Thomson, GA – February 28, 2021 – Phillip Dutton and Carlchen, owned by Caroline Moran, set a new United States Eventing Association (USEA) Advanced dressage record on Friday, February 26, with a score of 15.0 in the Advanced Test B Division at the Pine Top Advanced Horse Trials in Thomson, GA.
Dutton and Carlchen’s early lead following the dressage phase would ultimately help them clinch the win in the Advanced Test B Division on Saturday, February 27, with a final score of 34.2.
“I’m very proud of Carlchen. In dressage, you always feel that you can do things better; I know there’s still some throughness and softness that I can continue to improve, but he is obviously a huge talent,” said Dutton of the 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding.
Dutton, who is based out of West Grove, PA, spent much of the winter in Wellington, FL, and he in part credits Carlchen’s success to the horse’s winter training there.
“This winter in Wellington served him well, as I had Scott Hassler and Erik Duvander training me in dressage every week to 10 days,” said Dutton, referencing the well-respected dressage trainer and rider and U.S. Eventing High Performance Director, respectively.
“Being in the Wellington environment where you are exposed to great horsemanship and top dressage riders on a daily basis also makes you aim that much higher and expect that much more,” continued Dutton, a six-time Olympian, two-time Olympic team gold medalist and the individual bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Carlchen (Clinton x Lordanos) was purchased by Moran in the fall of 2019, but a minor injury shortly thereafter kept him out of competition through the end of that year. With cancelled events and continually changing competition and travel circumstances throughout 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carlchen did not return to competition until October 2020.
“It’s certainly exciting to have Carlchen back out competing,” said Dutton of the gelding that competed successfully through the CCI3* level with riders Stuart Tinney (AUS), Francis Whittington (GBR) and Michelle Kenny (IRL) before being imported to the U.S. in 2019.
“Caroline Moran has been, and continues to be, an extremely supportive and a wonderful owner,” continued Dutton. “She approached me about purchasing a new horse a few years back, and Carol Gee of Fernhill Sport Horses found Carlchen for us. He’s not hot, but he’s certainly a forward-thinking horse, which suits me. He’s had some good education before me, and we’re continuing to build on that education and to get to know each other at the higher performance level.”
In addition to his success with Carlchen, Dutton finished second in the Advanced Test B Division at the Pine Top Advanced Horse Trials with Sea of Clouds, a 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by Anita Motion, Sue Haldeman, Annie Jones, Evie Dutton, Dave and Patricia Vos and Sheikh Fahah Al-Thani. Dutton also earned the win in the Open Intermediate B division riding Quasi Cool, also owned by Moran.
Phillip Dutton Eventing will head next to the $50,000 LiftMaster Grand Prix Eventing Festival, to be held March 5-6 in Aiken, SC.
Learn more about Phillip Dutton by visiting www.PhillipDutton.com, and find the latest news and updates from Phillip Dutton Eventing on Facebook and Instagram.
Originally distributed as a press release, the above article was picked up and utilized by the following media outlets:
- The Chronicle of the Horse – What Does A 15 Look Like In Eventing Dressage?
- Horse & Hound – Olympic rider sets new national eventing dressage record
- Horse Network – Phillip Dutton Sets New USEA Advanced Record in Dressage, Because Practice
- Eventing Nation – Monday Video: ICYMI Watch Phillip Dutton’s Record-Breaking Dressage Test
