked Shane Rose to try Sparkle.
“I didn’t get the impression that [Craig and Prue] sell a lot of horses, and this one was clearly special to them,” she said. “They bred her and have had her all these years. She was really like a family member.”
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Sparkle arrived at Richards’ Newnan, Ga., farm in October, and she’s spent the last few months getting to know her. She described Sparkle as very quiet and straightforward.
“I’ve ridden all kinds of horses and had several at the top level, but the ones I get along with the best are the ones that aren’t strong,” she said.
Richards must complete two CIC**s with Sparkle before she can move up to the three-star level, and her ultimate goal is the Jersey Fresh CCI*** (N.J.) in May. Their first event together will be the intermediate at the Rocking Horse Winter I Horse Trials (Fla.) Jan. 29-31.
She has some experience taking on seasoned campaigners—she only competed her 2004 Athens Olympic partner Jacob Two Two three times before making the team. “Jake” is Sparkle’s new turnout buddy at home.
“Right now I’m taking it one step at a time,” Richards said. “She’s a lovely horse. I’m really lucky that I have her and that the timing [was right]. Craig knows what he’s doing, and he’s very accurate. If I can just ride her close to how he rode her, I should be great! It’s a new partnership and anything can happen, but we’re all just excited.
“It’s so fun to have a horse trying to get to the top level that’s not a young horse,” she continued. “I’m hoping I can make things fall into place again. But you never know—there are so many good horse/rider combinations out there right now. It’s just about getting her qualified and making her as competitive as I can be on her and having fun along the way. Whatever happens happens.”
