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Eventing course honors lost son
by Rob Poggenklass · News · August 17, 2006
Catalpa Corner holds inaugural horse trials
The Iowa horse community has a new place to train, thanks to the efforts of an area woman who took the grief of losing a child and turned it into one of the best eventing facilities in the state.
Susan Brigham and her husband, local horse veterinarian Jim McNutt, hosted the inaugural Catalpa Corner Charity Horse Trials on Sunday, Aug. 13, at their farm on White Oak Avenue N.E., northwest of Oasis in Johnson County.
The eventing grounds, which include the three basic elements of the sport — dressage, cross country and stadium jumping — were built to honor the memory of Madison Brigham, Susan’s 16-year-old son, who died in a car accident near the farm on Sept. 11, 2004. His death came as McNutt and Brigham were dealing with the loss of Jim’s father, who had died just two days earlier.
“With grief comes a lot of anger. It’s a mental implosion and a physical explosion,” said Brigham. “The challenge is to be productive on the other side. I wanted to give something back to the horse community.”
Brigham told the tragic story of Madison — himself an avid rider — to others who love horses. They responded in ways she never could have imagined. Phil Sawin and Dan Stark, both professional eventing course designers, came to lend their expertise. Paul Welsh, of Iowa City, engineered the magnificent water complex on the cross country course. Local business Cargill, which sponsors horse eventing nationally, agreed to donate feed for the horses and help with future events. Amish carpenters helped build several of the jumps. A Southeast Iowa Ambulance worker has agreed to donate his time, which would typically cost $120 per hour, at future Catalpa Corner trials. The list goes on and on.
“They were touched by our story and wanted to help us a great deal,” Brigham said.
The result is a facility that includes no fewer than 20 portable jumps, 20 permanent jumps, a water complex and a beautifully painted bridge. While there are other eventing courses nearby, such as Winds Reach Farm in Iowa City, area riders and horse trainers say Catalpa Corner is unmatched in the state of Iowa.
“Everything’s really well built and really pretty,” said Elizabeth Sauter, of Cedar Rapids.
“This is the nicest course we have around,” said Andrea Gates, 18, of rural Anamosa.
Gates rode Carolyn, a 4-year-old mare, to a win in the Training Division of the horse trials, the most advanced of the four groups that competed Sunday. Gates, who has been riding since age 4 and competing since age 9, said she’s used to traveling to places like Morris, Ill., Kansas City and St. Louis to train. She hopes someday to ride at the advanced level — the same skill level as riders who compete in Equestrian at the Summer Olympics.
Because of the new facilities at Catalpa Corner, Gates and others will have the opportunity to train a lot closer to home. Brigham has agreed to let riders use the course from spring to late fall, so long as they check with her and sign a waiver. Clinicians from across the country and the world will travel to Catalpa Corner for two days at a time, which will also draw riders to the site.
The stadium jumps are easily modified to add or reduce difficulty and the cross country course is actually several courses in one, with signs that designate the jumps of the various eventing divisions.
“It’s for all ages and all skill levels,” said Brigham.
Sunday’s contest was an unrecognized horse trial, featuring dressage (horse dancing), cross country and stadium jumping all in one day. Brigham’s goal is to make Catalpa Corner a recognized course and hold two annual events — a schooling event in the spring and a recognized horse trial for Eventing Area 4, drawing competitors from a number of Midwestern states.
“It’s very exciting for us,” said Trisha Ringgold, of rural Solon, who’s been training horses for 25 years. “We don’t have jumps like this. It’s a true test of rider ability.”
Ringgold cited the work done by Welsh on the water complex, one of Catalpa Corner’s most unique features. She said that a geothermal fabric is required beneath the water, so that horses don’t get scared when they land. She also cited the “phenomenal carpentry” of the many jumps, which should help the course last for years to come. The dedication of Brigham and others was easy for horse lovers to recognize on Sunday.
“It’s hard to find this much land and someone who will mow it all,” said Karlina Trachsel, of Lisbon.
“It’s incredible, the amount of real dollars and volunteer hours that went into this place,” added Ringgold. “You do it for the passion of the sport.”
That’s a given for Brigham, whose love of horses is surpassed only by that of her love for the boy whose picture still hangs at the start of the course, as a simple reminder of why Catalpa Corner was built.
“It still doesn’t bring him back,” Brigham said.
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