Saturday was the busiest day of competition at Stable View in Aiken, SC, as all seven levels competed. The Training, Modified, and Preliminary divisions all began their dressage in the Tree Arena at 8am. The focus of the spectators quickly shifted to cross-country as the first CCI3*-S competitor left the startbox at 9:30 am.
As the day continued, more spectators arrived; the Pavilion was full with those who had purchased a VIP ticket, while many others watched from chairs and blankets scattered around the rest of the course at key combinations. Spectator Renee Hoilk said, “It’s a world-class facility.”
The CCI4*-S division began at 12:45 pm with Arden Wildasin and Billy Beaufort the first ones out of the box. They were quickly followed by Boyd Martin and Federman B (“Bruno”) who caused gasps from the Pavilion as they had a scare at the Defender Columbia Coffin where Bruno caught a leg on the A element and Boyd was almost unseated. Boyd used his decades of riding experience to navigate the rest of the question with no penalties to cheers from the audience. Ultimately, the CCI4*-S saw three glance-offs at the D element of the Coffin Question and a few other refusals and flags throughout the course.