Well the rain cometh and the rain stayeth! Pine Top's Thanksgiving weekend Horse Trials are over after one of the wettest weekends encountered at the Thomson GA facility. The CC competition got underway an hour later than planned as officials wisely allowed the brunt of the storm to roll though and dump several more inches of rain on the already soaked grounds. Despite many of the Open Prelim riders deciding not to go around the event went ahead with barely an incident. The ground was soft in places but always true.

Mary Bess Sigman along with all riders in the OP division drew some time penalties but held on to win with a final score of 41.7 on Guinness X. In second place was Rachel Jurgens on Ziggy with a final score of 51.2

The end of the Eventing season in Georgia is always marked by the Thanksgiving Pine Top Horse Trials and this year is no exception. By the time riders hit the dressage rings early the rain had soaked everything there was to see and some. That didnt stop many riders posting great scores though.

In JR YR Training for instance there is a tie for the lead with Alison Thomson on Krockraha and Hailey Hughes on Tommy Two both having clear stadium rounds and go to CC tomorrow on their dressage score of 32.1

In Training Rider Melissa McMaster on Flagmounts Star leads on 34.2 and Lauren McDowell leads Open Training with a 28.9 on On the Button.

The end of the Eventing season in Georgia is always marked by the Thanksgiving Pine Top Horse Trials and this year is no exception. With over 150 rides there are plenty of riders looking to finish the year on a good note. As usual the preparation of the location in Thomson Georgia has been first class and the touted "Home of the worlds best horse dirt" will stand up to all weather conditions over the weekend.

We will have a Saturday night report as well as a full report with photos after the last trailer heads home on Sunday. Good Luck to all the riders this Thanksgiving weekend at the Pine Top Horse Trials.

This past weekend saw the 4th show so far at the wonderful Pine Top location, an event that boasts the best footing in Georgia. The best was required from the location and all the riders as the weather didn't shine, in fact it was down right miserable and wet Saturday.

The show goes on though and after a ninety minute break due to a rain and lightning storm, delaying the three dressage rings and the early rounds of stadium, the event went on without a hitch. The organizers though, Glenn and Janet Wilson with the help of many volunteers pulled a rabbit out of their hat and still finished Saturday will all riders completing their scheduled tests.

We are pleased to publish this sneak preview of the Chattahoochee Hills Eventing facility as it it gears up for its first show later this month. Holly Breaux, DVM visited the location recently and this report is published courtesy of Collected Remarks the Membership publication of the GDCTA.

I set up an interview with Ritchard Temple regarding Chattahoochee Hills Farm for two reasons. First I was hoping to help spread the word and give you all something fun to read. Secondly, and more importantly, I was curious! I had heard that Chattahoochee Hills was to be a PREMIER equestrian facility and I wanted to see it for myself.  So… I set up the interview and set out on my way to Fairburn, GA.

I will say that it should have been an easy ride. Should being the key word. However, I am spatially challenged and blonde and managed to get myself turned around and lost not once, but twice… on the way there! You’d think I would manage to make it home then, but no… I got lost once on the way home too. However, for the normal people out there, Chattahoochee Hills is an easy hour ride from Conyers. It should also be an easy ride for the horses.

Well by now everyone who visited Poplar Place near Hamilton Georgia last weekend has had time to thaw out and get back to the reality of warm homes and probably barns. The weekend for the first winter HT was certainly testing for horse,  rider and organizer as well. Was everyone happy about things? No, is there ever? The organizers did whatever they could to make the weekend a success and whether the competitors came away from the weekend happy, that might have depended on how well prepared they were for the wintry conditions. And its not just physical preparedness its also mental I'm talking about. No matter how cold it is if you have the ability to get through the bitterly cold fingers and toes and the wet clothes with a clear and positive attitude, then some success will probably come your way.

There were many withdrawals on Sunday as can be seen in the final results and whether the Cross Country was a good idea for the others thats possibly a personal decision each rider made at the time. In the end the event went ahead and some went home early.