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Kelsey Thatcher and Balougris SL Z Bring Home the Blue in the $2,500 1.30m Open Jumpers

Kelsey Thatcher and Balougris SL Z slice the second fence in the jump-off round.

Parker, CO – July 19, 2013 – Show jumping returned to the Kathy and Brad Coors Family Grand Prix Arena at Summer in the Rockies VI at the Colorado Horse Park. Highlights of the day included the $2,500 1.30m Open Jumpers and the $2,500 1.40m Open Jumpers.

In the 1.30m Open Jumpers, seven of the 13 horse and rider combinations that took on international course designer Danny Foster’s course progressed to the jump-off round. Haylie Jayne aboard Dolce Vita, owned by Pony Lane Farm, were the first in the order. The pair progressed to the jump-off round, where they were clean with a time of 38.958 seconds.

Jayne held on to the lead until Andrew Kocher and Cricket, owned by Lance Williamson, had a clear first round, then delivered a fault-free jump-off round to trip the timer at 36.971. Last to go in the order, Kelsey Thatcher and Balougris SL Z, owned by Pony Lane Farm, put in a double clear effort. Their jump-off round took full advantage of the short course’s time-saving options and the pair bested Kocher with a time of 36.971. When Thatcher and Balougris SL Z, known as Balou in the barn, left the ring, Thatcher was beaming.

“My horse was excellent so I was happy,” said Thatcher. “Balou is one we bought from Denise Wilson, who is from Ocala and the Chicago area. We’re glad that he’s broke finally. When they imported him he was already 8 or 9 years old and had no experience. My sister was the first one that started to ride him and he went around like a giraffe. He had no understanding of leg to hands. He would buck anytime you put your leg on, like a total little punk. But he is super, super talented.”

“He is the definition of team work,” Thatcher continued. “Haylie showed him for several months and Charlie did him in Florida in a couple of the WEFs and Mark Ferris would do lots of flatwork on him. I’ve shown him and my sister has shown him. He’s been great for all of us and we all love him.”

“I hadn’t ridden him in a year,” she said. “I showed him here last year. And my sister rode him for a year and now I’m riding him again. He’s an incredible athlete. It’s amazing how far he’s come. I’m so proud of him. It’s fun to talk about him because he’s been a little secret.”

Thatcher found the course challenging. But with Balou, the jump-off was an opportunity to show off his talent.

“The jump-off was fun,” Thatcher said. “The horses have to pay attention to where their legs are. I am lucky that he is a nice horse. That number two fence of the jump-off was like a 30 degree angle. I think he just barely got his eye on it and jumped it in perfect form. It is not a shot I could have taken on any other horse.”

Thatcher will ride two entries in the $50,000 Parker Adventist Hospital Grand Prix tomorrow, Everything and Athena.

“I’m glad I rode in the class today because it gave me a good idea of what to expect for tomorrow with his course design,” she explained. “It’s funny, from one week to the next, it is the same ring, the same jumps, but the course designers ask completely different questions. There will be a phenomenal quality for a big money class.”

Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run's Holy Smokes
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Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run’s Holy Smokes

Foster’s tough course for the $2,500 1.40m Open Jumpers produced only one double clear round, from Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run’s Holy Smokes, one of the latest additions to the impressive string of Bull Run Jumpers.

“We just got her recently and we’ve had a lot of fun trying a new program,” said VanderVeen. . “She only jumped the 1.20m when I got her just a few weeks ago. She’s really moved up quite quickly with us.”

The course today suited Holy Smokes. “The courses that are winding and turny work for her because I can break her up a little bit,” shared VanderVeen. “She likes to go, so that slowed her down a little bit.”

“They are very different than what we’ve been jumping, for sure,” she continued. “It was great for that horse. I like an open forward course. This course breaks up your ride a lot – it makes you jump off your eye with the bending and it challenges the riders in a very different way. It is good to change it up. If you’re not on the rhythm, it can get dicey real fast. If you can’t stay on the pace, the bending lines catch everybody a little bit backwards.”

VanderVeen, who won the Summer in the Rockies II Grand Prix, presented by Littleton Equine Medical Center and Platinum Performance, and the $40,000 Holiday Inn of Parker Grand Prix during Summer in the Rockies V, will attempt another big win in the $50,000 Parker Adventist Hospital Grand Prix on Saturday with her two entries, Bull Run’s Eternal and Bull Run’s Holy Smokes.

The Colorado Horse Park Summer in the Rockies Fast Facts

What: Summer in the Rockies AA-Rated Hunter Jumper Show Series

Event Dates:

Summer in the Rockies I June 5-9, 2013
Summer in the Rockies II June 12-16, 2013
Summer in the Rockies III June 19-23, 2013
Summer in the Rockies IV July 3-7, 2013
Summer in the Rockies V July 10-14, 2013
Summer in the Rockies VI July 17-21, 2013

Prize List:

Click here for an online version of the prize list. For a hard copy of the prize list, please e-mail prizelist@cohorsepark.com with your name, address and phone number and specify which prize list you would like (spring/fall or summer).

Entries:

Mail to The Colorado Horse Park, 7522 South Pinery Drive, Parker, CO 80134 or fax to (303) 841-7879. Opening date for Stall Reservations: April 1, 2013. Closing date May 20, 2013.

Contact Information:

Pat Boyle, Show Manager                          (847) 274-6834
Brian Curry, Show Manager                        (303) 918-2908
Show Office                                                 (303) 841-7461
Show Office Fax                                          (303) 841-1419
Colorado Horse Park Main Office                (303) 841-5550
Colorado Horse Park Main Office Fax         (303) 841-7879

Tentative Schedule:
Wed – Sun: Show starts daily at 8 a.m. unless otherwise noted

Directions:

Address: 7375 E Bayou Gulch Rd, Parker, CO 80134

From North: I-25S exit Ridgegate Parkway – go east under the freeway.  Ridgegate Parkway to S. Chambers Road, approx 3 miles (Traffic light) – turn right/south onto Chambers Road. At end of Chambers Road turn left/east onto Hess Road.  Hess Road to Parker Road/Hwy 83 – turn right/south onto Hwy 83 approx 4 miles to Bayou Gulch Road. (Traffic light). Follow signs to Colorado Horse Park.

From South: I-25N, exit Founder’s Parkway.  Founder’s Parkway to Highway 86, approx 4 miles (traffic light). Turn east/left onto Hwy. 86 to Franktown/Hwy 83. At Franktown go north on 83 approx. 7 mi. to Bayou Gulch Rd. (Traffic light), turn right/east onto Bayou Gulch Rd. Follow signs to Colorado Horse Park.

About the Colorado Horse Park

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, the Colorado Horse Park was founded by visionary Helen Krieble who acknowledged the need for a high-volume horse show and horse boarding facility to serve Colorado.  The Colorado Horse Park welcomes more than 75,000 visitors per year and hosts over 40 competitions annually.  CHP features a derby arena designed by Olympic-designer Linda Allen and a cross-country course designed by Olympic Gold Medalist David O’Connor and eventing super-star James Atkinson. There are 300 permanent stalls with capacity for more than 1,000 stalls.

The picturesque property, located only minutes from the town of Parker, hosts international equestrian events in multiple disciplines. Visitors enjoy the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountain surroundings and access to miles of trails and open space.  The Colorado Horse Park is committed to supporting equestrian education and amateur athletics, preserving open space, fundraising for local charities and supporting the community.

Carrie Wirth for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International

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