Abigail McArdle (USA) and Chuck Berry 8, who have earned numerous placings in FEI competition at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) over the past two weeks, finally earned their place at the top of the podium in today’s $35,000 1.45m Tryon Challenge CSI 3*. The duo finished their jump-off in 42.931 seconds, ahead of Alexis Trosch (ARG) and Opaline Z, who collected second place with a time of 43.699 seconds. Erynn Ballard (CAN) and Thalys Z took third place after completing the short course in 45.063 seconds.
The class was the first FEI class hosted on the Grass Complex at TIEC during the 2017 Tryon Summer Series and saw 38 entries. Oscar Soberon (MEX) continued with international course designing responsibilities for the class. The morning saw six entries advanced to the jump-off round, as five entries finished with a double clear effort on the day. Trosch, who earned second place, also piloted Cantara Z to fifth place and finished as the only rider with two mounts qualified for the jump-off.
“Having the class on the grass field made it a completely different atmosphere for us. Oscar [Soberon] has been really tough this week. The courses have been difficult and you can tell by the number of horses in each jump-off,” she explained. “Rails came down throughout the course, which meant you really had to be on your game to finish with a clear round.”