Jennifer Alfano and Maggie May Rise to the Occasion during the Jacksonville Finale

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Jen Alfano and Maggie May. Photo by Anne Gittins Photography

Wellington, FL – February 4, 2013 – SBS Farms Inc. has jumped into the 2013 show season, leaving nothing behind. Professional rider and trainer Jennifer Alfano rode Maggie May to a championship in the First Year Green Working Hunters during their stay in Jacksonville, FL, dominating the hunter rings during the Jacksonville Finale Horse Show. She and her other various mounts also earned high honors in numerous classes throughout the week, as well as snatching the first place title with Jersey Boy in the International Derby.

Maggie May, a bay Brandenberger Mare owned by Billie Steffee, recently moved up into the First Year Green Working Hunters from the Pre-Green Hunters. Alfano and Maggie May gave everything they had, showcasing beautiful rounds over fences, and earning the championship tricolor in the division.

“I got her last year as Pre-Green horse and she is a really special horse,” said Alfano. “This was her first show doing the First Years and she was awesome. It is hard to believe that it was her first show of the year. She just marched in the ring like she owned the place.”

The two earned a blue ribbon and two second place ribbons over fences, as well as the blue ribbon in the handy round. They also caught the judges’ eyes during the under saddle, riding to the blue ribbon prize. It was no shock that Alfano and Maggie May posed for the championship presentation shot with their phenomenal premier in the First Year Green Working Hunters.

Alfano competed on a second mount in the First Year Green Working Hunters, her very own Looking Glass. The Warmblood mare brought home two fourth place ribbons over fences, and Alfano admitted that she is continuing to improve with each experience in the ring. Purchased last spring, Looking Glass has risen to the occasion in numerous hunter divisions, and is a rising star for Alfano and SBS Farms.

Jersey Boy, owned by SBS Farms Inc., upheld the 2012 USEF National Horse of the Year title, with outstanding rounds in the $25,000 USHJA International Derby at the Jacksonville Finale. Alfano and Jersey Boy executed perfect courses, winning the first round and cruising to a second placing in the handy round to clinch the winning title with their flawless performances.

“I was a little nervous for the Derby, because neither Lewis or Lucy has shown since November at the National Horse Show,” explained Alfano. “I was thinking that I was dumb not showing them earlier in the week. But they were both amazing and you never would have known that they hadn’t shown in three months.”

Miss Lucy, owned by Helen Lenahan, also competed in the $25,000 Jacksonville International Derby. With Alfano in the irons, the two took home fifth place ribbons in both the first round and the handy round, taking the fifth place finish overall.

Timber Ridge also earned impressive scores in the Derby. Owned by Shane George, the Holsteiner gelding, earned a third place ribbon in the first round and a fourth place ribbon in the handy round. In addition to the Derby, Alfano and Timber Ridge competed in the Regular Conformation Hunter division. The two earned a second place in the model class, as well as a first and two second place ribbons over fences. They won an additional second place ribbon in the handy round and the under saddle, propelling them to the reserve championship. Although Alfano’s partnership with Timber Ridge only began in the fall, the pair has risen to the occasion time after time, impressing the judges with their fluidity as a team.

“He also hasn’t shown since the National and it was only my second show and my first Derby with him. But he is really fun and brave,” Alfano concluded.

Based out of Buffalo, NY, SBS Farms’ Susie Schoellkopf and Jennifer Alfano run one of the foremost show hunter training operations in the country, and travel nationwide to compete in the nation’s most prestigious horse shows. SBS Farms, Inc. continues the proud tradition of the Saddle and Bridle Club as one of the top show stables in the northeast. Schoellkopf is also the Executive Director of the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center, which houses both The Buffalo Equestrian Center as well as SBS Farms. Built in 1922, the 160-stall facility is a historical landmark, with its unique English Tudor and gothic style architecture. For more information on SBS Farms and the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center, please visit www.thebtrc.org.

Arianna Delin for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International

Media Contact: Kendall Bierer
Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
phone 561.753.3389  fax 561.753.3386
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