The main event of the week was rescheduled to take place first thing this morning after severe weather moved through the region last night. Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili went towards the end of the class order, which saw 45 entries test the first track set by Ken Krome (USA). Ten combinations ultimately moved forward to the short track in which six pairs finished the morning with a double clear effort on the day.
“He felt ready to go last night and I knew that he would do well, so I was a little disappointed in the way the weather rolled in, but he gave me that same feeling today and we just went for it,” said Vanderveen. “He stays about the same for classes during the day and at night because he just loves to compete.”
The pair’s partnership has reached new heights, as their consistency and tenacity together have outmatched other combinations at TIEC all season. After walking the course this morning, Vanderveen thought that it was tricky enough to catch some riders off guard, which ended up being the case.
“I thought that it walked a little tough to be honest, which it should though. It was tricky and it needed to be. I think that Ken knew he needed to build a bit technical since there are so many top horses here for the 2*,” she explained. “The lines came up quite fast and there were a lot of turns and half steps where you could make your own decisions, making it a bit more challenging.”
Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili, a 2005 Belgian Warmblood stallion (Berlin x Darco) owned by Bull Run Jumpers Five LLC, also proved their handiness in the jump-off round, which saw nine other competitive entries vie for the win. Vanderveen commented, “He felt super. That was just one of those jump-offs where everything shows up out of the turn like you plan on and there was just enough running and turning to make it tight. It was really smooth for him.”