Lauren Hester and Arly.
It was a sweet Valentine’s Day for Lauren Hester and Hester Equestrian, LLC’s Arly when he gave her his first win in grand prix competition and took the blue in the $25,000 Foley RV Center Grand Prix!
Nancy Wallis of Lambertville, New Jersey designed the course and set the time allowed at 87 seconds. Only five advanced to the jump off.
The first to go clean was Sarah Scheiring of Stockton, New Jersey in the irons of Molly Ben-Menachem’s Dontez who was sixth in the order of go. The pair posted a first round time in 83.580 seconds.
Cerulean Stables, LLC’s HHS Louis, ridden by Amanda Forte of Glenmoore, Pennsylvania, followed Scheiring with a clean round in a time of 81.879 seconds, to the delight of the crowd, insuring there would be a jump off!
Hailey Henderson of LaFayette, Louisiana and her own Zine Dine joined the jump off order after posting a clean first round in a time of 82.663 seconds. Then Meco Equestrian, LLC’s Cord II, ridden by Penny Brennan of Buhl, Alabama, added themselves to the trio after posting a clean first round in a time of 81.021 seconds. It wouldn’t be until the last to go, Lauren Hester of Lexington, Kentucky in the irons of Hester Equestrian, LLC’s Arly, would add themselves as the enviable last to go in the jump off order, after posting a clean first round in a time of 79.69 seconds.
Scheiring and Dontez were first to go in the jump off and while they posted a time of 31.028 seconds, well within the 41 seconds time allowed, eight jump faults with four left to go kept it anyone’s win.
Forte and HH Louis followed and went clean in a time of 32.184 seconds, taking the lead and setting the new time to beat. Henderson was next in the irons of Zine Dine and although the pair went clean, their time of 33.408 seconds would not be fast enough to take the lead and the pair found themselves for the time in second place.
Brennan and Cord II followed Forte but a rail at the first fence in a time of 31.277 seconds would keep them away from the blue ribbon.
All eyes were on Hester and Arly in the enviable last to go spot. The pair turned in a clean jump off round in a time of 30.311 seconds, beating Forte’s time and taking the win. “The course was fair,” said Hester. “I think the hardest part was the triple combination. The vertical, vertical, oxer and the lattice in the middle made the horses peek a little,” she commented. “Overall it was a good course because there were rails everywhere, there wasn’t one particular trap,” she said.
“I just rode [Arly] normal and he is a happy go lucky kind of guy. He is a big guy, about 17.1 or two hands, and has a big step. The lines get really easy for him and he wants to keep going forward and sometimes I need to put a little bend in it. He’s really straightforward to ride and although he has a huge stride, he’s really adjustable too,” she added.
“I’ve had him since last May and did two grand prix with him where he got an eighth and a fourth,” she said. “He had some time off after those and Pensacola was his first show back,” she said. “This was his first grand prix win,” she said happily.
“He was really good in the jump off and left the stride out on the last line and that made the difference,” said Hester.
Hester not only returned with the first place ribbon, she also placed sixth on Hester Equestrian’s Wender and seventh on Clueless P.
Third place was awarded to Hailey Henderson and her own Zine Dine, fourth was awarded to Penny Brennan and Cord II, fifth went to Sarah Scheiring and Dontez, sixth and seventh to Hester and Wender and Clueless P, eighth place was awarded to Christian Rogge of Spring, Texas and his own Cassuro Tsp, ninth was awarded to Francois Lamontagne of Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada and his own Chanel Du Calvaire, tenth was awarded to Konstanze Wachholtz of Spring, Texas in the irons of her own Bull Run’s T-Mac, eleventh place went to Jennie Nolen of San Antonio, Texas and Daryl Nolon’s Quasi Modo H and Jason Berry of Verona, Virginia riding Willoughby Stables’ Varios took home twelfth place.
The Gulf Coast Classic Company is a USHJA’s Members Choice Award winner, recognized for producing top quality show jumping events in the United States. For more information on Gulf Coast Classic Company and its exhibitor-friendly, top quality hunter jumper events, please visit them at www.gulfcoastclassiccompany.com.
All sponsorship, marketing and press inquiries should be directed to Lisa Engel, Sponsorship, Marketing and Public Relations Director, at lisa@classiccompany.com.
Stay up to date: Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter!
See you at the ring,
Bob Bell
The Classic Company, Ltd.
www.ClassicCompany.com
Phone/FAX: (843) 768-5503
Post Office Box 1311 Johns Island SC 29457