Mill Spring, NC – April 8, 2017 – Marilyn Little (USA) held onto her lead in the FEI CIC 3* at The Fork at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) presented by Lucky Clays Farm aboard RF Scandalous, adding nothing to their dressage score of 41.70. The pair will head into cross-country tomorrow only two points ahead of Kim Severson (USA) and Cooley Cross Border, who currently sit in second on a 43.70. Sara Kozumplik Murphy (USA) and Ruben D’Ysieux moved up two positions, finishing in third after show jumping with a score of 50.60.

Little and RF Scandalous, a 2005 Oldenburg mare (Carry Gold x Lario) owned by Jacqueline Mars, Robin Parsky, and Phoebe & Michael Manders, performed a stellar stadium round, which was smooth and accurate, exemplifying the mare’s scope and carefulness. The pair stayed well away from all of the rails, and will head into cross-country as the last pair on course, with the CIC 3* and Advanced divisions running in reverse order of go.

“She knows exactly what to expect now. That was one of the problems when we first started working with her. She’s such a careful horse that she didn’t really know what to expect next,” she explained. “She does better when she knows what’s coming so that she can be relaxed in her program. That’s when you get the best out of her. She feels very confident.”

“I’ve walked the course twice now and it’s just gorgeous. I think it’s going to be difficult to make the time,” she noted. “I think one of things that I’ve been trying to pay attention to is not just where the jumps are, but what is the best route through the terrain.”

While this is the duo’s first FEI run of the season together, Little commented that while she will look to give RF Scandalous a solid run, she will also focus her ride on perfecting the more difficult questions asked on course.

Lyman and Lup the Loop are coming off of an extensive European tour in 2016, which helped the pair gain valuable international experience, which they have been able to translate into their season so far in 2017.

“I’m really happy with him. For me and my style of cross-country riding, it wasn’t the most natural because I like to kick on and go. The terrain made that a bit more difficult and it was a great experience for both of us, learning how to be patient and working with the terrain a bit more than we have before,” she commented. “Things came up quickly and he was adjustable and rideable, which is something that we’ve been working on.”

After their win this weekend, Lyman will give Loopy a break before working backwards from a schedule created to aim the pair towards the FEI CCI 3* at Fair Hill in October. “He’s done a lot last season and this spring so I think he’s earned a little bit of quiet time to do our homework. It seems like a long way away, but it will be here quickly,” she concluded.

Vizcarrondo and Favian began their competition with a strong dressage score of 41.90 to sit in second place before the stadium phase. Vizcarrondo worked hard in the off season on their flat and show jumping, which paid off in a big way during the competition.

As the pair is still forging a relationship, Vizcarrondo was pleased with their overall performance and noted that their win solidified the potential of the budding partnership.

“He handled the atmosphere great this week. He was happy to scorch around the cross-country today. It felt really good,” she said. “He set right out with his big ears and they were pricked forward out of the box right away. It was great to see.”