EcoVet Performance of the Week: Will Coleman & Off the Record

TFW you win a CIC3* by a whopping margin of 0.1 penalty points… that’s how Will Coleman and Off the Record brought home the win in the Brook Ledge Great Meadow International over the weekend! Watch the XC round here.

Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Jenni Autry via Eventing Nation

While eventing’s cross country phase produces our favorite “stickability” moments in which horses find fifth legs and riders develop weighted bottoms to prevent a bad distance or a sticky spot from turning into a disaster, a true masterclass performance would have you believe that cross country is a casual gallop with fences thrown in, taken casually as they come right out of a good gallop stride.

And when it’s performed by a pair like Will Coleman and Off the Record, that’s pretty much the performance you get: this relatively green nine-year-old was only in his second CIC3* in his career, and while the horse clearly has plenty of natural talent and athleticism, those qualities are honed to perfection on the course at Great Meadow International by Will Coleman.

Sitting in eleventh place overnight after a score of 35.1 in dressage and a double clear round in stadium, Coleman and Off the Record had the opportunity to make a move with only 16 of the 40 combinations getting over cross country inside the time and clear. Without a moment either of hesitation or frenetic racing to the finish, this combination got the job done, edging out Georgie Spence by a mere tenth of a penalty point to take the win.

Now that’s how cross country is done! For a full recap from Great Meadow International, check out our sister site Eventing Nation’s coverage.