James Chawke and Daido van’t Ruytershof Z entered the Fort Grand Prix Arena on Sunday with a slightly different look, but achieved the same result as the week before – a Grand Prix victory.

In a saddle modification reminiscent of King Edward, the pair were missing a browband on the bridle at the CSI3* ATCO Cup. Chawke said it was a matchday experiment for the developing partnership.

“There’s something she doesn’t like,” he explained. “She didn’t like the hood, so we took it off and are just experimenting a bit to see what she likes best.”

The results suggest that she likes to win – almost as much as Chawke.

Five pairs found a clear path around Joey Rycroft’s 1.50m lane in the first round and advanced to the jump-off.

First to return to the short course were Canadian Olympian Tiffany Foster and Battlecry, setting a new record of 31.4 seconds that stood until the final pair entered the ring. Chawke and Daido van’t Ruytershof Z, winners of last Sunday’s CSI3* Steel-Craft Doors Grand Prix, gained almost a second to stop the clock at 30.69, claiming their second Grand Prix title in as many weeks at tbird.

“I thought if I took roughly the same strides as (Tiffany), I should be close,” Chawke said. “My horse is very quick on the ground and probably has a smaller stride.”

Foster and Battlecry were relegated to second place. The Americans Kyle King and SIG Chiari came in third with a time of 31.44 seconds, just four hundredths of a second behind.

“She’s been incredible,” Chawke continued. “She’s been so good, very consistent. She tries so hard.”

It’s a partnership that came together quickly. Chawke took over the ride on the 10-year-old mare from Zangersheide in the spring. In 15 FEI starts they have achieved five podium finishes, including their back-to-back Grand Prix victories at tbird in August. But if you ask Chawke what the secret to their early success was, he will simply say: “She’s just very good.”

“She has a lot of quality. She is very fast. She wants to do the right thing. That’s why she is a very good animal.”

Chawke’s consistency is also good. The Irishman has taken a podium finish in every international class he entered at the Summer Fort Classic this week. As well as the Grand Prix, he was second in the CSI3* George & Dianne Tidball Legacy Welcome and won the CSI3* The Keg Qualifier with Nacara Van Berkenbroeck Z.

CSI3* ATCO Cup with 75,000 USD
Horse / Rider / Nationality / Owner / Fault / Time

1. Daido van’t Ruytershof Z / James Chawke / IRL / James Chawke / 0/0 30.69
2. Battlecry / Tiffany Foster / CAN / Artisan Farms LLC / 0/0 31.4
3. SIG Chiari / Kyle King / USA / The Chi Group / 0/0 31.44
4. Rhapsody / Sarah Lottis / CAN / Kevin Lottis / 0/4 33.37
5. Hamilton / Tiffany Foster / CAN / The Hamilton Group / 0/4 37.32
6. Luikan Q / Ben Asselin / CAN / Attache Stables / 4 76.57
7. Odysseus / Kyle King / USA / Patricia Vasey / 4 77.66
8. Cera Caruso / Katie Laurie / AUS / Carissa McCall / 4 78.19
9. Bloom Du Plessis / Zazou Hoffman / USA / Zazou Hoffman / 4 79.62
10. Chic D Emma Z / Samantha Buirs-Darvill / CAN / Samantha Buirs-Darvill / 4 79.89

Foster finds the formula for success in the CSI3* Kubota Canada Winning Round

When Tiffany Foster (CAN) brought Com Es Ta to the Fort Grand Prix Arena for the CSI3* Kubota Canada Winning Round competition, she decided to release the mare.

Foster wanted to use the Summer Fort Welcome and Summer Fort Classic in tbird to test some new “theories” with the 10-year-old Oldenburg mare. She fitted Com Es Ta with a new bridle and even changed her riding style to best support the mare’s stride and natural speed.

On Saturday evening, things went quite well and Foster secured her first international victory with the mare. The pair were faster than the ten other horse pairs that competed on Joey Rycroft’s shortened course and took first place with a winning time of 37.82 seconds.

Ben Asselin (CAN) and The Freshman ran the best towards the winning duo, but narrowly missed the finish line (37.23 s). Carly Stevens (CAN) and ESI Jet Set came third (39.25).

“I was pretty fast on the Tbird Oxer (in the middle of the short course),” Foster said. “I didn’t even have to pull on the reins to get that turn. I just turned my head and she turned like a little fish. I think that was probably where we caught (Asselin).”

In the Winning Round, the top 10 combinations advance to a shortened course, similar to a jump-off, all with a clean slate. This opens up the opportunity for riders who make mistakes in the first round to advance, as long as they are in the top 10 combinations. In this case, however, 12 went clear in the first round, meaning that two combinations that went clear were relegated to the bench. This set the stage for a thrilling finish.

“She’s an extremely fast horse — just naturally, her canter stride is really fast and she’s fast on the jump. She’s a competitive horse,” Foster said of Com Es Ta. “Her right turn is not usually her best turn, but today she was right on me and took all the good (distances).”

The partnership between Foster and Com Es Ta was both successful and inconsistent. Owners 5 Roosters purchased the mare as an 8-year-old, but injury sidelined her shortly thereafter.

“So it took me a little while to get going with her, (but) I had a good run with her in Florida this year,” Foster said. “She finished third in one of those big 5-foot classes (at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL), and then we ran into a little bit of a difficult situation. I really wanted to use Thunderbird to try out some new theory, a new bridle and a new way of riding her. I think she likes it.”

After representing Canada at the Paris Olympics, Foster plans to use the younger and most promising horses on her team for the future. The possibilities are endless for Com Es Ta.

“I think one of her best qualities is her willingness to compete. I think she has a lot of potential as well, but I think she’s a super fast horse,” Foster shared. “I’d love to see where she ends up, but I think I’ll put her as a bit of a speedster for a while. I think that will build our confidence and hopefully we can be that fast over big obstacles as well.”

10,000 USD CSI3* Kubota Canada Winners Round
Horse / Rider / Nationality / Owner / Fault / Time

1. Com Es Ta / Tiffany Foster / CAN / 5 cocks / 0/0 37,82
2. The Newbie / Ben Asselin / CAN / Attache Stables / 0/0 38.23
3. Esi Jet Set / Carly Stevens / CAN / Susan Stevens / 0/0 39.25
4. Carmela Z / Vanessa Mannix / CAN / Vanessa Mannix / 0/0 39.82
5. Almquist / Locklyn Williamson / CAN / Graham Williamson / 0/0 42.94
6. Caipirinha de Reve / Alicia Gadban-Lewis / CAN / Alicia Lewis / 0/0 47.22
7. Montserrat OS / Charlie Jones / GBR / Stone Ridge Farms LLC / 0/5 37.46
8. Connador / Stella Chernoff / CAN / Stump Lake Ranch and Cattle Co Ltd / 0/8 40.14
9. Nadja V/H Dingeshof / Lauren Meyes / USA / Myers Group Investments LLC / 0/8 40.99
10. Maria 111 / Samantha Buirs-Darvill / CAN / Bryony Reid / 0/12 38.61