Unseasonably warm weather graced the Carolina Horse Park as the first day of competition got underway during the Setters’ Run Farm Carolina International Yanmar America CCI4*-S. Temperatures hit 80 degrees as riders competed between the boards; shorts and sun hats were spotted throughout the crowd of spectators, making it look and feel like a summer’s day. 

As the last horse walked out of the ring, it became clear that no one would disrupt Liz Halliday’s clean sweep across the board in the Yanmar America CCI4*-S. Halliday and Ocala Horse Properties’ and Deborah Palmer’s Miks Master C (Mighty Magic – Qui Luma CBF, Flying Quite Easy 958) strode into first place with a score of 22.5. 

“He offers a lot of power in the ring, I thought the good bits were very very good. There was still room for improvement, particularly in the halt and reinback, but those were some of the best changes he’s done in a test. I thought his self-carriage was really, really great, so overall I am very proud of him,” Halliday said. “Probably the biggest thing I’ve been working on with him is teaching him to be a little more up. If he gets a little bit down on me, then he can really pull and bear in and get a little curled. All winter I’ve worked on teaching him to push from behind and take the nose up and out a little bit more.”

Liz Halliday and The Monster Partnership’s Cooley Moonshine (Cobra – Kilpatrick Duchess, King’s Master) placed just three points behind Miks Master C with a 25.5. This is Moonshine’s first outing since attempting the CCI4*-L at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana. He’s off to a great start with a strong performance in dressage. “This is the first time he’s been in a dressage ring since Rebecca,” Halliday said, laughing. “I just adore him. I’ve had him since he was five, we’ve been through a lot, and we’ve had a few setbacks along the way.  If we can keep all the wheels on the cart, he’s just a world-class horse. He was such a pro today, I was thrilled with him. He was calm and organized. I was really over the moon with him, especially as he was first to go.” 

In third place, Halliday once again took the slot, this time with The Monster Partnership’s Cooley Quicksilver (Womanizer – Kylemore Crystal, Creggan Diamond). Scoring a 27.1, Cooley Quicksilver put in a strong performance for his first outing of the year after winning the CCI4*-S at Stable View in April 2023. “I was really happy with him today. Sometimes he can go in the ring and be a little goofy, but he did nothing goofy today. I thought he tried really hard, I was pleased with his paces. He’s a very different horse than my others. He’s his own character, but he’s also quite professional now.” 

“I can’t believe he’s 13, I’ve had him since he was a baby as well.  I thought it was a good test, the centerline is always tricky with him, but I thought the rest of it was very professional. He’s become quite a consistent horse, which is really cool,” Halliday added.

CCI4*-S competition at the 2024 Carolina International resumes Friday, March 15, at 12:00 p.m. EST with show jumping.

For full results, click here.

Thanks to Cosequin for our coverage of the 2024 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, including rider interviews, competition reports, horse spotlights, photos, videos and more!⁣