Jennifer Alfano and Candid secured the Pre-Green Hunter Championship during HITS-on-the-Hudson. Photo By: Anne Gittins.
Saugerties, NY – August 6, 2013 – The team at SBS Farms, Inc. is gearing up for the 2013 Pre-Green Incentive Finals at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. But before they make the trek to the Bluegrass State, they stopped at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, NY, to make a final impression. Jennifer Alfano piloted Candid to the top of the standings in the Pre-Green Hunters, capturing the championship with a clean sweep of the division. The pair also added the blue ribbon from the Pre-Green Incentive Stake to their ever-growing list of accolades.
“He was great; he just keeps getting better and better, and it is really fun because I own him. I hope I’m not using up all of my luck before Pre-Green Finals next week,” Alfano said. “He really is quite simple; he is brave about the jumps. He doesn’t spook at anything. He is quite easy and is really fun to ride; he will always give you a good jump.”
“I love the incentive program; I think it is great. I think it is going to do great things for our sport. All of the Pre-Green divisions I have been to have been really big. I think it is really getting people back into it. People now want to buy Pre-Green Horses, when in the past there was nothing to really warrant them wanting to buy a young horse,” Alfano explained. “It is really neat too, that I personally own Candid, so I am earning back the sales cost with my winnings. The program has really opened a lot of doors, and I can’t wait for the Finals; it definitely is a great incentive.”
Candid is the quintessential Pre-Green Incentive Program horse, acting as an example of the time and dedication that goes into encouraging the development of pre-green horses. They beat an impressive group of entrants in the stake class, riding to the top of the leader board with their winning round.
In the Green Conformation Hunters, Alfano rode Grayson, owned by Maarten Huygens, to the division’s championship. They swept the over fences during their stay in Saugerties, as well as nabbing the second place in the under saddle. Grayson is a new mount for Alfano, but if their recent placings are any reflection of what is yet to come, the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show better be watching for this talented dyad.
Championships didn’t only befall Alfano during HITS-on-the-Hudson. Jennifer Basile and Rasputin, owned by the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center, rode to the top honors during the Katherine Cosmetics Adult 36-49 Equitation. They earned two seconds over fences and the third. They also picked up the second place in the under saddle to seal the championship.
Alex Trolli earned the judges’ nod during the Children’s 15-17 Hunter Horse division. She rode Del Piero, owned by Doreen Toben, to three first place ribbons over fences, including the second day’s handy round. She also rode to the third place in the under saddle. They secured the division’s tricolor with their winning rounds. Trolli also rode Del Piero to the first and second place over fences in the Modified Children’s Hunters.
SBS Farms will now pack their trunks and start their journey to the Kentucky Horse Park where Alfano will not only showcase her Pre-Green Hunter horses in the approaching Finals, but also ride her top mounts in the $100,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby Championships to be held August 15-17. She will be returning as the defending champion, after winning last year’s Derby Finals with Jersey Boy.
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.
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