Nicole Lyvere and All In.
Parker, CO – June 22, 2013 – Nicole Lyvere and two of her talented hunters demonstrated that a new challenge can be just the ticket to inspire an outstanding performance. Lyvere rode Wink to two wins and All In to a third place finish in the 3’6″ Amateur Open Hunters not long after moving the two horses up from the 3’3″ division. Wink and All In also finished second and fourth, respectively, in the $1,000 Amateur Owner Hunter Classic.
“They were both perfect today,” Lyvere said. “Both of them are finally growing up.” Wink, an 8-year-old warmblood, and All In, a 9-year-old Westphalian, looked like seasoned professionals as they tackled the courses.
Lyvere noted that Summer in the Rockies is Wink’s third show and All In’s second show since moving up in height. “They are both very scopey and very athletic, and they like to be challenged,” she said. “They get bored, so it’s been good for them to step up. They definitely jump better – they have to put more of an effort in. So it’s been good for them and good for me to have a bigger jump and a little bit more of a challenge.”
Lyvere thought the Scott Starnes-designed courses, particularly the handy, provided a good test for horse and rider. “I liked the handy,” she said. “It definitely wasn’t your normal handy. It definitely tested both the rider and the horse a little bit more with the bending lines.”
“The second bending line was pretty hard, especially for Wink,” she added. “He’s still a baby and he doesn’t like surprises at all, so the handy is usually our hardest round. You want to make it really tight and tidy and roll back. He’s getting better, but he still doesn’t like surprises right off the corner, so you can’t always take all the inside turns. You just have to make what you do tidier. But All In can go in there and he can do all the tight turns – he’ll just jump from anywhere.”
Lyvere trains with Cindy Cruciotti, who rode Wink and All In earlier in the week in the 3’6″ Performance Working Hunters. Cruciotti and Wink were champions of the division, and Cruciotti piloted another of Lyvere’s horses, Promo, to the reserve championship. Lyvere said she values Cruciotti’s emphasis on the fundamentals.
“She works a lot on flatwork and dressage, which helps,” Lyvere said. “All the trainers have always told me the jumps are only an interruption of your flatwork, which is true. A round is two minutes – you’re flatting for a minute and thirty seconds, and the jumps are only a fraction of it. Flatwork helps the horse jump better, get stronger, and get straighter. As long as you’re straight, the horse gets to the jump. She helps a lot with that.”
“She loves the horses and always wants the best for the horses, but still pushes the rider without pushing the horse too far,” Lyvere continued. “She prepares you so well for the shows. You’ve done much harder stuff at home.”
Lyvere, who balances her academics alongside riding and showing her string of horses, appreciates Cruciotti’s support. “She’s very good at helping me juggle both of them,” she said. “If I can’t make it out to ride, she’s very understanding.”
Lyvere and her horses have successfully stepped up into a new division, and other promising pairs are coming up the ranks in their footsteps. Caitlin Burns and a horse she purchased this winter, On the Money, are getting better each day they compete at Summer in the Rockies. Saturday’s showing was their most consistent yet: they scored a win in the 3’3″ Amateur Owner 18-35 Hunter over fences class, took second place in the handy, and won the $1,000 Amateur Owner Hunter Classic over a competitive field that included Lyvere’s two horses.
“Every course is a good learning experience,” Burns said. “I’m figuring out how to ride her better and get those good scores. So that’s the goal – just keep on plugging.”
She was happy with On the Money’s positive effort. “She was just really agreeable and fun to ride,” she said. “When you put it all together, it’s a really good feeling.”
Burns, who trains with Mark Mead, focused on keeping the pace steady throughout her courses. “She’s just one who would like to get a little speedy,” Burns said. “So I always think about places where I can slow down and get my good canter back, and not get talked into always accelerating.”
Page Tredennick, who notched a win over fences in the 3’3″ Amateur Owner 36 & Over Hunters with Apricot Lane, shared Burns’ goal of improving and learning with each course. “The goal is to get better,” she said. “It’s nice to win, but my goal is really to try to improve each time and hopefully do better tomorrow than I did today.”
“My horse just turned 6 years old, so he’s a baby,” she went on. “He’s come a long way. I just got him. So we’re kind of creaking our way along, trying to get better and better each time. He’s a really sweet horse. I think he’ll make a beautiful 3’6″ horse, probably a very good first-year horse. He’s a nice mover and a very good jumper.”
Another top finisher in the 3’3″ Amateur Owner 36 & Over Hunters was Elizabeth Hund with her own Timbuktu. The pair won the handy and was second to Tredennick in the first round. All Amateur Owner divisions return Sunday with the final classes to determine the championships.
After strong performances on Friday from several riders in the Junior Hunters, Amanda Hauser and Calido’s Son put in impressive efforts on Saturday to come away with the championship. Emily Ryan and Parrot Bay took the reserve. Hauser and Calido’s Son won both of their classes and also took home the win in the $1,000 Junior Hunter Classic.
“He was a little more up today than he was yesterday, but he was pretty good other than that,” Hauser said after her ride. Hauser and Calido’s Son are entered in Sunday’s $5,000 USHJA National Derby and then will head home for a well-deserved break after their many victories at the first weeks of Summer in the Rockies. They plan to return to the Colorado Horse Park later in the summer to continue honing their skills in the Junior Hunters.
“We’re coming back here in July, so we’ll go home for a couple weeks, rest, do a couple lessons, and then come back,” Hauser said, noting a main focus in her preparation at home has been finding a good pace. “We work on getting our pace right, to find the jumps more easily. That’s one of my main goals.”
Summer in the Rockies III concludes Sunday with a trio of hunter derbies: the $15,000 USHJA International Derby, the $5,000 USHJA National Derby and the $2,500 CHP Pony Hunter Derby. Riders are looking forward to testing themselves and their horses in the special format.
“I’ve found a big interest in the derbies,” Lyvere said. “It’s just so much fun. It’s so different than the hunter courses and asks so much more of the rider, and you get to compete against the top riders in the country. They’re definitely more challenging courses – they’re bigger and they have the 4′ options. It’s something new and the jumps are fun. I wish I could do one every day!”
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.
Mary Adelaide Brakenridge for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
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